Category Archives: Obituary

RIP Charlie Robison

Charlie Robison, 1964-2023

A talented Texas singer-songwriter, Robison waxed a string of sometimes-thoughtful, sometimes-rowdy albums, starting with 1996’s Bandera. He lost his singing voice to surgery in 2018, but apparently regained the ability to sing just last year. Previously married to Dixie Chick Emily Erwin, he recorded a duet of “The Wedding Song” with Natalie Maines, and taped a stellar live version (below) with his sister-in-law Kelly Willis.


RIP Bob Feldman

Bob Feldman, 1940-2023

Together with fellow New Yorkers Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, Bob Feldman wrote the Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back” in 1964 and the McCoys’ (and later the Merseys’ and David Bowie’s) “Sorrow” in 1965. The trio of Brooklyn Jews also formed the faux-Australian beat group, The Strangeloves, who wrote and recorded  “I Want Candy,” “Night Time” and “Cara-Lin.” The trio also produced (but didn’t write) the McCoys’ “Hang On Sloopy.” Feldman went on to work with other acts (including producing Link Wray’s 1971 self-titled LP), and among his three children is actor Corey Feldman!



RIP Ahmad Jamal

Legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, who was still performing into his nineties, has passed away at the age of 92.

In Memoriam: 2019

Dr. John, 1941-2019

Some of the musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, agents, broadcasters, journalists, industry executives, and studio and club owners who passed away in 2019.

Listen to a selection of these artists on Spotify.

January
Pegi Young, singer-songwriter, and former wife of Neil Young
Daryl Dragon, keyboard player and producer (Captain & Tennille, Beach Boys)
Steve Ripley, singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer (The Tractors)
Alvin Fielder, jazz drummer
Eric Haydock, British bassist and founding member of The Hollies
Phil Thomas, country songwriter (“Me and the I.R.S.”)
Alan R. Pearlman, audio engineer and founder of ARP Instruments
Jimmy Hannan, Australian singer and television host
Clydie King, session and solo singer (Ray Charles, Bob Dylan)
Dave Laing, English writer, editor and broadcaster (Let It Rock)
Joseph Jarman, jazz musician (Art Ensemble of Chicago) and Buddhist priest
Larry Cunningham, R&B singer (The Floaters)
Bonnie Guitar, country singer and guitarist (“Dark Moon“) and label owner
Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer, country songwriter (“All My Ex’s Live in Texas”)
Willie Murphy, blues musician, singer, songwriter and producer
Carol Channing, Tony winning actress, singer and dancer
Lorna Doom, punk rock bassist (Germs)
Rita Vidaurri, ranchera singer
Chris Wilson, Australian blues musician
Debi Martini, punk rock bassist and singer (Red Aunts)
Reggie Young, guitarist (Bill Black’s Combo, American Sound Studio)
Ted McKenna, Scottish drummer (Alex Harvey, Rory Gallagher)
Marcel Azzola, French accordionist (Jacques Brel, Edith PIaf)
Kaye Ballard, actress (The Mothers-in-Law) and singer
Edwin Birdsong, funk keyboardist
Maxine Brown, country singer and songwriter (The Browns)
Mike Ledbetter, blues singer and guitarist
Bruce Corbitt, speed metal singer (Rigor Mortis, Warbeast)
Terry Jennings, manager, publisher, author and son of Waylon Jennings
Andy Anderson, drummer (The Cure, Steve Hillage)
Michel Legrand, Oscar-winning French composer, conductor and jazz pianist
Paul Whaley, rock drummer (The Oxford Circle, Blue Cheer)needed]
James Ingram, R&B singer and songwriter
Harold Bradley, Nashville first call session guitarist

February
George Klein, disc jockey and friend of Elvis Presley
Lonnie Simmons, songwriter and producer (The Gap Band)
Harvey Scales, soul singer and songwriter (“Love-Itis” “Disco Lady”)
Joe Hardy, producer and engineer (ZZ Top, Replacements, Steve Earle)
Connie Jones, jazz trumpeter
Willy Lambregt, Belgian rock musician (The Scabs)
Kofi Burbridge, multi-instrumentalist (Tedeschi Trucks Band)
Ken Nordine, voice-over announcer, recording artist and radio host
Ethel Ennis, jazz singer
Skip Groff, record store and label owner, producer and DJ
Artie Wayne, songwriter, record producer, and industry executive
Fred Foster, producer (Roy Orbison) and label founder (Monument)
Gerard Koerts, Dutch keyboard player, songwriter and producer
Peter Rüchel, German co-founder of Rockpalast
Gus Backus, doo-wop (The Del-Vikings) and schlager singer
Jackie Shane, transgender soul singer (“Any Other Way” “Walking the Dog”)
Peter Tork, bassist, banjo player and singer (The Monkees)
Ira Gitler, jazz historian and critic
Mac Wiseman, bluegrass singer and guitarist
Mark Hollis, English singer and songwriter (Talk Talk)
Andy Anderson, 68, English rock drummer (The Cure, The Glove)
Doug Sandom, English drummer (The Detours, The Who)
Stephan Ellis, rock bassist (Survivor)
André Previn, Oscar-winning composer, pianist and conductor

March
Paul Williams, British singer (John Mayall, Juicy Lucy)
Al Hazan, pianist (B. Bumble and the Stingers)
Leo de Castro, New Zealand funk and soul singer
Keith Flint, English singer and dancer (The Prodigy)
Sara Romweber, rock drummer (Let’s Active)
James Dapogny, jazz musicologist and pianist
Mike Grose, British bassist (Queen)
Asa Brebner, guitarist, singer and songwriter (Modern Lovers, Chartbusters)
Charlie Karp, guitarist, songwriter, jingle writer and documentarian
Dave Aron, recording engineer and producer
Hal Blaine, session drummer (The Wrecking Crew)
Danny Kustow, English rock guitarist (Tom Robinson Band)
John Kilzer, singer, songwriter and minister
Shelly Liebowitz, record executive, promoter, producer and manager
Justin Carter, country singer
Dick Dale, surf rock guitarist (“Let’s Go Trippin’” “Miserlou“)
Dave White, rock ‘n’ roll singer and songwriter (Danny & the Juniors)
Bernie Tormé, Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (Ozzy Osbourne)
Andre Williams, R&B singer and songwriter (“Shake a Tail Feather“)
Scott Walker, American-born British singer-songwriter (The Walker Brothers)
Ranking Roger, British singer (The Beat, General Public)
Stephen Fitzpatrick, British pop/rock musician (Her’s)
Audun Laading, Norwegian pop/rock musician (Her’s)
Joe Flannery, early booking manager for the Beatles
Bob Stewart, British radio broadcaster (Radio Luxembourg)
Margaret Lewis Warwick, country and rockabilly singer-songwriter
Billy Adams, rockabilly singer and songwriter (“Rock, Pretty Mama”)
Geoff Harvey, Australian composer and music director (Midday)
Nipsey Hussle, rapper (“Feelin’ Myself“, “FDT”)

April
Rick Elias, CCM musician (A Ragamuffin Band)
Kim English, house and gospel singer-songwriter
Shawn Smith, singer, songwriter and musician (Brad, Pigeonhed)
Tiger Merritt, singer and guitarist (Morning Teleportation)
Samuel Pilafian, classical, jazz, pop and rock tuba player
Jim Glaser, country singer and songwriter (Tompall & the Glaser Brothers)
Earl Thomas Conley, country singer-songwriter
Gary Stewart, music executive and archivist (Rhino Records, Apple)
Bobby Gale, Canadian radio DJ, record industry executive, promoter
Johnny Hutchinson, English rock and roll drummer (The Big Three)
Paul Raymond, English guitarist and keyboardist (UFO)
Les Reed, English songwriter (“It’s Not Unusual”), pianist and producer
Joe Terry, rock and roll singer (Danny & the Juniors)
Kent Harris, R&B songwriter (“Shoppin’ for Clothes”) and producer
Eddie Tigner, blues pianist, singer and songwriter
Jim Dunbar, radio broadcaster (WXYZ, WLS, KGO)
Dave Samuels, percussionist (Spyro Gyra)
David Winters, actor (West Side Story), dancer, choreographer (Hullabaloo)
Dick Rivers, French rock and roll singer (Les Chats Sauvages)
Michiro Endo, Japanese punk rock musician (The Stalin)
Phil McCormack, rock singer (Molly Hatchet)
Jah Stitch, Jamaican reggae singer
Russ Gibb, radio DJ, concert impresario (Grande Ballroom) and teacher
Boon Gould, English guitarist (Level 42)

May
John Starling, bluegrass vocalist, guitarist and songwriter
R. Cobb, guitarist (Classics IV, Atlanta Rhythm Section) and songwriter
Luther Jennings, gospel singer (Jackson Southernaires)
Preston Epps, percussionist (“Bongo Rock”)
Lee Hale, musical director and producer (The Golddiggers)
Peggy Lipton, actress, model, and singer
Glenn Martin, country songwriter (“Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone”)
Doris Day, actress, singer and animal welfare activist
Leon Rausch, western-swing singer (Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys)
Mike Wilhelm, rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (The Charlatans)
Chuck Barksdale, 84, R&B singer (The Dells)
Eric Moore, rock singer and bassist (The Godz)
Melvin Edmonds, R&B singer (After 7) and brother of Kenny Edmonds
Jake Black, Scottish singer-songwriter (Alabama 3)
Dan Mitchell, songwriter (“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas”)
Willie Ford, soul singer (The Dramatics)
Ralph Murphy, Canadian country songwriter
John Gary Williams, R&B singer (The Mad Lads)
Tony Glover, blues harmonicist (Koerner, Ray & Glover), writer and radio DJ
Jeff Walls, rock guitarist (Guadalcanal Diary)
Leon Redbone, singer, guitarist and songwriter
Roky Erickson, rock singer, guitarist and songwriter (13th Floor Elevators)

June
Mikey Dees, punk rock singer and guitarist (Fitz of Depression)
Dr. John, pianist, singer and songwriter
Spencer Bohren, blues and folk guitarist
Bushwick Bill, rapper (Geto Boys)
Jim Pike, pop singer (The Lettermen)
Chuck Glaser, country singer (Tompall & the Glaser Brothers)
Paul “Lil’ Buck” Sinegal, zydeco and blues musician
Lew Klein, television director and producer (American Bandstand)
Philomena Lynott, Irish author and mother of Phil Lynott
Jack Renner, American recording engineer (Telarc)
Elliot Roberts, music executive and manager (Neil Young, Joni Mitchell)
Jerry Carrigan, session drummer (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section)
Dave Bartholomew, musician, bandleader and songwriter
Jeff Austin, mandolinist and singer (Yonder Mountain String Band)
Tony Hall, British music industry executive, writer and television host
Gary Duncan, rock guitarist (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

July
Sid Ramin, orchestrator, arranger and composer (West Side Story)
Alan Rogan, British guitar technician (The Who)
Vivian Perlis, musicologist and founder of Yale University’s Oral History of American Music
Martin Charnin, Tony-winning lyricist (Annie, Two by Two, Hot Spot)
João Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
James Henke, music journalist and museum curator (R&R HOF)
Jerry Lawson, a cappella singer (The Persuasions)
Russell Smith, singer and songwriter (Amazing Rhythm Aces)
Johnny Clegg, South African singer and musician (Juluka, Savuka)
Pat Kelly, Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer
Bill Vitt, drummer (Jerry Garcia, Merle Saunders)
Bob Frank, singer-songwriter
Art Neville, singer, songwriter and keyboardist (The Neville Brothers)
Ras G, hip hop producer and DJ
Harold Prince, theatre director and producer (West Side Story, Cabaret)

August
Ian Gibbons, English keyboardist (The Kinks)
D.A. Pennebaker, documentary filmmaker (Don’t Look Back, Monterey Pop)
Katreese Barnes, musical director (SNL) and songwriter (“Dick in a Box”)
Henri Belolo, French producer (The Ritchie Family, Village People)
Damien Lovelock, Australian singer and songwriter (The Celibate Rifles)
Bob Wilber, jazz clarinetist
Lizzie Grey, rock guitarist (London, Spiders & Snakes)
Danny Doyle, Irish folk singer (“The Rare Ould Times”)
David Berman, singer and songwriter (Silver Jews) and poet
Francesca Sundsten, bassist (The Beakers) and artist (King Crimson)
Freddy Bannister, English concert promoter (Knebworth)
Larry Taylor, bass guitarist (Canned Heat)
Clora Bryant, jazz trumpeter (International Sweethearts of Rhythm)
Reb Foster, radio DJ (KRLA) and band manager (The Turtles)
Mitch Podolak, Canadian folk music promoter (Winnipeg Folk Festival)
Neal Casal, guitarist, singer and songwriter (Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson)
Donnie Fritts, keyboardist (Kris Kristofferson) and songwriter

September
LaShawn Daniels, Grammy-winning songwriter (“Say My Name”)
Kylie Rae Harris, country singer
Dan Warner, Grammy-award winning guitarist (Julio Iglesias, Barry Gibb)
Jimmy Johnson, guitarist, producer and Muscle Shoals co-founder
Al Embry, manager and agent (Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones)
Jeff Fenholt, musician, actor (Jesus Christ Superstar) and Christian evangelist
Daniel Johnston, singer, songwriter (“Walking the Cow“) and visual artist
Eddie Money, rock singer and songwriter
Julian Piper, English blues guitarist
Ric Ocasek, rock singer, songwriter, guitarist (The Cars) and producer
John Cohen, banjo player (New Lost City Ramblers) and photographer
Harold Mabern, jazz pianist and composer
Chuck Dauphin, country music journalist (Billboard)
Larry Wallis, English guitarist, songwriter and producer (Pink Fairies)
Yonrico Scott, drummer (The Derek Trucks Band)
Robert Hunter, lyricist (Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan) and poet
Richard Wyands, jazz pianist
busbee, songwriter (“My Church,” “Try”) and producer
Larry Willis, multi-genre pianist (Jackie McLean, Hugh Masekela)

October
Beverly Watkins, blues guitarist
Barrie Masters, rock singer (Eddie and the Hot Rods)
Kim Shattuck, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Muffs, Pandoras, Pixies)
Vinnie Bell, guitarist and inventor (electric 12-string and sitar)
Ed Ackerson, singer, songwriter and producer (Polara, Antenna)
Glen Brown, Jamaican reggae musician and record producer
Ginger Baker, English drummer (Cream, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker’s Air Force)
Larry Junstrom, rock bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special)
Molly Duncan, saxophonist (Average White Band)
George Chambers, bassist and singer (The Chambers Brothers)
Dallas Harms, Canadian country singer and songwriter
Jay Frank, music industry executive (DigSin, UMG)
Steve Cash, singer, songwriter and harmonicist (Ozark Mountain Daredevils)
Bob Kingsley, radio broadcaster (American Country Countdown)
Ray Santos, Latin jazz saxophonist and composer
Nick Tosches, music journalist and novelist
Ed Cherney, producer and recording engineer
Joe Sun, country singer (“Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You“)
Paul Barrere, guitarist and songwriter (Little Feat)

November
Marie Laforêt, French-Swiss singer and actress
Timi Hansen, Danish bassist (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)
Gilles Bertin, French punk rock singer (Camera Silens) and bank robber
Robert Freeman, English photographer (With the Beatles, Help!, Rubber Soul)
Nik Powell, 69, British film producer, co-founder of Virgin Records
Jackie Moore, R&B singer (“Precious Precious”)
Papa Don Schroeder, radio station owner (WPNN) and record producer
Browning Bryant, singer, songwriter and teen heartthrob
Doug Lubahn, rock bassist (Clear Light, The Doors, Billy Squier)
Donna Carson, folk singer (Hedge and Donna)
Eddie Duran, jazz guitarist
Iain Sutherland, Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist
Martin Armiger, Australian musician (The Sports) and composer
Irving Burgie, songwriter (“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”)
Billy Ray Reynolds, songwriter and guitarist (Waylon Jennings)

December
Stuart Fraser, Australian guitarist (Noiseworks)
Michael Lai, Hong Kong television and film composer
Jimmy Cavallo, rock ‘n’ roll singer and saxophonist
Jacques Morgantini, French blues producer and promoter
Greedy Smith, Australian singer, songwriter and keyboardist
Joe Smith, music industry executive (Capitol, Elektra, Warner Brothers)
Jerry Naylor, 80, rock ‘n’ roll singer (The Crickets)
Murray Bowles, music photographer (Green Day, Operation Ivy, Fang)
Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer, songwriter and pianist (Roxette)
Gershon Kingsley, composer and electronic musician (“Popcorn“)
Jack Scott, Canadian rock ‘n’ roll singer and songwriter (“My True Love”)
Roy Loney, singer, songwriter and guitarist (Flamin’ Groovies)
Emil Richards, jazz, studio, film and television percussionist
Jud Phillips, music industry executive and recording engineer
Alain Barrière, French singer and Eurovision contestant (“Elle était si jolie“)
Kenny Lynch, English pop singer and actor
Arty McGlynn, Irish guitarist
Dave Riley, bassist (Big Black)
Allee Willis, songwriter (“September” “Neutron Dance”) and lyricist
Lee Mendelson, television producer and lyricist (“Christmastime is Here”)
Jerry Herman, composer and lyricist (Hello, Dolly!, Mame)
Sleepy LaBeef, rockabilly singer
Neil Innes, English Comedian musician and writer (Rutles, Bonzo Dog Band)
Norma Tanega, singer-songwriter (“Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog”) and artist

In Memoriam: 2018

Lorrie Collins, 1942-2018

Some of the musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, agents, broadcasters, journalists, industry executives, and studio and club owners who passed away in 2018.

Listen to a selection of these artists on Spotify.

January
Robert Mann, violinist and member of the Juilliard String Quartet
Betty Willis, soul singer
Tony Calder, record promoter (“Love Me Do”) and label executive
Rick Hall, record producer, songwriter and studio owner (FAME)
Ray Thomas, singer, songwriter and flutist (Moody Blues)
Jerry Van Dyke, comedian, actor, banjo player and singer
France Gall, French singer and Eurovision winner
Chris Tsangarides, British engineer and producer (Judas Priest)
Denise LaSalle, blues singer and songwriter
Moriss Taylor, country musician, radio and television entertainer
Eddie Clarke, British rock guitarist (Motörhead, Fastway)
Doreen Tracey, actress and singer (The Mickey Mouse Club)
Barbara Cope, rock ‘n’ roll groupie
Bill Hughes, jazz trombonist (Count Basie)
Marlene VerPlanck, jazz singer
Edwin Hawkins, gospel singer, choir master, composer and arranger
Dolores O’Riordan, Irish rock singer and songwriter (The Cranberries)
Dave Holland, English rock drummer (Trapeze, Judas Priest)
Christian Burchard, German multi-instrumentalist (Hof, Embryo)
Steve Nisbett, British reggae drummer (Steel Pulse)
Jim Rodford, English rock bassist (Argent, The Kinks)
Robert Arthur, composer and conductor (The Ed Sullivan Show)
Hugh Masekela, South African jazz trumpeter (“Grazing in the Grass“)
Lari White, country singer (“Now I Know”) and actress (Cast Away)
Mark E. Smith, English singer and songwriter (The Fall)
John Morris, film composer (The Elephant Man, Young Frankenstein)
Cliff White, Grammy-winning British music journalist (NME)
Buzz Clifford, singer and songwriter (“Baby Sittin’ Boogie“)
Floyd Miles, blues musician and singer
Neil Harris, British punk rock guitarist (Sham 69),
Coco Schumann, German jazz guitarist and Holocaust survivor
Eddie Shaw, blue saxophonist (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf)
Mark Salling, actor (Glee) and musician

February
Dennis Edwards, soul and R&B singer (The Contours, The Temptations)
Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, pop, funk and jazz drummer (“Billie Jean”)
John Perry Barlow, lyricist (Grateful Dead) and co-founder of the EFF
Mickey Jones, drummer (Trini Lopez, Kenny Rogers) and actor
Pat Torpey, rock drummer (Mr. Big)
Algia Mae Hinton, blues singer and guitarist
Lovebug Starski, rapper and disc jockey
Craig MacGregor, rock bass guitarist (Foghat)
“Sunshine” Sonny Payne, blues radio DJ (KFFA’s King Biscuit Time)
Troy Blakely, talent manager (Iggy Pop, MC5, Fleetwood Mac)
Vic Damone, pop singer and songwriter
Jan Maxwell, actress and singer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Follies)
Tom Rapp, singer and songwriter (Pearls Before Swine)
Daryle Singletary, country singer (“I Let Her Lie”)
Scott Boyer, songwriter and musician (Cowboy, Duane Allman)
Klaasje van der Wal, Dutch bassist (Shocking Blue)
Barbara Alston, pop singer (The Crystals)
Little Sammy Davis, blues singer-songwriter and harmonicist
Boyd Jarvis, house producer and remixer (“The Music Got Me”)
Didier Lockwood, French jazz violinist (Magma)
Heiner Stadler, German jazz musician, producer and label owner
Norm Rogers, Americana drummer (The Jayhawks)
Harriet Fier, magazine editor (Rolling Stone) and newspaper editor
Nanette Fabray, actress, singer, Tony and Emmy winner
Eddy Amoo, British soul singer (The Real Thing)
Bruce Nelson Stratton, hall of fame country radio broadcaster
Harvey Schmidt, musical theatre producer and writer (The Fantasticks)

March
Jay B. Ross, entertainment lawyer (James Brown, Muddy Waters)
Brandon Jenkins, red dirt singer-songwriter
Ronnie Prophet, Canadian country singer
Russ Solomon, retail executive and founder of Tower Records
Frank X. Feller, radio broadcaster (WIBG, WYSP)
Jeff St John, Australian pop and rock musician (“Big Time Operator”)
Gary Burden, Grammy-winning album cover artist (Neil Young, CSN&Y)
Nokie Edwards, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame guitarist (The Ventures)
Craig Mack, rapper (“Flava in Ya Ear“)
Matt Dike, hip hop producer, mixer (Paul’s Boutique) and executive
Claudia Fontaine, English singer and backing vocalist (Pink Floyd)
Charlie Quintana, drummer (Social Distortion, The Plugz, Cracker)
Olly Wilson, composer, musicologist and jazz musician
Jimmy Wisner, pianist, producer and songwriter (“Asia Minor”)
Leroy Anderson, British radio broadcaster
Alfred Lynn, vocalist (Wu-Tang Clan)
Liam O’Flynn, Irish uilleann piper (Planxty)
Buell Neidlinger, cellist and jazz bassist
Greg Sill, television music supervisor (Falcon Crest, Justified)
Frank “Killjoy” Pucci, singer (Necrophagia)
Hazel Smith, country music journalist, publicist and songwriter
Peter “Mars” Cowling, British bassist (Pat Travers Band)
K. Mann, Ghanaian highlife musician
Shawn Elliott, hardcore rock singer (Capitalist Casualties)
Robert McAllister, mobile recording engineer (Rolling Stones, The Who)
Lys Assia, Swiss singer and winner of the first Eurovision Song Contest
Mike Harrison, British singer (Spooky Tooth)
Seo Min-woo, K-pop singer (100%)
Jerry Williams, Swedish singer (“Darling Nelly Grey”)
Kenny O’Dell, country singer-songwriter (“Behind Closed Doors”)
Caleb Scofield, rock bassist and singer (Cave In)
Alias, rapper and record label founder (Anticon)
John Mack Flanagan, radio broadcaster (KFRC)

April
Ron Dunbar, producer and Grammy-winning songwriter (“Patches”)
Cecil Taylor, jazz pianist and poet
Jacques Higelin, French rock singer and songwriter
Nathan Davis, jazz saxophonist and educator
Liam Devally, Irish singer, television host and lawyer
Yvonne Staples, soul singer (The Staple Singers)
Viliam Karmažin, Slovak Guinness World Records-holder conductor
Timmy Matley, Irish singer (The Overtones)
Maurice “Sax Man” Reedus Jr., saxophonist
John Amirante, U.S. anthem singer (New York Rangers)
Big Tom McBride, Irish country music singer
Randy Scruggs, guitarist, producer and songwriter
Stuart Colman, English musician, record producer and broadcaster
Avicii, Swedish electronic dance DJ and producer
Brian Henry Hooper, Australian bassist (Beasts of Bourbon)
Don Bustany, radio and television broadcaster (American Top 40)
Bob Dorough, pianist and composer (Schoolhouse Rock!)
Arthur B. Rubinstein, television and film composer (WarGames)
Paul Gray, Australian singer and songwriter (Wa Wa Nee)
Alain Milhaud, Swiss producer and manager (Los Bravos)
Kato Khandwala, record producer (The Pretty Reckless)
Charles Neville, New Orleans saxophonist (The Neville Brothers)
Roy Young, British singer and pianist
Rose Laurens, French singer and songwriter (“I Dreamed a Dream”)
Tim Calvert, rock guitarist (Nevermore, Forbidden)

May
Stu Boy King, rock drummer (The Dictators)
John “Jabo” Starks, funk drummer (James Brown)
Steve Coy, British drummer (Dead or Alive)
Takayuki Inoue, Japanese rock guitarist and singer (The Spiders)
Tony Kinman, rock singer and bass guitarist (Rank and File, The Dils)
Abi Ofarim, German-Israeli singer (“Cinderella Rockefella”)
Dick Williams, singer (The Williams Brothers)
Big T, rapper (“Wanna Be a Baller”)
Søren Hyldgaard, Danish film, television and new Age composer
Maurane, Belgian singer and actress
Gayle Shepherd, singer (Shepherd Sisters)
Ben Graves, rock drummer (Murderdolls)
Carl Perkins, New Zealand musician (Herbs, House of Shem)
Scott Hutchison, Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist
Glenn Branca, composer and guitarist
Hideki Saijō, Japanese singer
Reggie Lucas, songwriter, jazz guitarist and record producer (Madonna)
Glenn Snoddy, recording engineer and inventor of the fuzz pedal
Phil Emmanuel, Australian guitarist (The Tralblazers)
Andy MacQueen, Australian bass guitarist (Exploding White Mice)
Russ Regan, music business executive (Uni, 20th Century, Polygram)
Stewart Lupton, rock singer (Jonathan Fire*Eater)
Josh Martin, grindcore guitarist (A.C.)
María Dolores Pradera, Spanish singer and actress
Jürgen Marcus, German Schlager singer
Demba Nabé, German reggae singer (Seeed)

June
Eddy Clearwater, blues singer and guitarist
Clarence Fountain, gospel singer (The Blind Boys of Alabama)
Norman Edge, American jazz musician
Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, singer-songwriter (The Last Poets)
Brian Browne, Canadian jazz pianist
Jimmy Gonzalez, Grammy winning Tejano singer (Mazz)
Teddy Johnson, English singer and UK Eurovision representative
Ralph Santolla, metal guitarist (Deicide, Death, Iced Earth)
Peter Stringfellow, 77, English nightclub impresario
Danny Kirwan, British guitarist (Fleetwood Mac, Tramp),
Leo Sarkisian, musicologist and radio broadcaster
Lorraine Gordon, jazz club owner (Village Vanguard)
Ras Kimono, Nigerian reggae musician
Yvette Horner, French accordionist
Jon Hiseman, English drummer (Colosseum)
D.J. Fontana, rock drummer (Elvis Presley)
Nick Knox, drummer (The Cramps)
Matt Murphy, blues guitarist (Howlin’ Wolf, The Blues Brothers)
Rebecca Parris, jazz singer
Lowrell Simon, soul singer and songwriter (The Lost Generation)
David Bianco, record producer, engineer and mixer (Tom Petty)
Vinnie Paul, rock drummer (Pantera)
George Cameron, drummer and vocalist (The Left Banke)
Dan Ingram, national radio hall of fame broadcaster (WABC)
Big Bill Bissonnette, jazz trombonist, drummer, producer and label owner
Joe Jackson, band manager (Jackson 5), patriarch of the Jackson family
Steve Soto, punk rock bassist (Agent Orange, The Adolescents)
Eugene Pitt, doo-wop singer (The Jive Five)

July
Roy Carr, British music journalist (NME, Vox)
Henry Butler, jazz pianist
Alan Longmuir, Scottish bassist (Bay City Rollers)
Bill Watrous, jazz trombonist
Richard Swift, singer, songwriter, producer and musician (The Shins)
Jim Malloy, Grammy-winning recording engineer (Elvis Presley)
Vince Martin, folk singer (“Cindy, Oh Cindy”)
Bret Hoffmann, death metal singer (Malevolent Creation)
Garry Lowe, Jamaican bassist (Big Sugar)
Tab Hunter, actor and singer
Ponty Bone, accordionist (The Squeezetones)
Nancy Barbato Sinatra, mother of Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina Sinatra
Theryl DeClouet, funk singer (Galactic)
Stan Lewis, record store and  label owner (Jewel Records)
Adrian Cronauer, disc jockey, inspiration for “Good Morning, Vietnam”
Archie Marr, British keyboardist (Bay City Rollers)
Shelly Cohen, musical director (Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett)
Mark Shelton, heavy metal guitarist (Manilla Road)
Sam Mehran, singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer (Test Icicles)
Eddie Baker, jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator
Irvin Jarrett, Jamaican reggae percussionist (Third World)

August
Neil Argo, film and television composer (Wild America, Dynasty)
Lorrie Collins, rockabilly singer and songwriter
Jill Janus, rock singer (Huntress)
Randy Rampage, Canadian metal singer and bassist (D.O.A., Annihilator)
Aretha Franklin, singer, pianist and songwriter
Count Prince Miller, Jamaican-born British singer and actor
Danny Pearson, R&B singer
Jack Costanzo, percussionist (“Mr. Bongo”)
Eddie Willis, studio guitarist (The Funk Brothers)
Ed King, guitarist & songwriter (Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Lazy Lester, blues singer, harmonica player and guitarist
DJ Ready Red, hip hop producer (Geto Boys) and DJ
Kyle Pavone, rock vocalist (We Came as Romans)
Tony Hiller, British songwriter (“United We Stand”) and producer
Tony Camillo, record producer, orchestrator and arranger

September
Randy Weston, jazz pianist and composer
Conway Savage, Australian keyboardist (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
Don Gardner, R&B singer (“I Need Your Lovin'”) and club owner
Siegfried Linkwitz, audio engineer
Frank Serafine, film sound designer and editor
Max Bennett, jazz bassist and session musician
Maartin Allcock, English multi-instrumentalist and producer
Big Jay McNeely, R&B saxophonist
Joseph Hoo Kim, Jamaican record producer (Channel One Studios)
Marty Balin, rock singer and musician (Jefferson Airplane/Starship)
Otis Rush, blues guitarist and singer

October
Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer, lyricist and actor
Jerry González, Latin jazz bandleader and trumpeter
Geoff Emerick, English recording engineer (The Beatles)
Hamiet Bluiett, jazz saxophonist
John Wicks, British singer and songwriter (The Records)
Andie Airfix, British album cover artist (Def Leppard, Metallica)
Carol Hall, composer and lyricist (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas)
Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin, studio guitarist (The Funk Brothers)
Tony Joe White, singer-songwriter (“Polk Salad Annie”)
Sonny Fortune, jazz saxophonist
Freddie Hart, country singer, songwriter and musician
Todd Youth, punk and metal guitarist (Warzone, Murphy’s Law, Danzig)
Roy Wunsch, record industry executive

November
Josh Fauver, rock bassist (Deerhunter)
Roy Hargrove, Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter
Glenn Schwartz, guitarist (Pacific Gas & Electric)
Francis Lai, Oscar-winning French film composer (Love Story)
Roy Clark, country singer, musician and television host (Hee Haw)
Scott English, songwriter (“Brandy”) and record producer
Al James, British bassist (Showaddywaddy)
Norris Weir, Jamaican singer (The Jamaicans)
Cyril Pahinui, slack-key guitarist and singer
Eddie Reeves, songwriter (“All I Ever Need Is You”) and label executive
Bill Caddick, English folk singer and guitarist
Roy Bailey, English folk singer
Eddie C. Campbell, blues singer, songwriter and guitarist
Trevor McNaughton, Jamaican reggae singer (The Melodians)
Angelica Cob-Baehler, music industry executive, cancer
Devin Limasinger, pop and hip-hop singer (LFO)
Casey Anderson, songwriter, TV host, father of Lynn Anderson
Johnny Maddox, pianist and historian
Erik Lindmark, death metal vocalist and guitarist (Deeds of Flesh)
Robert Plotnik, record store owner (Bleecker Bob’s)

December
Calvin Newborn, jazz guitarist
Jody Williams, blues guitarist
Paul Trouble Anderson, British DJ
Perry Robinson, jazz clarinetist
Ace Cannon, saxophonist (“Tuff”)
Floyd Parton, songwriter (“Rockin’ Years”) and brother of Dolly Parton
Pete Shelley, English musician and songwriter (Buzzcocks)
Victor Hayden, artist and musician (Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band)
Lucas Starr, rock bassist (Oh, Sleeper, Terminal)
Fred Wieland, Australian guitarist (The Strangers, The Mixtures)
Nancy Wilson, Grammy-winning jazz singer
Joe Osborn, bassist (The Wrecking Crew)
Jerry Chesnut, songwriter (“Good Year for the Roses”, “T-R-O-U-B-L-E”)
Galt MacDermot, Canadian-American composer (Hair) and pianist
Jimmy Work, country singer and songwriter (“Making Believe”)
Honey Lantree, British pop drummer (The Honeycombs)
Jerry Riopelle, musician, songwriter and producer (The Parade)
James Calvin Wilsey, rock guitarist (Avengers, Chris Isaak)
Malani Bilyeum, vocalist and founding member of Kalapana

In Memoriam: 2017

Chuck Berry, 1926-2017

Some of the musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, agents, broadcasters, journalists, industry executives, and studio and club owners who passed away in 2017.

January
Stuart Hamilton, Canadian pianist, broadcaster (CBC) and vocal coach
Memo Morales, Venezuelan singer
Auriel Andrew, Australian country musician
Sam Lovullo, television producer (Hee Haw)
Joe M. Wright, country guitarist and songwriter
Hayward Bishop Jr., Nashville session drummer
Mike Garborno, punk rock singer (Cadillac Tramps)
Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Indian sitar player
Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani singer
Bart Prater, radio broadcaster (WROV, K92, WVTF)
Dave Franklin, punk rock singer (Vision)
Johnny Dick, Australian drummer (Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs)
Sylvester Potts, soul singer (The Contours)
Nat Hentoff, critic and journalist (Village Voice, Wall Street Journal)
Eddie Kamae, ukulele player and singer (Sons of Hawaii)
Jerzy Kossela, Polish guitarist, singer and songwriter
Buddy Bregman, arranger, producer, composer and orchestrator
Peter Sarstedt, British pop singer and songwriter
Crazy Toones, hip-hop producer and DJ
Travis Peterson, music video producer
Buddy Greco, jazz and pop singer and pianist (“The Lady is a Tramp”)
Tommy Allsup, western swing and rock ‘n’ roll guitarist (Buddy Holly)
Tony Booth, British poster artist (The Beatles)
Meir Banai, Israeli singer
Larry Steinbachek, keyboardist (Bronski Beat)
Muhammad Fachroni, Indonesian singer (Project Pop)
Dick Gautier, actor and singer (Bye Bye Birdie, Get Smart)
Mark Fisher, cultural theorist and writer (K-Punk)
Horacio Guarany, Argentinian folklorist and singer
Richie Ingui, rock and soul singer (The Soul Survivors)
Alan Jabbour, fiddler and folklorist
Yanni Alexis “Magic Alex” Mardas, artist and Apple Corp. employee
Yama Buddha, Nepalese rapper
Terry Cryer, jazz and blues photographer
Thandi Klaasen, African jazz singer
Greg Trooper, singer, songwriter and guitarist
William Onyeabor, Nigerian funk musician
Charles “Bobo” Shaw, jazz drummer (Human Arts Ensemble)
Steve Wright, rock bassist and songwriter (The Greg Kihn Band)
Roberta Peters, coloratura soprano
Marilyn Petrone, music industry executive (Dick Clark Productions)
Darci Rossi, Brazilian composer
Loalwa Braz, Brazilian singer and songwriter (“Lambada”)
Ramón Cordero, Dominican singer
Howard Kaufman, artist manager (Eagles, Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffett)
Mike Kellie, rock drummer (Spooky Tooth, The Only Ones)
Hans Breukhoven, Dutch businessman (Free Record Shop)
Ronald “Bingo” Mundy, doo-wop singer (The Marcels)
Joey Powers, singer and songwriter (“Midnight Mary”)
Chuck Stewart, jazz photographer
Frank Thomas, French songwriter
Karl Hendricks, indie rock musician and record store owner (Sound Cat)
Walter “Junie” Morrison, funk keyboardist and songwriter (P-Funk)
Maggie Roche, singer and songwriter (The Roches)
Dan Caspi, Romanian-born Israeli media theorist
Jean Karakos, producer, label owner and manager
Jaki Liebezeit, rock drummer (Can)
Naqsh Lyallpuri, Urdu poet and lyricist
Pete Overend Watts, English rock bassist (Mott the Hoople)
Bimba Bosé, Italian-born Spanish singer and television personality
Lee O’Denat, internet entrepreneur (WorldStarHipHop)
Marvell Thomas, soul keyboardist, son of Rufus Thomas
Tom Edwards, guitarist and band leader (Adam Ant)
Gil Ray, drummer (Game Theory, Loud Family)
Björn Thelin, rock bassist (The Spotnicks)
Butch Trucks, drummer (The Allman Brothers Band)
Ronnie Davis, Jamaican reggae singer (The Tennors, The Itals)
Don Grilley, Broadway actor and singer
Jack Mendelsohn, artist and screenwriter (Yellow Submarine)
Benny Collins, production and tour manager (Journey, Rolling Stones)
Henry-Louis de La Grange, French musicologist
Bruce Hathaway, South African radio broadcaster
Bobby Freeman, singer and songwriter (“Do You Want to Dance”)
Geoff Nicholls, British rock keyboardist (Black Sabbath)
Gabriel “Guitar Cable” Perrodin, blues musician
Alexander Tikhanovich, Belarusian pop singer
Elkin Ramírez, Colombian rock singer and songwriter (Kraken)
Brian Tabor, country songwriter
Edward Blau, entertainment attorney (Johnny Mathis)
Deke Leonard, Welsh rock guitarist (Man)
Carsten Mohren, German keyboardist (Rockhaus)
John Schroeder, British songwriter and producer (Sounds Orchestral)
John Wetton, British bassist, singer and songwriter (King Crimson, Asia)

February
Desmond Carrington, British actor and radio broadcaster
Robert Dahlqvist, Swedish rock guitarist and singer (The Hellacopters)
Danny Lee Jones, bluegrass musician
Steve Lang, Canadian rock bassist (April Wine)
Noel “Scully” Simms, Jamaican reggae and ska percussionist
Marc Spitz, music author and journalist (Spin)
David Axelrod, producer, composer and arranger
Sonny Geraci, pop singer (The Outsiders, Climax)
Tommy Flint, guitarist, author, instructor and journalist
Ritchie Yorke, Australian-born music author and journalist
Svend Asmussen, Danish jazz violinist
Charles E. Justice, country fiddler
Loukianos Kilaidonis, Greek singer and songwriter
Gianfranco Plenizio, Italian soundtrack composer, conductor and pianist
José Luis Pérez de Arteaga, Spanish music critic and announcer
Kitty Moon Emery, music industry executive
Tony Davis, British folk musician (The Spinners)
Barbara Carroll, jazz pianist, singer and composer
Jarmila Šuláková, Czech folk singer
Damian, British pop singer
Robert Fisher, singer and songwriter (Willard Grant Conspiracy)
Al Jarreau, jazz and R&B singer
Alice Ludes, singer (Bing Crosby’s Music Maids)
Giusto Pio, Italian songwriter (“I treni di Tozeur”), violinist and producer
Trish Doan, metal bassist (Kittie)
Marty Lacker, record industry executive (American Sound)
Carol Lloyd, Australian rock singer (“A Matter of Time”)
Tony Särkkä, Swedish metal guitarist, bassist and drummer
E-Dubble, rapper
Tibério Gaspar, Brazilian composer and musician
Braxton Dixon, home builder (Fred Foster, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash)
Pericoma Okoye, Nigerian singer
Maurice Vander, French jazz pianist
Phil Williams, co-founder of the Seattle Folklife festival
Alan Aldridge, graphic designer (A Quick One, Captain Fantastic)
Peter Skellern, British singer, songwriter and pianist (“You’re a Lady”)
Clyde Stubblefield, funk drummer (James Brown)
Larry Coryell, jazz guitarist
Ilene Berns, record company executive (Bang Records)
Leah Adler, concert pianist and mother of Steven Spielberg
Enzo Carella, Italian singer and songwriter
Steve Clark, tap dancer (The Clark Brothers)
Horace Parlan, jazz pianist
Leon Ware, soul songwriter, producer and singer
Fumio Karashima, Japanese jazz pianist
Don Markham, saxophonist and trumpeter (The Strangers)
Rich Chavez, metal guitarist (Drive)
Eric Miller, jazz producer (Pablo Records)
Toshio Nakanishi, Japanese musician (Plastics) and graphic designer
Ronnie Allen, bluegrass musician (Allen Brothers)
G.C. McCoury, bluegrass musician and brother of Del McCoury
Ric Marlow, songwriter (“A Taste of Honey”)

March
Mike Barhorst, concert promoter (Country Concert in the Hills)
Chisai Childs, entertainer, broadcaster and talent scout (Branson, MO)
Hiroshi Kamayatsu, Japanese rock guitarist and singer (The Spiders)
Gustav Metzger, artist and mentor to Pete Townshend
Wally Pikal, trumpeter and band leader
Paul Abler, jazz guitarist
Roberta Alloisio, Italian singer and songwriter
Jim Fuller, rock guitarist (The Surfaries)
Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist
Tommy Page, singer and songwriter (“I’ll Be Your Everything” “The Shag”)
Lyle Ritz, bassist (The Wrecking Crew) and ukulelist
Valerie Carter, singer and backing singer (James Taylor)
Edi Fitzroy, Jamaican reggae singer
Winfried Schrammek, German organist and musicologist
Fiora Corradetti Contino, opera maestro
Ante Perković, Croation music critic
Fred Weintraub, club owner (The Bitter End), film and television producer
Lars Diedricson, Swedish singer (Snowstorm) and songwriter
Robbie Hoddinott, rock guitarist (Kingfish)
Hurshel Wiginton, session singer (The Nashville Edition)
Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya, Indian folk singer
Jonathan Strasser, violinist, educator and actor (Fame)
Dave Valentin, jazz flutist
Junior Barber, resonator guitarist
Barbara Helsingius, Finnish folk singer
Tony Lorenzo, death metal guitarist
Joni Sledge, R&B singer (Sister Sledge)
Evan Johns, roots-rock guitarist (The LeRoi Brothers)
Ángel Parra, Chilean singer and songwriter
Ray Sponaugle, bluegrass fiddler
Don Warden, steel guitarist (Porter Wagoner) and manager (Dolly Parton)
Joey Alves, rock guitarist (Y&T)
Maxx Kidd, soul singer, producer and promoter
John Lever, British rock drummer (The Chameleons)
Tommy LiPuma, producer and label executive
Ileana Ciuculete, Romanian folk singer
Phil Garland, New Zealand folk musician
Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon, Jamaican jazz singer
Wojciech MÅ‚ynarski, Polish poet, singer and songwriter
James Cotton, blues harmonica player
Roberta Knie, operatic soprano
Vernon McQueen, bluegrass musician and singer (Blue Grass Boys)
Faye McGinnis, radio broadcaster & head of the Stanley Brothers fan club
Chuck Berry, rock ‘n’ roll singer, guitarist and songwriter
Clarece Candamio, church organist
Don Hunstein, photographer (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
Buck Hill, jazz saxophonist
Tony Terran, trumpeter (Desi Arnaz Orchestra, The Wrecking Crew)
Chuck Barris, television producer and host, songwriter (“Palisades Park”)
Roy Fisher, British poet and jazz pianist
Inao Jiro, Indonesian artist manager (JKT48)
Gabriel Mafa, Romanian folk-metal drummer (Negură Bunget)
Sib Hashian, rock drummer (Boston)
Sven-Erik Magnusson, Swedish singer (Sven-Ingvars)
VIncent Falcone, pianist and music director (Frank Sinatra)
André Larson, musicologist and founder of the National Music Museum
Buddy Pendleton, bluegrass fiddler (Greenbriar Boys, Blue Grass Boys)
Peter Shotton, washboard player (The Quarrymen) and Apple Corps exec
Mary Tortorich, voice teacher
Avo Uvezian, jazz pianist and cigar maker
Hovie Walker, gospel singer
Allan Weiss, screenwriter (Roustabout, Blue Hawaii)
Alessandro Alessandroni, composer, multi-instrumentalist and whistler
Jimmy Dotson, blues singer, guitarist and drummer
Věra Špinarová, Czech singer
Endrik Wottrich, German tenor
Arthur Blythe, jazz saxophonist
Clem Curtis, British pop singer (“Now That I’ve Found You”)
Edward Grimes, post-rock drummer (Rachel’s)
Aldo Guibovich, Peruvian pop singer (Los Pasteles Verdes)
Rosie Hamlin, pop singer (Rosie and the Originals)

April
Lonnie Brooks, blues guitarist and singer
Bob Cunningham, jazz bassist
Ikutaro Kakehashi, Japanese engineer and entrepreneur (Roland)
Louis Sarno, musicologist
Vivienne de Silva Boralessa, Sri Lankan singer
Warren “Rhubarb” Jones, radio broadcaster (WYAY-FM)
Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical singer
L.A. Dre, hip-hop producer, keyboardist and sound engineer
Brenda Jones, R&B singer (The Jones Girls)
Leo J. Baroi, Bangladeshi singer
Ryo Kagawa, Japanese folk singer
Paul O’Neill, rock producer and songwriter (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
David Peel, rock singer and political activist
Joseph Rascoff, business manager and tour producer (Rolling Stones)
Glenn O’Brien, writer and editor (Interview, Rolling Stone, GQ, Spin)
Ben Speer, gospel singer, pianist, producer, publisher and educator
Yuushi Matsuyama, film composer
Brian Matthew, British radio and television broadcaster (Saturday Club)
Kim Plainfield, jazz drummer
Keni Richards, rock drummer (Autograph)
Jan Elliott, tour manager and lighting director
Alan Henderson, Northen Irish bassist (Them)
Stan Robinson, British jazz saxophonist and flautist
Bob Wootton, country guitarist (Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Three)
David Angel, British violinist (Maggini Quartet, London Mozart Players)
Banner Thomas, rock bassist (Molly Hatchet)
Eric Cook, artist manager (Venom)
Eddy Fondo, Kenyan radio broadcaster
J. Geils, rock guitarist
Scotty Miller, funk drummer (Instant Funk)
Toby Smith, keyboardist (Jamiroquai)
Kathleen Cassello, operatic soprano
Tom Coyne, Grammy-winning mastering engineer
Peggy Hayama, Japanese singer
Barry Smith, rock drummer (Lee Michaels, Sweathog, Soulhat)
Mika Vainio, Finnish electronic musician (Pan Sonic)
José Miguel Class, Puerto Rican singer
Martín Elías, Colombian vallenato singer and songwriter
Bruce Langhorne, folk guitarist and tambourine man
Allan Holdsworth, British guitarist (Soft Machine, U.K., Gong)
Matt Holt, heavy metal singer (Nothingface, Kingdom of Snakes)
Sylvia Moy, songwriter (“My Cherie Amour”) and producer
Willy Cruz, Filipino songwriter and music producer
Frank Dostal, German rock singer (The Rattles), songwriter and producer
Gordon Langford, English pianist, composer and arranger
Nona Liddell, British violinist
Dick Contino, accordionist
Pat Fitzpatrick, Irish keyboardist (Aslan)
Cuba Gooding Sr., soul singer (The Main Ingredient)
Trustin Howard, singer, actor and writer
Tammy Sullivan, bluegrass singer and bassist
Bill Tolley, death metal drummer (Internal Bleeding)
Lucky Akhand, Bangladeshi singer and composer
Sandy Gallin, talent agent (Barbra Streisand) and producer
Kristine Jepson, mezzo-soprano
Jerry Adriani, Brazilian singer and actor
Calep Emphrey Jr., blues drummer (B.B. King)
Erik Martin, German songwriter (“When the Evening Approaches”)
Eduard Brunner, Swiss clarinetist
John Shifflett, jazz double bassist and teacher
Zoe Realla, rapper
Andrew Tyler, rock journalist (NME) an animal rights activist
Belchior, Brazilian singer and composer
Bill Bryson, bassist and singer (The Desert Rose Band)
June LeBell, classical radio broadcaster (WQXR-FM)
Gil Wright, country and pop singer (Anita Kerr Singers)

May
Katy Bødtger, Danish singer
Bruce Hampton, guitarist, singer and songwriter (Hampton Grease Band)
Erkki Kurenniemi, Finnish electronic musician
Tony Alamo, convicted child abuser, singer and costumer (Dolly Parton)
Kevin Garcia, alt-rock bassist (Grandaddy)
Péter Komlós, Hungarian violinist
Grigori Zhislin, Russian violinist and teacher
Charles Hoffer, music educator and author
C’el Revuelta, rock bassist (Black Flag)
Saxa, Jamaican saxophonist (The Beat)
Mario Maglieri, nightclub owner (Rainbow, Roxy, Whisky A Go Go)
Clive Brooks, British drummer (Egg) and drum technician (Pink Floyd)
Almir Guineto, Brazilian sambista, singer and instrumentalist
Dave Pell, jazz saxophonist, bandleader and label executive (Liberty)
Dr. Benjamin Caldwell, preservationist (Ryman Auditorium)
Kelley Sallee Snead, country songwriter and singer
Mary Tsoni, Greek actress and singer (Mary and the Boy)
Gerry Lacoursiere, record company executive (A&M Canada, Polygram)
Robert Miles, Swiss DJ, composer and producer (“Children”)
Michael Parks, actor and singer
Joy Byers, country and pop songwriter (“What’s A Matter Baby”)
William David Brohn, music arranger and orchestrator (Miss Saigon)
Corki Casey, session guitarist (“The Fool” “Rebel Rouser”)
Ä°brahim Erkal, Turkish singer and songwriter
Bob Forshee, country songwriter
Joachim Kaiser, German musicologist and editor
Corki Casey O’Dell, rock ‘n’ roll guitarist (Duane Eddy)
Bill Dowdy, jazz drummer (The Three Sounds)
Jimmy Copley, English session drummer
Earl Sinks, singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor and producer
Steve Sutton, bluegrass banjo player
Daniel Brewbaker, composer and poet
Tom McClung, jazz pianist
Keith Mitchell, drummer (Mazzy Star)
Derek Poindexter, bassist (The Waynes)
Rosa Nell Speer, gospel singer (Speer Family)
Kevin Stanton, New Zealand rock guitarist and songwriter (Mi-Sex)
Chris Cornell, singer and songwriter (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
Frankie Paul, Jamaican reggae singer
Kid Vinil, Brazilian rock singer, songwriter and radio broadcaster
Natalia Shakhovskaya, Russian cellist
Kenny Cordray, blues-rock guitarist and songwriter
Wendell Goodman, songwriter, manager and husband of Wanda Jackson
Leo Kristi, Indonesian singer
Jimmy LaFave, singer, songwriter and guitarist
George Reiff, bassist and record producer
Curtis Womack, soul singer (The Valentinos)
Barbara Smith Conrad, opera singer
Mickey Roker, jazz drummer
Zbigniew Wodecki, Polish singer and songwriter
Irio De Paula, Brazilian guitarist and composer
Saucy Silvia, Canadian comedian, singer and pianist
Wajahat Attre, Pakistani film composer
Gregg Allman, singer, songwriter and musician
Ken Ackerman, radio broadcaster (KFBK, KCBS)
Elisabeth Chojnacka, Polish harpsichordist
Marcus Intalex, British disc jockey, radio broadcaster and producer
David Lewiston, British field recordist and world music collector
Naomi Martin, country songwriter (“My Eyes Can Only See As Far As You”)

June
James Watson, clawhammer banjo player
Aamir Zaki, Pakistani rock guitarist and songwriter
Educated Rapper, rapper (UTFO)
Blake Johnson, bluegrass vocalist and multi-instrumentalist
Skipp Pearson, jazz saxophonist, educator and band director
Vin Garbutt, British folk singer and songwriter
Sandra Reemer, Indo-Dutch singer
Paul Zukofsky, violinist and conductor
Jan Høiland, Norwegian singer
Prince Udaya Priyantha, Sri Lankan singer and songwriter
Norro Wilson, country music songwriter, producer and industry executive
Nigel Grainge, British music industry executive (Phonogram, Ensign)
Corneliu Stroe, Romanian jazz drummer and percussionist
Rosalie Sorrels, folk singer
Ben Eyestone, rock drummer (The Lonely H)
Philip Gossett, musicologist
Luis Abanto Morales, Peruvian singer and songwriter
Sheila Raye Charles, singer, songwriter and daughter of Ray Charles
Jacques Charpentier, French composer and organist
Kyla Greenbaum, British pianist
Harry Prime, big band singer
Howard Stark, record industry executive (ABC Records, MTM Records)
Eliza Clívia, Brazilian singer
Thara Memory, jazz trumpeter, bandleader and educator
Chris Murrell, jazz singer
Bob Heatherly, record industry executive
Prodigy, rapper (Mobb Deep)
Ludger Rémy, German harpsichordist and conductor
Belton Richard, Cajun accordionist
Gunter Gabriel, German singer, musician, songwriter and producer
Jimmy Nalls, rock guitarist (Sea Level)
A.J. Nelson, country guitarist (Smokey Mountain Boys)
Donna Darlene, country singer
Dave Evans, bluegrass singer
Jimmy Chi, Australian playwright, composer and singer
Geri Allen, jazz pianist, composer and educator
Sudhin Das, Bangladeshi Nazrul Sangeet singer and teacher
Ruth Pearson, British dancer (Pan’s People)
Dave Rosser, rock guitarist (Afghan Whigs, Gutter Twins)
Phil Cohran, jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist
Gary DeCarlo, singer & songwriter (“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”)
Sabita Chowdhury, Indian singer
Yu Lun, Chinese film composer and songwriter
Karunamaya Goswami, Bangladeshi musicologist
M. Dung, radio broadcaster (KFOG)

July
Chris Roberts, German pop singer
Zdeněk Juračka, Czech rock guitarist
Rudy Rotta, Italian blues guitarist
John Blackwell, funk and jazz drummer (Prince)
Pierre Henry, French composer and musique concrète pioneer
Paul Hollingdale, British radio broadcaster (CNBC, Radio Luxembourg)
Melvyn “Deacon” Jones, blues organist & band director (John Lee Hooker)
Earl Clark, country songwriter (“Can’t Break It to My Heart”)
Claude Hall, editor for Billboard, creator of the term “easy listening”
Daniel Lewis, conductor (USC Thornton Symphony) and educator
Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian composer and pianist
Seiji Yokoyama, Japanese radio, television and anime composer
Paquita Rico, Spanish actress and singer
Sylvia Mobley, country singer
Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, Italian classical organist and educator
Imran Usmanov, Chechen folk singer
David Kapralik, A&R executive (Columbia, Epic)
Tamara Miansarova, Russian pop singer
Ray Phiri, South African jazz singer and guitarist
John Dalby, English composer, singer and musician
Fresh Kid Ice, rapper (2 Live Crew)
Simon Holmes, Australian singer and guitarist (The Hummingbirds)
Bill Hudson, pop and country guitarist (Light Crust Doughboys)
Giannis Kalatzis, Greek singer
Egil Kapstad, Norwegian jazz pianist, arranger and composer
Kayton Roberts, steel guitarist (Rainbow Ranch Boys)
Mahi Beamer, Hawaiian singer, pianist and organist
Bill Collings, luthier
Cookie Inman, country bassist (The All American Bluegrass Band)
Clara (Cuqui) Nicola, Cuban guitarist and educator
David Zablidowsky, bassist (Adrenaline Mob, Trans Siberian Orchestra)
Warrick L. Carter, music educator and college president
Roland Cazimero, Hawaiian guitarist, singer and songwriter
Régis Gizavo, Malagasy accordionist
Thor Lindsay, label founder (Tim/Kerr)
Wilfried, Austrian singer (“Lisa Mona Lisa“)
José Bragato, Italian-born Argentine cellist and composer
Red West, actor, songwriter & member of Elvis Presley’s Memphis Mafia
Peter Principle Dachert, American bassist
Blaoui Houari, Algerian singer and songwriter
Fenwick Smith, flutist (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Barbara Weldens, French singer
Graham Wood, Australian jazz pianist
Chester Bennington, singer and songwriter (Linkin Park)
Wilindoro Cacique, Peruvian Amazonian cumbia musician
Andrea Jürgens, German schlager singer
Errol Dyers, South African jazz guitarist and composer
Cune Gojković, Serbian singer
Geoff Mack, Australian singer and songwriter (“I’ve Been Everywhere”)
Kenny Shields, Canadian rock singer (Streetheart)
Paapa Yankson, Ghanaian highlife musician
Polo Hofer, Swiss rock singer and songwriter
Kommanduri Krishnamachari, Indian violinist
Ernst Ottensamer, Austrian clarinetist
Jan Stulen, Dutch conductor
Bobby Taylor, Canadian soul singer & Motown producer (The Jackson 5)
Thomas Füri, Swiss violinist and educator
Amir Fryszer Guttman, Israeli singer
Abby Nicole, country singer
Zoi Fitoussi, Greek actress and singer
Michael Johnson, pop and country singer, songwriter and guitarist
Ivana Loudová, Czech composer
Barbara Sinatra, model and fourth wife of Frank Sinatra
Billy Joe Walker Jr., country songwriter, guitarist and record producer
Geoffrey Yunupingu, Australian indigenous singer and songwriter
Paul Angerer, Austrian violist, composer and conductor
D.L. Menard, Cajun musician
Gilles Tremblay, Canadian composer and educator
Steve Chapman, bluegrass and country guitarist
H. Sayeeduddin Dagar, Indian Dhrupad singer
Chuck Loeb, jazz guitarist and composer (Fourplay, Steps Ahead)

August
Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboardist (Steppenwolf)
Skapti Ólafsson,Icelandic rock and jazz musician
Raiman Rai, Nepalese singer
Patrick Thomas, Australian conductor
Tony Cohen, Australian record producer (Nick Cave, Bad Seeds)
Daniel Licht, television and film composer (Dexter)
Luiz Melodia, Brazilian singer and songwriter
Jessy Serrata, Tejano musician
Lee Blakeley, opera and theatre director
Ralph Lewis, bluegrass musician (Blue Grass Boys)
Tim Homer, New Zealander radio broadcaster
Walter Levin, classical violinist (LaSalle Quartet)
David Maslanka, composer
Arleta, Greek folk singer, songwriter and illustrator
Glen Campbell, singer, guitarist, television host and film actor
Barbara Cook, singer and actress (The Music Man)
PÄ“teris Plakidis, Latvian composer and pianist
Janet Seidel, Australian cabaret singer and pianist
Ed Greene, Emmy-winning sound mixer
Marián Varga, Slovak organist and composer
Xavier Benguerel Godó, Spanish composer
Segun Bucknor, Nigerian afro-pop musician and journalist
Daisy Sweeney, Canadian music educator
Ivo Pavlík, Czech composer, keyboardist and clarinetist
Benard Ighner, jazz and pop singer, songwriter and producer
Robert Yancy, drummer and son of Natalie Cole
Zhu Jian’er, Chinese composer
Pavel Egorov, Russian classical pianist and educator
Jo Walker-Meador, former exec director of the Country Music Association
Jesse Boyce, R&B and gospel musician (FAME Gang)
Sonny Burgess, rockabilly guitarist, singer and songwriter
Leon Douglas, country singer (Grand Ol’ Opry, Wheeling Jamboree)
Concha Valdes Miranda, Cuban composer
Bea Wain, big band singer
Dave Wheeler, record company executive (RCA)
Margot Hielscher, German singer and film actress
Wilhelm Killmayer, German composer and conductor
Fredell Lack, violinist and educator
Jerry Lewis, comedian, actor, humanitarian and singer
Nati Mistral, Spanish actress and singer
Seija Simola, 73, Finnish singer
John Abercrombie, jazz guitarist
Aloys Kontarsky, German pianist
Pete Kuykendall, bluegrass banjoist, songwriter, producer and journalist
Winston Samuels, Jamaican ska musician (The Aces)
Enzo Dara, Italian opera singer
Nathan Condon, Canadian fiddler
Wilson das Neves, Brazilian percussionist and singer
René Tuček, Czech opera singer and educator
Melissa Bell, English R&B singer (Soul II Soul)
Denis Richard, Canadian singer and songwriter
Dmitri Kogan, Russian violinist
Larry Elgart, saxophonist and bandleader (“American Bandstand Theme”)
Abdul Jabbar, Bangladeshi singer
Skip Prokop, Canadian drummer (Lighthouse) and radio broadcaster
L.N. Shastri, Indian playback singer and composer
Norman Maclean, Scottish comedian, singer and piper

September
Hedley Jones, Jamaican musician, audio engineer and inventor
Novella Nelson, actress and singer
Mick Softley, British singer, songwriter and guitarist
Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-born composer and ethnomusicologist
Murray Lerner, documentary filmmaker
Harry Sandler, tour manager and photographer
Walter Becker, bassist, guitarist, songwriter and producer (Steely Dan)
John Byrne Cooke, author and musician (Charles River Valley Boys)
Dave Hlubek, rock guitarist and songwriter (Molly Hatchet)
Earl Lindo, Jamaican reggae musician (The Wailers)
Leo Cuypers, Dutch jazz pianist and composer
Holger Czukay, German multi-instrumentalist (Can)
Rick Stevens, R&B singer (Tower of Power)
Derek Bourgeois, English composer
Rosa Judge, Maltese musician
Jim Rollins, bluegrass banjo player
Troy Gentry, country singer (Montgomery Gentry)
Josh Schwartz, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Beachwood Sparks)
Don Williams, country singer and songwriter
Michael Friedman, composer and lyricist (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson)
Xavier Atencio, animator, lyricist and Imagineer (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Sir Peter Hall, British theatre, opera and film director
Virgil Howe, British drummer (Little Barrie)
Frank Capp, jazz drummer
Riem de Wolff, Dutch-Indonesian singer (The Blue Diamonds)
Siegfried Köhler, German conductor
Jessi Zazu, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Those Darlins)
Alla Tarán, Ukrainian violinist and educator
Lil Ameer, Nigerian hip-hop singer and songwriter
Grant Hart, drummer and songwriter (Hüsker Dü), guitarist and singer
Judy Parker Gaudio, songwriter (“December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”)
Ben Dorcy, roadie (Hank Thompson, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash)
Brenda Lewis, operatic soprano and actress
Laudir de Oliveira, Brazilian musician (Sérgio Mendes) and producer
Mark Selby, singer, songwriter (“There’s Your Trouble”) and guitarist
André Van den Meersschaut, Belgian singer and guitarist (The Cousins)
Speedy Tolliver, banjo and fiddle player
Leonid Kharitonov, Russian opera singer
Reggie Lavong, radio broadcaster and record industry executive
Johnny Sandlin, engineer, producer (Allman Brothers Band) and drummer
Cees Bergman, Dutch rock singer (Catapult) and producer
Johnny Burke, Canadian country singer
Guy Villari, American singer (The Regents, “Barbara Ann”)
Mike Carr, English jazz keyboard player
Eric Eycke, rock singer (Corrosion of Conformity)
Harold Pendleton, British club owner (Marquee) and festival organizer
Rick Shaw, radio broadcaster (WQAM)
Ammon Tharp, soul and pop drummer (Bill Deal and the Rhondels)
Charles Bradley, soul singer
Seth Firkins, audio engineer (Future, Jay-Z, Young Thug)
Caesar Giovannini, composer and pianist
Tsisana Tatishvili, Georgian opera singer
Jack Good, British producer (Shindig!), musician and manager
Ken Stilts, artist manager (The Judds) and record label founder
Gérard Palaprat, French singer and songwriter
Folke Rabe, Swedish composer and trombonist
Elaine Hoffman Watts, klezmer drummer
Barry Dennen, actor and singer (Jesus Christ Superstar)
Paul Rodriguez, sound industry executive
CeDell Davis, blues singer and guitarist
Joy Fleming, German singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1975)
Zuzana Růžičková, Czech harpsichordist
Alan Thompson, British broadcaster (BBC Radio Wales)
Dmitry Smolsky, Belarusian composer and teacher
Rob “Apex” Dickeson, drum’n’bass producer and DJ
Tom Paley, folk singer and musician (New Lost City Ramblers)

October
Kenny Beard, country songwriter, manager and producer
Skip Haynes, musician and songwriter (“Lake Shore Drive”)
Klaus Huber, Swiss composer and academic
Azra Kolaković, Bosnian pop singer
Tom Petty, rock singer, guitarist and songwriter
Janis Hansen, singer (Brasil ‘66) and author
Jerry Ross, producer, songwriter and record label executive
Alvin DeGuzman, post-hardcore guitarist (The Icarus Line)
Aubrey Holt, bluegrass singer, songwriter and guitarist
Borislav Oslovčan, Serbian bassist (Pekinška Patka)
Monojit Datta, Indian Latin percussionist, composer and lyricist
Lou Gare, English jazz saxophonist
Walter “Bunny” Sigler, songwriter and record producer (O’Jays)
Jimmy Beaumont, singer and songwriter (The Skyliners)
Jan Arvid Johansen, Norwegian musician
Coriún Aharonián, Uruguayan composer and musicologist
László Aradszky, Hungarian pop singer
Grady Tate, jazz drummer and singer
Chester R. Green, food company executive (Kraft Music Hall)
Vincent La Selva, conductor and founder of the New York Grand Opera
Reggie Joseph “Mac” McLaughlin, booking agent
Terry Elam, artist manager (Roy Orbison, Vince Gill)
Andy McGhee, jazz saxophonist
Richard Adam, Czech swing singer
Dave Bry, music journalist and editor (Vibe, Spin, The Awl)
Fedor Glushchenko, Russian conductor and violinist
Antonín Matzner, Czech music historian, publisher and producer
Augustin Mawangu Mingiedi, Congolese bandleader and likembist
Iain Shedden, Scottish-Australian musician (The Saints) and journalist
Heather Slade-Lipkin, English pianist, harpsichordist and teacher
Howard Carroll, gospel guitarist (Dixie Hummingbirds)
Harshita Dahiya, Indian singer
Gord Downie, Canadian singer and songwriter (The Tragically Hip)
Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer
Eamonn Campbell, Irish guitarist and singer (The Dubliners)
Phil Miller, English rock guitarist (Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North)
Boris Lindqvist, Swedish rock singer
Martin Eric Ain, heavy metal bassist (Hellhammer, Celtic Frost)
Atle Hammer, Norwegian jazz musician
Al Hurricane, singer and songwriter
Emu Lehtinen, Finnish record dealer
Scott Putesky, rock guitarist (Marilyn Manson)
George Young, Australian musician (Easybeats), songwriter and producer
Girija Devi, Indian thumri singer
Fats Domino, pianist, singer and songwriter
Robert Guillaume, actor and singer
Larry Ray, rock guitarist (Outrageous Cherry)
Juliette, Canadian singer and television host
Shea Norman, gospel singer
Brian Galliford, British opera singer
Mike Hudson, punk rock guitarist and singer (The Pagans) and journalist
Dick Noel, band and jingle singer
Rob Potts, Australian country music promoter
Bruce Black, metal drummer (Meliah Rage)
Landy Gardner, choir director (Christ Church Choir)
Billy Mize, steel guitarist, band leader and singer
Mitchell Peters, timpanist, composer and teacher
Gert Timmerman, Dutch singer
Orville Almon, Jr., music and entertainment attorney
Muhal Richard Abrams, jazz pianist and composer
Metin Ersoy, Turkish singer
Raúl García Zárate, Peruvian guitarist
Frank Holder, Guyanese jazz singer and percussionist
Keith Wilder, funk and disco singer (Heatwave)
Theo Bophela, South African jazz pianist, composer and pianist
Lajos Som, Hungarian rock bassist (Piramis)
Daniel Viglietti, Uruguayan folk singer, guitarist and songwriter
Papi Oviedo, Cuban tresero

November
Katie Lee, folk singer
Roland Verlooven, Belgian producer
María Martha Serra Lima, Argentine ballad and bolero singer
Gaetano Bardini, Italian opera singer,
Václav Riedlbauch, Czech composer, pedagogue and manager
Isabel Granada, Filipino actress and singer
Dudley Simpson, Australian composer (Doctor Who) and conductor
Danny Anaya, heavy metal drummer (XM Machine, Abbatoir)
Robert Knight, R&B singer (“Everlasting Love”, “Love on a Mountain Top”)
Louis Roney, opera singer
Wim Brussen, Dutch bandleader
Paul Buckmaster, English arranger (David Bowie, Elton John)
Robert De Cormier, singer and composer (Belafonte Folk Singers)
Wendell Eugene, jazz trombonist
Pentti Glan, Finnish-Canadian drummer (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed)
Karel Štědrý, Czech singer, actor, screenwriter and presenter
Gilbert Rouget, French ethnomusicologist
Fred Cole, rock singer and guitarist (The Lollipop Shoppe, Dead Moon)
Chuck Mosley, rock singer (Faith No More, Bad Brains) and songwriter
Hans Vermeulen, Dutch singer, guitarist and producer (Sandy Coast)
Chiquito de la Calzada, Spanish singer, actor and comedian
Frank Corsaro, opera director and actor
Helen Borgers, jazz disc jockey
Michel Chapuis, French classical organist
Chad Hanks, rock bassist (American Head Charge)
Eric Salzman, composer, producer and critic
Luis Bacalov, Argentine-born Italian composer (Il Postino, Kill Bill)
Bonnie Flower, rock singer, songwriter and drummer (Wendy and Bonnie)
Lil Peep, rapper
Wabi Daněk, Czech folk musician
MIchael “Dik Mik” Davies, English keyboard player (Hawkwind)
Al Neil, Canadian jazz pianist and club founder (Cellar Jazz Club)
William Mayer, composer
Joey Scinta, 69, bassist and Las Vegas entertainer (The Scintas)
Ben Riley, jazz drummer (Thelonious Monk, Kenny Barron, Sphere)
Malcolm Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist & songwriter (AC/DC)
Claudio Báez, Mexican actor and singer
Ronnie Butler, Bahamian singer and entertainer
Aleksandër Lalo, Albanian composer
Warren “Pete” Moore, singer (The Miracles) and songwriter
Della Reese, actress and singer
Mel Tillis, country singer and songwriter
Laila Sari, Indonesian singer and actress
David Cassidy, singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor
Wayne Cochran, soul singer and songwriter
John Preston, record industry executive (EMI, Decca, Polydor, RCA, BMG)
George Avakian, record producer and executive
John Coates Jr., jazz pianist
Jon Hendricks, jazz singer and songwriter (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Siberian opera singer
Shawn Jones, gospel singer
Tommy Keene, rock singer, guitarist and songwriter
Carol Neblett, operatic soprano
Bari Siddiqui, Bangladeshi singer, flautist and songwriter
Dimitri Sjöberg, Finnish tango singer
A.D. Washington, record industry executive (MCA, Warner Brothers)
Mitch Margo, singer and songwriter (The Tokens)
Clotilde Rosa, Portuguese harpist
Enrico Boccadoro, Italian singer and songwriter
Oscar Alem, Argentine pianist and composer
Patrick Bourgeois, Canadian musician (Les B.B.)
Narayanrao Bodas, Indian singer
Robert “Pops” Popwell, bassist (The Young Rascals, The Crusaders)
Magín Díaz, Colombian folk singer and songwriter
Shadia, Egyptian actress and singer
Robert Walker, blues musician
Jim Nabors, actor, comedian and singer
Zé Pedro, Portuguese guitarist (Xutos & Pontapés)

December
Maelé, Equatorial Guinean singer
William Blankenship, operatic tenor
Norihiko Hashida, Japanese folk singer and songwriter
Mundell Lowe, jazz guitarist and composer
Kalachand Darbesh, Indian singer
Cherry Taketani, Brazilian singer and guitarist
Purabi Mukhopadhyay, Indian singer
Carles Santos, Spanish pianist and composer
Adithyan, Indian composer
Ted Simons, composer, arranger and musical director
Johnny Hallyday, French rock singer
Magnus Bergdahl, Swedish guitarist (Thorleifs)
Žermēna Heine-Vāgnere, Latvian opera singer
Sunny Murray, jazz drummer (Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler)
Sir Christus, Finnish rock guitarist (Negative)
Kuno Areng, Estonian choir director
Vincent Nguini, Cameroonian guitarist (Paul Simon)
Lando Fiorini, Italian actor and singer
Heitaro Nakajima, Japanese digital audio pioneer
Leon Rhodes, country guitarist
Manno Charlemagne, Haitian singer, songwriter, guitarist and politician
Bill Hearn, record industry executive (Capitol Christian Music Group)
Pat DiNizio, rock singer, guitarist and songwriter (The Smithereens)
Harry Sparnaay, Dutch bass clarinetist
Warrel Dane, rock singer (Sanctuary, Nevermore)
Rory O’Donoghue, Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor
Willie Pickens, jazz pianist
Jack Boyle, concert promoter (Cellar Door Concerts) and club owner
Dave Christenson, pop singer and songwriter (Stabilizers)
John Critchinson, English jazz pianist
Ralph Carney, saxophonist (Tin Huey, Tom Waits) and composer
Richard Dobson, country singer and songwriter (“Baby Ride Easy”)
Juli Fábián, Hungarian singer and songwriter
Randy Hongo, Christian musician and minister
Michael Prophet, Jamaican reggae singer
Keely Smith, jazz and pop singer (“That Old Black Magic”)
Z’EV, percussionist and poet
Virginia Da Brescia, Italian actress and singer
Margaret Locicero, radio and record industry veteran
Kevin Mahogany, jazz singer
Rod Dibble, pianist and piano bar host (The Alley)
Jim Forrester, bass guitarist (Sixty Watt Shaman, Foghound)
Larry Harris, record label executive (Casablanca Records)
Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer, songwriter and radio host
Manuel Moneo, Spanish singer.
Leo Welch, blues musician
Reggie “Combat Jack” Ossé, music journalist (The Source) and attorney
Dominic Frontiere, composer (The Outer Limits, Hang ‘Em High)
Halvard Kausland, Norwegian jazz guitarist
Jatileswar Mukhopadhyay, Indian singer
Roswell Rudd, jazz trombonist
Marilyn Tyler, opera singer
Pam the Funkstress, hip hop DJ (The Coup, Prince)
Jim Burns, television executive (MTV Unplugged)
Jordan Feldstein, artist manager (Maroon 5)
George Maida, radio broadcaster (WCVE)
André Di Cesare, Canadian music producer
Robbie Malinga, South African musician and producer
Vladimir Shainsky, Russian composer
Curly Seckler, bluegrass musician (Foggy Mountain Boys, Nashville Grass)
Rose Marie, actress, comedienne and singer
Melton Mustafa, jazz trumpeter (Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington)
Chingiz Sadykhov, Azerbaijani pianist

In Memoriam: 2016

Merle Haggard, 1937-2016

Listen to a selection of these artists on Spotify

January
Tony Lane, art director (Rolling Stone) and album cover designer
Brad Fuller, composer and music director (Atari)
Paul Bley, jazz pianist
Jason Mackenroth, rock drummer (Mother Superior, Rollins Band)
Long John Hunter, blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter
Georgette Twain Seiff, hall-of-fame banjo player
Robert Stigwood, manager and film producer
Nicholas Caldwell, R&B vocalist (The Whispers) and songwriter (“Lady”)
Elizabeth Swados, writer, composer and theater director (“Runaways”)
Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, jazz and salsa trumpeter
Pat Harrington Jr., actor and comedy recording artist (Some Like it Hip!)
Kitty Kallen, vocalist (“It’s Been a Long, Long Time”)
Troy Shondell, pop vocalist (“This Time (We’re Really Breaking Up)”)
Otis Clay, soul vocalist (“Trying to Live My Life Without You”)
Red Simpson, country vocalist and songwriter
Brett Smiley, glam rock vocalist (“Va Va Va Voom”)
Ed Stewart, radio broadcaster and television presenter (Top of the Pops)
David Bowie, vocalist and songwriter
Joe Moscheo, gospel vocalist (The Imperials) and industry executive
Giorgio Gomelsky, club owner, manager, producer and label owner
Hoyt Scoggins, country and rockabilly vocalist and songwriter
René Angélil, impresario and manager (Celine Dion)
Noreen Corcoran, actress (Bachelor Father) and vocalist (“Love Kitten”)
Pete Huttlinger, guitar virtuoso
Gary Loizzo, pop vocalist and guitarist (The American Breed)
Clarence “Blowfly” Reid, musician, songwriter and producer
Mic Gillette, brass player (Tower of Power)
Dale Griffin, rock drummer (Mott the Hoople)
Ramblin’ Lou Schriver, radio broadcaster, musician and concert promoter
Glenn Frey, vocalist, songwriter and guitarist (The Eagles)
Andrew Johnson, album cover artist (The The)
Jimmy Bain, rock bassist (Dio, Rainbow)
Joe Esposito, road manager (Elvis Presley) and Memphis Mafia member
Colin “Black” Vearncombe, vocalist and songwriter (“Wonderful Life”)
William E. Martin, songwriter (Monkees), screenwriter and voice actor
Signe Toly Anderson, vocalist (Jefferson Airplane)
Paul Kantner, vocalist, songwriter and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane)
Billy Faier, banjo player

February
Maurice White, vocalist, songwriter and producer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Leslie Bassett, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
Bobby Caldwell, keyboardist (Terry Knight and the Pack)
Joe Dowell, pop vocalist (“Wooden Heart”)
Jimmy Haskell, arranger, composer, producer and bandleader
Ray Colcord, film and television composer, producer and musician
Dan Hicks, vocalist and songwriter
Sam Spence, composer (NFL Films)
Obrey Wilson, soul vocalist (“Hey There Mountain”)
Rick Wright, country guitarist (Connie Smith)
Roy Harris, British folk vocalist
Kim Williams, country songwriter (“Three Wooden Crosses”)
L.C. Ulmer, blues musician
Denise “Vanity” Matthews, vocalist (Vanity 6), actress and evangelist
Joyce Paul, country vocalist (“Phone Call to Mama”)
Ray West, Emmy and Oscar-winning sound engineer (Star Wars)
Paul Gordon, keyboardist and composer
Brendan Healy, actor and musician (Goldie, Lindesfarne)
Vi Subversa, vocalist and guitarist (Poison Girls)
Charlie Tuna, radio broadcaster (KHJ, KROQ, KIIS, KBIG)
Buck Rambo, gospel vocalist
Sonny James, country vocalist and songwriter
Lennie Baker, vocalist and saxophonist (Danny & The Juniors, Sha Na Na)
John Chilton, jazz trumpeter and music historian
Craig Windham, radio broadcaster (NPR)

March
Gayle McCormick, vocalist (Smith ”Baby It’s You”)
Martha Wright, vocalist and actress (South Pacific, The Sound of Music)
Gavin Christopher, R&B vocalist and songwriter
Joey Feek, country vocalist (Joey + Rory)
Chip Hooper, agent (Phish, Dave Matthews Band)
Ireng Maulana, jazz guitarist
Joe Cabot, jazz trumpeter
Bruce Geduldig, synthesist and filmmaker (Tuxedomoon)
Timothy Makaya, jazz guitarist
Ross Hannaford, rock guitarist (Daddy Cool)
Ron Jacobs, radio broadcaster (Boss Radio KHJ, American Top 40)
Sir George Martin, producer
Jon English, musician and actor
Ray Griff, country vocalist
John Morthland, music journalist
Naná Vasconcelos, Latin jazz percussionist
Ernestine Anderson, jazz vocalist
Keith Emerson, progressive rock keyboardist
Gogi Grant, pop vocalist
Ben Bagdikian, educator, journalist and media critic
Ben Edmonds, music journalist
Louis Meyers, promoter (co-founder of SXSW) and manager
Tommy Brown, R&B vocalist (The Griffin Brothers)
Lee Andrews, doo-wop vocalist and father of Questlove
Frank Sinatra Jr., vocalist and actor, son of Frank Sinatra
Steve Young, country vocalist and songwriter (“Seven Bridges Road”)
David Egan, songwriter and pianist
Ned Miller, country vocalist and songwriter
Terry James Johnson, drummer (Bar-Kays) and clinical psychologist
Phife Dawg, rapper (A Tribe Called Quest)
James Jamerson Jr., R&B bassist (Chanson)
Jimmy Riley, reggae musician (The Sensations and the Uniques)
David Baker, symphonic jazz composer, musician and educator
Wally Crouter, Canadian radio legend (CFRB)
Patty Duke, actress and vocalist
Andy Newman, pianist (Thunderclap Newman)
Larry Payton, drummer (Brass Construction)

April
Gato Barbieri, jazz saxophonist
Don Francks, jazz musician and actor
Bill Henderson, jazz vocalist and actor
Carlo Mastrangelo, doo-wop and progressive rock vocalist
Dorothy Schwartz, pop vocalist (The Chordettes)
Leon Haywood, soul and funk vocalist
Dennis Davis, rock drummer (David Bowie)
Merle Haggard, country vocalist, guitarist and songwriter
Jimmie Van Zant, southern rock musician, cousin of Ronnie Van Zant
Earl Solomon Burroughs, musician and songwriter (“Great Balls of Fire”)
Jim Ridley, editor, critic and journalist (Nashville Scene)
Tony Conrad, experimental musician
Doug Banks, radio broadcaster (KDAY, KFI, KDIA)
Emile Ford, pop musician and sound engineer
David Gest, producer and former husband of Liza Minnelli
Gib Guilbeau, country-rock musician (Nashville West)
Filthy McNasty, nightclub owner
Mariano Mores, Argentine tango composer, pianist and conductor
Phil Sayer, British voice artist (“Mind the Gap”)
Vandy Anderson, radio broadcaster (KULF, KGBC)
Elliot Spitzer, radio executive (WLIR-FM)
Lord Tanamo, ska and mento musician
Richard Lyons, culture jammer (Negativland)
Pete Zorn, multi-instrumentalist (Richard Thompson Band)
Victoria Wood, actress, vocalist and songwriter
Lonnie Mack, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter (“Wham”)
Prince, vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Billy Paul, R&B vocalist (“Me & Mrs. Jones”)
Remo Belli, jazz drummer and inventor of the synthetic drumhead
Harrison Calloway, musician and bandleader (Muscle Shoals Horns)

May
Candye Kane, blues and swing vocalist and songwriter
John Stabb, punk rock vocalist (Government Issue)
Peter Behrens, drummer (Trio)
Tony Gable, percussionist and graphic designer
Julius La Rosa, pop vocalist
Buster Cooper, jazz trombonist
Bill Backer, jingle writer (“I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”)
Tony Barrow, press officer (The Beatles)
Johnny Sea, country vocalist (“Day For Decision”)
Emilio Navaira, tejano and country vocalist, guitarist and songwriter
Guy Clark, singer and songwriter
John Berry, punk rock guitarist (Beastie Boys)
James King, bluegrass musician
Nick Menza, rock drummer (Megadeth)
Marshall Jones, bassist (Ohio Players)
Floyd Robinson, country vocalist and songwriter (“Makin’ Love”)
Rick Vanaugh, country drummer (The Time Jumpers)

June
Alan Wise, promoter and manager (Factory Records)
Muhammed Ali, boxer and spoken word artist (“I Am the Greatest”)
Mac Cocker, radio broadcaster (Australia’s Double J)
Mark Parenteau, radio broadcaster (WBCN)
Dave Swarbrick, violinist, vocalist and songwriter (Fairport Convention)
Bobby Curtola, Canadian teen idol (“Hand in Hand With You”)
Dan Sorkin, radio broadcaster (WCFL, KFRC, KSFO)
Brian Rading, rock bassist (Five Man Electrical Band)
Christina Grimmie, vocalist and songwriter (The Voice)
Chips Moman, songwriter and producer
Henry McCullough, rock guitarist (Grease Band, Spooky Tooth, Wings)
Charles Thompson, jazz pianist and organist
Attrell Cordes, hip-hop, soul and R&B artist (P.M. Dawn)
Tenor Fly, rapper and ragga vocliast
Bill Ham, manager, producer and songwriter (ZZ Top)
”Dandy” Dan Daniel, radio broadcaster (WMCA, WYNY, WCBS)
Wayne Jackson, R&B trumpeter (Mar-Keys, Memphis Horns)
Freddy Powers, country songwriter and producer
Leo Brennan, Irish musical patriarch
Harry Rabinowitz, conductor (Chariots of Fire) and composer (I, Claudius)
Dr. Ralph Stanley, mountain music banjoist, vocalist and songwriter
Bernie Worrell, keyboardist and composer (Parliament-Funkadelic)
Mack Rice, songwriter (“Mustang Sally” “Respect Yourself”)
Scotty Moore, rock ‘n’ roll guitarist
Rob Wasserman, bassist
Don Friedman, jazz pianist

July
Teddy Rooney, actor, musician and son of Mickey Rooney
Bob Goldstone, music industry executive (Thirty Tigers)
William Hawkins, poet and songwriter
Danny Smythe, rock drummer (The Box Tops)
Vaughn Harper, radio broadcaster (WBLS “The Quiet Storm”)
Carole Switala, vocalist and puppeteer (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)
Steve Young, musician (Colourbox, MARRS) and songwriter
Johnny Craviotto, rock drummer and drum maker
Charles Davis, jazz saxophonist
Bonnie Brown, country vocalist (The Browns)
Alan Vega, vocalist, songwriter (Suicide) and visual artist
Claude Williamson, jazz pianist
Gary S. Paxton, vocalist, songwriter and producer
Fred Tomlinson, vocalist and songwriter (“The Lumberjack Song”)
John Pidgeon, rock music writer and BBC radio executive
Lewie Steinberg, R&B bassist (Booker T. & the M.G.’s)
George Reznik, jazz pianist
Marni Nixon, playback vocalist (West Side Story, My Fair Lady) and actress
Roye Albrighton, vocalist and guitarist (Nektar)
Allan Barnes, jazz saxophonist (The Blackbyrds)
Sandy Pearlman, writer, producer and manager (Blue Oyster Cult)
Lucille Dumont, vocalist, songwriter and television star
Nigel Gray, record producer (The Police, Siouxsie and the Banshees)
Penny Lang, folk musician

August
Ricci Martin, musician, entertainer and son of Dean Martin
Patrice Munsel, coloratura soprano
Richard Fagan, songwriter (“Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)”)
Pete Fountain, jazz clarinetist
B.E. Taylor, pop vocalist and songwriter (“Vitamin L”)
Ruby Winters, soul vocalist (“Make Love to Me” “I Don’t Want to Cry”)
Padraig Duggan, folk musician (Clannad, The Duggans)
Glenn Yarbrough, vocalist and songwriter
David Enthoven, manager and record label executive
Ruby Wilson, blues vocalist
Connie Crothers, jazz pianist
Bobby Hutcherson, jazz vibraphonist
Preston Hubbard, bassist (Roomful of Blues, Fabulous Thunderbirds)
Lou Pearlman, producer and manager (Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC)
Irving Fields, pianist, composer and bandleader (Bagles and Bongos)
Matt Roberts, rock guitarist (3 Doors Down)
Tom Searle, guitarist (The Architects)
Louis Stewart, jazz guitarist
Headley Bennett, reggae saxophonist
Derek Smith, jazz pianist
Gilli Smythe, vocalist (Gong)
Toots Thielemans, harmonica player, guitarist and whistler
Rudy Van Gelder, recording engineer (Bluenote)
Monty Lee Wilkes, sound engineer (The Replacements, Nirvana)
Hubert Dwane “Hoot” Hester, country and bluegrass fiddler

September
Fred Hellerman, folk singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Weavers)
Kacey Jones, singer, songwriter and humorist
Jerry Heller, agent, promoter and manager (N.W.A.)
Bud Isaacs, steel guitarist
Lewis Merenstein, producer (Van Morrison, Gladys Knight, John Cale)
Clifford Curry, R&B vocalist (“She Shot a Hole in My Soul”)
Prince Buster, ska singer-songwriter and producer (“One Step Beyond”)
”Crazy” Eddie Antar, electronics retailer
Chris Stone, studio owner (The Record Plant)
Leonard Haze, rock drummer (Y&T)
Don Buchla, pioneering synthesizer designer
Jerry Corbetta, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter (Sugarloaf)
Trisco Pearson, R&B vocalist (Force M.D.’s)
Charmian Carr, actress and vocalist (The Sound of Music)
Micki Marlo, vocalist (“What You’ve Done To Me” “Little By Little”)
John D. Loudermilk, songwriter and vocalist (“Tobacco Road”)
Richard D. Trentlage, jingle writer (Oscar Mayer, McDonald’s)
Rob Meurer, vocalist and songwriter (Christopher Cross)
Stanley “Buckwheat Zydeco” Dural Jr, zydeco accordionist
Kashif, R&B vocalist, instrumentalist, producer and songwriter
Jean Shepard, country vocalist and songwriter
Joe Clay, rockabilly vocalist and guitarist
Royal Torrence, soul vocalist (Little Royal and the Swingmasters)
Nora Dean, reggae and gospel vocalist (“Barbwire”)
Oscar Brand, folk vocalist and songwriter, radio host (WNYC)
Michael Casswell, session guitarist (Brian May)

October
Joan Marie Johnson, pop vocalist (The Dixie Cups)
Caroline Crawley, vocalist (Shelleyan Orphan, This Mortal Coil)
Rod Temperton, keyboardist and songwriter (“Thriller” “Off the Wall”)
Peter Allen, radio broadcaster (Metropolitan Opera)
Don Ciccone, pop vocalist (The Critters) and songwriter
Leo Beranek, acoustic engineer and co-founder of BB&N
Robert Bateman, songwriter (“Please Mr. Postman”), vocalist (Satintones)
Sonny Sanders, songwriter, arranger and vocalist (Satintones)
Robert Edwards, R&B vocalist (The Intruders)
Ted V. Mikels, filmmaker and record label owner
Phil Chess, producer and record company executive
Chris Porter, americana vocalist, songwriter and guitarist
Mitchell Vandenburg, americana bassist and songwriter
Dave Cash, radio broadcaster (Radio London, BBC Radio 1)
Herb “The Cool Gent” Kent, radio broadcaster (WVON, WJJD and V103)
Pete Burns, vocalist and songwriter (Dead or Alive)
Bobby Vee, pop vocalist
Hazel Shermet, actress and singer (New Zoo Revue’s Henrietta Hippo)
John Zacherle, TV host, recording artist and radio broadcaster
Ron Grant, film and television composer (Knot’s Landing)
Tammy Grimes, actress and vocalist (The Unsinkable Molly Brown)
Curly Putman, country songwriter (“Green, Green Grass of Home”)

November
Bap Kennedy, vocalist and songwriter
Bob Cranshaw, jazz bassist
Kay Starr, pop and jazz vocalist
Jean-Jacques Perrey, electronic music producer
Laurent Pardo, bassist (Elliott Murphy’s Normandy All-Stars)
Sir Jimmy Young, radio host (BBC Radio 1 and 2) and vocalist
Al Caiola, guitarist, composer and arranger
Leonard Cohen, vocalist, songwriter, poet and novelist
Raynoma Gordy Singleton, songwriter and second wife of Barry Gordy Jr.
Billy Miller, magazine publisher (Kicks) and record label owner (Norton)
Leon Russell, vocalist, pianist and songwriter
Holly Dunn, country vocalist and songwriter
David Mancuso, disc jockey and private party host (The Loft)
Mose Allison, jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter
Cliff Barrows, musical director (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
Milt Okun, producer, arranger, conductor and publisher
Don Waller, music journalist and vocalist
Mentor Williams, songwriter (“Drift Away”), producer and engineer
Sharon Jones, soul vocalist (The Dap Kings)
Al Batten, bluegrass banjo player and band leader
Hod O’Brien, jazz pianist
Craig Gill, rock drummer (Inspiral Carpets)
Al Broadax, television and film producer (The Beatles, Yellow Submarine)
Florence Henderson, actress and vocalist
Pauline Oliveros, composer, educator and accordionist
Tony Martell, record industry executive (CBS Records) and philanthropist
Ray Columbus, vocalist, songwriter, manager and television host
Carlton Kitto, jazz guitarist

December
Mickey Fitz, punk rock vocalist (The Business)
Mark Gray, country vocalist and songwriter (“Take Me Down”)
Herbert Hardesty, saxophonist (Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew)
Wayne Duncan, bassist and vocalist (Daddy Cool)
Mohamed Tahar Fergani, Algerian vocalist, violinist and composer
Greg Lake, vocalist, bassist and songwriter (King Crimson, EL&P)
Palani Vaughan, Hawaiian vocalist and songwriter
George Mantalis, pop vocalist (The Four Coins)
Valerie Gell, rock ‘n’ roll vocalist and guitarist (The Liverbirds)
Bob Krasnow, record executive and co-founder of the R’n’R Hall of Fame
Joe Ligon, gospel vocalist (Mighty Clouds of Joy)
Barrelhouse Chuck, blues vocalist, songwriter and pianist
Jim Lowe, songwriter (“The Green Door”) and radio broadcaster
Ahuva Ozeri, Israeli singer-songwriter
Betsy Pecanins, blues singer and songwriter
Päivi Paunu, vocalist and Eurovision contestant (“Muistathan”)
Bunny Walters, Maori pop vocalist (“Brandy” “Take the Money and Run”)
Fran Jeffries, vocalist, dancer and actress (The Pink Panther)
John Chelew, producer and concert promoter (McCabe’s Guitar Shop)
Bob Coburn, radio broadcaster (“Rockline,” KLOS)
Léo Marjane, French vocalist (“Seule ce soir”)
Gustavo Quintero, Columbian singer-songwriter
Gordie Tapp, radio broadcaster and television performer (Hee Haw)
Andrew Dorff, country songwriter (“My Eyes” “Somebody’s Heartbreak”)
Dick Latessa, actor and Tony winner (Hairspray)
Sam Leach, concert promoter (The Beatles)
Betty Loo Taylor, jazz pianist
Frank Murray, manager (The Pogues) and tour manager
Mick Zane, rock guitarist (Malice)
Rick Parfitt, vocalist, songwriter and guitarist (Status Quo)
George Michael, pop vocalist and songwriter
George S. Irving, musical theater and voice actor
Alphonse Mouzan, jazz drummer
Pierre Barouh, lyricist (A Man and a Woman), composer and actor
Debbie Reynolds, actress and vocalist
Billie Joe Burnette, country vocalist and songwriter (“Teddy Bear”)
Rich Conaty, radio broadcaster (WFUV’s The Big Broadcast)
Allan Williams, booking agent and manager (The Beatles)
Johnny Canton, radio broadcaster (WDGY, WCCO)
David Meltzer, poet and jazz guitarist

Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis: Today I Started Loving You Again

If you’re going to pay tribute to a fellow musician, there’s no better way to say it than with music.

Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis – Vocals
Warren Hood – Fiddle
Scott Davis – Banjo
David Grissom – Guitar
Kelley Mickwee – Background Vocals
Geoff Queen – Steel Guitar
Dom Fischer (Wood & Wire) – Bass
Trevor Nealon (The Band of Heathens) – Keys

In Memoriam: 2015

Ben E. King, 1938-2015

Listen to a selection of artists on Mixcloud or Spotify

January
Little Jimmy Dickens, country vocalist and guitarist
Andrae Crouch, pastor and gospel vocalist
Curtis Lee, vocalist (“Pretty Little Angel Eyes”)
Ray McFall, nightclub owner (The Cavern Club)
Popsy Dixon, vocalist and drummer (The Holmes Brothers)
Tim Drummond, bassist (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, CSN&Y)
Bill Thompson, manager (Jefferson Airplane)
Trevor Leonard Ward-Davies (aka “Dozy”), bassist (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch)
Ervin Drake, songwriter (“It Was a Very Good Year”)
Kim Fowley, producer, manager, songwriter and vocalist
Ian Allen, culture jammer (Negativland)
Dallas Taylor, rock drummer (CSN&Y)
Ward Swingle, vocalist (The Swingle Singers)
Edgar Froese, keyboardist (Tangerine Dream)
Rose Marie McCoy, songwriter (“I Beg of You” “Trying to Get to You”)
Joe Franklin, radio and television host
Neil Levang, guitarist (The Lawrence Welk Show)
Stephen R. Johnson, music video director (“Sledgehammer”)
Danny McCulloch, rock bassist (The Animals)
Rod McKuen, poet, songwriter and vocalist
Don Covay, vocalist and songwriter (“Chain of Fools”)

February
Joe B. Mauldin, rock ‘n’ roll bassist (The Crickets)
Thom Wilson, engineer and producer (Offspring, Dead Kennedys)
Sam Andrew, rock guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
Mosie Lister, gospel vocalist and songwriter (The Statesmen Quartet)
Gary Owens, disc jockey (KEWB, KFWB, KMPC) and television announcer
Steve Strange, new wave vocalist (Visage)
Leslie Gore, pop vocalist and songwriter
Clark Terry, jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist
Bobby Emmons, keyboardist and songwriter (“Luckenbach, Texas”)
Tod Dockstader, electronic music composer
Leonard Nimoy, actor, poet and vocalist

March
Orrin Keepnews, record executive and producer
Brian Carman, surf guitarist (Chantays) and songwriter (“Pipeline”)
Albert Maysles, documentarian (“Gimme Shelter”)
Lew Soloff, trumpeter and flugelhornist (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
Jerry Brightman, pedal steel guitarist (Buckaroos)
Eugene Patton, stagehand (“Gene Gene the Dancing Machine”)
Wayne Kemp, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter (“One Piece at a Time”)
Jimmy Greenspoon, rock keyboardist (Three Dog Night)
Daevid Allen, guitarist and vocalist (Soft Machine, Gong)
Bob Parlocha, jazz radio broadcaster (KJAZ)
Don Robertson, songwriter (“Please Help Me I’m Falling” “Ringo”)
Andy Fraser, rock bassist and songwriter (Free)
Samuel Charters, music historian
Michael Brown, songwriter and keyboardist (The Left Banke)
A.J. Pero, rock drummer (Twister Sister)
Miriam Bienstock, record company executive and theatrical producer
Al Bunetta, manager (Steve Goodman, John Prine)
John Renbourn, guitarist and songwriter (Pentangle)
Preston Ritter, rock drummer (The Electric Prunes)

April
Cynthia Lennon, author, first wife of John Lennon and mother of Julian
Dave Ball, rock guitarist (Procol Harum, Bedlam)
Doug Sax, audio mastering engineer (Doors, Rolling Stones, Who)
Robert Lewis “Bob” Burns Jr., drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Ray Charles, vocalist, songwriter and arranger (The Ray Charles Singers)
Milton DeLugg, musician, arranger, conductor and composer
Stan Freberg, comedian, parodist, broadcaster, advertising executive
Keith McCormack, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter (“Sugar Shack”)
Bill Arhos, television broadcaster and founder of Austin City Limits
Percy Sledge, vocalist
Billy Ray Hearn, record company executive (Myrrh)
Wally Lester, doo-wop vocalist (The Skyliners)
Sid Tepper, songwriter (“Red Roses for a Blue Lady” “G.I. Blues”)
Suzanne Crowe, actress and percussionist (The Partridge Family)
Jack Ely, rock ‘n’ roll guitarist and vocalist (The Kingsmen)
Steven Goldmann, music video director (Faith Hill’s “This Kiss”)
Ben E. King, vocalist and songwriter

May
Guy Carawan, folk musician and musicologist
Errol Brown, vocalist and songwriter (Hot Chocolate)
Rutger Gunnarsson, bassist (ABBA)
Johnny Gimble, western swing and country fiddler
Stan Cornyn, music industry executive (Warner Brothers, Reprise)
B.B. King, blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter
Bruce Lundvall, record company executive (Blue Note, Angel, Manhattan)
Twinkle (Lynn Annette Ripley), pop vocalist and songwrite
Louis Johnson, bassist (The Brothers Johnson)
Johnny Keating, songwriter and arranger
Jim Bailey, vocalist, actor and impressionist (Judy Garland, Peggy Lee)
Julie Harris, costume designer (A Hard Day’s Night, Help)

June
Jean Ritchie, folk vocalist, songwriter and dulcimer player
Dennis Ferrante, recording engineer (John Lennon, Harry Nilsson)
Ronnie Gilbert, folk vocalist and songwriter (The Weavers)
Paul Bacon, album cover designer (Thelonious Monk, Chet Baker)
Randy Howard, country vocalist and songwriter
James Last, composer and bandleader
Johnny Keating, composer and arranger (“Theme for Z Cars”)
Jim Ed Brown, country vocalist and songwriter (The Browns)
Ornette Coleman, jazz saxophonist and visionary
Monica Lewis, jazz and commercial vocalist (Chiquita Banana)
Stephen Blauner, agent, manager and producer
Phil Austin, actor, comedian, writer, musician and radio broadcaster (The Firesign Theater)
Harold Battiste, saxophonist, arranger and composer
Wendell Holmes, guitarist and songwriter (The Holmes Brothers)
James Horner, film score composer, conductor and arranger (Titanic)
Chris Squire, bassist and songwriter (Yes)
Bruce Rowland, drummer (Grease Band, Fairport Convention)

July
Red Lane, country vocalist and songwriter
Roy C. Bennett, songwriter (“Red Roses for a Blue Lady” “G.I. Blues”)
Jerry Weintraub, film producer, manager, promoter and vocalist
Ernie Maresca, vocalist, songwriter (“Runaround Sue”) and record company executive
Michael Masser, songwriter (“Touch Me in the Morning”)
Tom Skinner, red dirt vocalist and songwriter
David Somerville, vocalist (The Diamonds)
Doug Layton, radio personality and Beatles boycotter
Buddy Buie, songwriter (“Spooky” “So Into You”) and producer
Van Alexander, composer, arranger and bandleader
Wayne Carson, songwriter (“The Letter” “Always on My Mind”)
Dieter Moebius, electronic music pioneer (Kluster, Brian Eno)
Theodore Bikel, actor, vocalist, activist and composer
Don Joyce, writer, producer, actor and radio broadcaster (Negativland, Over the Edge)
Vic Firth, percussionist and percussion stick maker
Buddy Emmons, pedal steel guitarist
Lynn Anderson, country vocalist

August
Cilla Black, vocalist, actress and media personality
Ken Barnes, author and producer
Billy Sherrill, producer, songwriter and arranger
Don Kent, blues historian and record label owner
Gary Keys, documentarian and concert producer
Bob Johnston, producer (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel) and songwriter
Danny Sembello, producer and songwriter (“Neutron Dance”)
Joy Beverley, vocalist (Beverley Sisters)

September
Owen “Boomer” Castleman, vocalist and guitarist (Lewis & Clarke Expedition), inventor (Palm Pedal)
Rico Rodriguez, ska and reggae trombonist (Specials)
Hal Willis, country vocalist (“The Lumberjack”)
Frederick “Dennis” Greene, vocalist (Sha Na Na)
Augusta Lee Collins, blues drummer, vocalist and guitarist
Smokey WIlson, blues guitarist
Gary Richrath, rock guitarist and songwriter (REO Speedwagon)
Peggy “Lady Bo” Jones, rock ‘n’ roll guitarist
Ben Cauley, trumpeter (Bar-Kays)
Wilton Felder, saxophonist and bassist (Jazz Crusaders)
Frankie Ford, vocalist (“Sea Cruise”)
Phil Woods, jazz saxophonist (“Just the Way You Are”)

October
Big Tom Parker, disc jockey (KFRC, KYUU, K101, KOIN, KMGI, KXL)
Dave Pike, jazz vibraphonist
Smokey Johnson, drummer (Fats Domino) and songwriter
Billy Joe Royal, pop vocalist (“Down in the Boondocks” “Cherry Hill Park”)
Gail Zappa, widow of Frank Zappa and trustee of the Zappa Family Estate
Larry Rosen, producer and label founder (GRP)
Steve Mackay, saxophonist (The Stooges)
Hal Hackady, lyricist and and screenwriter (“Let’s Go Mets!”)
Steve Gebhardt, filmmaker (“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones”)
John Jennings, musician and producer (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
Cory Wells, rock vocalist (Three Dog Night)
Arnold Klein, dermatologist (Michael Jackson)
Leon Bibb, folk and theater vocalist
Nat Peck, jazz trombonist
David Rodriguez, vocalist, songwriter and father of Carrie Rodriguez
Herbie Goins, R&B vocalist

November
Tommy Overstreet, country vocalist
Chuck Pyle, country vocalist, guitarist and songwriter
Eddie Hoh, session drummer (Donovan, Monkees, Mamas & Papas)
Charlie Dick, widower of Patsy Cline and record promoter
Andy White, drummer (The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You”)
Martin Beard, rock bassist (Sopwith Camel)
Allen Toussaint, musician, songwriter and producer
Phil Taylor, drummer (Motörhead)
P.F. Sloan, vocalist, songwriter and producer
Al Aarons, jazz trumpeter (Count Basie Orchestra)
Ramona Jones, fiddler (Hee Haw)
Mack McCormick, musicologist and folklorist
Norman Pickering, engineer and inventor (Pickering phonographic stylus)
Arthur Brooks, vocalist (The Impressions)
Cynthia Robinson, trumpeter (Sly and the Family Stone)
Ronnie Bright, doo-wop vocalist (Valentines, Coasters, “Mr. Bassman”)
Wayne Bickerton, songwriter, producer, label executive and bassist
Buddy Moreno, big band vocalist, bandleader and radio host

December
Alex Cooley, promoter (Atlanta International Pop Festival, Mar Y Sol)
Scott Weiland, vocalist and songwriter (Stone Temple Pilots)
John Garner, drummer and vocalist (Sir Lord Baltimore)
Marque Lynch, vocalist (Lion King, American Idol, Mickey Mouse Club)
Franz “Franzl” Lang, German yodel king, accordionist and guitarist
Bonnie Lou, country vocalist and television performer
Gary Marker, bassist and engineer (Rising Sons, Captain Beefheart)
Rusty Jones, jazz drummer
Luigi Creatore, songwriter and producer (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”)
Adam Roth, guitarist (Jim Carroll, Del Fuegos)
Snuff Garrett, producer (Gary Lewis & The Playboys)
William Guest, R&B vocalist (Gladys Knight & The Pips)
Takeharu Kunimoto, shamisen player and bluegrass musician
Stevie Wright, pop vocalist (The Easybeats)
John Bradbury, drummer (The Specials)
Lemmy Kilmister, rock vocalist, bassist and songwriter (Motörhead)
Joe Houston, R&B saxophonist
Natalie Cole, vocalist and daughter of Nat “King” Cole

Hypercast #6: In Memoriam 2015

A collection of music from some of the artists who passed away in 2015.

Billy Joe Royal Down in the Boondocks
B.B. King Early in the Morning
Bonnie Lou Friction Heat
Ben E. King (The Drifters) Save the Last Dance for Me
Don Covay Come See About Me
Errol Brown (Hot Chocolate) Emma
Don Joyce Crystal’s Snowdrift Disco Bar & Thrill
Jack Ely (The Kingsmen) Louie, Louie
Leonard Nimoy Highly Illogical
Kim Fowley The Trip
Buddy Emmons Witches Brew
Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) Mama Told Me Not to Come
Jean Richie Dulcimer Pieces
Johnny Gimble Lone Star Rag
Little Jimmy Dickens Me and My Big Loud Mouth
Lynn Anderson Flattery Will Get You Everywhere
Curtis Lee Pretty Little Angel Eyes
David Somerville (The Diamonds) Little Darlin’
Ronnie Bright (Johnny Cymbal) Mr. Bass Man
Frankie Ford Sea Cruise
Allen Toussaint Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
Lew Soloff (Blood, Sweat & Tears) Spinning Wheel
Ramona Jones Whiskey Before Breakfast
Chuck Pyle Rio Rey
Cilla Black Conversations
Michael Brown (The Left Banke) Pretty Ballerina
Rod McKuen Jean
Percy Sledge Warm and Tender Love
Lesley Gore I Don’t Want To Be a Loser
Johnny Keating Theme From Z-Cars
Ward Swingle (The Swingle Singers) The Little Fugue
Jim Ed Brown Pop-A-Top
Owen Castleman Judy Mae
Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) Creep
P.F. Sloan Halloween Mary
Dave Pike Jet Set