On This Day in 1974, the Guitarist Who Opened for John Lennon Died in a Hotel Room, Years Before a Fugitive Would Steal His Identity

Vincent “Vinnie” Taylor was riding high on the burgeoning success of his early rock ‘n’ roll and doo-wop band, Sha Na Na, when an accidental h****n overdose tragically cut his life short at only 25 years old on April 17, 1974. Taylor had only just joined the New York-based group in 1971 to replace Larry “Israel” Packer. He was one of many new additions since the group’s formation in 1969, and many other musicians would leave or join the band after his death.

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But for a brief moment, Taylor was the group’s lead guitarist. During that time, the rock ‘n’ roll world must have felt like it was opening itself up to the Bahamas-born musician. Sha Na Na was opening for major acts like The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Sha Na Na was also one of the only acts that John Lennon and Yoko Ono invited to perform during their One-to-One benefit concert at Madison Square Garden.

When Sha Na Na was headlining, rising acts like Bruce Springsteen would open for them. (Of course, this seems more impressive in hindsight, now that we know how Springsteen’s career would take off.) Indeed, Sha Na Na was ascending the ranks in the rock ‘n’ roll world, and Taylor was so close to seeing it pay off.

Vinnie Taylor Appeared Briefly in Sha Na Na, Even After His Death?

Sha Na Na’s original claim to fame was a standout performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair that preceded Jimi Hendrix. Historians remember the crowd loving Sha Na Na’s set, giving them a standing ovation, and asking for an encore before Hendrix closed out the festival. Years later, Sha Na Na would even get a cameo appearance in the 1978 film adaptation of Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. (They were the band performing at the high school dance.) Now, if you were too busy watching Annette Charles as Cha-Cha DiGregorio, we can’t say we’d blame you. But Sha Na Na was there.)

Of course, by the time Sha Na Na landed their film gig, Taylor had already died of an overdose following a show at the University of Virginia. The fact that he wasn’t in the band—or alive—to see some of its best moments come to fruition is a heartbreaking footnote in the musician’s too-short life. Yet, surprisingly, this isn’t where Taylor’s story would end, thanks to a man named Elmer Edward Solly.

Solly was convicted of manslaughter in 1970 after beating a two-year-old to death while drunk. By befriending a prison psychologist, Solly managed to get permission to visit his mother during his sentence. The third time he left the prison to visit her, he fled. He eventually made it to Florida, and while there, started telling people he was Vinnie Taylor from Sha Na Na. He forged identification documents and even began recording and performing music in the area.

Authorities Eventually Caught the Imposter

The actual members of Sha Na Na heard about the man claiming to be their late bandmate. And although they told people he was a fraud, they opted not to sue so as not to give the imposter any free publicity. The case of the missing Elmer Solly went cold before New Jersey State Police reopened it in 1999. Authorities finally tracked Solly down to a pier near his apartment complex in Florida. Police arrested him on May 10, 2001. Solly went to Riverfront State Prison in Camden, New Jersey. He was granted parole two years later for good behavior. 

Solly died in 2007 in New Jersey, marking an end to the odd and tragic story of the real Vinnie Taylor.

Photo by Ron Bull/Toronto Star via Getty Images