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2012
MEMORIALS
" Let us remember the great talent each possessed "


Donald "Duck" Dunn
November 24th 1941 ~ May 13th 2012
Influential award-winng American bassist, Donald "Duck" Dunn, who helped create the gritty Memphis soul sound in the 60s and 70s as a member of the legendary Booker T & the MGs, has unexpectedly and so sadly, died in his sleep after finishing a double show at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo the evening before. Donald who was 70 years old, leaves behind his wife June, his son Jeff, and grandchild Michael.

American legendary bass guitarist, record producer, and songwriter, Donald was born in Memphis, Tennessee. While still at school he took up bass and along with his friends guitarist Steve Cropper, Charlie Freeman, drummer Terry Johnson, formed "The Royal Spades". This Messick High School group were joined by keyboardist Jerry "Smoochy" Smith, singer Ronnie "Stoots" Angel and a budding young horn section in baritone saxophone player Don Nix, tenor saxophone player Charles "Packy" Axton, and trumpeter, the future co-founder of The Memphis Horns, Wayne Jackson. Donald was totally self taught by playing along with records, but he would fill in what he thought should be there, which made his bass lines very unique. They were signed to Satellite (later Stax) Records, and had national hit with "Last Night" in 1961 under their new name "The Mar-Keys", but he left the Mar-Keys in 1962 to join Ben Branch's big band. In 1964 he rejoined Stax Records and Steve Cooper when he became bassist with The Booker T and the M.G.s, the driving force behind the gritty Southern Soul sound. Stax became known for Jackson's drum sound, the sound of The Memphis Horns, and Duck Dunn's grooves. The MGs with Donald's bass lines can be heard on most of the great Stax hits like Otis Redding's "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose"; Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'", and Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign". His bass playing was very influential in the history of music. He, Cropper, Jackson, and Jones recorded their first album, Hip Hug-He, in 1967. Donald went on to play for Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Bob Dylan, Guy Sebastian, CCR, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Buchanan, Arthur Conley, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart among others. He was the featured bassist for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" from Nicks' 1981 debut solo album Bella Donna, as well as other Petty tracks between 1976-81. He reunited with Cropper as a member of Levon Helm's RCO All Stars and displayed his quirky Southern humor making two movies with Cropper, former Stax drummer Willie Hall, and Dan Aykroyd, as a member of The Blues Brothers band. In 1992, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Booker T & the MG's. Donald semi-retired in the 2000s, but he still performed occasionally with Booker T & the MGs at clubs and festivals. In June 2004, he, Cropper, and Jones served as the house band for Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival and in 2007 he and several Booker T & the MG's members were given a "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy award for their contributions to popular music. In 2008, he worked with Australian soul singer Guy Sebastian on an 18-date concert tour, for The Memphis Album. Donald was in Japan at the time of his death, as part of an ongoing tour with Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd.

Adam Yauch
August 5th 1964 ~ May 4th 2012
Rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and founder of the Milarepa Foundation has died after a brave 3 year battle with cancer. Adam sadly leaves behind his wife, Dechen Wangdu and daughter Tenzin Losel Yauch.

American bassist, rapper, activist, and film director Adam Yauch aka MCA was born in Brooklyn, NYC. While still at high school, he taught himself to play the bass guitar and formed the Beastie Boys with John Berry, Michael Diamond and Kate Schellenbach. On Adam's 17th birthday they played their first show, at that time they were a hardcore punk band. At aged 22, in 1985, he and the Beastie Boys, now performing as a hip hop trio, toured with Madonna; a year later they released their debut album Licensed to Ill, which has been followed by 7 other albums, the last being their 2011 album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Under the pseudonym of "Nathanial Hörnblowér", Adam directed many of the Beastie Boys' music videos and in 2002, he built a recording studio in New York City called Oscilloscope Laboratories. He also began an independent film distributing company called Oscilloscope Pictures and directed the 2006 Beastie Boys concert film, Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!, although in the DVD extras for the film, the title character in "A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hörnblowér" is played by David Cross. He also directed the 2008 film Gunnin' For That #1 Spot. Beastie Boys have been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards, winning three; and 17 MTV awards winning four. The Beastie Boys had sold 40 million records worldwide by 2010 and in April 2012, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Adam was inducted in absentia due to his illness. In 2011, Adam received the Charles Flint Kellogg Award in Arts and Letters from Bard College, the college he attended for two years, an award "given in recognition of a significant contribution to the American artistic or literary heritage". Adam was also a practicing Buddhist and became an important voice in the Tibetan independence movement. He created the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization devoted to Tibetan independence, and organized several benefit concerts to support the cause, including the Tibetan Freedom Concert.

Lloyd Brevett
August 1st 1931 ~ May 3rd 2012
Jamaican iconic double bassist, Lloyd Brevett, whose legendary band The Skatalites created and pioneered ska music, which paved the way for reggae, has sadly died from a stroke at the age of 80.

Lloyd Brevett, Jamaican double bassist and founder member of The Skatalites, who pioneered ska music and paved the way for reggae. The founders of the Skatalites, Lloyd along with Tommy McCook-died 1998, Rolando Alphonso-died 1998, Lloyd Knibb-died 2011, Don Drummond-died 1969, Jah Jerry Haynes-died 2007, Jackie Mittoo-died 1990, Johnny Moore -2008, Jackie Opel-died 1970 and Lester Sterling, started to play together in 1955, and formed the now legendary Skatalites in 1964. In spring 1964, they recorded their first LP Ska Authentic at Studio One in Kingston and toured Jamaica as the creators of ska., a genre whose name is taken from Lloyd's band name. Later that year "Man in the Street", entered the Top 10 in the UK. The Skatalites were together for 18 months in the 1960s. On New Year's Eve 1964, trombonist Don Drummond stabbed and killed his girlfriend and vocalist Marguerita. The other band members disbanded in July 1965, with Lloyd and other members forming the Soul Brothers, later becoming the Soul Vendors. In 1975, The Skatalites reunited to record Lloyd's solo album African Roots. They continued to reconvene periodically before reforming in the 1980s. In 1996, their album Hi-Bop Ska: The 30th Anniversary Recording, earned a Grammy nomination, with a second nomination coming the following year for Greetings From Skamania. Lloyd toured all over the world with The Skatalites and produced two Skatalites' albums, African Roots in 1975 and The Legendary Skatalites in 1976. He once stated, "Ska was our type of music that could lift the youth and make Jamaica known around the world". Lloyd died 6 weeks after his 32 year old son, Okine, was murdered in March outside their family home in Kingston. He was brutally gunned down just a few of hours after accepting , on behalf of hs father, a reggae industry award for Lloyd's musical contributions. Former Jamaican Prime Minister and one-time Skatalites tour manager PJ Patterson said it was "Brevett who quietly provided the mesmerising backbone to the Skatalites' sound. To say that Brevett was a creator of both ska and dub is not to use hyperbole".

Bert Weedon OBE
May 10th 1920 ~ April 20th 2012
Pioneer electric guitarist Bert Weedon, who influenced the first generation of British post-war pop musicians and who inspired millions of budding guitarists to 'play in a day' has died aged 91. Sadly he leaves behind his two sons from his first marriage, and his second wife, Maggie.

English guitarist and composer whose style of guitar playing was influential and popular during the 1950s and 1960s, Herbert Maurice William Weedon was born in East Ham, London, and began learning classical guitar at the age of twelve. In his teens during the 1930s, he led groups such as the Blue Cumberland Rhythm Boys, and Bert Weedon and His Harlem Hotshots, before making his first solo appearance at East Ham town hall in 1939. He worked with leading performers including Stephane Grappelli and George Shearing, and performed with various big bands and orchestras, including those of Ted Heath and Mantovani. He joined the BBC Show Band directed by Cyril Stapleton in the 1950s, when he began to be featured as a soloist. He also worked as a session musician on many early British rock and roll and other records, and worked as an accompanist to visiting American singers such as Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. It is estimated that he performed on over 5,000 BBC radio broadcasts and he was also seen regularly on British television in the 1950s. In 1959 he was asked by Top Rank Records to make a record as a solo guitarist and became the first British guitarist in the UK Singles Chart, with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" in 1959, and was cited as an influence by many stars, including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Mike Oldfield, The Shadows and The Beatles. As well as his hits and TV appearances at a crucial time in modern British music history, his best-known contribution to British guitar style is his tutorial guide Play in a Day, first published in 1957, which many stars claim was a major influence on their learning and playing. He also wrote a follow-up, Play Every Day. His playing style focussed on both rhythm and melody, and was itself influenced by the jazz guitarists of the 1950s, notably Les Paul. Burt placed a lot of emphasis on control of tone, and wanted to make the guitar the star of his music. The style became best known through the music of The Shadows, especially Hank Marvin. In November 1976 He made number one, for one week, in the UK Albums Chart with 22 Guitar Golden Greats, a compilation of guitar solos released on the Warwick label. For many years Bert was an active member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, the entertainment business’s charity, and was King Rat in 1992 and he was awarded an OBE in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to music.

Levon Helm
May 26th 1940 ~ April 19th 2012
Levon Helm, the three-time Grammy Award winner, singer and drummer in the legendary group, The Band, has sandly died of cancer, at the age of 71. He had been bravely battleing throat cancer since 1998. Levon leaves behind his wife, Sandy and his daughter Amy, who sang in his latest band

American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor born Mark Lavon Helm, in Marvell, Arkansas, and grew up in Turkey Scratch. After graduating from high school, he was invited to join Ronnie Hawkins' band, "The Hawks". In the early 1960s he and Hawkins recruited an all-Canadian lineup of musicians: guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson. But in 1963, the band parted ways with Hawkins and started touring under the name "Levon and The Hawks," and later as "The Canadian Squires" before finally changing back to "The Hawks". In the mid 1960s, Bob Dylan was interested in performing electric rock music and asked "The Hawks" to be his backing band. Levon took a 2 year haitus, returning in 1967 which by then was often referred to simply as "the band". He achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band, as well as playing, mandolin and other string instruments. The Band, was one of the most revered and influential rock groups to emerge from the 1960s. , and Levon was known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, and creative drumming style highlighted on many of the Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek", "Ophelia" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Levon remained with "The Band" until their 1976 farewell performance, The Last Waltz, which was recorded in a documentary film by director Martin Scorsese. Levon embarked on a solo career before 'The Band' reunited in 1983 and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1993, he published an autobiography entitled This Wheel's on Fire – Levon Helm and the Story of The Band. Levon performed with many artists and musicians as well as forming his own band, The Levon Helm Band. His 2007 album Dirt Farmer earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008, and in November of that year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No.91 in the list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2010, Electric Dirt, his 2009 follow-up to Dirt Farmer, won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, an inaugural category in 2010. In 2011, his live album Ramble at the Ryman was nominated for the Grammy in the same category and won. The subject of Elton John's song "Levon" was named after him and Marc Cohn wrote the song "Listening to Levon" in 2007. In addition to his work as musician, he also acted in several dramatic films after the breakup of The Band. One of his first acting roles was the 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter in which he portrayed Loretta Lynn's father.

Charles Givings
February 7th 1946 ~ April 15th 2012
Founder member, drummer and singer of the Rare Gems Odyssey, Charles E. Givings has sadly passed away in his sleep from a massive heart attack at the age of 66. He leaves behind a loving family, including his wife Sandy; and many dear friends who will always be grateful and remember his extreme kindness.

American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, Charles E. Givings, a session drummer for Motown in the LA Studios in the 60s, was the founder of the 'Black Gems Rare' in 1969. A year later the band changed their name to 'Rare Gems Odyssey', and later became The Rare Gems. Over the years they toured, played regularly in Las Vegasand in California and opened for for Ray Charles at the Shrine. They have had many hits including the classic funk track "What is Funk", which has become a very collectable record especially in the UK. With 8 albums under their belt, they were still performing until Charles' death. In the 80's Charles formed his own label, Imagination Records, where he produced his own band and other artists. Charles has also released some beautiful solo love albums, including... 'Songs For Sunset Lovers', 'Songs For Serious Lovers', 'Songs For Moonlight Lovers', 'A Night On The Town' and 'Everlasting Love Songs', sung with his wife Sandy. As well as all this he still found time to session with The Penguins, The Olympics, Al Wilson, Don Julian, Tony Allen, Brenda Holloway, The Cadets, The Sixteens, Ernie Valens, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Frankie Avalon and J.J. Jackson. Among his treasured memories over his busy 45 years plus career was meeting the legendary bassist, James Jamerson. Charles has also written a book.. not about his musical journey, but his second love .. baseball .. among other things!! Drawing on his early life, this is a story about a rag tag multi-racial Little League baseball team from Southern California and this exciting, fun book, delves into the day-to-day lives of kids growing up in an inner city, and Charles has really captured the flavor and spice of the growing pains in the inner city. Before his sudden death Charles was a regular part of Woody Radio's Saturday night EJ Emmons Show, credited as Mr Charles "Chizzy" Givings. ~ R.I.P. Charles

Andrew Love
November 21st 1941 ~ April 12th 2012
Memphis Horns' renowned saxophonist Andrew Love, the legendary musician who has performed on over 83 gold and platinum albums has sadly died at the age of 70 after a 10 year battle with the cruel disease, Alzheimers. Andrew is survived by his wife of 43 years, Willie Love; his children, Vincent Thompson, Terri Lawrence, Angela Parker and Andre Love; his brother, Roy Love; and his longtime musical partner, trumpeter Wayne Jackson.

American saxophonist, Andrew Love was born in Memphis; he began his interest in music at the Mount Nebo Baptist Church where his father was pastor, and Andrew grew up playing saxophone with the church's gospel band. His music education continued in high school and at University in Oklahoma. He returned to Memphis in 1965 and began session work at Stax Records where he teamed up with trumpeter Wayne Jackson. The two created the signature horn sound at Stax, heard on hit records by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and others, and helped fuel the label's golden era. After recording numerous tracks at Stax, he and Wayne formed themselves into the renowned Memphis Horns and began freelancing. They recorded at sessions for such artists as Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, James Taylor, and U2, among many others. In total, the duo played on 83 gold and platinum albums and 52 No.1 records during the course of their long career. They also toured with The Doobie Brothers, Jimmy Buffett, Robert Cray and numerous other performers. In the '80s and '90s, the duo continued playing on hits for stars such as Willie Nelson and Steve Winwood. Even after Wayne decided to relocate to Nashville in 1996, they remained in demand, recording with Sting, Bonnie Raitt and Marc Knopfler. Following his Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2002, he continued working briefly before retiring from performing the following year, in 2003. This February 2012, the Memphis Horns were recognized by the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles, for the hundreds of recordings they performed on together, for nearly 40 years, but sadly Andrew was too ill to attend the ceromenies.

Bernard Noël "Banjo Barney" McKenna
December 16th 1939 ~ April 5th 2012
The much loved legendary banjo player and only surviving founding member of the Dubliners, Barney McKenna, has died unexpectedly at his home in Howth, Co. Dublin. Sadly, he leaves behind his partner Tina, his sister Marie, his brother Séan Og, and his nephews and nieces, as well as many devoted friends and fans.

Irish musician Barney McKenna played the mandolin and melodeon, but is most renowned as a pioneer banjo player. He was born in Donnycarney, County Dublin, and played the banjo from an early age, as he could not afford to buy the instrument of his choice, a mandolin. In 1962 along with Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, and Ciarán Bourke, he formed the Irish folk band The Dubliners. Initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", they made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin. The change of name came about because of Drew's unhappiness with it, together with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners by James Joyce at the time. They played at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963 and that led to them being featured on a BBC programme called Hootenanny and a record contract with Transatlantic Records, with whom they recorded their first album, The Dubliners, and their first single featuring Rocky Road to Dublin and The Wild Rover. Barney was well known for his unaccompanied renditions of songs such as 'South Australia' and 'I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me'. His banjo solos on tunes such as 'The Maid Behind the Bar', 'The High Reel' and 'The Mason's Apron', where he was usually accompanied by Eamonn Campbell on guitar, were often performed to cries of "C'mon Barney!" from audience or band members. Another featured spot in Dubliners performances is the mandolin duet that Barney played with John Sheahan - again with Eamonn Campbell providing guitar accompaniment. As Barney often pointed out: "It's an Irish duet, so there's three of us going to play it". Other noted Dubliners songs include "Seven Drunken Nights", "Finnegan's Wake", "McAlpine's Fusiliers", "The Black Velvet Band", "Whiskey in the Jar", "Home Boys Home", "The Town I Loved So Well", "Dirty Old Town", "The Wild Rover", and "Raglan Road" to mention just a few! Barney was the only founding member to be a member of the band consistently over the first 50 years from the band's foundation in 1962 until his death in 2012, and he is mentioned several times in the song 'O'Donoghue's' by Andy Irvine, which describes the Dublin traditional music scene of the early-mid 1960s that found a spiritual home in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin's Merrion Row. Barney helped make The Dubliners the most famous Irish traditional ballad group of all time and responsible for the resurrection of some Irish songs that had died out. They celebrated their 50th anniversary with a series of concerts in Christ Church Cathedral in January 2012 and participating in the official Irish single for the forthcoming European Championships.

Michael Hossack
October 17th 1946 ~ March 12th 2012
Longtime Doobie Brothers' drummer Michael Hossack, has sadly died at the age of 65. He died at his home in Dubois, Wyoming, after bravely battling cancer for two years. Michael leaves behind his son Mike Jr., his daughter Erica Rose and his brother Eric.

American drummer, Michael Hossack was born in Paterson, New Jersey; he started playing drums in the Little Falls Cadets, a Boy Scout drum and bugle corps, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes Cadets and Fair Lawn Cadets. He always credits these experiences taught and prepared him for playing in a two-drummer group such as the Doobie Brothers. After graduating high school, he served for four years in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Following his honorable discharge in 1969 he returned to New Jersey, where a close friend talked him into auditioning for a California-based band called Mourning Reign. They played heavily in upstate New York, before relocating to the San Francisco bay area and signing with a production company that had also signed the newly formed rock band, the Doobie Brothers. The Doobies invited Mike to jam with them and hearing how well Mike and founding drummer John Hartman played together the Doobies decided that having two drummers would beef up the rhythm section and so adopted the "dual drummers" sound. Mike played alongside Hartman on the band's breakthrough albums Toulouse Street in 1972, The Captain and Me in 1973 and What Were Once Vices are Now Habits in 1974, which spawned the band's first No.1 hit, "Black Water". After a 10-month tour in 1974, he left the Doobies. In 1975, Mike helped form the band Bonaroo which released one album before disbanding shortly afterwards. In 1976, he had a brief stint with a band called DFK , with Les Dudek, Mike Finnigan and Jim Krueger and in 1977, he became a partner in Chateau Recorders studio in North Hollywood. Mike returned to The Doobie Brothers when they reunited in 1987 and was a mainstay of the group through the next two decades, and his unique style can be heard on the albums Cycles, Brotherhood, Rockin' down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert, Sibling Rivalry, Live at Wolf Trap and World Gone Crazy. Mike remained with the Doobies performing on most of the group's tours until he sadly had to take a health leave in 2010.

Robert Bernard Sherman
December 19th 1925 ~ March 5th 2012
Robert B Sherman, who penned songs for Chitty Bang Bang and Disney classics including Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh with his brother Richard M, has died peacefully in London, where he had made his home since 2000. The 86 year old songwriter sadly leaves behind his wife of 58 years, Joyce; 4 children Laurie Shane, Jeffrey Craig, Andrea Tracy and Robert Jasonl; 8 grandchildren and one new born great grandchild.

American songwriter Robert B. Sherman born in New York City, for much of his life he specialized in musical films with his younger brother, Richard Morton Sherman. Some of the Sherman Brothers' best known songs were incorporated into movies and animations like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, Snoopy Come Home, The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Magic of Lassie, The Sword in the Stone, The Lion King and the theme park song of "It's a Small World (After All)". Robert and Richard began writing songs together on a challenge from their father, Al Sherman, a successful popular songwriter in the "Tin Pan Alley" days and wrote hits for Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. The brothers began by writing rock’n’roll, country and hillbilly songs in the 1950s. In 1958, Robert founded the music publishing company, Music World Corporation, which later worked with Disney's BMI publishing arm, Wonderland Music Company. That same year, the Sherman Brothers had their first Top Ten hit with "Tall Paul", which was sung by Annette Funicello. The success of this song came to the attention of Walt Disney who hired the brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios. Over Robert's long and distinguished career the brothers were honored with liturally dozens of nominations and awards for the many above films; in 1965 alone, they won 2 Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, including "Feed The Birds", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", and won an Oscar for "Chim Chim Cher-ee". Since Mary Poppins' premiere, Robert subsequently earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations and 23 gold and platinum albums. Their first non-Disney assignment came with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968 which garnered the brothers their third Academy Award Nomination. In 1973, they made history by becoming the only Americans ever to win First Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer for which they also authored the screenplay. In 1976, The Slipper and the Rose was picked to be the Royal Command Performance of the year and was attended by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. That same year the brothers received their star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" located at 6914 Hollywood Blvd, directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theatre. In 2005 they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and President George Bush presented them with the National Medal Of Arts in 2008, the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. A lesser known part of Robert's life is his painting which he has done since 1941 and kept private until 2002, when an exhibition of his paintings was held in London, England, at Thompsons' Gallery. Paintings which have appeared at the various exhibitions include: "On Route 9G", "Self Portrait", "San Francisco", "Moses" , "Carousel In The Country", "From the Dining Room", "Sacrifice", "Florid Window", "Geisha ", "Fine Four Fendered Friend" and "Park Lane".

Ronnie Montrose
November 29th 1947 ~ March 3rd 2012
Influencial, high-energy rock guitarist, Ronnie Montrose, known for his intense fiery guitar work has sadly died at his home in California at the age of 64. He has been bravely battling prostate cancer over the last five years. Ronnie is survived by his wife, Leighsa, a son, a daughter and five grandchildren.

American rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose was born in Denver, Colorado, and grew up in San Francisco, California. After learning his trade with teenage bands, he started out in a band called Sawbuck with Bill Church, before auditioning for Van Morrison, which led to him playing on Morrison's 1971 album Tupelo Honey. He also played on the song "Listen to the Lion", which was released on Morrison's next album, Saint Dominic's Preview in 1972. That same year he played briefly with Boz Scaggs, then joined the Edgar Winter Group, where he played on They Only Come Out at Night album, which included the hit singles "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". He then formed his own band, Montrose, in 1973, introducing a then-unknown Sammy Hagar on vocals. That incarnation of the band released two albums debuting in 1973 with one of rock's all-time greats, Montrose, giving us the hard rock standards such as "Rock the Nation", "Bad Motor Scooter", "Space Station", "Rock Candy" and "Make It Last". This was followed by Paper Money in 1974, after which Hagar left the band to pursue a solo career. Ronnie also added his guitar work to Gary Wright's song, "Power of Love" on the 1975 album, The Dream Weaver. Also in the 70s Ronnie released 2 more albums with Montrose, with singer Bob James and released his debut solo album Open Fire in 1978, the first of 10 solo albums between 1978-1999. 1978 also saw Ronnie forming another band, Gamma, releasing four albums Gamma 1, 2, 3 and 4, with Davey Pattison singing on all four between 1979 and 2005. The original Montrose lineup reformed to play as a special guest at several Sammy Hagar concerts in the summer of 2004 and 2005. Ronnie has also performed regularly from 2002 to present with a Montrose lineup featuring Keith St. John on lead vocals and a rotating cast of veteran hard rock players on bass and drums. Throughout his long career Ronnie has played many sessions and guested with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Kendall Kardt, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, Kathi McDonald, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, Lauren Wood, Nicolette Larson, Jamie Sheriff, Anti-m, Marc Bonilla, David Culiner, CJ Hutchins, Kevin Crider, and the Edgar Winter Group. On Ronnie's most recent tour, in late 2009, he revealed to his fans that he had successfully fought prostate cancer over the last two years; however, tragically the cancer returned soon after.

David "Davy" Jones
December 30th 1945 ~ February 29th 2012
Singer and frontman with the legendary Monkees, heart throb of the 60s & 70s, Davy Jones, has sadly died unexpectely from a massive heart attack at the age of 66, just months after he, Tork and Dolenz had completed a tour marking The Monkees’ 45th anniversary. Married three times, Davy leaves behind a loving family including his wife Jessica, and four daughters; Talia Elizabeth and Sarah Lee from his first marrage; and Jessica Lillian and Annabel Charlotte from his second marrage.

English singer-songwriter and actor David Jones was born in Manchester, and at aged 11 began his acting career appearing on the soap opera 'Coronation Street', produced by Granada Television in Manchester, where in 1961 he played Colin Lomax, the grandson of Ena Sharples. However, after the death of his mother, when he was 14 years old, Davy made a career change and became a jockey, training with Basil Foster. He was soon back in the public eye, this time on stage in London's West End and then on Broadway, playing the Artful Dodger, in the show Oliver!, which was nominated for a Tony Award. On February 9th 1964, Davy appeared with the Broadway cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show, the same episode on which The Beatles made their first appearance. From 1965 to 1971, he was a member of The Monkees, the now legendary pop-rock group formed expressly for a television show of the same name. He sang lead vocals on many of the Monkees' recordings, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". Their first two releases, “Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer,” became No. 1 hits, as did “Daydream Believer”, which was the Monkees’ most requested song at concerts. After the band disbanded in 1971, Davy reunited with Micky Dolenz along with Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974, as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. A Monkees television show marathon "Pleasant Valley Sunday", broadcast on February 23rd 1986 by MTV resulted in a massive wave of Monkeemania not seen since their group's heyday. Davy reunited with Dolenz and Peter Tork from 1986-89 to celebrate the band's renewed success and to promote the 20th anniversary of the group. In 1996 again Davy reunited with Dolenz, Tork, and also Michael Nesmith to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. The group released a new album entitled Justus, the first album since 1967's Headquarters that featured the band members performing all instrumental duties. It was the last time all four Monkees would perform together. Davy ran his solo career side by side with his other projects and more recently in 2001, he released Just Me, an album of his own songs, some written for the album and others originally on Monkees releases. In the early 2000's he performed in the Flower Power Concert Series during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival, a yearly gig he would continue until his death. As well as his singing careers, Davy continued acting after the Monkees, either as himself or another character. He appeared in 'Here Come the Brides', 'Love, American Style' and 'My Two Dads'. He also appeared in animated form as himself in "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" and in "SpongeBob vs. The Big One". Other appearances include Sledgehammer, Boy Meets World , Hey Arnold!, The Single Guy , Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Brady Bunch Movie. He also returned to theatre, he appeared in several productions of Oliver! as Fagin, and also co-starred with Micky Dolenz in Harry Nilsson's play The Point at the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1978. In addition to his career as an entertainer, Davy's other first love was horses... he had horse ownership interests in both the U.S. and the U.K., and served as a commercial spokesman for Colonial Downs racetrack in Virginia. On 1 February 1996, he won his first race as a jockey, on Digpast, in the one-mile Ontario Amateur Riders' Handicap at Lingfield.

Billy Strange
September 29th 1930 ~ February 22nd 2012
Legendary session guitarist and musical pioneer, the great Billy Strange, has sadly died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 81. Billy leaves behind a loving family including his son, Russell Glen Strange, his daughter Kelly Kimberly Strange and his stepson, Jerry Joseph Mitchell.

American singer, songwriter, guitarist and music arranger Billy Strange was born in Long Beach, California. At just 5 years old he performed on a local radio station winning a yodel contest and at 16 after a stint with the trumpet, he and his guitar he were on the road, travelling across Texas with a few other musicians playing shows and dances and Honky Tonks. Back in Southern California, in his early 20s, he became a regular on live television shows employed as a guitar player and singer, working with the likes of The Sons Of The Pioneers and Roy Rogers, and Spade Cooley and Smokey Rogers and others, which led to working not only with all the country musicians of the 50's but also the pop and jazz players, including Count Basie. Later in the 50s he teamed up with Mac Davis to write several hit songs for Elvis Presley including "A Little Less Conversation", the theme from Charro!, and "Memories". Other Elvis songs he wrote includes "Viva Las Vegas". He composed the musical soundtrack for two of Elvis' films 'Live a Little, Love a Little' and 'The Trouble with Girls', he co-wrote "Limbo Rock" for Chubby Checker and wrote David Cassidy's Partridge family theme, "I Think I love You". Billy soon became one of California's top session musicians providing the instrumental backing and arrangement for Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are made for Walkin", "You Only Live Twice", "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" among others, including Nancy and Frank's "Somethin' Stupid". As a member of the “Wrecking Crew” of Los Angeles-based session musicians in the 1960s, he played guitar for Jan & Dean, The Ventures, Willie Nelson, The Everly Brothers, Wanda Jackson, Randy Newman, Bob Wills, Dean Martin, Henry Mancini, Les Brown and Nat King Cole to mention just a few. Billy played guitar on numerous Beach Boys hits including "Sloop John B" and the groundbreaking Pet Sounds album. He has arranged and conducted for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Duane Eddy, and Elvis Presley. Billy also performed the vocals for Steve McQueen in Baby the Rain Must Fall. He released a series of solo works in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s that highlighted his unusual tone and musicianship and regularly featured as a member of The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show in San Francisco. In the early 1970s Billy moved to Nashville where he ran a publishing company for Frank and Nancy Sinatra. Billy has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to the genre, and has also been inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame & Museum.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston
August 9th 1963 ~ February 11th 2012
Whitney Houston, one of the most celebrated female singers of all time, with hits including "I Will Always Love You" and "Saving All My Love For You" has tragically died at the age of 48. She died while in her bath in her rooms at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Los Angeles; the cause of death is as yet unknown. She leaves behind a loving family, including her only daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Whitney inspired by prominent gospel and soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin, she began singing with New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. She spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs with her mother Ciss, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with Cissy. In 1977, aged 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". Then in 1978, at age 15, she sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on The Bodyguard soundtrack album. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson. In the early 80s, Whitney started working as a fashion model, and she appeared in Seventeen becoming one of the first women of colour to grace the cover of the magazine. She also appeared as a lead vocalist on a Paul Jabara album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends. Whitney signed with Arista in 1983 but first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me". She shot to global fame with her debut self-titled album, released in 1985, which sold 25 million copies worldwide. She went on to be one of the greatest singers of all times. She was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits ... "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"). She was the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards on the Billboard magazine year-end charts.In 1989, she formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. Also that year she met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. They were married on July 18th 1992 and on March 4th 1993, Whitney gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Whitney is one of the world's best-selling music artists, in total, she released 7 albums and 3 film soundtracks; she sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time, which amounted to 415 awards as of 2010, which include six Grammys, 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards.

David Peaston
March 13th 1957 ~ February 1st 2012
American award winning R&B and gospel singer David Peaston known for his many performances at "Showtime at the Apollo", has sadly died at the age of 54 after a long and very brave battle with diabetes.

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, into a musical family, his mother Martha Bass was one of the Clara Ward Singers and a great gospel performer, while his sister Fontella Bass has equally distinguished gospel and soul credits. As a child, David attended and sang at the Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church along with his mother, and his sister. After graduating he worked as a school teacher but, when he was laid off in 1981, he moved to New York City and started working as a background singer on recording sessions including Lester Bowie's 1982 album, The One and Only. In 1988, he became a featured attraction on the syndicated Showtime at the Apollo, winning over the audience with a powerful rendition of "God Bless the Child". This led to him being signed by Geffen Records and his 1989 debut LP Introducing... David Peaston" was among that year's hottest and most soulful releases. His first single, "Two Wrongs (Don't Make It Right)" made No. 3 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and he had further hits on the R&B chart with "Can I?" and "We're All In This Together". At that time also, David toured Europe making his London concert debut supported by Gerald Alston. In 1990 he won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist. He then toured America with Gladys Knight, before moving to the MCA label in 1991, where he recorded the album "Mixed Emotions". In 1993, he recorded a gospel album ''Promises: A Family Portrait Of Faith'' with Fontella and Martha Bass. Sadly David was later diagnosed with diabetes and had his legs amputated, forcing him to use prostheses. Bravely soldiering on, and his love for music, in 2006 David returned to music with his album, Song Book: Songs of Soul & Inspiration. The album features eight new tracks, as well as several of his biggest hits.

Etta James
January 25th 1938 – January 20th 2012
Etta James, whose rich voice breathed life into many musical genres, from soul to blues to R&B to jazz to pop, has sadly died at the age of 73. Etta died of while fighting Alzheimer's disease and leukemia and leaves behind a husband and her two sons Donto and Sametto.

Singer Etta, was born Jamesetta Hawkins, in Los Angeles, Californiam, but due to her 14 year old mother being often absent, Etta lived with a series of caregivers, most notably "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu. She sang at the church from the age of 5 and at home was beaten and forced by Sarge to sing in the early hours at drunken poker games. In 1950 Mama Lu died, and Etta's real mother took her to the Fillmore, in San Francisco. Within a couple of years, Etta inspired by doo-wop, formed a girl group, called the Creolettes. Johnny Otis took the group under his wing, helping them sign to Modern Records and changing their name from the Creolettes to the Peaches and gave Etta her stage name, reversing Jamesetta into Etta James. Through her career Etta's style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Her solo debut album, At Last!, was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied choice in music. She gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last", "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she claimed she wrote the lyrics. She has performed at the top world jazz festivals in the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993, performed nine times at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival, and the San Francisco Jazz Festival five times. Etta faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album The Seven Year Itch. Etta is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. In 1994 the music industry awarded her her first Grammy for a collection of Billie Holliday songs, Mystery Lady. Her warts and all autobiography, A Rage to Survive, was published in 1998. 2001's Matriarch of the Blues, was critically acclaimed, with Rolling Stone magazine's reviewer saying that she had reclaimed her throne. Etta continued to perform in later years, despite health problems, still the awards came. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2003, was followed by another Grammy in 2004 for the album, Let's Roll and yet another in 2005, for Blues to the Bone. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked her No 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists. In November 2011, Etta released her final album, The Dreamer, which was critically acclaimed upon its release. Over the years she has influenced a wide variety of American musicians including Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, and Hayley Williams of Paramore as well as British artists The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Elkie Brooks, Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith, Joss Stone and Adele

Johnny Otis
December 28th 1921 ~ January 17th 2012
Rhythm and Blues pioneer, the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues, Johnny Otis has sadly died at his home in Altadena, California at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Phyllis and their children, two of whom, Nick and Shuggie, played in his band.

Pioneering rhythm and blues singer, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, author, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, bandleader, pastor and is commonly referred to as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues", was born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes in Vallejo, a predominantly black neighborhood in California, where he started out playing drums in a variety of swing orchestras, including Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders, and Harlan Leonard's Rockets, after which he founded his own band in 1945 and had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". Other of his many hits included "Double Crossing Blues," "Mistrustin' Blues", "Cupid's Boogie", "Gee Baby", "All Nite Long" "Mambo Boogie", "Sunset to Dawn" and "Ma He's Making Eyes At Me". In the late 1940s, he discovered Big Jay McNeely, then in the mid 50s he discovered Etta James, for whom he produced her first hit, "Roll With Me, Henry" aka "The Wallflower". Among his other discoveries were Little Richard, Little Esther Phillips, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John and Hank Ballard. He produced the original recording of Leiber and Stoller’s "Hound Dog" with vocals by Big Mama Thornton, and was given a writing credit on all six of the 1953 releases of the song. He was a successful songwriter; one of his most famous compositions is "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by The Royals in the 1952. He wrote other R&B hits, including "So Fine", "Double Crossing Blues" and "All Nite Long". In April 1958, he recorded his best-known recording, "Willie and the Hand Jive". In 1970 Johnny played at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Little Esther Phillips and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. In the 1980s he had a weekly radio show in Los Angeles, playing R&B music, and also recorded with his son Shuggie Otis, releasing the 1982 album The New Johnny Otis Show. Johnny continued performing through the 1990s and headlined the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1990 and 2000, although because of his many other interests he went through long periods where he did not perform. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a nonperformer for his work as a songwriter and producer. As an author, Johnny published the book "Listen to the Lambs" in 1968, in the wake of the Watts riots and he chronicled the music scene "Upside Your Head! Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue" in his 1994 book. In the 1990s, Otis bought a farm near Sebastopol, California, for a time he ran a coffee shop/grocery store/blues club, where one of the featured singers was the Georgia-born singer Jackie Payne. Around this time Otis also founded and pastored a new church, Landmark Community Gospel Church, which held weekly rehearsals in the tiny town of Forestville, California, and Sunday services in Santa Rosa, California. Later he hosted a radio show on KPFA, The Johnny Otis Show, aired every Saturday morning, his last show aired on August 19th 2006.

Robbie France
December 5th 1959 ~ January 14th 2012
Rock drummer, co-founder of Skunk Anansie, Robbie France aged 52, has tragically and unexpectedly died in Spain due to a ruptured aorta and complications during surgery in a hospital in Mazarron, the town where he had lived since 1998. The one time drummer with UFO; Ellis, Beggs, & Howard and many others, leaves behind a loving family and many friends and fans.

English drummer, producer, arranger, journalist, educator, and broadcaster. Born in Sheffield, he emigrated to Australia around 1970, where he studied at the National Academy of Rudimentary Drummers of Australia until 1974. He formed the jazz-fusion group, Carnival, performed at the Oz Jazz Festival, and supported John McLaughlin. He worked with Stevie Wright of the Easybeats, Marty Rhone, Ray Burgess, Tim Gaze, and most major Australian artists. He amassed over 1,000 television, radio, and advertising credits, including eight documentaries and four film scores, including Band on the Run, one of the most successful surfing films ever made. Robbie left Australia in 1982 to return to England, where he joined Diamond Head the following year. Part of the NWOBHM movement, they performed at Castle Donington Monsters of Rock, then went on to record their third album, Canterbury. In 1985 he toured and recorded with UFO, replacing Andy Parker. Leaving UFO in 1986, he formed One Nation with Kipper, now Sting's producer. By now Bobbie was also teaching in drum clinics all over the world and he set up a teaching studio in Kingston upon Thames, where he worked with Gary O'Toole, Hugo Degenhardt, Gary Wallis, Mike + The Mechanics, Power Station, 10 CC, Jean Michel Jarre, The Style Council, Gary Ferguson, Mark Price, Tim Burgess, who he toured with through Europe & the U.K. During 1987, he began his monthly column for the popular British drummer's magazine Rhythm. That same year he joined Ellis, Beggs, & Howard aka E.B.H., whose first single, "Big Bubbles No Troubles", won the Diamond Award for best new group. After E.B.H., in 1990 he did a short stint with Wishbone Ash, with whom he toured and recorded the album Strange Affair. Robbie returned to Australia to form a solo jazz project, 'The Gab'. Based loosely as a tribute to the jazz greats; Elvin Jones & John Coltrane, their first album was recorded at EMI Studio 301 on 28 July 1993. In 1994 he returned to London, to promote the solo project bbut he became a founder member of Skunk Anansie and recorded and co-produced their smash-hit debut album "Paranoid& Sunburnt". He co-wrote the hit track "Weak", which has since been covered by Rod Stewart. He also recorded the B-side, "Army of Me", with Björk. In 1995, he joined the German group Alphaville with whom he toured and recorded with until an accident in which he severed his Achilles tendon. He moved to in Poland for over two years, hosting his own radio programme, and appearing on numerous television shows. In 1998 he moved to Puerto de Mazarron, Spain, in order to concentrate on writing a novel. He also successfully ran Pulpo Negro Records, Pulpo Negro Publishing, Pulpo Negro Studios, GCBC Productions, with his partner, Tim Oldfield up until 2004. His most resent project was a return to Radio broadcasting for both Real Radio 95.6 FM in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca and One Radio Spain on the Costa Calida, providing simulcasts between the two Costas. Robbie's novel 'Six Degrees South' was published on December 7th 2011.

Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt
July 7th 1948 ~ January 2nd 2012
American rock pioneer and guitarist Larry Reinhardt, better known as El Rhino of Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond fame, has sadly died at the age of 63, after battling cancer and sclerosis of the liver. Larry leaves behind his long time girlfriend Tracey Hooper.

After playing with several local bands around Florida, in 1969, Larry, along with bassist Richard Price and drummer Ramone Sotolongo, formed a "power trio" The Load performing mostly original, psychedelic blues-rock and landed a house gig in Gainesville, at a club called Dubs. He was also guitarist, breifly, for The Second Coming before joining Iron Butterfly. In 1970, Iron Butterfly released an album that included Larry and Mike Pinera, titled Metamorphosis, which was officially credited to "Iron Butterfly With Pinera & Rhino. In 1970 Larry and Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman formed Captain Beyond, recruiting former Johnny Winter/Rick Derringer drummer Bobby Caldwell, along with former Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans. Captain Beyond released its self titled debut album a year later. The band recorded a live album in 1973, Far Beyond A Distant Sun - Live Arlington, Texas, which was not released until 2002. That same year, Marty Rodriguez replaced Caldwell on drums, and keyboardist Reese Wynans, former member of the Blues Messengers and the Second Coming, joined. This new line-up recorded and released Sufficiently Breathless in 1973. Larry guested on two songs by Bobby Womack, "Don't Let Me Down" and "I Don't Want To Get Hurt By Your Love Again" on Womack's 1974 album, Lookin' for a Love Again. From 1977 to 1981 he played with his band own Ryno Band and recorded with the band Mad Dancer on the 1981 album, Lost World, on which he wrote three songs: "Still A Boy", "Serious" and "Such a Feeling". Larry also performed in various reunions of Iron Butterfly in 1978, 1980, 1984, 1988, and in 1989. In 1991, he played on the Robert Tepper album No Rest For The Wounded Heart, which was not released until 1996. In 2000 with a new lineup of Captain Beyond he recorded a four-song EP. The band once again disbanded in 2003 when Larry developed cancer. He was treated but told he had only months to live, but he exceeded all his doctor's expectations and continued to perform music until late 2011, and released his solo album, Rhino's Last Dance, in February 2009


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I started these tribute pages June of 2004, when the great Ray Charles died,
I wrote a tribute to him... and just carried it on from there.
BUT there are many more tributes
on the birth/deaths pages ~ which I try to work on daily.

If you do have a very special request ~ please email me