Who is Gary Young ? All you need to know as the Original Pavement drummer dies aged 70

Gary Young, drummer of the American indie-rock band Pavement, passed away on August 17, 2023, according to a social media post released by Stephen Malkmus, the late drummer's former bandmate. They have not revealed the cause of his death yet.

The drummer was a member of Pavement for five years between 1989 and 1993 and largely contributed to the projects that led to the band's early success, including their debut studio album.

Alongside the death announcement, Pavement also released a statement giving their condolences to his loved ones:

"Collectively, our hearts go out to Geri Bernstein, Gary's wife, who was with him for nearly 50 years and kept him going and staying as vibrant as possible past age 70 years."

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Pavement pays tribute to Gary Young

Paying tribute to the late drummer, Pavement stated in their memorial that the band was lucky to have him and his experience as an inspiration during their early career:

"To us and all who knew him, he was a fearless fireball. His enthusiasm for playing live music was relentless and unrepentant. He was the best storyteller we've known and a unique judge of character. The things he experienced before we knew him blew our minds."

The band continued:

"Gary loved tension. He wanted to make people excited and anxious. He accomplished both. We embraced him and he taught us myriads of things that we never thought about. He was an educator. In many ways, we were his apprentice"

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More about Gary Young and began his career

Garrit Allan Robertson Young was born on May 3, 1953, and had exposure to music and music technology from an early age due to his father, Bob Young. Bob Young was a plastics engineer and was crucial in developing the Steinberger Company electric bass alongside Ned Steinberger.

Gary Young worked with bands around California, notably with Dead Kennedys, one of the pioneers of the punk music movement. The early repertoire of the drummer also included projects with Circle Jerks, a hardcore punk band, as well as the band Panic, currently known as Black Flag.

Gary Young joined Pavement in 1989, and the band had a chart breakthrough with their debut studio album, Slanted and Enchanted, released on April 20, 1992. The album peaked at number 72 on the UK album chart and sold more than 215,000 copies after its release.

The band, with Gary Young, subsequently released their fourth EP, Watery, Domestic, on November 25, 1992. The EP peaked at number 25 on the Irish chart and 58 on the UK chart.

Gary Young also featured on the compilation album, Westing (By Musket and Sextant), released on March 30, 1992. The album, which consolidated the band's early EPs and singles, peaked at number 30 on the UK album chart and sold more than 63,000 copies after its release.