Roky Erickson
Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.[1]
Roky Erickson
Roger Kynard Erickson
July 15, 1947
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
May 31, 2019 (aged 71)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- Guitar
- vocals
- harmonica
- piano
1964–2019
- Columbia
- CBS
- Restless
- Pink Dust
- Enigma Records
- Five Hours Back
- Fan Club
- Sympathy for the Record Industry
- Triple X
- Emperor Jones
- Norton
- New Rose
- Swordfish
Roky Erickson and the Aliens
Roky Erickson and the Resurrectionists
Tribute albums
Legacy and influence[edit]
Author Jonathan Lethem titled his 2007 novel You Don't Love Me Yet in honor of two (otherwise unconnected) songs of the same title by Erickson and The Vulgar Boatmen. Lethem called Erickson's song "irresistible" and "one of those incredibly versatile songs."[28]
The X-Files episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" features a character named Roky Crikenson in homage to Erickson. Crikenson, like the original Roky, believes himself to be an alien abductee.
A plotline in an episode of 1990s sitcom The John Larroquette Show revolved around a sighting of reclusive novelist Thomas Pynchon. Pynchon did not appear, but agreed to allow his name to be used on the condition that it was specifically mentioned that Pynchon was seen wearing a T-shirt showing a picture of Erickson.[29] This spurred an increase in sales of Erickson's albums.[30]
The album It's Spooky by Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair features the song "I Met Roky Erickson", named after an encounter Johnston had with the artist.
The song "White Faces" was covered by the Dutch occult rock band The Devil's Blood on their 2008 EP Come Reap.
The song "If You Have Ghosts" was covered by the Swedish heavy metal band Ghost on their EP If You Have Ghost, leading to the title track becoming a common catchphrase and meme among Ghost fans.
The song ”Two Headed Dog” was covered by the Swedish band Jeansen on their 2022 debut album Record Deal.