Music Machine’s Sean Bonniwell Dies

The man who fronted one of the premier garage bands of the 1960s has passed. He was 71.

A victim of lung cancer, Sean Bonniwell died in a Visalia, Calif., medical center Dec. 20, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As lead singer and songwriter of Music Machine, Bonniwell sang the band’s one major hit – “Talk Talk” – which entered the Top 20 in 1966.

Born in San Jose in 1941, Bonniwell played with folk bands before heeding rock’s call. Although many have since described “Talk Talk” as a proto-punk song, he once called early rock ’n’ roll “electrified folk music.”