BIOGRAPHY
Roky Erickson (1947-2019) was a founding member and leader of the 13th Floor Elevators, pioneers of psychedelic rock in the mid-to-late 1960s. His 1965 composition "You're Gonna Miss Me" became a regional hit and anchored the band's 1966 debut, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. In the late 1970s he formed Roky Erickson and the Aliens, recording sessions in 1978-79 that yielded The Evil One, released in different UK (1980) and US (1981) versions. A schizophrenia diagnosis led to his commitment at the Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Rusk, Texas, an experience that inspired "I Walked with a Zombie." In 1990, R.E.M., ZZ Top, John Wesley Harding and the Jesus and Mary Chain covered his songs for the tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye, introducing his work to a wider audience. Critic Mark Deming called him a legend among garage rock fans for his primal vocal wailing and feral harmonica work.