David Surkamp, frontman for the long-running progressive-rock band Pavlov’s Dog, has died at age 73, according to a social media post on the band’s social media accounts. No cause of death was announced.
While the band, which formed in St. Louis in the early 1970s, was not and arena-filling progressive rock group like Yes, Genesis and Emerson Lake & Palmer, they enjoyed a long career and a fervent fan base. Their at-times symphonic sound included violin and flute, and Surkamp’s high voice put them in a similar category as Yes.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our creative force, lead singer, and dear friend, David Surkamp, on October 13th,” bandmember Abbie Steiling wrote.
“There are no words sufficient for a loss of this magnitude. We are heartbroken. We are grateful. We will carry David, his music, and the memories created with us always. Our deepest condolences are with Saylor, Evan, and the Surkamp family as well as the Pavlov’s Dog family as we walk together through this difficult time of grief.” She added that Surkamp’s wife, Sara, died last November, and hoped he “has found peace with the love he has missed so dearly.”
The band released its debut album, “Pampered Menial” — produced by Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman, who helmed hit albums for Blue Oyster Cult — in 1975 and followed with “At the Sound of the Bell” the following year; the latter album featured guest appearances from such luminaries as Roxy Music saxophonist Andy Mackay and Yes/King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford.
However, with the rise of disco and punk in the latter half of the decade, progressive rock fell out of fashion. The band recorded a third album in 1977 but its label, Columbia, was unimpressed and declined to release it and Pavlov’s Dog split (the album was final issued by German label Rockville some 30 years later).
During the 1980s, Surkamp relocated to Seattle and formed Hi-Fi with former Fairport Convention singer Ian Matthews, before reuniting Pavlov’s Dog in 1990 for the album “Lost in America.” The band continued off and on over the following years, with Sara Surkamp joining on acoustic guitar and vocals in 2006. The band released its final album with David Surkamp, “Wonderlust,” last year.