Brian May honored his late friend and collaborator Cozy Powell on what would have been his 77th birthday with a clip from their live performance of ‘Resurrection’ on Instagram.
In the caption, the guitarist wrote, “Cozy was unquestionably one of the pure originators of Rock Drumming. His magnificent presence on drums was an inspiration to thousands who followed in his footsteps. In the period when I was trying to find my equilibrium after the loss of Freddie, my Dad, and my marriage, Cozy became my greatest believer and support. And our collaborations, like this one, ‘Resurrection,’ are still some of the creative moments in my life I will always be most proud of.”
“His tragic death in a car crash in 1998 is something many of us will never get over,” he added. “Rock on, dear friend, forever. Thanks @iswearshesvintage for unearthing this vintage clip.”
Powell joined May’s solo band in the early 1990s and contributed to the ‘Back to the Light’ album by playing drums on ‘Resurrection’ as well as a few other tracks. The drummer passed away in 1998 during the production of May’s second album, ‘Another World,’ in a car accident on the M4 motorway near Bristol, England.
“I’d lost Cozy which was an absolute tragedy for me,” May told Rolling Stone UK about that period. “He was my closest partner in making [1992] track ‘Resurrection,’ which might be my favorite track ever. We’d started off making the second album when I got this awful message saying Cozy had died in a crash on the motorway.”
After Powell’s death, Taylor Hawkins played drums on the song ‘Cyborg’ to help complete May’s 1998 album while Steve Ferrone stepped in for the title track. The record still heavily featured Powell on songs like ‘Business,’ ‘China Belle,’ ‘Slow Down,’ and ‘All The Way From Memphis.’
