John Henry Kurtz

John Henry Kurtz
BornOctober 24, 1945
Havertown, Pennsylvania, US
DiedMarch 8, 2008(2008-03-08) (aged 62)
Cape May Court House, New Jersey, US
GenresCountry rock
Years active1970–1972 (as musician), 1986–2008 (as actor)
LabelABC Records

John Henry Kurtz (October 24, 1945 – March 8, 2008) was an American singer-songwriter and actor best known for recording an early version of the song "Drift Away", which was later popularized by Dobie Gray.

Biography

John Henry Kurtz was born on October 24, 1945, in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He released his first and only studio album, Reunion, in 1972. The album contains "Drift Away", which was written by Mentor Williams. Though many sources cite Kurtz's version as the original, it was actually first recorded by English singer and actor Mike Berry two months earlier, appearing on his 1972 debut album of the same name.[1]

While Kurtz's musical career was unsuccessful, he later turned to acting. He lived most of his life in Vail, Colorado, and moved to New York City in 1981. He also served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era.[2] A resident of Cape May, New Jersey, Kurtz died of cancer at Cape Regional Medical Center on March 8, 2008.[3][4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Note
1994 The Cosby Mysteries Mr. Poppy TV movie
2006 Exiled Newscaster
2009 Frame of Mind Man on the phone Posthumous role

Television

Year Title Role Note
1986–1994 Saturday Night Live Announcer; The Global Warming Christmas Special Announcer; Colon Blow announcer; Dan Quayle: President narrator; Announcer: Pork commercials (voice) 5 episodes
1990 H.E.L.P. Calwin 1 episode
1991 Law & Order Pelletier 1 episode
1994 The Cosby Mysteries Mr. Poppy 1 episode
1996 3rd Rock from the Sun Voice Announcer 1 episode
2000–2004 Little Bill TV Announcer; Newscaster; Baseball Announcer 3 episodes
2001 100 Centre Street Hostage 1 episode
2007 Power, Privilege & Justice Narrator 1 episode

References

  1. ↑ "That's a Cover?: "Drift Away" (Dobie Gray / John Henry Kurtz / Mike Berry)". Cover Me. June 10, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ Colorado, Vail, CO (March 19, 2008). "Former Vail resident, John Henry Kurtz, 1945-2008". www.vaildaily.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "John Kurtz Obituary (2008) - Atlantic City, NJ - The Press of Atlantic City". Legacy.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Former Vail resident, John Henry Kurtz, 1945-2008", Vail Daily, March 19, 2008. Accessed December 21, 2023. "John Henry Kurtz, 62, a Vail resident from 1973 to 1981 who lived in Cape May, N.J., passed away peacefully at Cape May Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House, N.J., on March 8."
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.