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2004
MEMORIALS
" Let
us remember the great talent each possessed "
Steve
"Bubbs" Mitchell
1947
~ December 31st 2004
News
has just reached us that our dear friend and fellow musician Bubbles has sadly
and very suddenly passed away. It seems he suffered a massive heart attack in
the early hours of this morning. He leaves a son, Sam.
Bubbs drummed with us for a number of years in Bitter Suite and again with Gerry
in TNT in the 80's. I am sure you will remember what an amazingly strong rock
drummer he was. As well as being a supurb drummer he will be remembered for his
sense of humour and fun too! Bubb, shortened from Bubbles also played in "Big
Sky", some of Frank Whites line ups, and was at present drumming in a new
band he had formed called "Charley Don't Serve". He will be very sadly
missed on the music scene and by his friends.
Artie
Shaw
May 23rd, 1910. ~ December 30th, 2004
94 year old,
accomplished jazz clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and writer Arty Shaw sadly
died December 30th 2004.
Born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City, United States, and began learning
the saxophone when he was 15 and, by age 16 Artie went to Cleveland, where he
remained for three years, the last two working with Austin Wylie, then Cleveland's
top band leader, for whom Shaw took over all the arranging and rehearsing chores..
He returned to New York and became a session musician. A year later, at the age
of 19, Artie moved to Hollywood to join the Aaronson band. Shortly afterwards,
the Aaronson band spent the summer of 1930 in Chicago, where Artie "discovered
a whole new world" This influence would soon surface in Shaw's own work when
he began to use strings, woodwinds, etc. -- notably in a highly unusual album
entitled Modern Music for Clarinet, selections of which were also featured in
several of Shaw's Carnegie Hall concerts. When the Aaronson band came to New York
in 1930, Artie decided to stay there, and within the year, at age 21, he became
the top lead-alto sax and clarinet player in the New York radio and recording
studios. During the Swing Era, his big band was very popular with hits like "Begin
the Beguine". He was know for being an innovator in the big band idiom, at
time using unusual instrumentation. His piece Interlude in B-flat was the first
known example of what came to be known as Third Stream Music. He hired Billie
Holiday as his band's vocalist, becoming the first white bandleader to hire a
black female as a full-time singer. The Artie Shaw Orchestra was earning as much
as $60,000 weekly -- a figure that would nowadays amount to more than $600,000
a week! During WWII he enlisted in the U.S. Navy (along with his entire band)
and served with them in the Pacific theater (similar to Glenn Miller's wartime
band in Europe). He spent approximately 18 months playing for navy personnel,
sometimes as many as four shows a day. He received a medical discharge. In 1951
Shaw quit the music business, this time moving to Duchess County, New York, where
he bought a 240 acre dairy farm and wrote his first book, a semi-autobiographical
work entitled The Trouble With Cinderella: An Outline of Identity, sections of
which have appeared in many anthologies, and which is still in print. In 1954
Artie Shaw made his last public appearance as an instrumentalist when he put together
a new Gramercy 5 made up of such superb modern musicians as pianist Hank Jones,
guitarist Tal Farlow, bassist Tommy Potter.Artie Shaw packed his clarinet away
once and for all in 1954. In 1955 he left the United States and built a spectacular
house on the brow of a mountain on the coast of Northeast Spain, where he lived
for five years. On his return to America in 1960 he settled in a small town named
Lakeville, in northwestern Connecticut, where he continued his writing Shaw was
married eight times. Among his wives were Betty Kern, daughter of songwriter Jerome
Kern, and actresses Ava Gardner, Lana Turner and Evelyn Keyes.
In 2004, he
was presented with a lifetime achievement Grammy Award
Hank Garland
November 11th, 1930. ~ December 27th, 2004.
74 year old,
legendary country, rock and jazz guitarist Hank Garland, who performed with Elvis
Presley, Charlie Parker and many others, sadly passed away yesterday (Dec. 27)
in Orange Park, Fla. He lost his long fight for life to a staph infection
Born Walter Louis Garland in Cowpens, South Carolina on November 11, 1930. He
began taking guitar lessons when he was six years old from a neighbour, appeared
on radio shows at age 12, he was dicovered by Paul Howard's Georgia Cotton Pickers
at 14/15 and he had his first million-selling hit at 19 with "Sugar Foot
Rag," a famous country tune. When Paul Howard took Garland with him to Nashville,
the child labor laws soon put his professional playing days on hold until he was
16. When he returned, he set the country music capital on fire. Garland assumed
his place in the group in 1946, performing with them both at the Opry and on regional
tours. in the early 50s he joined Eddy Arnold's band, while still maintaining
his session career. His reputation within the industry steadily grew, and in 1954
he was invited by the Gibson company to design his own model of guitar; along
with friend Billy Byrd he came up a short scale neck, hollowbody guitar.In honor
of the two, the guitar was known as the "Byrdland.". Latter 50's he
made many anonymous contrbutions (frequently using his 'Byrdland' guitar) to a
wide variety of recordings - primarily country, of course albums by Don Gibson
and Patsy Cline but also leaning towards pop with Patti Page and the early forms
of rock The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, between '57 & '61 he worked on
most of Elvis's tracks and concerts. He also played and recorded with Brenda Lee,
Web Pierce, Bobby Helms, Kitty Wells, Johnny Horton, Mel Tilis, Ray Price, Marty
Robbins, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Hank Snow, Porter Wagner, Boots Randolph, Conway
Twitty, Hank Williams to mention a few. In 1961, he performed with Elvis at his
'farewell' concert in Honolulu; this was to be one of his last concerts. Soon
after while working on the sound track to the film "Follow That Dream",
a near fatal car crash put him in a coma for months. Brother Billy Garland claims
the crash was no accident, but an attempted killing by someone in the Nashville
record scene. The crash injuries and a series of 100 shock treatments administered
at a Nashville hospital left him a shadow of his former self. He had to relearn
everything from walking and talking to playing the guitar. Garland spent the final
years of his life fighting ill health, trying to pry royalties out of record companies
and talking with Hollywood about a movie based on his life. But in the 1950s and
'60s, Walter "Hank" Garland was the talk of Nashville, known for musical
riffs that could take a recording from humdrum to dazzling, as he did on Elvis
hits like "Little Sister" and "Big Hunk of Love."
Frank
"Son" Seals
August 14, 1942. ~ December 20th, 2004
The
brilliant raw and uncompromising bluesman for over 40 years Son Seals sadly died
Dec 20th in Chicago of complications from diabetes at the age of 62.. He is survived
by a sister and 14 children.
Born Frank Seals in Osceola, Arkansas in 1942, Seals grew up immersed in the blues.
His childhood home was a few rooms in the back of his father Jim's juke joint,
The Dipsy Doodle (famous for blues in the front and dice in the back), with musicians
like Sonny Boy Williamson, Albert King and Robert Nighthawk playing within earshot
of his bed nearly every night. Frank was the youngest of 13 children, and gained
the nickname "Little Son" in deference to his father, Jim, who was known
locally as "Ol' Man Son". Jim Seals had been a professional musician,
touring and playing piano, drums and guitar with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, an
outfit famed for its association with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, before aquiring
The Dipsy Doodle. Son's father Jim was his greatest inspiration. As an accomplished
drummer by the time he was 13, Son was backing many of the artists who came to
The Dipsy Doodle. At 18 he was lead guitarist of his own band during the week
and playing drums behind whomever was playing at his father's club on the weekends.
Son went on the road playing guitar with Earl Hooker in 1963, and soon after that
as a drummer with Albert King. Moving to Chicago in 1971, Seals played regular
gigs on the city's South Side with such legendary artists as Junior Wells. Seals
made his recording debut in 1973 with the "The Son Seals Blues Band,"
released by Alligator Records, which in 2002 issued a career retrospective, "Deluxe
Edition." Among many honors, Seals was the winner of W.C. Handy Blues Awards
in 1985, 1987 and 2001. He was nominated for a Grammy in 1980 for his participation
in the live compilation "Blues Deluxe," recorded at the Chicago fest
event with Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor and others. Seals, made his last public performance
appearance in October in California
Some
Sound Seal Advice: "My father taught me everything from the start,"
Son recalls. "Tuning the guitar, fingering. Where I wanted to be riffing
around all up and down the neck right away, he'd keep me on one chord for hours,
until I could feel in it in my sleep. I'd get up the next morning, grab the guitar,
and I'd be right on that chord."
Dick
Heckstall-Smith
September 26th
1934 ~ December 17th 2004
Legendary
British musician Dick Heckstall-Smith, an influential saxophonist who played with
the most important English blues-rock and jazz-rock bands of the 1960s and '70s,
lost his fight with cancer on Friday, December. He was 70.
Born Richard Malden in Ludlow, UK, raised in Knighton, Radnorshire, and played
piano, clarinet and alto saxophone in childhood. After refusing a second term
at a York boarding school, he went to Gordonstoun, where his schoolmaster father,
Reginald, had taken a job. Reginald soon fell out with the autocratic Kurt Hahn
and the family retreated to Dartington. Heckstall-Smith completed his education
at the Foxhole school before reading agriculture - and co-leading the university
jazz band - at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, from 1953. Aged 15, he had taken
up the soprano sax while at Foxhole, captivated by the sound of Sidney Bechet.
Then the smokiness of Lester Young's sound caught him, and the music of tenor
saxist Wardell Graybridge, who was the bridge between Young and the Charlie Parker
bebop generation. Heckstall-Smith was an active member of the London jazz scene
from the late '50s. He joined Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner's groundbreaking
blues group, in 1962. The following year, he was a founding member of that band's
breakaway unit, the Graham Bond Organization, whose lineup also included two future
members of the blues-rock supergroup Cream: bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger
Baker. In 1967, Heckstall-Smith became a member of keyboardist-vocalist John Mayall's
prominent group the Bluesbreakers. That jazz-skewed edition of the band, which
also included drummer Jon Hiseman and future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor,
released the album "Bare Wires" in 1968. From 1968-70, Heckstall-Smith
and Hiseman were the key creative members of the pioneering U.K. jazz-rock band
Colosseum. The act was a showcase for the saxophonist's writing and his instrumental
virtuosity; like American saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he could blow two saxophones
simultaneously. After exiting Colosseum, Heckstall-Smith fronted several other
fusion units, including Manchild, Big Chief, Tough Tenors, Mainsqueeze and DHSS.
He participated in a '90s reunion of the original Colosseum lineup and played
the hard-working Hamburg Blues Band. In 2001 cut the all-star project "Blues
and Beyond," which reunited him with Mayall, Bruce and ex-Mayall and Fleetwood
Mac guitarist Peter Green. His party piece was playing two horns at the same time.
Darrell
Lance Abbott
August 20, 1966 ~ December 8, 2004
Grammy-nominated
heavy metal artist Dimebag Darrell, Damageplan and Pantera guitarist was brutally
murdered on stage at about 22.00, less than a minute into their concert on December
8, 2004, the 24th anniversary of John Lennon's murder, at a Damageplan concert
at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. He was 38.
Darrell
Abbott grew up outside of Dallas, Texas, where his father who was country songwritter
Jerry Abbott owned a recording studio. He saw many great blues and country artists
come through his father and he learned from them ~ so quickly that he was not
allowed to enter any guitar contests in the whole state because he'd already won
them all... He was 16. By the early '80s, Darrell (who was going by the name Diamond
Darrell), had co-formed Pantera, along with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul and
bassist Rex Smith ( Rex Rocker). This band would one day become one of metal's
leading forces, Pantera early influences were Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and (visually),
Mtley Cre. Pantera finally made the jump in 1990, signing on with the Atlantic
subsidiary East West. Almost overnight, it seemed like Pantera was reborn, as
they completely rejected their early pop-metal direction in favor of a much more
heavy and brutal one, which focused on such bands as Slayer, Metallica, and Black
Sabbath. This touched off a string of classic metal releases that would see Pantera
become one of the world's top metal bands -- 1990's Cowboys From Hell, 1992's
Vulgar Display of Power, and 1994's Far Beyond Driven. Darrell (who was now known
as Dimebag Darrell) soon became recognized as one of metal's finest players, as
evidenced by his annual appearances in guitar publication polls. Pantera split
in May 2003, and the Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan, releasing their
debute album 'New Found Power' earlier this year. Additionally, Darrell has appeared
on recordings by other artists, including Anthrax, Nickelback and done solo recordings
for the Supercop motion picture soundtrack. Pantera's Grammy nominations were
for best metal performance in 1995 for "I'm Broken" and in 2001 for
"Revolution Is My Name."
Recently, Darrell Abbott said that some
of Pantera's hard-core fans were struggling with the band's breakup. "They
act like they can't get on with their lives. I can tell by the looks on their
faces they are (angry), I feel like I'm half guitar player and half Dr. Phil.
I've spent a lot of my time just talking them down off the ledge." He was
well loved and respected & will be sadly missed
Kevin
Coyne
January, 1944 ~ December 2nd, 2004
The fella
they wanted to front Doors after Jim, British singer-songwriter, painter, writer,
and rock 'n' roller extraordinaire Kevin Coyne passed away December 2nd at his
home in Nuremberg, Germany. He was 60 years old.
Kevin Coyne was born in Derby, January 1944 and was educated at Joseph Wright
School of Art (1957-1961) then Derby College of Art (1961-1965) where he studied
graphics and painting, obtaining the N.D.D. in 1965. Early musical influences
were Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and later (at art school), Muddy
Waters, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed. While this wildly prolific artist Coyne
remained a cult figure in the U.S., throughout Europe he was a revered, legendary,
and--with more than 40 releases, Coyne's music was rooted in the blues, but he
used it as a jumping-off point to venture into nearly every genre imaginable,
from sentimental love songs and full-on rockers to catchy pop songs and twisted
ballads. His voice was one of the most powerful and distinctive in all of rock.
Coyne was "discovered" by the late John Peel and, in 1971, when Doors
frontman Jim Morrison died, Coyne was asked to fill his shoes. Although Coyne
was diagnosed with lung fibrosis two years ago, he continued to tour, record,
paint. and write. His most recent record, Donut City, his best in years, was the
first release on his own Turpentine Records.
And finally: Was Kevin Coyne
really offered the Jim Morrison job in the Doors? The answer is a very firm "yes".
And why , you might ask, did he turn it down? Well, the rumour is that he didn't
fancy wearing the leather trousers.
Terry
Melcher
February 8th 1942 ~ November 19th 2004
Terry
Melcher, a producer, composer and songwriter who worked with the Beach Boys and
helped shape the '60s era California surf music sound, died Friday at his Beverly
Hills home after a long battle with cancer, he was 62. Terry is survived by his
mother singer/actress Doris Day, his wife Terese, and son Ryan.
Born Terry Jorden, Melcher was the son of Doris Day and her first husband, Al
Jorden. He was later adopted by Day's third husband, Martin Melcher, and took
his name. He began his career as "Terry Day," capitalizing on his mother's
famous name. However he later became known in his own right, singing background
tracks, writing lyrics, playing the piano, composing, and producing. Melcher teamed
with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston in the early 1960s. The duo eventually formed
the group the Rip Chords, who recorded the 1964 hit "Hey, Little Cobra."
He also wrote songs with Bobby Darin and Randy Newman. But it wasn't until the
mid-1960s, when he joined Columbia Records as a producer, that he made his mark
on the California sound. He was instrumental in helping craft the Byrds' groundbreaking
fusion of rock and folk and produced several of the group's hits including their
versions of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", Pete Seeger's "Turn,
Turn, Turn." 'The Ballad of Easy Rider'. Melcher also co-wrote the hit "Kokomo"
for the Beach Boys. The song, used in the movie "Cocktail," was nominated
for a Golden Globe in 1988 for best original song. During his career Melcher also
worked with Paul Revere and the Raiders,Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Glen Campbell, Gram
Parsons and the Mamas and the Papas, among others.
In 1969, Melcher's name
was associated with convicted murderer Charles Manson and the deaths of actress
Sharon Tate and her friends. The murders took place in a house that Melcher had
sublet to Tate. Manson had known about the house through an acquaintance with
Melcher. Melcher had auditioned Manson for a recording contract but turned him
down. After the murders, rumors swirled that in choosing the Tate house for his
gang to commit murder, Manson had intended to send a message to Melcher. The police
later discounted this theory.
Melcher worked more frequently with his mother.
From 1968 to 1972, he served as the executive producer of her "The Doris
Day Show" on CBS. He also co-produced "Doris Day's Best Friends,"
which ran in the 1980s. Doris Day was in Carmel on Sunday and unavailable for
comment. She and Terry were extremely close and close in age because she was 17
when she had him. There wasn't a day that went by when Terry wasn't involved with
one of his mother's projects.
John
Balance
16th February 1962 ~ 18th November 2004
Composer/musician
John Balance, co-founder of Coil died on Saturday. Under the influence of alcohol
at home, Balance fell 15ft from his first floor landing hitting his head. He was
rushed to the hospital and passed away soon after. He was 42.
Born
in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, as Geoffrey Laurence Burton. Rushton is
the Sir-name of his step-father and Rushton was the surname he carried thru school
etc.
Coil co-founder, writer, producer, remixer, has been a member of 23
Skidoo, Psychic TV, Zos Kia, and Current 93. John met Peter Christopherson, as
a teenager and being a big fan of Throbbing Gristle and attended the live recording
of Heathen Earth. Throbbing Gristle performed at Oundle School, but John was attending
Lord Williams in Thame Oxforshire, contrary to rumors that John arranged for TG
to perform at his school.
John and Peter started to officially work as Coil
on May 11, 1983 after working together as members of Psychic TV.
Ol'
Dirty Bastard
November 15th 1969 - 13th November 2004
Rapper
Ol' Dirty Bastard, collapsed and died in New York Saturday. The artist, whose
real name was Russell Jones, was found in a recording studio complaining of chest
pains. Paramedics were called but were unable to save him. A spokeswoman said
the cause of death at present is unknown. Jones, 35, had a history of drug abuse.
The spokesman said he was clean at the time of his death and had been taking court-mandated
drug tests.
One
of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, who recorded some of the most influential
hip-hop of the '90s Ol' Dirty Bastard was the loose cannon of the group, both
on record and off. Delivering his outrageously profane, free-associative rhymes
in a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung style, but his criminal lifestyle and
strange behavior overshadowed his brilliant work.
Ol' Dirty Bastard was born
Russell Tyrone Jones in Brooklyn in 1969, and grew up in the neighborhood of Fort
Green as a welfare child. As he got older, he started hanging out more and more
with his cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice; they all shared a taste for rap
music and kung-fu movies. The trio parlayed their obsessions into founding the
Wu-Tang Clan, renaming themselves Ol' Dirty Bastard. In the hip-hop genre, where
many performers attract the attention of the law and most spare no expense flaunting
their extravagant lifestyles, Jones was in a class of his own. Jones fathered
13 children, according to Blender magazine. His other stage names included Dirt
McGirt and Big Baby Jesus, the latter moniker inspired by his belief that "I
always been Jesus."
The group released its debut album, "Enter
the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," the following year and it peaked at No. 41 on
the U.S. pop album charts. Its 1997 follow-up, "Wu-Tang Forever," boasting
some bizarre ranting by Russell Jones, debuted at No. 1.
In 1998, he stormed
the stage during the live telecast of the Grammy Awards to complain that Wu-Tang
Clan should have won a prize in part because he went to the trouble of buying
an expensive new outfit.
"Russell inspired all of us with his spirit,
wit, and tremendous heart," said a statement from Roc-A-Fella Records, the
label founded by rapper Jay-Z. "The world has lost a great talent, but we
mourn the loss of our friend."
A
spokesman said Jones had almost completed a new album.
Howard
Keel
13 April 1919 - 7 November 2004
Award winning
6ft 4ins baritone Howard Keel, one of the ultimate musical stars of the 1950's
from the likes of "Annie Get Your Gun," "Showboat," "Kiss
Me Kate" , made over 40 movies & too many to mention albums in his career
... sadly passed away Nov 7 of colon cancer at his home in Palm Desert, Calif.
He was 85. He is survived by wife Judy, 4 adult children, 10 grandchildren and
one great-granddaughter.
Howard started life April 13 1919 as Harold Clifford Leek in Gillespie, Illinois,
of Irish decent. His X-navy father Homer now a poor coal miner became a violent
alcoholic, committing suicide when Howard was 11. His mother Grace was a tall,
plain woman, often mistaken for Eleanor Roosevelt. She worked as a cook and cleaning
woman to make ends meet. At this point Grace repaired their old car and took Howard
to join relatives in L.A. but the car broke down at Fallbrook, in the Palomar
Mountains, were he happily finished his high school education. After which he
and his mother moved to Los Angeles to live with his uncle. Here Howard had all
sorts of jobs from washing dishes to car park attendent. A lady Mom Rider, heard
him sing. Impressed, she got him a job as a singing waiter and he moved into her
boardinghouse. She took him to a concert to see Lawrence Tibbett whom Howard would
later credit- with John Charles Thomas- as inspirations to him because of their
abilities to phrase and interpret music. She also got him to take singing lessons
with Ralph Bloom at Los Angeles High School. When George Huston needed someone
for the operas, which he and his partner staged for the American Music Theatre
in Pasadena, he asked Bloom to send someone over. Howard was chosen and also won
the George Huston Scholarship. He worked by day at the factory and studied under
Huston by night. The job worked out for him. By the time he was 20, he had 350
men working under him. After the war Howard's singing ability caught the attention
of Rodgers & Hammerstein, and he was signed to replace John Raitt in the Broadway
production of "Carousel." In
1947, Howard opened "Oklahoma!" in London's famous West End theatre
district. He took a staggering 14 encores. With his surname now Keel -- he reversed
the spelling of Leek -- he excelled on the stage, which led to movie roles, beginning
with "The Small Voice" 1948. Keel achieved movie stardom in 1950 with
his second film, "Annie Get Your Gun," for this film he changed Harold
to Howard .. so Howard Keel was born. From 1949 to 1959 he made many famous classic
musicals Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Calamity Jane, Kismet, Kiss Me Kate,
Rose Marie ect, etc. 1957 marked the end of his MGM career. MGM were wanted to
take a new direction, away from the more romanticized, escapist entertainment
that had made MGM huge and go into grittier, moralistic dramas. After all his
years and millions he made for the movie studio, there were no official goodbyes
or acknowledgements. Publicity chief Howard Stickley gave him a note informing
him he had one week to leave the lot. Keel went back to the stage, tv movies,
tv appearances in many well known shows, over singing for people like Clark Gable,
touring the world with smaller budget musicals like "Camelot", "South
Pacific" bits parts in over 40 movies. Not forgetting 1981. What was supposed
to be a two-episode deal turned into 10 years in TV series Dallas. In 2000, Howard
won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ft. Lauderdale International Film
Festival. Surviving life almost constantly on the road and the strains of living
from show to show are not to be sneered at. While many stars work only to be celebrities
and give up when their zenith has passed, Howard proved himself a true show business
trooper. For this type of performer, the work is everything and to remain a viable
attraction, after so many years, is a source of great pride.
Joe
Bushkin
7 November 1916 - 3 November 2004
Jazz
pianist and songwriter Joe Bushkin, who performed with some of the best jazz musicians
of his time, has died of pneumonia at his Santa Barbara home. He was 87. Bushkin
performed and recorded with such jazz and big band greats as Fats Waller, Eddie
Condon and Billie Holiday. As a member of the Tommy Dorsey band, he co-wrote the
hit "Oh! Look at Me Now" with John DeVries. The song launched the career
of a young Frank Sinatra, the band's vocalist. Joe is survived by his wife, Francice,
daughters Christina, Nina, Tippy, and Maria, and six grandchildren.
Born Nov. 7, 1916, to Russian immigrants in New York City, Bushkin learned to
play the piano at 10 and started playing professionally in 1932 with Frank LaMarr
at the Roseland Ballroom in Brooklyn. Three years later, Bushkin became intermission
pianist at the Famous Door, where the Bunny Berigan Boys, a group that included
guitarist Eddie Condon and pianist George Zack, performed. Bushkin ended up replacing
Zack and went on to play with Condon, Joe Marsala and Dorsey. He played on Billie
Holiday's first recording under her own name in 1936. He joined the Army in 1942
and rose to the rank of master sergeant. Aftre the war he was hired by Benny Goodman,
and he continued to compose and arrange on a regular basis. After Goodman broke
up his big band to concentrate on small groups, Bushkin formed his own band and
began working the Manhattan club circuit,settling into a regular spot at the Embers.
Capitol Records hired him to do a series of mood albums, featuring his piano backed
by a lush string orchestra, a slightly jazzier version of Jackie Gleason's work.
Kenyon Hopkins provided the arrangements for Night Sounds and several other Bushkin
Capitol LPs. Bushkin moved into small group and studio work by the 1950s, recording
as a featured soloist on occasion, but more often backing singers. He began performing
in clubs in Hawaii in the 1960s, and eventually settled there for a time. In 1970,
he moved back to California and set up a horse ranch outside Santa Barbara. Bushkin
appeared for a few nights at Michael's Pub in New York City in 1975, while his
daughters were there to compete in the National Horse Show. He was a featured
performer on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" in 1991 but performed
only intermittently after that. His last concert was in 2001.
Andre
Hicks aka Mac Dre
1970
- November 1st, 2004
Andre
Hicks, 34, Vallejo gangsta rapper also known as Mac Dre has been killed in a shooting
that ended in a fatal car crash in Kansas City, Missouri. Mac Dre, was killed
about 3:30 a.m. Monday, when another vehicle pulled up beside the driver's side
of the van he was in and began shooting, police said the van swerved across the
highway median, across the southbound lanes and down a steep embankment. Hicks
was thrown from the van, but police said he died from the shooting.
Andre has had a very checkered career. In the early 1990s, police began investigating
Hicks and several associates thought to be members of the Vallejo, Calif.'s Romper
Room Gang, which was suspected in a string of bank and business robberies. He
was eventually charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit bank robbery
after he and several others were arrested 1991, when the FBI spotted him riding
in a vehicle with one of the suspected bank robbers, who was also wired."We
were on his tail for a long time," Vallejo police Lt. Rick Nichelman said.
Hicks recorded raps mocking law enforcement, often naming specific officers, including
Nichelman, who was a lead investigator on the case. Nichelman said some of the
lyrics reportedly were recorded over the phone while Hicks was in jail awaiting
sentencing. He was released from prison in 1996. Andre Hicks had been performing
at a concert in Kansas City 2 nights before his death. He has recorded over 16
albums since 1989. His latest being Thizzelle Washington , Heart of a Gangsta,
Mind of a Hustla, Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics & Genie of the Lamp
John
Peel
August
30th, 1939
- October 26th, 2004
The
irreplaceable, veteran DJ and band's champion John Peel sadly passed away today
of
a heart attack whilst on a working holiday in Peru with his wife. He was
65. Three years ago he had been diagnosed with diabetes. John was a broadcasting
legend, his contribution to modern music and culture was immeasurable. John's
influence has towered over the development of popular music for over four decades.
He helped launch the careers of rock 'n' roll icons across a diverse spectrum,
from Rod Stewart and the Faces to Joy Division and The Fall, and music from hippy
to punk to house.
Born
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, in Heswall near Liverpool, educated in Shrewsbury,
when in the 50's he heard Elvis Presley singing 'Heart Break Hotel' it changed
his life forever. After his army call up he left the UK in 1962 for the states
where he started his music career as a DJ for WRR radio in Dallas. He then moved
to KLMA in Oklahoma City, a station that claimed the largest night time listenership
in the country, and later to KMEN in San Bernardino, California. Returning to
UK in 1967 he worked the pirate station, Radio London, before joining the BBC's
new national pop channel, Radio 1. He remained there for the rest of his life,
the only survivor of Radio 1's first lineup. His Radio 1 show ran three nights
a week. In the early days Peel championed acts like The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David
Bowie and Captain Beefheart, as he did throughout his career, by giving them studio-time
to record legendary "Peel sessions". He gave air space too, to the new
sounds of the 70's bringing new Peel discoveries like Joy Division and the Undertones,
whose Teenage Kicks was his all-time favourite single. He was responsible for
introducing BBC listeners to punk rock, reggae and hip-hop. James Dean Bradfield,
lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers, paid tribute to Peel and said: "He
was a lifeline to hearing music I would never have heard otherwise. The service
he provided was getting to hear music that you couldn't buy in Cardiff. He was
a portal to a whole new world." In addition to his Radio One show, he also
broadcasts as a disc jockey on the BBC World Service and on Radio Eins in Germany.
His audience has also broadened to include listeners around the world listening
to Internet audio broadcasts. Peel was eleven times Melody Maker's DJ of the year,
Sony Broadcaster of the Year in 1993, "Godlike Genius Award" from the
NME in 1994, Sony Gold Award winner in 2002 and is a member of the Radio Academy
Hall of Fame. He has several honorary degrees including two doctorates and an
honorary fellowship of Liverpool John Moores University. He was appointed an OBE
in 1998. More recently, Peel had branched-out, presenting Home Truths. He continued
to remain at the cutting-edge of popular taste, featuring 'world' music and rap
alongside good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. BBC director of radio and music Jenny
Abramsky said "He nurtured musicians and listeners alike, introducing them
to new sounds. His open-minded approach to music was mirrored by his equally generous
approach to his audience when he went to Radio 4 to present Home Truths. He had
a remarkable rapport with all his listeners. Everyone at BBC Radio is devastated
by the news. John is simply irreplaceable. Our hearts go out to Sheila and his
4 children.' In
April 2003 the publishers Transworld agreed to a total package worth up to £1.6
million for his autobiography. The planned release date is in 2005. He was the
world's truest fan to all music ~ world music like us, will truely miss him.
Robin Kenyatta
March 6th, 1942 - October 26th, 2004
Jazz
saxophonist Robin Kenyatta, known for his free style of jazz and bop, passed away
peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, October 26 in Lausanne, Switzerland where
he had traveled just a few days before from NY in preparation to perform at a
sold-out concert Thursday evening at the Seehotel in Lucerne. He was 62 and a
resident of Manhattan. is survived by his mother, Rebecca; a brother Thomas; a
sister, Doris; two sons, Brandon and Lorin, one daughter Ayo
and two grandchildren.
Kenyatta collaborated with musicians like saxophonists Archie Shepp, Sonny Stitt,
trumpeter Bill Dixon, and trombonist Roswell Rudd. Although known as an alto saxophonist,
he also played tenor saxophone and flute. Born Robert Prince Haynes in 1942 in
Moncks Corner, S.C., Kenyatta's family moved to New York when he was four and
he began playing saxophone at 14. He adopted the name Kenyatta in honor of Kenyan
nationalist leader Jomo Kenyatta. He recorded three albums for Atlantic Records
in the 1970s: "Gypsy Man," "Terra Nova" and "Stompin'
at the Savoy." He also recorded "Until," "Girl From Martinique,"
and "Cool Blue." He moved to Switzerland in the early 1970s, performed
throughout Europe and founded a music school in Lausanne called Hello Jazz. Recently,
he taught at Bentley College in Massachusetts. In 2003, in Boston, he gave his
first United States performance in years.
Doug
Bennett
October 31, 1951 - October 16, 2004
Doug
Bennett, lead singer of Doug & The Slugs, died on Saturday, October 16th at
the Foothills Hospital in Calgary. He was admitted to hospital on October 9th,
suffering acute symptoms from a long-standing illness. He lost consciousness soon
after his arrival and remained in a coma on life support until he passed away.
He is survived by a wife and three daughters.
Doug
was born in Toronto in 1951, moved to Vancouver in 1973 and formed Doug &
The Slugs in 1977. The Slugs had many hits including; Too Bad, Day By Day, Making
It Work, Tomcat Prowl, among others. The Slugs toured extensively throughout Canada
and the US over the past 27 years. He was lead singer and main creative force
behind roadhouse mainstays Doug and the Slugs being a prolific songwriter whose
background in film and graphic arts has enabled him to stretch out beyond the
realm of music to become a multi-dimensional artist. The Slug's songs have been
part of films and televisions shows such as… Iron Eagles II / Meatballs III
/ Tough Love / Neon Rider
Music awards from The Canadian Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences include… Song of the year - 80 / Independent Release -
80 / Album Graphics – 80 /Album Graphics - 81 / Song of the year - 85 / Male
Vocalist -85 / Album of the Year -85 / Group of the Year -85 / Independent Release
-85 / Album Graphics - 87
Doug himself has received…
The Canadian
Organization of Campus Activities [COCA]
Hall of Fame award for live performance.
1989
The Pacific Music Industry Association Special award for outstanding
contribution to the BC Music Industry 1997
As a film maker, Doug has written,
directed and produced over 23 music videos including work for Doug and the Slugs
/ Trooper / Headpins / Zappacosta / Images In Vogue ... All of which were played
extensively on Much Music and MTV. The seven Country Music videos he produced
and directed for…Suzanne Gitzi / Rhodes and Marshall / Wynona Sue and the
Turnpikes all received maximum air play on CMT [ Country Music Television ] His
work in music video has been honored with the Best Director award from the Chicago
Film Festival and CARAS [The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]
As well, he has won the Best Music Video from the Yorkton Film Festival.
Nathan
Wayne Heathman
1957 ~ 11th October 2004, Washington
DC
Singer,
songwriter, keyboard player, Nathan Heathman (musical director for Jean Carn)
died of a heart attack in his sleep on Monday the 11th of October 2004. He was
47.
Nathan had worked with many of the soul greats including Phyllis Hyman, Rachelle
Farrell, Norman Connors, Jennifer Holliday, Miki Howard, Angela Bofill and Jean
Carne.
He was also known as the man who comically played the requests of
hundreds of nearly intoxicated tourists who stumble upon the piano bar of a swanky
Washington DC hotel, steps away from the White House, where Nathan entertained
weekly. Nathan became and continued to serve as Jean Carne's musical director.
Between then and 2004, he founded the band, 'Moment's Notice', a band comprised
of handpicked musicians who regularly
assisted him in backing national artists
throughout the world. Nathan starred as 'Purlie Victorious', the lead role in
the off-Broadway production of 'Purlie' and wore the hat of musical director for
Marymount University's production of 'Little Shop Of Horrors.'
He had entertained
at 'open mike' nights at clubs and piano bars all over the east coast-playing
a repertoire from smooth jazz to requested show tunes. Nathan travelled extensively
with his gift throughout Europe, Canada, Japan and the Caribbean. 'Right Here,
Right Now,' his solo debut CD, was intended to place him next to his peers such
as Will Downing, Luther Vandross and Peabo Bryson. When asked if he was ready
to step into the solo spotlight, he smiled and said, 'I've been training for this
moment for almost 15 years'.
Bruce
Palmer
September 9th 1946 - October 1st 2004
Buffalo
Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer passed away October 1, 2004 after suffering a
heart attack in Bellville, Ontario. He was 58.
Brought up in Toronto, Canada, Bruce began playing music at age 10. He played
in the Mynah Birds with a young Rick James, which would eventually include fellow
Canadian Neil Young. Mynah Birds auditioned for Motown Records but split when
James left the band. Palmer went on to co-found Buffalo Springfield in April 1966
in Toronto with Young, Stephen Stills, Dewey Martin and Richie Furay. Over just
19 months in 1967 and '68, the group established itself as a folk/country/rock
pioneer, producing the transcendent political anthem "For What It's Worth"
Palmer exited Buffalo Springfield in January 1968, replaced by Jim Messina, but
the band was finished shortly thereafter. He went on to release a 1971 solo album
for Verve, "The Cycle is Complete," featuring James on percussion. In
1982, Palmer reteamed with Young to play on the album "Trans," and paired
with Martin a few years later to form Buffalo Springfield Revisited. The group's
legacy was celebrated on the 2001 88-track Rhino retrospective "Box Set."
An
enigmatic stage presence, Palmer frequently performed with his back to the audience
and was often photographed with his hair covering his face. "Bruce was the
mysterious one in the group," says Furay. "You may not have always known
what he was thinking as he just looked at you and smiled, but when he plugged
the bass in, there was no mistaking his life was truly about the music. There's
not a person who listened to the Buffalo Springfield that wasn't drawn to the
way he played bass, He made the music move -- Bruce was truly a musician's musician.
I consider it a privilege to have played with him in such a creative time in my
life."
Louis
Satterfield
3 April 1937, Shaw, Mississippi - 27 September
2004
Ex-member
of Earth, Wind & Fire, Louis Satterfield died on the 27th of September 2004
in Chicago. He was 67. Louis was a fine bassist and trombonist
Earth
Wind & Fire fame was just a small part of this great musicians life. Other
bands included The Pharaohs and The Jazzmen. He played bass on many great classics
from Chess Records, recording with Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Muddy Rich, Little
Milton and many others. Not forgetting his greatest bass line from Fontella Bass's
hit "Rescue Me". He also played trombone on many Chicago Soul classics
of the Chi-lites, Tyrone Davis, Jackie Wilson being but a few. He has toured extensively
and recorded with Phil Collins through out the 80's and early 90s. Louis had been
involved with a court battle, recently, involving Phil Collins in a Court Suit,
along with Rahmlee Davis, regarding a live album and alleged royalties dating
back to 1990. Before his death he had been working and touring with Cash McCall.
The music world has lost a great musician, may he R.I.P.
Roy Drusky
June
22, 1930 ~ September 23, 2004
Grand Ole Opry star since 1959, Roy Drusky has sadly lost his long battle with
cancer. Roy passed away 10am Sept 23rd Nashville, Tennessee.
Born Roy Francais Drusky on June 22, 1930, in Atlanta, Drusky's mother, a church
organist, tried for years to interest her son in music, but throughout his childhood
he focused the majority of his energies on baseball. It was not until during a
two-year stint in the U.S. Navy that he bought his first guitar, and soon after
began performing for his fellow crew members. As a recording artist, Drusky's
success tapered off after 1965; although he released 11 chart hits between 1966
and 1969, only two, "Where the Blue and Lonely Go" and "Such a
Fool," reached the Top Ten. However, in the early years of the next decade
he made a comeback: 1970's "Long Long Texas Road," from the album All
My Hard Times, was his first Top Five hit in six years. After releasing two LPs
in 1976, he returned to writing and producing. He began a new sideline as a country-influenced
gospel balladeer in the early 1990s. Jim Reeves was an avid fan of Roy's voice
and works.
Skeeter
Davis
December
30, 1931 - September 19, 2004
Skeeter passed away in Nashville on September 19, 2004 at age 72. after a long
battle with cancer. Skeeter was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988 and had a
recurrence in 1996. Survivors include two sisters, Katherine Elfers and Carolyn
Sue Penick; brothers James William Penick and Harold Lee Penick.
Mary
Frances Penick was born in the small Appalachian town of Dry Ridge, Kentucky.
As a child, her grandfather nicknamed her "Skeeter" because she was
always active and buzzing around like a mosquito. She got her start in music as
part of the duo, The Davis Sisters, along with childhood friend, Betty Jack Davis.
Thus, Skeeter Davis was born to the rest of the world. With its strings, piano
and smooth vocals on "The End of the World" was a classic ''Nashville
Sound'' recording that brought Ms. Davis to the attention of many listeners who
previously had ignored country music. By the time of that single's 1962 release,
though, Ms. Davis was already well-known to country fans. She burst onto the Nashville
scene in 1953 with The Davis Sisters, her ground-breaking double-tracked harmonies
(essentially, she would record her lead vocal, then record a harmony part over
that vocal) made waves in 1957, and she was made a member of the Opry in 1959.
Davis wrote about her real life experiences. Her autobiography, "Bus Fare
To Kentucky," was published in 1993. Davis pulls no punches in this brutally
honest account of her life. She tells how she endured a family history of alcoholism,
incest and murder. She also tells her side of the story regarding her four year
marriage to Ralph Emery, following the heavy criticism which she received in Emery's
autobiography. In 1997, she co-wrote a children's Christmas book, entitled "The
Christmas Note," based on her own childhood.
Izora
Rhodes Armstead
1942 - September
16th 2004.
Izora passed away in San Leandro Hospital, near Oakland, California 16 September
2004 at age 62 of heart failure. She is survived by a sister, Laversa, seven children
and several grandchildren.
Izora Rhodes
Armstead, one-half of disco/pop acts the Weather Girls and Two Tons O' Fun Armstead
began her career as a backup singer for disco artist Sylvester, along with her
future music partner Martha Wash. They lent vocals to four Sylvester albums, including
the 1978 Fantasy Records set "Step II," which spawned two No. 1 Billboard
club hits: "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "(You Make Me Feel) Mighty
Real." The former was also a top-20 hit on the Hot 100, while the latter
reached the top 40. In 1979, Armstead and Wash left Sylvester to record as Two
Tons O' Fun. Honey/Fantasy released two albums by the duo, "Two Tons O' Fun"
(1980) and "Backatcha." The pair's debut included such now-classic dancefloor
hits as "I Got the Feeling," "Just Us," "Do You Wanna
Boogie, Hunh?" and "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven." In the early
'80s, without a label to call home, Armstead and Wash regrouped as the Weather
Girls and signed with Columbia Records. The duo scored a global smash with "It's
Raining Men," which spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club
Play chart in 1982. A follow-up single, "No One Can Love You More Than Me,"
was an underground club hit. After three albums, the Weather Girls were dropped
by Columbia, and Armstead and Wash, while remaining friends, went their separate
musical ways. Izora she moved to Frankfurt, Germany in 1989 and returned to the
music scene in 1991 with her only known solo 12" single "Don't Let Love
Slip Away." After the song tanked she recruited her daughter, Dynell Rhodes,
and reformed the Weathergirls. They recorded two successful 12" singles,
"Can U Feel It" in 1993 and "We Shall All Be Free" in 1994.
Mother and daughter also recorded several albums for WEA/Germany and toured the
club circuit globally. Izora returned to the Bay Area last month for treatment
of heart problems. Heart problems brought on by years of being overweight and
very hectic touring schedules. She has left the world a wonderful legacy of sparkling
upbeat tunes and will be missed by her loyal fans.
Johnny
Ramone
1948 - September 15th 2004
55 year old Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band
passed away in his sleep September 15th 2004, after a 5 year an on going
battle against prostate cancer. Johnny is survived by his wife Linda Cummings
and his mother Estelle
A rebel
in a rebel's world, Johnny was raised Queens, N.Y., where he founded
"The
Ramones" in 1974 with Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Tommy Ramone now the
only surviving member of the original band. The band's singer, Joey Ramone, (Jeff
Hyman), died in 2001 of .lymphatic cancer. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone, (Douglas Colvin),
died from a drug overdose in 2002. The Ramones made as much of an impact on the
punk movement in the '70s as Louis Armstrong did for jazz in the '20s, or as The
Beatles did for pop-rock in the '60s, whose hit songs included "I Wanna be
sedated" and "Blitzkrieg Bop," among others, which earned the band
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Kenny Buttrey
b. April 1, 1945. - d. September 12, 2004.
This influencial
session drummer, died at his home in Nashville on September 12th of cancer, he
was 59. Kenny is survived by his wife, a son, three daughters, two brothers and
two sisters.
Kenny Buttrey was one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville
history, in demand as drummer and arranger on sessions with a host of artists
ranging from Bob Dylan to Neil Young to Jimmy Buffett and on classic songs ranging
from "All Along the Watchtower" to "Tonight's the Night" to
"Margaritaville" to "Rainy Day Women" and other landmark recordings
of the '60s and '70s. He began his career as the drummer with the Nashville band,
Charlie McCoy and the Escorts, a staple in Printers Alley. He later was a co-founder
of the groups Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry, with such session players as McCoy,
David Briggs, Mac Gayden, Wayne Moss, Weldon Myrick, Buddy Spicher and Bobby Thompson.
Area Code 615's Trip in the Country, especially, remains a favorite album among
musicians. Barefoot Jerry was popular in Japan and Europe and once played 31 straight
sold-out concerts at Paris' Olympia Theatre. Area Code 615 played in public only
twice -- at San Francisco's Fillmore West and on Johnny Cash's ABC-TV series.
The group's "Stone Fox Chase" harmonica instrumental was adopted as
the theme for BBC-TV's Old Grey Whistle Test in the 1970s. In
addition to playing on Young's Tonight's the Night, Harvest and After the Goldrush
albums, Buttrey also toured with Young in a band that included Ben Keith (steel
guitar), Tim Drummond (bass), Jack Nitzsche (piano) and Danny Whitten (guitar
and vocals). Other artists with whom Buttrey recorded include Bob Seger, Elvis
Presley, Steve Goodman, Dan Fogleberg, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Donovan, George Harrison,
J.J. Cale, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, the Everly Brothers, Ramblin' Jack Elliott,
the Beau Brummels and John Hammond.
Carl Wayne
18th August 1943 ~ 31st August 2004.
On
Tuesday 31st August, at 2am in the morning, Carl Wayne passed away peacefully
in his sleep at the age of 61. He had been suffering with cancer of the esophagus.
He leaves a Wife Sue and one son, Jack.
Carl was the lead singer and front-man of influential and legendary Birmingham
group, The Move, which he founded in 1965 with Roy Wood, Bev Bevan, Trevor Burton
and Ace Kefford. A true musical pioneer, Carl sung on Flowers In The Rain, the
very first record played on BBC Radio 1 in 1967 and achieved major success with
a series of Top 10 hits that included I Can Hear The Grass Grow, Blackberry Way,
Curly, Fire Brigade and Night Of Fear. . After leaving The Move in 1970, Carl
worked extensively in theatre, television, film and cabaret. Carl was one of the
UK's most in-demand singers and recorded countless sessions for the music and
advertising industries worldwide. In 1990, he played the role of The Narrator
in Willy Russell's West End hit musical Blood Brothers, a performance that was
acclaimed as "definitive" and lasted six years. His first professional
group was the highly respected and popular Brum band, Carl Wayne And The Vikings,
who were signed to Pye Records. Though Carl had recently been diagnosed with cancer
of the esophagus, the illness had not interfered with his session recording or
concert tours with The Hollies, whom he joined in 2000. During the group's European
shows in July, Carl was his usual enthusiastic and energetic self, dominating
the stage and dazzling the audience with his superb performance and vocal skills.
A few weeks after his last concert with the band, Carl went into hospital for
a routine check up. Without warning, his condition suddenly deteriorated and within
a few short days, with his family at his bedside, Carl died.
Clement
Barone
December
7th 1921 ~ August 28th 2004
The
legendary piccolo and flute virtuoso, Clement Barone, sadly died after a brave
battle with cancer. 82 year old Clement is survived by his wife, Margaret and
a son.
Photo with courtesy
of Margaret Barone, wife
of the late Clement Barone
Born
in Philadelphia, Clem first learnt his piccolo
and flute skills from
his flutist-father
Clemente Barone, who taught him
an open g-sharp system. Other teachers included Joseph La Monaca, Frank Versaci,
Fernando Morrone, and the eminent William Kincaid. His first major orchestral
position: piccolo and assistant first flute in the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Clem went to Detroit in 1958 to play flute and piccolo in the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra under principal conductor Paul Paray, where he was a member for nearly
34 years. (1958 ~ 1991). Clement Barone also taught the flute and piccolo to many
students, he and his wife welcomed them into their home to learn the skills from
this master. As well as this, Clem was a regular sessionist in Motown's "snakepit"
at Hitsville. This
awesome piccolo player can be heard on many Motown hits such as 'Bernadette',
'Reach Out I'll Be There', 'Standing in the Shadows', 'Uptight', 'How Sweet It
Is', 'Heard it Through the Grapevine', 'War', 'I just Want to Celebrate', 'Do
You Love Me', 'Heat Wave', 'Baby I Need Your Loving', 'I Can't Help Myself', 'Signed,
Sealed, Delivered'. His
advise to his many devotee's was to "sing", the flute "should imitate
the human singing voice in style and quality of lyricism."
Rick
James
February 1st - August 6th 2004
Rick
James passed away in the morning hours of August 6th 2004, in his sleep of natural
causes at his Los Angeles home, (per his spokesperson). He was 56 years old. He
is survived by his 3 children (Ty, Rick Jr., Tazman) and 2 grandchildren (Jasmine
and Charisma).
Born
in Buffalo, NY, known as the King of Punk Funk, and the bad boy of Motown, Rick
James blended the hard core funk of his predecessors James Brown, Sly Stone and
George Clinton with the Rock and Roll theatrics of the Rolling Stones and Kiss.
Rick James was the quintessential "Super Freak," a term he coined in
the 1980's with the multi-platinum song he wrote, arranged, produced and performed
sharing that same title. The single catapulted the album Street Songs to #1 on
the R&B charts and #3 on the pop charts. This mega-talented, multi-Grammy
and American Music Award winner played at least five different instruments and
had not only sold millions himself, he wrote and produced songs for Eddie Murphy,
Mary Jane Girls, The Temptations, Teena Marie and Smokey Robinson, all selling
millions as well. He licensed his work for sampling by artists such as Mary J.
Blige, Erykah Badu and MC Hammer, whose sample of "Super Freak" for
the hit single "U Can't Touch This" made Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
the biggest selling rap album in history.
Arthur
Kane
February
3rd 1949 - July 13th 2004
Arthur
Kane Jr., legendary bass player and charter member of The New York Dolls, died
from complications of leukemia. He had caught a flu in London, and checked himself
in to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed
with leukemia, and died within two hours. He was 55.
'For anyone who was fortunate enough to know Arthur "Killer" Kane,
or even just to have met him, you know how hard it was not to love the guy. He
was one of the most soft-spoken, gentle and kind-hearted souls one could ever
come across in the world of rock 'n' roll. —W.C. Moriarity
Arthur, passed
away in an L.A. area hospital on July 13 from an advanced case of leukemia that
he didn't even know he had. Arthur had not been feeling well. He finally went
to the emergency room around 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of July13 thinking he
had a bad flu virus. By 5:30 p.m., he had been diagnosed with leukemia. And by
7:30 p.m., he was dead. Kane was born in the Bronx, New York, to Irish parents.
A model student at the local Pratt College, he moved to Amsterdam in 1971. Having
failed to put a band together, he lived on selling hashish and went back to the
states. Later 1971, five cross-dressing musicians combined glam rock and punk
to form The New York Dolls. After building a dedicated following and touring with
The Faces in Great Britain, the group's drummer Billy Murcia drowned in his bathtub.
The Dolls hired Jerry Nolan as a replacement. They released their self-titled
debut album in 1973, an album that heavily influenced future punk rockers in America
and the UK. Originally conceived as America's answer to the Rolling Stones, the
group started an entire new scene in Manhattan, Although androgyny was always
something just beneath the tip of the iceberg in most rock 'n' roll, the Dolls
took it all the way. Motley Crue, Kiss and others would later ape and capitalize
on the group's bisexual, glam-drag look, which America was not ready for at that
time of the 'Dolls'. Thunders died from a drug overdose in 1991. Nolan died from
a stroke in 1992. Johansen recorded several solo albums as lounge singer named
Buster Poindexter, and launched a movie career. Kane went on to play bass with
The Corpse Grinders and The Idols. Earlier this year [2004], Johansen, Sylvain
and Kane re-formed The Dolls and performed at Morrissey's Meltdown Festival in
London.
Ray
Charles
September 23rd 1930 - June 10th 2004
"Music to me is just like breathing. I have to have
it. It's part of me."
Last summer, it was reported that Charles was suffering
from acute hip discomfort. Doctors successfully replaced his hip, but other ailments
were diagnosed, including a liver disease. Charles aged 74, passed away at 11:35
a.m. (2:35 p.m. ET), in Beverly Hills, California, his publicist said. The cause
was of complications from liver disease.
He is survived
by 11 children, 20 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren
"Music's
been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles
is dead," he told the Washington Post in 1983. "I just want to make
my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the
frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal."
Charles
was a towering figure in pop music history. The term "genius" came from
Frank Sinatra. Ray, who virtually invented soul music by infusing R&B with
gospel fervor, was born dirt-poor in Albany, Ga., started to go blind at 6. He
went to a school for the blind in St. Augustine, Fla., where he learned Braille
and got formal musical training. He compensated for his blindness with acute hearing
and a keen musical sensibility. Charting 85 singles, It was Charles' blending
of gospel and blues music on the 1954 recording of "I Got a Woman" --
created at a small radio station studio in Atlanta, Georgia -- which is often
credited as the beginning of soul music. Charles also put out the seminal Genius
+ Soul = Jazz in 1961, and remained immensely popular through the '60s. He topped
the R&B chart with Let's Go Get Stoned in 1966. He hit No. 1 on the country
charts in 1985 with Seven Spanish Angels, a duet with Nelson, and topped R&B
charts again in 1989 when he joined Chaka Khan and Quincy Jones on I'll Be Good
to You. The 12-time Grammy winner received countless awards and honorary college
degrees. He played before kings, queens and presidents and was inducted into nine
halls of fame, including the Rock and Roll Hall in 1986. Two years ago played
the first music concert in the 2,000-year existence of the Roman Colosseum. He
received the President's Merit Award just before this year's Grammy Awards [2004],
and got the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame Award on March 6. Charles' last public
appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when Los Angeles named the
singer's studio a historic landmark. His final work, Genius Loves Company, a collection
of duets with such admirers as Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Nelson
and John, arrives in stores Aug. 31 2004.
Mable John, a member of his
backing singers, The Raeletts, says Charles "taught me how to listen. He
taught me to hear things I never heard before musically. He said most people hear
with their eyes, but he taught me to see with my ears."
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OBITUARIES:
2009 . 2008
. 2007
. 2006 . 2005
. 2004 . REQUESTS
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BIRTHS/DEATHS:
JAN
.FEB
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.APRIL
.MAY
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I
started these pages June of 2004. When the great Ray Charles died,
I wrote
a tribute to him... and just carried it on from there.
Sorry I haven't the
time to write past ones too.
But
if you have a special request ~ please
email me
