of natural causes, prolonged illness or a heart attack, cancer or some other common, yet unfortunate way to go, non-substance or violence/accident related:
By Sean McDowell
Friday, July 23, 2010
nicky hopkins ("quicksilver messenger service" member, "jefferson airplane" too, both legendary san francisco rockers, and THE top session keyboardist in british rock in the "60's and '70's, played w/"the beatles", "the stones", "jeff beck", "the who", you name 'em) (1994)
*noel redding ("jimi hendrix" bass player, original member of "the experience") (2003)
dino valenti ("quicksilver messenger service" lead singer,/"fresh air", real name "chester powers", he wrote "get together", it was a huge hit for "the youngbloods" in '69) (1994)
mick ronson ( "david bowie" and "ian hunter" gtrst., toured with "dylan" on the "rolling thunder revue" tour of '75) (1993)
*tom fogerty ("c.c.r." gtrst./"down on the corner", "born on the bayou", "fortunate son"... and "john fogerty's" older brother) (1990)
*john phillips (legendary "mamas and papas" founder and songwriter/ "california dreamin","monday, monday", underwent liver transplant in "92 becoz of serious substance abuse over the years) (2001)
*curtis mayfield (legendary founder of "the impressions" and superstar r & b singer and performer and songwriter/"superfly", "people get ready", many others...was paralyzed from neck down in bizarre stage accident in n.y.c. in 1990, died 9 years later) (1999)
glenn buxton (original gtrst. for "alice cooper" on first 3 albums including "killer", he played on most of alice's biggest hits) (1997)
maurice gibb (one of the "bee gees", "sat. nite fever" stars, along with many, many other hits from 3 decades: "how can you mend a broken heart","i've got to get a message to you")) (2003)
*joe strummer (real name: john mellor, singer/gtrst. for "the clash"/"rock the casbah", "london calling", "the clash" was the 1st "mainstream" punk band) (2003)
*joey ramone (real name: jeff hyman, singer for "the ramones", 3 of the original "ramones" are now dead) (2001)
nicolette larson (country/rock vocalist, friend of "neil young's", had a big hit w/neil's song "lotta love" back in the '70's, married to session drummer star "russ kunkel") (1997)
*frank zappa (legendary and outrageous gtrst./composer/cutting edge and uncompromising pop-rock icon) ("yellow snow", "goin to montana", many many others) (1993)
bob "the bear" hite (singer/harp for "canned heat"/"goin up the country", "on the road again") (1981)
*zal yanovski (gtrst/co-founder of "lovin spoonful"/"summer in the city", "daydream") (2003)
james dewar ("robin trower" bassist/vocalist, the guy who sang "bridge of sighs" and "too rolling stoned", he also belonged to "stone the crows" too, scottish rockers from the early '70's) (2002)
carl radle (legendary l.a. session bass player from '60's thenwent on to play with "derek & the dominoes", "eric clapton", "delaney and bonnie", "george harrison") (1980)
eric carr ("kiss" drummer at one time) (1991)
*john lee hooker (blues legend/"boom, boom, boom", "one bourbon, one scotch...", "boogie chillin", many others) (2001)
*howlin wolf (real name: "chester burnette"/chicago "chess records" blues legend/"smokestack lightning", "killin floor", many others) (1976)
*willie dixon (chicago "chess records" blues legend, maybe the greatest blues songwriter in history, "hootchie kootchie man", "back door man", "spoonful", many, many others...if it wasn't for willie, "led zeppelin" wouldn't have had enough songs for their 1st 2 albums!) (1992)
*muddy waters (real name: "mckinley morganfield"-chicago "chess records" blues legend/"mannish boy", "i'm a man"... the "rolling stones" named themselves after one of muddy's songs) (1983)
*bob marley (superstar reggae legend) (1981)
*chas chandler (original "jimi hendrix" manager, discovered hendrix in n.y.c. in '66/"animals" bass player too) (1996)
peter grant (original "led zeppelin" manager, managed "the yardbirds" too and "the animals" and "jeff beck group", a huge imposing bear of a man) (1995)
mickie most (producer for "herman's hermits"/"mrs. brown you've got a lovely daughter"), "the animals"/"house of the rising sun") and "donovan"/"sunshine superman", "mellow yellow") (2003)
dan hartmann (multi-instrumentalist, played with "edgar winter" on "they only come out at nite", sang on "free ride"/solo performer -"i can dream about you") (1994)
benjamin orr (bassist for "the cars", sang on "just what i needed") (2000)
linda mccartney (paul's wife, member of "wings", reknowned rock photographer of '60's rock stars) (1998)
ronnie lane (bassist for "small faces" /"itchykoo park", and "faces" w/ rod stewart) (1997)
*dave rowberry (kybrdst. for "the animals") (2003)
dee murray ("elton john" bass player on elton's biggest '70's hits) (1992)
lamar williams ("allman bros." bass player after berry oakley, "sea-level" too) (1983)
randy castillo ("ozzy's" drummer in mid '80's to early '90's and "motley crue's" too for awhile) (2002)
david briggs (legendary and irrascible producer for "neil young", he produced all of neil's albums in the '70's and late '60's, l.a. rock band "spirit" too) (1995)
jack neitzsche (legendary producer and arranger, movie soundtrack composer ..."rolling stones", "neil young", "phil spector" (worked w/spector in early '60's as staff songwriter, him and "sonny bono", played keyboards on many of the "stones" mid '60's recordings done in l.a.) (2000)
laura nyro (legendary songwriter.."and when i die"["blood sweat and tears"], "eli's coming"["3 dog night"], "stoned soul picnic [5th dimension"]", "wedding bell blues" ["5th dimesnion"]) (1997)
*alan freed (the original rock and roll disc jockey[based out of cleveland] from the '50's, coined the phrase "rock and roll" and promoted the first ever 'rock concert" in cleveland in the '50's, was the first dj to be indicted for payola) (1965)
wolfman jack (maybe the most famous '50's and '60's rock and roll dj ever, most distinctive on-air voice of 'em all certainly...real name: bob smith) (1995)
barry white (legendary soul man and love song singer, known as "the walrus of love"... "love unltd. orchestra" was barry's band) (2003)
patty donahue (lead singer for "the waitresses"/ "i know what boys like") (1996)
*eddie kendrick (lead singer-higher voice- for motown superstars "the temptations") ( 1992)
*gene clark (singer/songwriter & original member of "the byrds") (1991)
edwin starr (motown star from late '60's and early '70's/"25 miles" and "war") (2003)
john glascock (bassist for "jethro tull", there have been many over the years, he was one of 'em) (1979)
waylon jennings (legendary cutting edge country music star ,"willie and waylon & the boys...", "good hearted woman" and so many others, waylon was supposed to be on the plane that crashed carrying "buddy holly" but he gave up his seat at the last minute!) (2002)
*skip spence ("moby grape" founder and temporary member of "jefferson airplane", he played drums on the "airplane's" 1st album) (1999)
mary wells (legendary motown star/"my guy", "two lovers", known as the "queen of motown") (1992)
erik braunn (gtrst. for "iron butterfly", played on "in- a-gadda...", at that time in '68, he was 17 yrs. old) (2003)
*sam philipps (one of the architects of rock and roll, launched the careers of "elvis," "jerry lee lewis", "johnny cash" and "carl perkins" ("the million dollar quartet") ,owned "sun" studios and sun records in memphis and was the 1st to record "elvis presley" in a studio) (2003)
*flo ballard (original member of "the supremes", legendary motown stars, the biggest chick band in history, sadly she died broke and addicted) (1976)
tammy terrell (co singer with "marvin gaye" on many of marvin's big hits/"you're all i need to get by", "your precious love", she died very young of a brain hemmorage/tumour at age 24) (1970)
bob hope (no rock heritage, but maybe the greatest overall entertainer in history) (2003)
mike "smitty" smith (original drummer for "paul revere & the raiders"/"kicks", "hungry", "just like me") (2001)
allan woody ("gov.t mule" bassist) (2000)
tony jackson ("searchers" bassist/"needles and pins", "love potion #9") (2003)
dennis danell ("social distortion" gtrst.) (2000)
skip batten ("byrds", "flying burrito bros.", "new riders of the purple sage" bassist) (2003)
*johnny cash (legendary country star, known as "the man in black"/"folsom prison blues","i walk the line", many, many others)(2003)
robert palmer (british blue eyed soul performer/"every kinda people", "sneakin sally thru the ally", remade "t-rex's" 'bang a gong' w/"power station) (2003)
arthur conley (soul singer form '60's, "sweet soul music" and "funky street", pals w/"otis redding" out of legendary "stax studios" in memphis) (2003)
tony thompson (drummer for "chic", "power station" and session drummer for "d. bowie", "madonna" and "m. jagger") (2003)
doug sahm (singer/founder/kybrds. for '60's pop- rockers "sir douglas quintet"/"mendecino", "she's about a mover") (1999)
dave williams (singer for "drowning pool") (2002)
*steve douglas (top session sax man in l.a. in the '60's and '70's, worked w/"duane eddy") (1993)
john hartford (folk singer/songwriter /"gentle on my mind", covered by many) (2001)
*woodie guthrie (grandaddy of all folk singers,"this land is your land", "bob dylan's" hero, "arlo guthrie's" father) (1967)
tommy tedesco (the most recorded studio session gtrst. OF ALL TIME, worked in l.a. in the '60's, that's tommy's guitar on the tv soundtracks of M*A*S*H, "batman", "green acres", so many others, also that's him on all the "beach boys" stuff, "sinatra", "streisand", all the "phil spector" stuff too, "monkees"...he was the #1 top session gtrst. of 'em all in l.a.... if it was recorded in l.a. in the '60's and '70's, more than likely, tommy played guitar on it) (1997)
*bobby darrin ('50's, early '60's teen pop idol/"mack the knife", "splish splash", he left his body to the medical school at u.c.l.a.) (1973)
boudleaux and felice bryant (songwriters, wrote almost all of "the everly bros". big hits, also wrote "love hurts" covered by "nazareth") (him: 1987, her: 2003)
*doc pomus (real name: jerome solon felder...large and legendary n.y.c. songwriter, wrote several of "elvis's" biggest hits,"viva las vegas", "little sister", "suspicion" ; also wrote, from the famed "brill bldg." in n.y.c., "save the last dance for me" ["the drifters"] and "this magic moment" ["the vogues"] and many. many others) (1991)
richard "pistol" allen (drummer, legendary "funk bros.", motown session pros, the guys who played on ALL of motown's hits) (2002)
robert white (1994) (gtrst. legendary "funk bros.", motown session pros, the guys who played on ALL of motown's hits)
johnny griffith (2002) (kybrdst., legendary "funk bros.", motown session pros, the guys who played on ALL of motown's hits)
earl van dyke (1992) (kybrdst., legendary "funk bros.", motown session pros, the guys who played on ALL of motown's hits)
eddie "bongo" brown (1983) (percussionist, legendary "funk bros.", motown session pros, the guys who played on ALL of motown's hits)
"lonesome" dave peverett (singer/songwriter/gtrst./founder of "foghat"/"slow ride", "fool for the city") (2000)
*melvin franklin (deep bass singer for motown superstars "the temptations") (1995)
*roy orbison ("elvis" referred to him as the best singer that ever was, "pretty woman", "only the lonely", "blue bayou" [huge hit for "linda ronstadt"]...also member of "the traveling wilburys" w/"dylan, "t. petty", "g. harrison" & others) (1988)
jr walker (of "the all-stars", real name: autry dewalt lll) (motown sax blowing star/"shotgun". "what does it take", "i'm a roadrunner"", played sax on "foreigner's" 'urgent' too) (1995)
ian drury (of "the blockheads") (mid-late '70's british punk rocker on "stiff records"/"hit me with your rhythm stick") (2000)
ian stewart (known as the "5th rolling stone", "stu" played keyboards on just about all the "stones" biggest hits up until the '80's [it was him or "nicky hopkins"], with the band since even before "keith richards" was and was their road manager in the '60's) (1985)
*dusty springfield (british white soul chick singer from '60's/"you don't have to say you love me", "son of a preacher man", "wishin and hopin") (1999)
duke ellington (legendary composer/big band leader/pianist, conducted "cotton club" house band in harlem during '20's, '30's, 40's, etc...) (1974)
*louie armstrong (legendary new orleans-bred jazz/dixieland horn man/vocalist during '20's, '30's, '40's, '50's, etc., known as "satchmo"/"hello dolly", "what a wonderful world") (1971)
ella fitzgerald (iconic black jazz/pop/swing/scat singer-performer-diva, "the 1st lady of song", worked w/"count basie", "louie armstrong", "duke ellington" and others during the '30's, '40's, '50's, etc.) (1996)
hoyt axton (prolific songwriter from '60's and '70's, penned "the pusher" for "steppenwolf", "the no-no song" for "ringo starr", "joy to the world" and "never been to spain"for "3 dog nite", many others) (1999)
lionel hampton (legendary jazz/big band leader,"king of the vibes", composer/arranger from '30's, '40's and '50's, etc.) (2002)
count basie (legendary big band/swing orchestra leader and composer/pianist from '20's, '30's, '40's, etc.) (1984)
bill black ("elvis" original bass player, staff bassist for "sun records" in memphis, he and "scotty moore" (gtrst.) played on "elvis' 1st big hit: "that's allright mama") (1965)
michael kamen (conductor/movie soundtrack composer: "lethal weapon", "101 dalmations", "mr. holland's opus", "die hard", also scored orchestration for "pink floyd's" 'the wall') (2003)
harry nilsson (singer/songwriter/pianist: "coconut", "jump into the fire", "spaceman", wrote "one" for "3 dog nite" was a drinking buddy of john lennon's in the '70's) (1994)
country dick montana (drummer, deep throated singer for "the beat farmers"/"happy boy", died on stage in vancouver in 1995, the band called it quits immediately)
vickie sue robinson (disco diva, one hit wonder/"turn the beat around") (2000)
van mccoy ("the hustle"...van was a songwriter/performer, "the hustle" was a huge [instrumental] dance hit in the disco years of the '70's) (1979)
timothy leary (l.s.d. guru, harvard educated,w/a ph.d., he coined the phrase, "tune in, turn on, drop out", all his life he advocatd the use of l.s.d. for greater personal enlightenment, he was a part of the "1st human be-in" in golden gate park, san francisco in january of 1967 w/"the grateful dead", "quicksilver" and "the jefferson airplane", it was the initial event of "the summer of love", "the beatles" quoted leary in their song 'tommorrow never knows' :'turn off your mind, relax and float downstream') (1996)
ken kesey (novelist: 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest', organizer of the "acid tests" in the mid '60's in california, when l.s.d. was still legal, he was the founder of "the merry pranksters," a bunch of l.s.d. swilling partiers who drove from city to city on a wildly painted school bus, spreading the word about l.s.d., again, while it was still legal, and throwing huge bizarre parties..."the grateful dead" was the house band frequently for "the acid tests" and "the hell's angels" motorcycle club usually attended too) (2001)
freddie king (legendary blues gtrst, contemporary of "otis rush", "buddy guy", "eric clapton" covered 3 of freddie's tunes: "i'm tore down" and "have you ever loved a woman" and "hideaway") (1976)
albert king (legendary, grammy nominated blues gtrst, opened for "jimmy hendrix" & "janis joplin" at the fillmore west in "68, did an album w/"stevie ray vaughn" in early '80's/"born under a bad sign" w/"booker t. and mg's") (1992)
derek taylor (press agent in the '60's for 'the beatles", "byrds", "beach boys", "harry nilsson", and "paul revere & the raiders", helped to organize the "monterey pop festival" in '67 [rock/pop's 1st festival], was instrumental in creation of "beatles anthology" project) (1997)
*jimmy reed (legendary harp player/blues man, "rolling stones," "grateful dead", "steve miller" all covered jimmy reed songs like "big boss man" and "bright lights, big city") (1976)
jimmy miller (legendary record producer: "spencer davis group", both their big hits 'i'm a man' and 'gimme some lovin', the "rolling stones" albums 'beggar's banquet', let it bleed" [jimmy plays drums on 'you can't always get what you want'], 'exile on main street', 'sticky fingers', and he produced the 1st 2 "traffic" albums) (1994)
fred "sonic" smith (gtrst. for incendiary '60's detroit rockers "the mc5", husband of punk rocker "patti smith") (1994)
little eva (real name: eva narcissus boyd, she was "carole king" and "gerry goffin's" babysitter, king and goffin were top notch "brill bldg." songwriters in n.y.c. at that time, little eva sang "loco-motion" at the age of 16 in 1962) (2003)
charlie "bird" parker (possibly the greatest jazz/be-bop saxophonist of all time, from the '30's '40's and '50's, deeply troubled by booze and heroin too) (1955)
john guerin (one of the top session drummers in l.a. in the '60's and '70's, "joni mitchell's" 'court and spark" album he played on, "hissing of summer lawns" too, he worked w/"frank zappa" and many others in late '60's) (2004)
randy van warmer (singer/songwriter: "just when i needed you most", he was 18 when he wrote that song in 1979) (2004)
*jackie wilson (r & b singer/somgwriter/performer from '50's and '60's and early '70's/ "your love has lifted me higher", "lonely teardrops"...jackie suffered a heart attack on stage in '75, he went into a coma and never recovered) (1984)
"colonel" tom parker(crooked manager of "elvis presley", the "colonel" withheld and mismanaged millions of dollars that belonged to "the king") (1997)
francisco garcia (singer/founder of "cannibal & the headhunters"/"land of 1000 dances") (1996)
richard berry (the guy who wrote the biggest "frat-rock" song in pop/rock history: "louie, louie"...it was a huge hit for "the kingsmen" in 1963, but "paul revere & the raiders" actually released their version of the song at the same time which wasn't a hit) (1997)
junior wells (real name: amos blackmore...legendary blues harmonica player, played with "muddy waters" and "buddy guy", "john belushi" in the film "the blues bros." patterned his chararcter "jake" after junior wells) (1998)
slim harpo (real name: james moore... r&b/blues gtrst. songwriter/performer from late '50's and '60's..."rolling stones" "yardbirds" , "the kinks" all covered slim's songs like "i'm a kingbee" and "baby scratch my back".."the stones" named their live album after a slim tune: "got live if you want it") (1970)
*professor longhair (real name: henry roeland byrd, legendary and influential new orleans pianist/singer/songwriter, one of the boogie woogie keyboard kings of all time) (1980)
sam "lightning" hopkins (legendary and influential texas r & b/blues gtrst.) (1982)
john siomos (drummer for "peter frampton" on "frampton comes alive" album in '76) (2004)
billy jones (original gtrst. for "outlaws"/"green grass & high tides", "there goes another love song") (1995)
gene hughes (lead singer for 'the casinos"/"then you can tell me goodbye", they were a doo wop band from '50's and '60's) (2004)
cornelius bumpus (sax man for "the doobie bros." and also a member of "steely dan's" touring band) (2004)
big mama thornton (powerful blues singer, based out of texas, she was the 1st to record the "leiber/stoller" song "hound dog", but it was "elvis" who had the big hit with it 3 years later...she also recorded "ball and chain" but "janis joplin" had a hit with that later instead of big mama) (1984)
brook benton (real name: benjamin frank peay) (sliver-throated black singer from '50's, '60's and '70's, styled after "nat king cole", his biggest hit was a cover of "rainy night in georgia" in '70 [written by "tony joe white"/"polk salad annie"]) (1988)
stu sutcliff (original "beatles" bass player, as paul at that time, late '50's, was playing guitar...sutcliff left the band on his own and died of a brain hemorrage less than a year later) (1962)
alexis korner (the early '60's bandleader in england who helped launch the careers of rock stars like "jack bruce/cream", "charlie watts/stones", "ginger baker/cream", "robert plant/led zeppelin", "steve marriot/humble pie" and others) (1984)
*leadbelly (real name: huddle ledbetter) (legendary louisiana/texas traditional blues/folks singer/gtrst., always in and out of prison, credited with writing "the midnight special" ["creedence" had a hit with that] and "goodnight irene"..he was usually in the presence of "blind lemon jefferson" or "t-bone walker"...in the last years of his life, he performed with folk legends "pete seeger" and "woody guthrie") (1949)
rice miller (the much better known 'sonny boy williamson'...rice miller, a legendary and talented blues harp player and colorful performer & storyteller, he allegedly was with "robert johnson" the nite johnson was poisoned in 1938... stole the name "sonny boy williamson" from an older blues harp player, though rice miller actually had much more success as a blues musician than the original "sonny boy" did...rice miller wrote "one way out" [covered by the "allman bros."] and "eyesight to the blind" [covered by "the who"] and other influential blues classics..it was rice miller who was worshipped by up and coming british rock musicians, ["animals" & "yardbirds"], in fact "the yardbirds" w/eric clapton" recorded an album w/rice miller in '65] in the '60's as a blues god...rice miller performed radio work back in the '40's for "king biscuit flour", an arkansas flour company, thus, years later, "the king biscuit flower hour" came to be..."elmore james" played with rice miller at one time) (1965)
big bill broonzy (real name: william lee conley broonzy...legendary traditional, standard chicago blues gtrst. from the '30's and '40's, '50's, the british up and coming rock stars in the '60's worshipped this guy) (1958)
son house (legendary delta bluesman/gtrst. from '30's and '40's, '50's and '60's, both the mythical "robert johnson" and "muddy waters" actually were schooled by son house, that's how legendary he was) (1988)
doris troy (singer/performer from '60's and '70's/"just one look" was her biggest hit, but she sang back-up vocals on "pink floyd's" 'dark side' album and on the "rolling stones" album 'let it bleed' too...she was american-born, but relocated to england in late '60's where she was a much sought-after studio session vocalist w/ various british rock bands) (2004)
ron towson (original "5th dimension" member/"aquarius-let the sun shine", "stoned soul picnic", "wedding bell blues") (2001)
fred rogers ("mr. rogers neighborhood"... no rock or pop or music heritage at all but one of the most recognizable and respected pop-culture icons of all time...and by the way, mr. rogers was NOT a decorated war hero, as internet rumors allege...) (2003)
bob keeshan ("capt. kangaroo"...again, no rock or pop music heritage at all but one of the most recognizable and respected pop-culture icons of all time...and by the way, keeshan was NOT a wwII combat veteran /hero, as internet rumors allege...) (2004)
bob mayo ("peter frampton" kybrdst. on 'frampton comes alive'...during the song 'do you feel like we do", peter frampton yells, "bob mayo on keyboards, bob mayo!" mayo played w/frampton for 25 years...) (2004)
estelle axton (co-founder of "stax records", the legendary record label out of memphis, home to "sam and dave", "booker t. and the m.g's."[they were the house band at stax] and "otis redding"...estelle axton's brother, jim stewart, was the other co-founder of "stax records", the 2 combined their last names to come up with "stax": the 'st' from stewart and the 'ax' from axton) (2004)
oliver (real name: william oliver swofford) ( sang the 1969 song "good morning starshine" from the broadway musical "hair" and had another hit with "jean" shortly afterwards) (2000)
papa john creach (electric violinist from "the jefferson airplane/starship" and "hot tuna"...he was already in his 50's when he joined the "airplane" and played on "the starship's" biggest hits like 'miracles" and "ride the tiger") (1994)
rust epique (former gtrst. for "crazy town" and "pre)thing") (2004)
john mcgeoch (former gtrst. for cutting-edge punk rockers "siouxsie & the banshees") (2004)
*aaron 't-bone' walker (legendary texas blues gtrst., known as one of the fathers of electric blues, /"they call it stormy monday"[ the "allmans brothers" had a hit with this t-bone song], t-bone also pioneered stage antics like playing his guitar behind his head and with his teeth back in the '50's and early '60's, he worked frequently w/"blind lemon jefferson" and "leadbelly" as a young man) (1975)
alf bicknell (chauffeur, bodyguard and general "gofer" for "the beatles", he also appeared on on the song "yellow submarine", providing the anchor noise...he wrote a book in 1989 "baby you can drive my car", detailing his adventures driving "the beatles" around) (2004)
*big joe turner (legendary blues singer/shouter from kansas city, a major influence on "chuck berry", "bo diddley", "elvis" and others, he won a grammy in '83...had a huge hit w/"shake rattle and roll" in the '50's) (1985)
j.j. jackson (one of the pioneering original "mtv" vee-jays, and radio d.j. in l.a., but NOT the same guy who sang "but its allright" back in the '60's) (2004)
edmund sylvers (lead singer & member of the family r&b/dance act from the '70's "the sylvers"/"boogie fever") (2004)
don murray (original "turtles" drummer, played on "it ain't me babe", "let me be", "you baby" and other "turtles" early hits) (1996)
mark dinning (one hit wonder pretty much who sang "teen angel", a typically morbid teen death tune, involving a car accident, in 1959) (1986)
johnny bristol ("motown" producer and songwriter, he wrote hits w/ "harvey fuqua", {another "motown" songwriter}, for "the supremes", "stevie wonder" "marvin gaye" and "junior walker" [for junior and marvin:" how sweet it is to be loved by you", and for marvin and "tammi terrell: "ain't no mountain high enuff"]) (2004)
josh clayton-felt (singer/songwriter, former front man/lead singer for "school of fish"/"3 strange days") (2000)
harold melvin (leader of legendary philly soul outfit "harold melvin & the blue notes"/"if you don't know me by now", helped luanch the careers of "billy paul" ["me & mrs. jones"] and "teddy pendergrass" too) (1997)
*tom donahue (the father of "fm rock/underground" radio...in '67, donahue launched san fran radio station "kmpx", by playing album cuts, featuring bands live in the studio, making political announcements, things no other radio station had done before, and this was on FM radio, not AM! the format caught on quickly nationally, donahue moved to san fran station "ksan" a year later...he was 46 when he died of a heart attack...he is in the rock and roll hall of fame) (1975)
*bill haley (of "the comets", probably the 1st "rock and roll band" w/"rock around the clock", the smash hit and regarded as the 1st mainstream "rock and roll" song ever from 1954) (1981)
*leonard chess (co-founder, with his brother phil, of the legendary "chess studios" in chicago, where blues greats "willie dixon", "muddy waters", "howlin wolf" and many others recorded their classics, including "chuck berry" too, the "rolling stones", the "yardbirds" and still many others...) (1969)
*carl perkins (writer of the smash hit "blue suede shoes" in 1956, one of the famous "sun records" performers, perkins was legendary as a rockabilly singer, he was one of the "million dollar quartet" guys at "sun" w/"elvis", "johnny cash" and "jerry lee lewis"..."the beatles" covered "honey don't" from perkins and also "everybody's trying to be my baby") (1998)
jan berry (of "jan and dean", surf music pioneers/"deadman's curve", "little old lady from pasadena" and "surf city"..."brian wilson" of the "beach boys" co-wrote "surf city" and "deadman's curve" w/berry...in 1966, he ws in a serious car accident that left him brain damaged and partially paralyzed...he recovered somewhat but was never really the same) (2004)
gene allison (r&b/gospel singer out of nashville, had the hit with "you can make it if you try" in 1957, the legendary "sam cooke" once said, "i wish i could sing like gene allison..") (2004)
*elmore james (legendary "king of the slide guitar", he was a contemporary of the mythical "robert johnson" and "sonny boy williamson II), composer of blues classics like "dust my broom"[actually co-written w/"robert johnson", covered by "zz top"], "it hurts me too" [covered by the "grateful dead"], "the sky is crying" [covered by "stevie ray vaughn"] and "done somebody wrong" [covered by the "allman bros."] and "shake your money maker" ["the black crowes" named their debut album after that song]) (1963)
allen ginsberg (homosexual counterculture "beat" poet, contemporary of "jack kerouac" and "william burroughs" and lover of "neal cassady"...schooled at columbia univ. in n.y.c....experimented w/pot and speed years before society had awareness of such substances, he was part of the inspiration for "kerouac's" legendary 'on the road'..he created the poem "howl", a counterculture classic...he helped timothy leary spread the word about LSD, he participated in historic rock events like the "1st human be-in", in san francisco in 1/67 and the "kool aid acid tests" conducted by "ken kesey" in '66 and '67...in the '80s he appeared on "the clash's" "combat rock" album...) (1997)
*hank ballard (of "the midnighters", he wrote "the twist" in 1958, made into a huge hit by "chubby checker", also "finger poppin time" and "let's go let's go let's go" (2003)
*leo fender (creator of the legendary "telecaster"[1951] and "stratocaster" [1954] electric, solid body, mass produced guitars) (1991)
*o'kelly isley (one of the "isley bros."/"twist & shout", "shout", "its your thing") (1986)
*will "dub" jones (one of the original "coasters"/"yakkity yak", "charlie brown", "poison ivy") (2000)
*billy guy (one of the original "coasters", he was the deep baritone/"yakkity yak", "charlie brown", "its your thing") (2002)
guy lombardo (big band kingpin, known as "mr. auld lang syne" as a result of his new year's eve radio show which ran from 1929-1976, he was also a champion speedboat racer!) (1977)
"mississippi" fred mcdowell (legendary bottleneck slide guitarist/blues man, the "rolling stones" covered "you got to move" from mcdowell, he was a huge influence on "bonnie raitt" too) (1972)
jerry nolan (replacement drummer for the "new york dolls", after original drummer "billy murcia" died in '72..."the dolls" were glam-punk pioneers in the early '70's and 4 of 'em are now dead) (1992)
buddy rich (possibly best jazz/big band drummer ever, played w/ "tommy dorsey", "dizzy gillespie" and "louis armstrong" during '40's and '50's and '60's, seen frequently on the "tonite show" w/"johnny carson") (1987)
gene krupa (legendary jazz/big band drummer during '30's, '40's and '50's, a contemporary of "buddy rich's", krupa was the 1st drummer to "solo" during performances, he helped to develop tune-able tom-toms [for slingerland drums] and also the "hi-hat" [for zildjian cymbals], played w/"benny goodman" and "tommy dorsey") (1973)
al hirt (legendary new orleans trumpet guy, headlined 1st halftime super bowl show ever in 1967, played with "tommy dorsey" and "benny goodman") (1999)
woody herman (big band kingpin during the '40's & 50's, with his "herd", he played clarinet & saxophone too) (1987)
the dorsey brothers (tommy and jimmy, both were big band kingpins during '30's '40's and '50's, mostly tommy, the younger of the 2, the "dorsey bros. orchestra", with both of them, featured artists like "glenn miller" and "frank sinatra"...tommy's orchestra was more well known) (tommy-1956 jimmy-1957)
paul atkinson (original grtst. for "the zombies", british pop band from mid '60's/"she's not there",[the scat-like keyboard solo in that song was the inspiration for "roger mcguinn's" scat-like guitar work on "the byrds" 'eight miles high" in '66] "time of the season" and "tell her no"...after they broke up in '67, atkinson went to be a record label exec, discovering and signing, among others, "bruce hornsby"/"that's just the way it is") (2004)
arthur "big boy" crudup (legendary blues singer and song writer from '20's, '30's, '40's thru the early '70's, toured with blues greats "sonny boy williamson [rice miller]" and "elmore james", he wrote for "elvis" 'that's all right mama" and 'mean old frisco blues' covered by "eric clapton") (1974)
steve goodman (famed songwriter/"city of new orleans", a huge hit for "arlo guthrie", but many of his other lesser known songs have been covered by a multitude of major artists) (1984)
ivory joe hunter (r&b keybrdst./singer/songwriter from texas during '20's thur 'early '70's, he performed "blues at sunrise" covered by "stevie ray vaughn", he had a big hit with his song "i almost lost my mind" in the mid-50's, then he crossed over to the country charts and was successful there..he also wrote songs for "elvis") (1974)
*niki sullivan (original rhythm gtrst. for the legendary "crickets", "buddy holly's" band...sullivan played on "that'll be the day", "maybe baby" and "not fade away", but he quit the band before the fatal plane crash in '59!...he quit in '57) (2004)
michael thomas tucker (original drummer for "sweet"/"ballroom blitz", "fox on the run", "love is like oxygen") (2002)
george gershwin (legendary "tin pan alley", broadway and hollywood songwriter/composer/"rhapsody in blue", "porgy and bess", "summertime"[covered by "janis joplin" and "billy stewart"], many, many others) (1937) ira gershwin (george's brother, ira wrote the lyrics to the gershwin bros. songs, george wrote the music) (1983)
cole porter (legendary broadway songwriter/composer during the "roaring '20's"..."i get a kick outta you"[covered by "frank sinatra"] "night and day", many, many others) (1964)
benny goodman (legendary big band/jazz/swing clarinetist/band leader) (1986)
ronnie white (original member of "the miracles with smokey robinson"/"2nd that emotion","goin to a go-go", "tears of a clown") (1995)
*jelly roll morton (real name: ferdinand lematt...legendary composer and piano player from early 1900's, the 1st great pianist in "hot jazz"...he worked in new orleans [his birthplace], the west coast and new york...his band was called the "red hot peppers") (1941)
warren zevon (edgy l.a. singer/songwriter/"werewolves of london", "lawyers guns and money", "poor poor pitiful me"[a huge hit for "linda ronstadt"], he also wrote song for "the turtles" back in the '60's) (2003)
mark sandman (lead singer, gtrst. for 3-man boston outfit "morphine") (died on stage of a heart attack) (1999)
memphis slim (real name: peter chatman...legendary blues pianist, maybe the best ever, worked with "big bill broonzy", he wrote, among many many other songs,"everyday i have the blues", a hit for "b.b.king"...memphis slim spent the last 26 years of his life living in paris) (1988)
charles mingus (legendary jazz bassist, composer/arranger, played w/"louis armstrong's" band in early '40's, worked into the '70's, was and is deeply respected world wide) (1979)
neil bogart (founder of legendary "casablanca" records, label from the '70's, 1st act to be signed: "kiss", bogart also signed "donna summer", "the village people" and "parliment"..."casablanca" was the original disco record label...bogart sold it to polygram records in 1980) (1982)
darrell sweet (drummer for "nazareth"/"hair of the dog", "love hurts") (1999)
neal cassady ("beat" generation cult figure; though hetero, he had a homosexual relationship with "allen ginsberg", was a part of the 'electric kool aid acid tests' with "ken kesey" and was very close with "jack kerouac", legendary "beat" writer ['on the road', in fact, cassady's character in that book was 'dean moriarity'], the "grateful dead" wrote a song for neal cassady: "cassady") (1968)
rudy maugeri (baritone singer for world famous doo-wop quartet from the '50's "the crew cuts"/"sh-boom", and other covers they had hits with...they were one of the 1st white groups to record rock and roll versions of black r&b songs..."paul mccartney" and "george harrison" as young boys were both fans of "the crew cuts") (2004)
*bob wills (legendary "king of western swing", from texas, "bob wills & his texas playboys" from the '30's, '40's, '50's and '60's.../"san antonio rose", "faded love" and many others) (1975)
*bill monroe (legendary "father of blugrass", "bill monroe & the blue grass boys" from the '30's, '40's, '50's and '60's, the band included "lester flatt" and "earl scruggs", equally legendary bluegrass superstars/"blue moon of kentucky", "uncle pen" and many, many others...bill monroe influenced countless musicians, from bluegrass to country to rock) (1996)
johnny 'guitar' watson (legendary influential gtrst. sax man, he played gtr. w/his teeth and over his head before "jimi hendrix" did, he was the funkster inspiration for "sly stone" and "george clinton", "steve miller' covered watson's "the gangster of love"...he died on stage of a heart attack in japan) (1996)
lawrence welk (schmaltzy but extremely shrewd businessman/ orchestra leader, host of a nationally broadcast tv show from the '50's to the '70's, enormously popular with the older generation of americans, "...and a one, and a two..." he didn't learn to speak english till he was 21 though he was born in north dakota!) (1992)
bruce fairbairn (top notch record producer, he worked with "kiss" and "ac-dc" and "aerosmith" and "yes" out of vancouver, british columbia...his body was discovered in his home by "jon anderson" of "yes", as fairbairn was producing a new "yes" album at the time) (1999)
william powell (original member of "the o'jays"/"backstabbers", "love train", "for the love of money") (1977)
barney kessel (world reknowned studio session gtrst. in hollywood, worshipped by stars like "george harrison" and "pete townshend" and "phil spector" who kessel worked extensively with on spector's 'wall of sound" recordings, spector referred to kessel as a "true genius") (2004)
miles davis (legendary trumpet player/composer/band leader, possibly the most innovative of all jazz artists ever, miles was always dramatically changing his sound) (1991)
john coltrane (legendary jazz sax man/band leader, played with "miles davis" among others, hugely influential and innovative thruout the '50's and early '60's) (1967)
rob tyner (lead singer for legendary and incendiary detroit '60's and early '70's rockers "mc5"/"kick out the jams") (1991)
*doris kenner jackson (original member of "the shirelles", one of the 1st chick groups from late '50's and early '60's/"soldier boy", "dedicated to the one i love", "will you still love me tomorrow") (2000)
*micki harris (original member of "the shirelles" [see above] (1982)
*ray charles (SUPER legendary r & b, gospel, blues, jazz pianist/vocalist/"hit the road jack", "georgia on my mind", many, many others, he's been described as the father of soul music, "brother" ray charles was a GIANT in the industry) (2004)
otis blackwell (singer/tremendous songwriter/pianist, he wrote 3 of "elvis presley's" biggest hits: "don't be cruel", "all shook up", and "return to sender"...he also wrote "great balls of fire" for "jerry lee lewis") (2002)
bobby helms (singer from '50's and '60's, country/rocka billy star but his biggest hit was "jingle bell rock" in 1957) (1997)
mort shuman ("doc pumus's" musical partner, together mort and doc wrote a huge catalogue of hits for various artists in the "50's and '60's mostly, scroll up and see "doc pomus" under "natural causes") (1991)
henry mancini (legendary multiple academy award winning pianist/composer/soundtrack scorer: "the pink panther theme", "peter gunn theme", many, many others) (1994)
dave carter (folk singer/songwriter star, partner of "tracy grammer") (2002)
*john hammond (legendary music mogul [producer, critic, label A&R guy], he discovered "benny goodman", "count basie", "billie holiday", "bob dylan", "pete seeger" and "bruce springsteen"! john hammond personally effected enormous change in pop/rock music) (1987)
arthur "killer" kane (original bassist for glam/punk pioneers from the early '70's "the new york dolls"...4 "dolls" are now dead) (2004)
syreeta wright (ex-wife of motown superstar "stevie wonder", she co-wrote with him "signed sealed delivered" and also "if you really love me"...she also had a huge hit in the late '70's with "billy preston", "with you i'm born again") (2004)
philippe wynne (former lead singer with "the spinners"/"then came you", "rubberband man", "games people play", many others) (1984)
*lavern baker (legendary r&b/pop/scat singer from '50's thru the '70's: "jim dandy"[covered by "black oak arkansas"] and "tweedlee dee" and others) (1997)
jerry goldsmith (multiple academy award and emmy winning film and tv composer/[films]:"the omen", "hoosiers", "poltergeist", "chinatown",[tv]: "the twilight zone", "perry mason", "gunsmoke" and many others) (2004)
mary ann ganser and marge ganser (twin sisters with "the shangri-las", girl group from the '60's/"remember walkin in the sand", "the leader of the pack", n.y.c. street chicks who were still in high school when they hit the big time, if for only a short time) (mary ann-1971)(marge-1996)
*rick danko (bass player for 'the band"/"the weight", "the nite they drove old dixie down", many, many others, rick sang lead vocals on "stage fright") (1999)
illinois jacquet (legendary tenor sax guy from the '40's thru the '80's, played with "lionel hampton" and "count basie" and others, created the "texas tenor" style of sax playing) (2004)
*rufus thomas (legendary memphis ambassador, early radio d.j. on WDIA, bluesman/entertainer & vaudeville guy beginning in the '30's... "stax" records performer [w/his daughter "carla"]/"walking the dog", "do the funky chicken") (2001)
lacy van zandt (patriarch of the famous "van zandt" southern rock family from jacksonville fla., lacy was the father of the late "ronnie van zandt" of "lynyrd skynard", also the father of "johnny["skynard"]" and "donnie"[".38 special"]van zandt...lacy was 89 yrs. old when he died) (2004)
w.c. handy ("father of the blues", handy was the 1st to recognize "blues" as real music in the early 1900's, and to actually write down the notes and the lyrics and present them to the rest of the world! he wrote "memphis blues" and "st. louis blues"...he was completely blind the final 15 yrs. of his life) (1958)
andy warhol (the father of "pop art" back in the '60's, producer and manager of "the velvet underground", coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame", world famous celebrity and hanger-on) (1987)
lowell fulson (legendary, but largely unknown blues man from '40's thru '90's, gtrst., songwriter, worked w/"ray charles", replaced "howlin wolf" in "texas alexander's" band, huge hits w/"reconsider baby", "3 o'clock blues", "tramp"[covered by "otis redding" and "carla thomas"] (1999)
rick james (crazed, over the top funkster from the '80's/"super freak", in the '60's he played w/"neil young" briefly in detroit, huge coke/crack head unfortunately) (2004)
albert collins ("the master of the telecaster", legendary blues gtrst. from texas/"frosty", "ice pickin", grammy nominee, actually worked construction for awhile, having given up on music in the '70's!) (1993)
bertrand odom ("james brown's" longtime bassist, "james brown" and odom played together for 40 yrs./"papa's got a brand new bag","i feel good", many many others) (2004)
bull moose jackson (r & b legend from '40's thru the '60's/"big ten inch record" [covered by "aerosmith"] (1989)
richard harris (world famous movie star from ireland, but it was harris who sang "jimmy webb's" "macarthur park" in '68, deemed one of the worst songs ever recorded by most accounts) (2002)
rob fisher (kybrds. for british '80's techno pop band "naked eyes"/"always something there to remind me") (1999)
vincent crane (original kybrdst. for "atomic rooster" ["death walks behind you"] and for "the crazy world of arthur brown" ["fire"] too) (1989)
peggy lee (real name: norma egstrom, legendary sultry songstress from '40's thru the '80's, "fever", "is that all there is?" [grammy winner for that song], she voiced disney films too and campaigned for artists' rights vs. the big record labels) (2001)
laura branigan ('80's singer, grammy nominee/"gloria" and "solitaire", she also added to soundtracks for "flashdance" and "ghostbusters") (2004)
magic sam (real name: samuel maghett, legendary chicago blues gtrst., destined for greatness but after spectacular set at the ann arbor blues fest. in '69, he died of a heart attack at the age of 32) (1969)
ed sullivan (host of the longest running variety show in tv history, EVERYBODY in pop and rock knew the huge importance of being on ed's show, from the '50's to the early '70's..."elvis" and "the beatles" were ed's guests multiple times, playing to massive national audiences) (1974)
carl wayne (lead singer for "the move", popular british band from the "60's that never caught on, unfortunately, in the u.s.a...."jeff lynne" of "e.l.o." joined "the move" after wayne had quit) (2004)
robert nighthawk (legendary slide/blues gtrst. from the '30's thru '60's, nighthawk was the 1st to pioneer slide blues gtr., huge influence on "elmore james" and "muddy waters", he played w/"robert johnson", "sonny boy williamson II" "son house" and other huge blues legends) (1967)
billy davis (song writer/ad man, he helped to write jingle "i'd like to buy the world a coke" in '71, also co-wrote hit for "jackie wilson", "lonely teardrops") (2004)
ernie ball (pioneer maker of guitar strings, which in the last 40 years were used by everyone to "the rolling stones" to "metallica" to "merle haggard" to "b.b.king") (2004)
fred ebb (lyricist who wrote lyrics to broadway smashes like "chicago", and "cabaret" and also wrote the words to "new york, new york" [huge hit for "frank sinatra"]) (2004)
kenny buttrey (top session nashville drummer, played on "neil young's" 'harvest" album in '72, "bob dylan's" 'blonde on blonde" album from "60's too...toured with "neil young" as well) (2004)
*johnny ramone (real name: john cummings, gtrst. for "the ramones"...3 of the original "ramones" are now dead) (2004)
skeeter davis (real name: mary francis penick, had a top 40 #i hit in '63 "the end of the world", though she was a country star and a regular on the "grand ole opry" radio show for 40+ years....she toured w/"elvis" and "the rolling stones" in the '60's) (2004)
scott muni (legendary new york disc jockey, known as "the professor" w/his encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll, "top 40" jock during "beatlemania", went on to become a pioneer of fm "underground" rock radio in '67 at WNEW-fm....close friends w/"john lennon" and many other rock illuminaries) (2004)
*bruce palmer (bass player for "buffalo springfield", fellow canadien w/"neil young", it was bruce and neil who journeyed to l.a. in '65 to start a rock and roll band, they also played w/"rick james" in detroit '60's band "the mynah birds") (2004)
john peel (legendary british disc jockey for the BBC and also one of the industry's 1st "pirate" dj's back in the '60's, he discovered dozens of cutting edge bands, he was a huge supporter of "punk" rock in the '70's) (2004)
ronnie bond (drummer for "the troggs"/ "wild thing", "love is all around") (1992)
bert burns ( legendary songwriter/record label founder ("bang records" from the '60's), burns co-wrote "twist and shout" for the "isley bros." and "hang on sloopy" for "the mccoys", "i want candy" by "the stangeloves" and many others..."bang records" was the label for early "neil diamond", "the strangleoves" and "van morrison" hits..."bang" was an acronym for the 1st names of "bert berns," "ahmet ertegun", "nesuhi ertegun" and "jerry wexler", all atlantic records execs from the '60's)) (1967)
bobby russell (songwriter, wrote huge "60's hits "honey" for "bobby goldsboro" and "little green apples" for "o.c.smith" and "the nite the lights went out in georgia" for his wife "vickie lawrence" (1992)
greg ridley (former "humble pie" ["30 days in the hole"] and "spooky tooth" bassist) (2003)
terry melcher (son of "doris day", famous hollywood producer in the '60's, w/"the byrds" and "paul revere & the raiders", was a member of "the rip chords"/"hey little cobra") (2004)
tiny tim (real name: herbert khaury/bizarre but loved ukelele player from the '60's, was married on the "johnny carson show" in '69/"tiptoe thru the tulips", he died shortly after performing that song on stage in minneapolis) (1996)
lee dorsey ('60's pop singer/"workin in the coal mine", '66) (1986)
marty robbins (country star and stock car racer! "el paso" won him a grammy in '59, and it was the 1st country song to ever be awarded a grammy) (1982)
*sonny til (singer for "the orioles", music's legendary 1st r&b vocal group from the late '40's and '50's/"its too soon to know", "crying in the chapel", many many others) (1981)
*jacob carey (singer w/"the flamingos", doo wop group from late '50's/"i only have eyes for you" from '59) (1997)
*zeke carey (cousin of "jacob carey" [see above], zeke and jacob were founding members of "the flamingos") (2001)
jerry scoggins (the guy who sang "the ballad of jed clampett", the "beverly hillbillies" theme, and member of "the cass county boys") (2004)
johnny copeland (legendary blues gtrst./singer, "w.c. handy" & grammy award winner, worked w/"albert collins" and "robt. cray" too) (1997)
luther allison (legendary blues gtrst./singer, "w.c. handy" award winner, worked w/"magic sam" and "otis rush" & "freddie king") (1997)
gary usher (co-wrote "beach boys" hits "in my room" and "409", also produced "the byrds" at times, along with "the surfaris" and "chad & jeremy", and wrote most of the music for the "beach blanket bingo" films w/"annette funicello" & "frankie avalon") (1990)
freddie perren (grammy award winning motown records producer for "the jackson 5", "gloria gaynor" and the "sat. nite fever" soundtrack, and other high profile projects as well) (2004)
bobby lakind (percussionist and former roadie for "the doobie bros.", he also worked w/"nicolette larson" & "michael mcdonald" [solo]) (1992)
marc moreland (gtrst. for "wall of voodoo"/"mexican radio") (2002)
joe nanini (drummer for "wall of voodoo"/"mexican radio") (2000)
hank garland (legendary country, rock & jazz nashville gtrst., in the studio and in concert, who played w/"elvis", "the everly bros.", "roy orbison", "conway twitty" and many, many others) (2004)
artie shaw (legendary swing/ big band leader/clarinetist from the '30's & '40's and early "50's, a contemporary of "glenn miller", "tommy dorsey,", "benny goodman" and others from that era..."billie holiday" was his lead singer (2004)
danny sugerman (former manager of "the doors", he 1st started working for the band at the age of 14 as a gopher! he also co-wrote the "doors" book "no one here gets out alive") (2005)
*spencer dryden ("jefferson airplane" drummer for all their big hits/"white rabbit", "somebody to love", "volunteers", many others, also "new riders of purple sage" drummer/"panama red") (2005)
jimmy griffin ("bread" co-founder, singer/songwriter: "i wanna make it with you", "guitar man", "baby i'm a want you", many others, only 2 members of "bread" remain) (2005)
wes montgomery (legendary and highly influential jazz gtrst. from 50's and '60's) (1968)
"champion" jack dupree (legendary boogie/jazz pianist from new orleans from 1st 1/2 of the century, boxed professionally when he wasn't playing the piano, worked w/"professor longhair") (1992)
*jim capaldi ("traffic" drummer and lyricist, he co-wrote most of "traffic's" biggest hits w/"steve winwood"/"low spark of high heeled boys", many many others) (2005)
ray peterson (had a huge hit w/"tell laura i love her" in 1960, a teen tragedy tune, he also was an opening act for the "beach boys" in the '60's) (2005)
david lerchey (original member [baritone] of the "del vikings", 60's pop/r&b act/"come go with me", 2 white guys, 3 black guys, lechey was white) (2005)
barbara cowsill (mother of everyone in "the cowsills", the family pop group from the '60's, brothers and sisters and mom all performed nationally and on tv shows too/"the rain, the park,etc...", "hair", others, "the cowsills" were the inspiration for the tv show "the partridge family"...) (1985)
dick james ("beatles" original music publisher/"northern songs", he also assembled "elton john & bernie taupin" together for another smash song writing team) (1986)
keith knudsen (drummer, 1 of 2, for "the doobie bros.", keith joined in '74, was around for all of the michael mcdonald era of the band) (2005)
tyrone davis (r&b singer, based in chicago, had 2 huge hits with "can i change my mind" and "turn back the hands of time" from the late '60's & early '70's) (2005)
murray "the k" kaufman (legendary new york city disc jockey from the late '50's & '60's, he dubbed himself the "5th beatle" becoz of his close relationship w/the fab 4 and he would organize rock concerts featuring the newest bands in the industry like "cream" and "the who" and many others) (1982)
hoagy carmichael (legendary american composer from early and mid 1900's, he also starred in early hollywood tv shows and movies, he wrote "stardust", "georgia on my mind" "up the lazy river" and many many others) (1981)
*paul ackerman (former "billboard" magazine editor for 3 decades, '43-'73, he witnessed the birth of rock and roll while running the industry's most influential publication) (1977)
*edward patten (one of "the pips", w/"gladys knight", "the pips" were all related to each other and to gladys/"midnite train to georgia", "you're the best thing that ever happened to me", many others) (2005)
blind lemon jefferson (one of the original legendary blues masters from texas, early 1900's, played often w/"t-bone walker" and "leadbelly" around street corners in dallas (1929)
thelonius monk (legendary jazz cpmposer/pianist, '50's thru 'early '80's, worked w/ "john coltrane", "charlie parker", "miles davis", many others...) (1982)
chris curtis (drummer for "the searchers"/"needles and pins", "love potion #9" , others) (2005)
danny joe brown (lead singer for "molly hatchet", original founding member/"gator country", "flirtin with disaster") (2005)
b.j wilson (drummer for "procol harum"/"whiter shade of pale", "conquistador", "salty dog") (1990)
martin denny (creator of "exotica"-type of music, south pacific island-flavored lounge-lizard sort of 'muzak') (2005)
*ma rainey (real name: gertrude pridgett, known as "the mother of the blues", from early 1900's, worked w/"bessie smith" and "louie armstrong", her band was "the rabitt foot minstrels" in the 1920's) (1939)
smiley lewis (new orleans r&b singer/songwriter from '50's and early '60's, "fats domino" had hits w/smiley's songs, so did "elvis"/"i hear you knockin"[covered by dave edmunds] (1966)
tiny bradshaw (jazz & r&b bandleader, singer, pianist, drummer from '30's thru '50's, he wrote "train kept a rollin" which "aerosmith" and "yardbirds" covered) (1958)
jackson spires (drummer/songwriter/original member of "blackfoot"/"highway song", "train, train") (2005)
neon park (real name: martin muller, artist who's work was seen on almost all the "little feat" albums, "frank zappa's" 'weasels ripped my flesh' and many others...magazines like "playboy" and "national lampoon" used his brilliant stuff too) (1993)
bobby short (beloved tuxedoed cabaret pianist from the carlyle hotel in n.y.c., for 35 years, he played for presidents at the white house too and appeared in hollywood films) (2005)
lyn collins (funky r&b singer, once was a part of "james brown's" stage show, brown nicknamed her "the female preacher") (2005)
*lawrence payton (original member of the legendary motown supergroup "the four tops"/"i can't help myself", "reach out, i'll be there", "baby i need your loving", many many more) (1997)
burl ives (legendary folk singer, author and academy award winning actor from '30's thru the '70's, "holly jolly x-mas" and many many others) (1995)
cab calloway (legendary african-amer. big band leader/jazz singer from'30's thru '50's/"minnie the moocher", appeared in hollywood movies, his orchestra featured at one time "dizzy gillespie") (1994)
marvin jenkins (pianist, composer, worked w/"barney kessel trio", and many years w/"della reese" too... played piano on "marvin gaye's" landmark '73 lp "what's goin on") (2005)
*johnnie johnson ("chuck berry's" piano player & co-composer of most of berry's biggest hits: "maybelline", "roll over beethoven", "no particular place to go", many many others...berry allegedly wrote "johnnie b. goode" for johnson) (2005)
john fred [gourrier] ("john fred & his playboy band", 1-hit wonders from '67/"judy in disguise", a goofy response to "the beatles" 'lucy in the the skies' from the same year) (2005)
bernard edwards (bassist for '70's r&b/funk band "chic"/"good times", "le freak", many others...edwards was also much in demand top notch recording producer, arranger & songwriter w/"nile rogers" too) (1996)
eric griffiths (original member of "the quarrymen", "john lennon's" band before "the beatles", it included "paul mccartney" and "george harrison" too, griffiths was fired from the band as a gtrst.when harrrison joined) (2005)
spike jones (real name: lindley armstrong jones, cutting-edge hugely influential musician/humorist/parody song master from the '30's thru the '50's, he had his own national radio show, guests included "groucho marx", "hank williams", "frank sinatra" burl ives" and many many others..."spike jones & the city slickers"/"all i want for x-mas is my 2 front teeth", "cocktails for 2" and many many others) (1965)
bing crosby (real name: harry lillis crosby, one of the most legendary & popular entertainers in history, from late '20's to mid '70's, movie star, tv and radio star, worked w/"fred astaire", "bob hope", many many others/"white x-mas", "swingin on a star","little drummer boy"[w."david bowie"], many many others) (1977)
ethel merman (real name: ethel agnes zimmerman, legendary powerful singer/vaudeville performer from late '20's to '70's, she was a long time "the 1st lady of the broadway stage" doing musicals/"there's no business like show business") (1984)
rick lewis (member of doo-wop band from late '50's "the silhouettes"/"get a job" was a huge hit in '58, "goofy doo-wop"-ers from late '60's "sha na na" took their name from vocalizations in "get a job") (2005)
jim pash (founding member and gtrst. for "the surfaris", legendary pioneering early '60's surf rock band from southern california ("wipeout", "surfer joe") (2005)
ron wilson (drummer who did world famous solos on surf rock classic "wipeout" by "the surfaris", '63) (1989)
arthur alexander (black r&b/country soul songwriter from alabama, "the beatles" [anna], "the rolling stones" [you better move on, alexander's biggest hit from early '60's] and many others covered his songs..."fame studios" in muscle shoals was where he worked most often) (1993)
mindy jostyn (violinist, gtrst. and harp player w/"john mellencamp's" touring band in mid '90's) (2005)
john cascella (keybrdst./accordian player for "john mellencamp's" band, died 1/2-way thru recording the "human wheels" album in '93, that album was dedicated to cascella...all the accordian music you hear on mellencamp records was played by john cascella) (1992)
*jimmie rodgers (generally regarded as the "father of country music" from early '20's and '30's/"t for texas") (1933)
thurl ravenscroft (voice of "tony the tiger" for "frosted flakes", "they're grrrrreat!", also he sang "you're a mean one mr. grinch" in "how the grinch stole x-mas") (2005)
mel blanc (legendary voice of cartoon superstars as "bugs bunny", "daffy duck", "porky pig", "foghorn leghorn", "sylvester pussycat" "woody woodpecker", "barney rubble" and many others) (1989)
karl mueller (bass player for '90's band "soul asylum"/"runaway train") (2005)
simon "si" waronker (founder of l.a.'s "liberty records", one of the 1st "indie" labels on the '50's & '60's, "simon" of the "chipmunks" was named after si, "liberty's" artists included eddie cochran, bobby vee & jan and dean", among others, his son lenny was head of "warner bros." records in the '70's) (2005)
alan jay lerner (legendary broadway lyricist & composer/"brigadoon", "my fair lady" "camelot", "gigi" and others) (1986)
chet helms(legendary "60's san fran promoter, manager of "janis joplin w/big brother", and organizer of many "summer of love" events in 1967, helms worked w/"bill graham", owner of the fillmores, east & west, and helms also operated the other legendary san fran rock venue, "the avalon ballroom") (2005)
bert kaempfert (legendary german orchestra composer/songwriter/"danke schoen", "strangers in the nite", "spanish eyes", kaempfert also was the 1st to sign the then unknown "beatles" in hamburg and record them w/'tony sheridan" in '61) (1980)
luther vandross(romantic r&b/soul crooner from '80's & '90's, 8 time grammy award winner, he never fuly recovered from a stroke in '03) (2005)
*renaldo "obie" benson (original member of "the four tops", motown superstars, "baby i need your loving, "reach out i'll be there" "i can't help myself", many many others, only 2 other original members of the "tops" are left now) (2005)
*johnny moore (lead singer, one of many, for 'the drifters" back in the '60's, moore sang lead on "under the boardwalk") (1998)
fred neil (publicly unknown but legendary amongst '60's performers, he was a singer/songwriter/grtrst. based in greenwich village, hugely influencing "david crosby", "john sebastian", "paul kantner", "gram parsons" and many many others...he wrote" everybody's talking" for "harry nilsson") (2001)
*ray davis (original member of "parliment funkadelic", outrageous funk/electric/rock/r&b band from '60's, '70's and '80's, led by "george clinton") (2005)
chris griffin (trumpet master who played with "benny goodman's" big band and also in in orchestras on the "ed sullivan" and "jackie gleason" shows) (2005)
"big" al downing (one of the few black highly successful country music stars ever, playing rockabilly piano thru the '50's into the "00's/"mr. jones", "touch me" "bring it on home") (2005)
minnie ripperton ("chess records" artist, worked w/"etta james" before being produced by "stevie wonder" when she recorded "lovin' you" in '74, a huge hit w/her unique vocal stylings) (1979)
long john baldrey (hugely influential british musician, a mentor to "eric clapton", "rod stewart", "elton john", "the beatles" and many others) (2005)
eugene record (original member, lead singer & songwriter for '70's r&b act "the chi-lites"/"oh girl" and "have you seen her) (2005)
"little milton" campbell (legendary blues gtrst./singer from early '50's thru present, based in memphis, recorded for "sun" and "stax" records/"we're gonna make it", "tin pan alley", "grits ain't groceries") (2005)
dan hamilton (of "hamilton, joe frank & reynolds" fame from early '70's/"don't pull your love out", "falling in love", formerly the "t-bones"/"no matter what shape your stomach's in" from '60's) (1994)
al aronowitz (rock journalist pioneer from the new york post from '60's who introduced "dylan" to "the beatles" and was friends w/beat poets "allen ginsberg" and "jack kerouac" (2005)
vassar clements (legendary fiddle virtuoso, bluegrass super star, played w/everyone from "the grateful dead" to the "nitty gritty dirt band", "paul mccartney" and "bill monroe") (2005)
ester "madame" wong (punk rock promoter/club owner in l.a. during the '70's and '80's, booking then unknown bands like "the police", "go-go's", "the motels" and many others) (2005)
pearl bailey (legendary jazz/scat singer/actress, on broadway, movies & tv, spectacular vocalist from '40's thru '80's/"takes 2 to tango") (1990)
tampa red (real name: hudson whittaker, a.k.a. "the guitar wizard", influential prolific blues legend from '20's into '50's, pals w/"big bill broonzy" in chicago) (1981)
memphis minnie (real name: lizzie kid douglas, legendary influential country blues gtrst/singer/songwriter from '20's thru '50's/"bumble bee") (1973)
robt. moog (creator of the legendary and distinctive sounding moog synthesizer in the '60's, used by everyone from "the beatles" to "yes" to "e.l.p." and "genesis" and many others in pop & rock) (2005)
townes van zandt (texas-born folk singer/songwriter, hugely influential amongst his peers though not well known with the general public/"pancho & lefty" and many others) (1997)
denis d'amour ("piggy") (gtrst. for canadian thrash metal pioneers "voivod" from the '80's) (2005)
r.l. burnside (blues veteran/gtrst. born in late '20's but didn't catch on in europe till the "70's and not in the usa till the '90's!) (2005)
shel silverstein (celebrated "playboy" author & children's author and songwriter/"a boy named sue"[for "johnny cash"]"sylvia's mother" & "cover of the rolling stone"[for "dr. hook"]"the unicorn"[for "the irish rovers"](1999)
clarence "gatemouth" brown (legendary grammy winning bluesman, singer, gtrst., multi instrumentalist from texas, played thruout the '40's into the 2000's, worked w/'eric clapton", "bonnie raitt" "ry cooder" and many others, he died fleeing hurricane katrina, of a heart attack) (2005)
mike patto (popular british singer/kybrdst. from '60's & '70's, fronted own band "patto" & worked w/"spooky tooth" for a short time) (1979)
irving berlin (legendary american composer/movie-broadway soundtrack scorer/"white x-mas", "there's no business like show business", "putting on the ritz", "god bless america" and thousands more) (1989)
paul burlison (influential rockabilly pioneer from memphis, backed by "the rock and roll trio" in early-mid '50's, w/"johnny & dorsey burnett", he hung out w/"howlin wolf"... "eric clapton", jeff beck" & "jimmy page" were all big fans of paul burlison, his version of "train kept a rollin" was a big hit) (2003)
joel hirschhorn (prolific composer, academy award winner twice for theme songs for "the poseidon adventure" & "the towering inferno", plus many other films & his songs were covered by many other artists too) (2005)
michael gibbins (british pop masters from early '70's "badfinger" drummer/"no matter what", "come and get it", "day after day", only 1 member remains alive from the band now) (2005)
paul pena (songwriter/musician, having played w/"b.b.king" & "bonnie raitt", he wrote "steve miller's" big hit "jet airliner") (2005)
michael "cub" koda (gtrst/songwriter for "brownsville station", '70's rockers, koda wrote "smokin in the boys room" for the band, also an expert/prolific writer on rock history) (2000)
willie hutch (songwriter/procer for motown records in early '70's, he wrote "i'll be there" for "the jackson 5" and arranged the vocals for "got to be there" and "never can say goodbye" also for the "j-5") (2005)
harold leventhal (internationally reknowned folk-music promoter in the '60's, he presented "bob dylan" in his 1st concert in '63, he also represented "woody guthrie", "joan baez", "peter, paul & mary", "mamas & papas", "phil ochs" and many, many others) (2005)
nick hawkins (frmr. gtrst. for "big audio dynamite", british techno-punk band from early '90's, hawkins was not an original member..."b.a.d." was "mick jones" idea, mick formerly of "the clash") (2005)
leonard bernstein (legendary composer/conductor-new york philharmonic,"west side story", "on the town", "candide", many others) (1990)
frankie yankovic (legendary "polka king" from cleveland, 1st ever to win a grammy for "best polka"!) (1998)
baker knight (prolific songwriter, his hits were recorded by "elvis"/"the wonder of you", "frank sinatra", "ricky nelson"/"lonesome town", "paul mccartney", "perry como", "sammy davis jr." and many others) (2005)
perry como (legendary crooner/tv show host from '40' thru '80's, he sold 60 million records in his career/"till the end of time", "catch a falling star", many many others) (2001)
ralph j. gleason (founding editor w/"jann wenner" of "rolling stone" magazine, legendary &influential jazz & pop critic from "50's thru "70's, based out of san francisco, gleason wrote columns for all the country's biggest publications, he was the "1st rock journalist") (1975)
roger miller (multi grammy award winner, prolific singer/songwriter/"dang me", "king of the road", "england swings", many others) (1992)
howie blauvelt (bassist w/ "ram jam", east coast rockers from 'mid-'70's"/"black betty", he also worked w/"billy joel" years earlier) (1993)
skitch henderson (grammy winning conductor who 1st directed the 'tonite show" orchestra, before "doc severinsen", skitch also worked w/"sinatra" and "bing crosby" and "bob hope" too) (2005)
link wray (hugely influential, but mostly unknown pioneering gtrst. from the '50's/"rumble", "raw-hide" and others...he is credited w/inventing the "power chord" in rock and also inventing the "fuzz tone" for guitars, he died in denmark where he had been living) (2005)
chris whitley (unsung publicly but critically acclaimed singer/songwriter from texas, "dave matthews" was a huge fan of whitley's) (2005)
joe jones (one hit wonder artist, 1960's "you talk too much", also discovered the "dixie cups" from new orleans/"iko iko", "chapel of love") (2005)
*johnny reed (original member of "the orioles", the 1st american vocal, doo-wop, r&b band from the '50's & '60's) (2005)
rob buck (gtrst. for american punk/new wave band "10,000 maniacs"/"what's the matter here", "these are days") (2000)
lou rawls (multiple grammy award winning, tremendous soul/jazz vocalist thru "60's and '70's, also acted in tv & films/"you'll never find another love like mine"/"love is a hurtin thing", many others) (2006)
wilbert harrison (vocalist from '50's thru '70's, huge hit w/"kansas city" in'59) (1994)
georgianna marie tillman (original member of motown superstars "the marvelettes"/"please mr. postman","beechwood 4-5789", to many fish in the sea", "the hunter gets captured...",many others) (1980)
cyril davies (legendary british harp player/blues musician, tho he was a white guy! a "who's who" of british rock stars worked w/davies when they were just pupsin davies' band "blues inc." and at his club in london," the ealing club/"jack bruce", "charlie watts", "rod stewar", "keith richards", "eric burdon", "jimmy page", "jeff beck" and many others) (1964)
henry "sunflower" vestine" (original gtrst. w/"canned heat", l.a. based blues rock/boogie band from '60's & early '70's/ 'goin up the country", "on the road again", "let's work together"..."canned heat" played "woodstock" in '69 and "the monterey pop festival' in '67") (1997)
mike botts (drummer for '70's pop stars "bread"/"make it with you", "guitar man", "baby i'm a want you", many other, botts also was a touring drmmr. for "linda ronstadt" and "dan fogelberg", only 2 members of "bread" remain) (2005)
*wilson pickett (legendary soul/r&b singer from '60's/"mustang sally", "in the midnite hour", "land of 1000 dances" and many many others...pickett wrote or co-wrote many of his hits, he was a "stax" and "atlantic" records superstar) (2006)
gene mcfadden (1/2 of r&b songwriting team from philadelphia "mcfadden & whitehead"/"ain't no stoppin us now", they also wrote big hits for other philly artists/"back stabbers"[o'jays], "wake up everybody"[h.melvin & bluenotes])(tragically his partner "john whitehead" was murdered in 2004) (2006)
buddy knox(he and his band "the rhythm orchids" were one of the original "rockabilly" bands, back in the '50's, they had many hits, one #1: "party doll" in '57, they also worked w/"buddy holly & the crickets"at the same studio in clovis n.m. ) (1999)
rebop kwaku baah (african percussionist for "traffic"/"low spark of...", "welcome to the canteen" & "shootout @ the fantasy factory" were the 3 lp's rebop was around for in the early '70's w/"traffic") (1982)
buck owens (real name: alvis edgar owens, hugely popular and successful american country singer & tv star {he and "roy clark" were co-hosts on "hee haw" from the late' 60's thru the '80's}, "the beatles" covered his "act naturally", he called bakersfield, ca. home, tho he was born in sherman, tx.) (2006)
john "speedy" keen (the guy who wrote, sang on and played drums on "thunderclap newman's" "something in the air" from 1970, british 1-hit wonders, he also wrote "the who's" "armenia in the sky", from "the who sell out" in "67) (2002)
*gene pitney (legendary american singer/songwriter( "only love can break your heart", "it hurts to be in love", " the man who shot liberty valance" many others, [for "the crystals": "he's a rebel"] [for "ricky nelson" "hello mary lou"] ( 2006)
buddy ("blue") seigal (gtrst. for "the beat farmers"/ "happy boy"/ the "beat farmers" were a cult rock/country/bluegrass/"hell, we'll play anything" band from san diego) (2006)
june pointer (of the "pointer sisters", pop/r&b stars from the '70's & '80's/"jump for my love", "slowhand" "fire", "i'm so excited", june had battled many drug issues but cancer killed her) (2006)
phil walden (founder of "capricorn records" out of macon, ga., he discovered "otis redding", "the allman bros.", "marshall tucker band" and "wet willie") (2006)
johnny paris (rockabilly "johnny & the hurricanes" from the late '50's, their hit was "red river rock" from '59) (2006)
paul caruso ("aerosmith" engineer & producer & close friend, especially of "joe perry's", he was a great drummer too) (2006)
soraya (extremely popular latin grammy winning singer/songwriter, she recorded in both english and spanish, a breast cancer warrior) (2006)
johnnie wilder jr. (lead singer for r&b band "heatwave"/"always and forever", "boogie nites", huge disco band from '70's, wilder was paralyzed in a car accident in '79) (2006)
clint warwick (original bassist for "the moody blues", played on their 1st big hit "go now" but then left the band) (2004)
freddie garrity (of "freddie & the dreamers", british wave '60's pop stars/"i'm telling you now", "do the freddie") (2006)
desmond dekker (responsible for bringing jamaican music (ska & reggae) to the pop music world/"israelites" in '69, long before "bob marley") (2006)
vince welnick (kybrdst. for "the tubes"/"talk to you later", "she's a beauty" & "the grateful dead" too, from '90 to '95, up until when "jerry garcia" died...4 kybrdsts. for "the dead" have died prematurely) (2006)
billy preston (legendary kybrdst. for "the beatles, "the rolling stones", "ray charles". "little richard","eric clapton", he worked w/ everyone it seemed like, he wrote "joe cocker's "you are so beautiful", he had his own "70's hits, "nothing from nothing", "will it go round in circles" & others) (2006)
johnny grande (pianist for legendary "bill haley & the comets"/"rock around the clock", "see you later alligator", sometimes referred to as the "world's 1st rock and roll band") (2006)
ian copeland (legendary "new wave" agent and promotor, discovered and/or managed "new wave" acts like "the police", "r.e.m.", "the go-go's", "the b-52's", "the ramones" and many others, brother of "stewart copeland" of "the police" and "miles copeland", founder of "i.r.s. records) (2006)
clifford antone (legendary owner of austin, tx. historic blues niteclub "antone's", where "stevie ray vaughn" cut his teeth, and where many other national & international r&b acts would come to play) (2006)
claydes charles smith (co-founder, co-writer & gtrst. for disco-dance/r&b legends "kool & the gang"/"celebration", "jungle boogie", "joanna" many others from the '80's mostly) (2006)
arif mardin (legendary music producer/arranger, multiple grammy winner & senior v.p of 'atlantic records, he worked w/"aretha franklin", "awb", "dusty springfield", "phil collins", "bette midler" "the rascals", so many others) (2006)
johnny jenkins (flashy, inspirational gtrst. from macon, ga., huge influence on "otis redding" & "jimi hendrix", jenkins played behind his back & w/his teeth before hendrix did!) (2006)
willie denson (songwriter from georgia who wrote "mama said" for '60's chick group "the shirelles", many other songs too, but "mama said" was his biggest) (2006)
*syd barrett (legendary, reclusive co-founder of "pink floyd", british acid rock psychedelic pioneers w/landmark albums like "dark side of the moon" "wish you were here" "the wall", syd was an l.s.d. casualty, he virtually disappeared from public view in the early '70's due to mental disorders) (2006)
milan williams (founding member of pop/funk/r&b superstars "the commodores", williams wrote "machine gun" & "brick house", 2 of the band's earlier & biggest hits) (2006)
arthur lee (eccentric, groundbreaking singer/gtrst/songwriter w/"love", l.a. '60's psychedelic rock band, that unfortunately never took off commercially but other musicians loved the band! "forever changes" their biggest accaimed album from '67, they also had a hit w/"my little red book", a "bacharach/david" song in '66, "robt. plant" of "led zeppelin" was a major devotee of arthur lee) (2006)
floyd dixon (texas born pianist who hugely influenced the california r&b scene in the '50's/"hey bartender", "wine, wine, wine" were his 2 biggest hits) (2006)
dorsey burnette (older brother of "johnny burnette", they made up 2/3rds of the legendary rockabilly band "rock and roll trio", w/"paul burlison" in the '50's, though they had no hits, and he and his brother "johnny burnette" had no hits either as a rockabilly/country duo in in the early '60's, though dorsey released many unsuccessful singles) (1979)
stephen collins foster (legendary, historic american song writer from the mid-1800's/"oh susanna", "camptown races", "jeannie w/the light brown hair", "swannee river", many others, he died broke in n.y.c.) (1864)
maynard ferguson (prolific jazz trumpeter, recorded more than 60 albums since the '40's, worked w/"duke ellington" & "count basie" but was most famous for his theme to the "sylvester stallone" movie "rocky"/"gonna fly now") (2006)
bruce gary (drummer for late '70's pop band out of l.a. "the knack"/"my sharona"), he was a top studio drummer too, working w/"rod stewart", "bob dylan", "george harrison" and many others) (2006)
boz burrell (orig. bass player for "bad company"/"can't get enuff", "feel like makin love", "shooting star", many many others) (2006)
danny flores (writer and sax man on "tequila", huge late '50's hit for "the champs", "tequila" has been used on tons of commercials & in movies and on "pee wee herman's" tv show as the theme song) (2006)
gene simmons [not that "gene simmons" of "kiss"]...(rockabilly singer/songwriter who worked with "elvis presley" and "sam philipps" and "the bill black combo" all in memphis, had a huge hit in "64 w/"haunted house" and in '94 w/"indian outlaw" for country star "tim mcgraw")(2006)
john coletta (former manager of "deep purple"/"smoke on the water" and "whitesnake"/"slow and easy", coletta actually launched "deep purple" in '67, and worked w/ "whitesnake" thruout the '80's) (2006)
duane roland (gtrst. for southern rockers "molly hatchet"/"flirtin w/disaster", "gator country", others..."molly hatchet" changed line-ups numerous times over the years) (2006)
freddie fender (real name: baldemar huerta) (pioneering tex-mex, grammy award winning hispanic singer-songwriter who had 2 huge country/pop hits "wasted days and wasted nites" in '75 and "before the next teardrop falls" in '74, he also was a member of the "texas tornadoes" w/"doug sahm", also dead now) (2006)
sandy west (drummer for pioneering mid-'70's all-chick, pre-punk rock girl band "the runaways", w/ "joan jett" and "lita ford" both in the line-up) (2006)
etta baker (influential "piedmont" blues gtrst. from north carolina [she also played banjo], she began her professional musical career at the age of 60!, she recorded w/"taj mahal", she had a distinctive finger-picking style/"railroad bill" and "one dime blues") (2006)
henry townsend (legendary st. louis bluesman, singer, gtrst. & painist since the '20's, he once shared a stage with the mythical "robt. johnson!") (2006)
bennie smith (legendary st. louis blues gtrst., he often worked w/"ike turner" during the '50's) (2006)
tommy johnson (the tuba player on the "jaws" theme, and he played on many other movie & tv soundtracks from '60's thru '90's, he was a top session musician in l.a.) (2006)
paul mauriat (french composer/conductor, monster instrumental "one hit wonder" of his from '68, "love is blue") (2006)
marijohn wilkin (songwriter from '50's thru '70's/"long black veil", covered by everyone from "johnny cash" to the "kingston trio" to "the band" to "bruce springsteen", she also wrote "cut across shorty," covered by "rod stewart" and "eddie cochran", she also wrote the gospel classic "one day at a time" w/"kris kristofferson") (2006)
*ruth brown (powerful & popular black r&b singer from the '50's/"mama, he treats your daughter mean", "teardrops in my eyes", many others, grammy winner, influenced artists from "bonnie raitt", to "aretha franklin", to "janis joplin" founder of the "rhythm and blues foundation") (2006)
robert lockwood jr. (last remaining living link to blues legend "robert johnson", lockwood was in fact a stepson of "robt. johnson's", he played blues gtr. in the mississippi delta, then moved to chicago in the '50's, worked w/"little walter" and others, moved to cleveland in 1960) (2006)
fred marsden (drummer for "gerry & the pacemakers", british wave '60's pop stars/"ferry across the mersy", "i like it", "don't let the sun catch you crying", he was "gerry's" brother, "the pacemakers" were the 2nd group signed by "brian epstein" after "the beatles") (2006)
mariska veres (lead singer for one-hit wonders dutch pop band from early '70's "shocking blue/"venus") (2006)
*james brown ("legendary "godfather of soul", "the hardest working man is show business", one of the most influential performers in history, the founder of funk, tons of hits/"papa's got a brand new bag", "i got you, i feel good", "get up/sex machine", "its a man's man's world", "cold sweat", so many others, he was in and out of prison a couple times in his life too) (2006)
dennis linde (nashville based songwriter who wrote "elvis presley's" last big hit/"burning love" in '72...he also wrote hits for "the dixie chicks" and "garth brooks" and other country music stars) (2006)
denis payton (sax player for "the dave clark five", british-wave pop stars from the mid '60's, contemporaries of "the beatles"/ "catch us if you can", "bits and pieces", "do you love me") (2006)
"sneaky" pete kleinow (steel gtrst., co-founder of "flying burrito brothers" w/"gram parsons", much in-demand session musician in l.a. in '60's & '70's, he worked w/everyone from "john lennon" to "linda ronstadt" to "jackson browne", he was also a highly skilled special fx artist and director in tv & films)) (2007)
michael brecker (mulitple grammy winning sax man, brothers with "randy brecker", michael worked w/ everyone from "steely dan" to "frank zappa" to "aerosmith" to "joni mitchell" to all the jazz greats too) (2007)
*mahalia jackson (legendary gospel singer, from new orleans, from mid-1930's to late '60's, she sang at "j.f.k.'s" inauguration and at "martin luther king's" funeral) (1972)
pookie hudson (singer/somgwriter for '50's doo-wop/r&b group "the spaniels"/"goodnite sweetheart goodnite" from 1954, which hudson wrote) (2007)
"her nibbs, ms. georgia gibbs" (real name: frieda lipschitz)(hugely popular singer from the '50's, she worked w/ all the greats of that era, "ed sullivan", "jimmy durante", "gary moore", "danny kaye", she had tons of hits like "kiss of fire" in '52) (2006)
walter ward (lead singer of '50's r&b l.a. group "the olympics", who had a huge novelty hit w/"western movies" in '58) (2006)
domenic troiano (canadien gtrst., played w/"the james gang"[replacing "joe walsh"] & "the guess who" in the mid '70's...also did session work w/"joe cocker", "donald fagen" & "diana ross" & many others) (2005)
king floyd (r&b, soul singer/songwriter, "groove me" from 1970, he also wrote for "sonny & cher"...he was evacuated from new orleans following hurricane katrina, he died shortly afterwards) (2006)
irving green (legendary founder of mercury records, home to artists like "the platters", "sarah vaughn", "dinah washington", "def leppard", "tears for fears" & "rush", green was the 1st in the industry to hire a black executive: "quincy jones") (2006)
*denny doherty (canadian-born"mamas & papas" lead singer, along w/"john philipps", denny sang "caifornia dreamin" and many other famous tunes w/this band...they closed the "monterey pop festival" in 1967, they were the headliners...."the mamas & papas" may have been pop music's most meteoric story ever) (2007)
colin thurston (high-profile british music producer for "duran duran", "david bowie", "iggy pop" and "human league", he was influential in defining the "'80's sound" in rock/pop)) (2007)
big maybelle (real name: maybelle louis smith, large black blues vocalist, very powerful, ["billie holiday" allegedly once refused to follow maybelle on stage, she was that good] from 1930's to 1960's/"gabbin blues", "my country man", heroin almost killed her, a diabetic coma finally did) (1972)
joe hunter (kybrdst. & bandleader and multiple grammy winner for legendary motown session musicians "the funk brothers", who played the instruments on almost all of the motown hits, hunter was "berry gordy's" 1st hire at motown records)(2007)
billy henderson (singer with "the spinners", huge r&b/pop act from the '70's/"i'll be around", "could it be i'm falling in love", "then came you" many others) (2007)
frankie lane (hugely popular singer from the '40's & '50's, he sang the "rawhide" theme from the tv show and the "blazing saddles" theme too, and many other huge hits from the '50's, he sold over 100 million records in his career) (2007)
billy thorpe (australian superstar gtrst., hugely famous down under, in the u.s.a. though, known only for his one hit "children of the sun" from late '70's) (2007)
ray evans (legendary pop lyricist who co-wrote the classic "silver bells" (the x-mas tune that sold over 160 million copies) and "que sera sera" (from the hitchcock movie "the man who knew too much") and "nat king cole's" "mona lisa" as well) (2007)
eric von schmidt (folk legend and painter, a huge influence on "bob dylan", "joan baez" and others in early '60's) (2007)
luther ingram (r&b singer-songwriter, huge hit in '72/"if lovin you is wrong, i don't wanna be right", a "stax records" artist, he also wrote "the staples singers" "respect yourself" & he also roomed at one time w/"jimi hendrix!") (2007)
tupper saussy (songwriter/kybrdst. for "neon philharmonic", 1 hit wonders from late '60's/"morning girl"( 2007)
saul swimmer (film director of rock's 1st benefit concert/"the concert for bangladesh" in 1971, featuring "george harrison", "ringo starr", "leon russell", "bob dylan" "eric clapton" and many others)(2007)
don ho (legendary hawaiian lounge crooner from wakiki beach, a hawaiian icon/"tiny bubbles")(2007)
mark st. john (one time gtrst. for "kiss" , very briefly, in mid -80's) (2007)
bobby "boris" pickett (one hit wonder/"the monster mash" from '62, it topped the charts in '70 and '73 as well)(2007)
james b. davis (singer/songwriter who at age 12 founded the "dixie hummingbirds", influential legendary gospel group from south carolina, they backed "paul simon" on "loves me like a rock", they influenced "the temptations", "james brown" and "jackie wilson") (2007)
al viola (legendary l.a. studio musician, long associated with "frank sinatra", he played the mandolin on "the godfather" theme, also many tv and movie soundtracks & other recording stars like "barbara streisand", "neil diamond" & "linda ronstadt") (2007)
zola taylor (female singer for "the platters", '50's, '60's doo-wop, r&b group/"the great pretender", she was the sister of "cornell gunter" of 'the coasters" and she was also one of 3 women who claimed to be "frankie lymon's" widow!) (2007)
john glascock (ex-"jethro tull" bass player from '75-'79, he played on tull albums "too old to rock and roll...", "songs from the wood", "heavy horses") (1979)
tommy newsome ("tonite show" orchestra member and part time band leader when "doc severinsen" was on vacation, "johnny carson" named him "mr. excitement" for his dead-pan expression)(2007)
alvin batiste (widely respected new orleans jazz clarinetist, but he also worked with r&b legends "ray charles", "guitar slim", "dr. john" and "billy cobham") ( 2007)
danny barcelona (hawaiian-born longtime drummer for "louie armstrong"/"hello dolly", "what a wonderful world") (2007)
ben weisman (songwriter, about 60 songs though none were huge hits, for "elvis", and "barbara streisand" too, "elvis" call weisman "the mad professor") (2007)
eric gale (jazz and r&b gtrst., played in "paul simon's" band, appeared in "simon's" film "one trick pony" and the song "late in the evening") (1994)
boots randolph (legendary sax man, huge hit "yakety sax" from '63, he worked w/"elvis"-"return to sender", "roy orbison"-"oh pretty woman", also w/"al hirt", and "brenda lee") (2007)
hy zaret ( the guy who wrote the smash "unchained melody", which the "righteous bros." recorded in '65, but it was also a #1 hit in the '50's as well for "les baxter", its one of the most recorded songs of all time) (2007)
hank medress ( the guy who sang the classic "the lion sleeps tonite", by "the tokens", an african zulu-based lulllabye from '61) (2007)
richard bell ( kybrdst. for "janis joplin's" 'full tilt boogie band", bell played on "me and my bobby mcgee" "move over" and other janis hits from the album "pearl", he also worked w/"bob dyaln", "judy collins" "joe walsh", "the band" and many others) (2007)
george mccorkle (original member/gtrst. for the "marshall tucker band", southern rock pioneers, he wrote "fire on the mountain" for "m.t.b.") (2007)
thomas "papa dee" allen (kybrdst./percussionist & singer for "war"/"cisco kid","low rider", "why can't we be friends", many more, he died while on stage of an aneurysm)(1988)
ron miller (former motown songwriter and producer and he was a white guy too, he wrote for "stevie wonder" "for once in my life" & "yester-you yester-me yesterday", for "diana ross" he wrote "touch me in the morning", for "charlene" he wrote "i've never been to me") (2007)
don arden (father of "sharon osbourne", "ozzy's" wife, arden was a shrewd ruthless british music manager & promoter, in the ;ate '60's and early '70's he managed "black sabbath" "e.l.o." and "the small faces")(2007)
lee hazelwood (famed singer/songwriter: "these boots were made for walking"/"nancy sinatra", he also wrote other lesser known songs for ms. sinatra) (2007)
max roach (legendary, hugely influential pioneer jazz drummer, self-taught, worked with "duke ellington","charlie parker","dizzy gillespie", "miles davis", all of the jazz greats) (2007)
phil rizzuto (legendary n.y. yankees short stop and the only reason he's on this list is becoz he had a vocal part in "meatloaf's" 'bat out of hell" song: "paradise by the dashboard light", phil did the baseball play-by-play part) (2007)
tony wilson (visionary brit who was the subject of the film" 24 hour party people", he was the founder of "factory records" in england and signed british '80's rock bands "joy division/new order" and "happy mondays") (2007)
luciano pavarotti (world famous opera superstar, he released 18 albums over his career that reached #1 on the "billboard classical chart", he sang the 'world cup soccer" theme too & once worked with irish rock stars "U2") (2007)
hilly kristal (ecelctic founder and owner of historic iconic NYC niteclub "CBGB's", ground-breaking bands in the '70's like "talking heads","the ramones","blondie","the patti smith group", they all got their starts at "CBGB's" (2007)
hughie thomasson (original member of "the outlaws", florida southern rock superstars/"green grass & high tides", "there goes another love song","hurry sundown" many more)(2007)
joe zawinul (legendary kybrdst./composer jazz pioneer, worked w/"miles davis", "dinah washington" and "cannonball adderly", founder of "weather report", jazz fusion/rock band from early '70's) (2007)
bobby byrd ("james brown's" long time sideman, he actually discovered brown, founder of the "famous flames", brown's back-up band, byrd was a musician/pianist and songwriter, it was bobby james brown was addressing in the song "get up/sex machine" when brown asked "bobby, can i take 'em to the bridge!") (2007)
paul raven (british bass player for english post-punk metal industrial bands "killing joke" from the '80's and just very recently he had joined "ministry") (2007)
lance hahn (austin tx.-based punk-rock icon, journalist and musician, founder of prolific punk band "j.church", early '90's, hahn also played briefly w/"beck") (2007)
paul fox (gtrst. for british reggae-influenced punk band "the ruts"/"babylon's burning" from late '70's/early '80's) (2007)
teresa brewer ('50's crooner w/tons of chart-topping hits like 'till i waltz with you again" & "dancin with someone", many others, she also worked with jazz legends "count basie" and "duke ellington", she also did tv and film too)) (2007)
joe verscharen (original member of the pittsburgh doo-wop/vocal '50's, '60's band "the skyliners"/"since i don't have you"(the 1st million selling song to come out of pittsburgh) and other hits as well) (2007)
tom dawes (co-founder and lead singer of '60's pop band "the cyrkle"/"turn down day", "red rubber ball", "the cyrkle" opened for "the beatles" on their final u.s. tour in '66, dawes was also the ad man who came up with the alka seltzer jingle "pop pop fizz fizz..." and other commercial jingles as well)(2007)
hank thompson (texas honky tonk, western swing king from the '40's up to the '00's/"humpty dumpty heart", "a 6 pack to go" and many others) (2007)
george osmond (patriarch of the world famous singing "osmond family" out of salt lake city utah, they were all both tv and recording stars, especially "donny and marie osmond", they had 7 brothers and sisters as well)(2007)
paul wasserman (former publicist for the "rolling stones", during their salad days in the '60's and '70's, he was described as "the most important rock publicist in london, a brilliant media strategist..."( 2007)
robert goulet (legendary broadway, tv, film and recording star, crooner/entertainer, grammy and tony award winner, he was lovingly parodied by others and by himself in films and on tv shows and in tv cartoon shows like "the simpsons", such a rich distinctive set of pipes) (2007)
dan fogelberg ("70's soft-rock king, co=architect of the "southern california sound" along with "the eagles", "linda ronstadt, "jackson browne" & others/"leadre of the band", "run for the roses", "part of the plan","auld lang syne","longer than", 'hard to say" many others (2007)
ian wallace (super highly regarded session drummer, member of "king crimson" in early "70's, afterwards worked with everyone including "bob dylan" as a touring drummer in "70's and in the '90's, "don henley" hired wallace as his touring drummer as well in the '80's and '90's, wallace also worked with "bonnie raitt" ,"ry cooder", "joe walsh", "warren zevon", "jackson browne" and countless others) (2007)
porter wagner (legendary "grand ole opry" star, "country music hall of famer", 3 time "grammy award" winner, he discovered "dolly parton", he had his own syndicated tv show/"a satisfied mind", "misery loves company" and "green green grass of home" and many others) (2007)
joe dolan (hugely popular irish singer/showman/entertainer, he was big in europe too/"make me an island", "you're such a good looking woman", many others) (2007)
oscar peterson (iconoclastic canadian jazz pianist who played w/everyone from "ella fitzgerald" to "dizzy gillespie", "count basie" and many others, from the '40's till very recently) (2007)
rod allen (lead singer/bass for '60's british pop band "the fortunes"/"here comes that rainy day feeling again", "you've got your troubles", others) (2008)
john stewart (influential california songwriter, former member of folk pioneers " "the kingston trio", had a solo hit on '79 w/"stevie nicks" & "lindsay buckingham" "gold", also recorded a classic album in '69 "california bloodlines", he also wrote "daydream believer" for "the monkees" in the 'mid '60's) (2008)
bill belew (costume designer who created "elvis'" jumpsuits in the '70's with the high collars and jewels all over and the black leather outfit "elvis" wore for his "comeback special" in '68, he also designed costumes for "ella fitzgerald" and "gloria estafan" and others) (2008)
bob enos ("room full of blues" trumpet player, he also worked with "the platters" and others over the years, dating back to the '60's, "room full of blues" was once described by "duke ellington" as the "hottest blues band around") (2008)
maharishi yogi ("guru" to "the beatles" and other famous rock stars of the '60's, yogi was the founder of the "t.m." movement that would sweep the planet, "transcendental meditation", "the beatles" quickly dismissed him, but the maharishi would go on to become a gazillionaire preaching about "t.m"!) (2008)
joe ames (eldest member and bass singer of the legendary "ames brothers", world famous pop crooners from the '50's & early '60's/"the naughty lady of shady lane" & many others...they earned $20,000 A WEEK in the '50's! they had their own tv show back then too) (2008)
scott halpin (the teenager in 1973 who was called up from out of the audience at a "who" concert in san francisoco, coz "keith moon" had collapsed, halpin played 3 tunes with "the who" in concert as a teenager!) (2008)
joe schermie (original bass player for "3 dog nite"/"mama told me not to come", "joy to the world", so many many more) (2002)
*mike smith (lead singer for "the dave clark five"/"over and over", "because", "catch us if you can", many more, british invasion pop superstars from the '60's)(2008)
buddy miles (drummer for "jimi hendrix" on the legendary "band of gypsies" album, miles also played with jimi on "electric ladyland", he had a big hit of his own/"them changes" in the early '70's and he was the singing voice of the "california raisins" commercials in the '80's) (2008)
larry norman (lead singer for '60's pop one hit wonders "people"/"i love you", they opened for "jimi hendrix", "the doors", "the who", "janis joplin", norman went on to become a hugely influential christian rock pioneer) (2008)
jeff healey (blind canadian self-taught guitarist, grammy nominated and juno-winning/"angel eyes" was a big hit in '88, he was highly regarded by "stevie ray vaughn", "stevie wonder" and "b.b king" among others...he battled cancer all his life) (2008)
norman smith (studio engineer/producer for both "the beatles" and "pink floyd" at legendary "abbey road" studios in london, he was also known as "hurricane smith" who had a hit in '72 w/"oh babe, what would you say", smith engineered every "beatles" song from '62 to '65 and also produced "pink floyd's" 1st 3 albums) (2008)
arthur murray (austrian-born "ballroom dance king-instructor"/"arthur murray dance studios"/"arthur murray taught me dancing in a hurry"/from WWII era) (1991)
*dennis payton ("dave clark five" sax/harmonica/guitar guy/"bits and pieces", "catch us if you can", "over and over", so many more)(2006)
daniel macmaster (lead singer for "bonham", late '80's band featuring "jason bonham" on drums, son of late "led zeppelin" drummer "john bonham"/"wait for you")(2008)
neil aspinall (former head of "apple records", close personal childhood friend and original roadie of all 4 "beatles", executive director of "the beatles anthology" series) (2008)
kurt winter (gtrst., replacing "randy bachman" in canadien superstar act "the guess who" in 1970, winter penned "hand me down world" and others for the band, including "runnin back to saskatoon") (1997)
danny federici (organist, accordionist/glockenspielist for "bruce springsteen's e-street band", federici and bruce went way way back together, federici was with bruce since the very early days, "rosalita", "sandy") (2008)
al wilson ('70's soul singer/"show and tell" and "the snake", "show and tell" was a #1 hit in '74) (2008)
paul davis (singer-songwriter who had 2 huge hits in late '70's and early '80's/"i go crazy" and "65 love affair") (2008)
eddie arnold (country superstar, the "tennessee plowboy"/make the world go away", a huge hit in the mid-'60's, arnold had 21 #1 hits on "billboard's" country charts, he was country's most successful recording artist) (2008)
john rutsey (founding member of "rush", canadian rock power trio, he was their orignal drummer, he left after the band's debut album in '74/"working man" was the 1st big "rush" hit he played drums on) (2008)
larry levine ( legendary l.a. studio engineer and co-owner of one of the west coast's most worshipped studios in the '60's "gold star studios" in west hollywood, where "phil spector" recorded most of his "wall of sound" songs, and everyone from the "beach boys" to "herb alpert" to "the who" to "buffalo springfield" to "sonny and cher" and so many other artists, and all of the top studio musicians in l.a. as well, they all worked there, cranking out huge hits in the '50's and '60's and early '70's) (2008)
earle hagen (legendary, gifted hollywood tv show theme songwriter/"the andy griffith show" (he whistled that theme himself!), "i spy", "gomer pyle", "the mod squad", many more) (2008)
*bo diddley (real name: elias mcdaniel) legendary iconic founding father (along with "elvis", "chuck berry" and "little richard") of rock and roll, patenting the "bo diddley beat", influencing countless guitarists and musicians over more than 50 years, from "buddy holly" to "the rolling stones" to "bruce springsteen" to "u2" and so many more....he was the 1st black artist to appear on the "ed sullivan show" in 1955/ "i'm a roadrunner" "who do you love", "i'm a man", "bo diddley", "before you accuse me")(2008)
paul young (singer/percussionist for "mike and mechanics" (mike rutherford" of "genesis")/"silent running" and "the living years" & "sad cafe"/"run home girl") (2000)
milan williams (kybrds/gtrst. for "the commodores", "lionel ritchie's superstar band/"brickhouse", "3 times a lady", "sail on", a million others) (2006)
george carlin (iconic, legendary, brilliant, grammy-award winning groundbreaking comedian/actor and author who changed the rules of stand -up comedy forever/"7 dirty words") (2008)
natasha schneider (onetime touring kybrdst/b-g singer for american heavy-alt rock band "queens of the stone age") (2008)
*issac hayes (iconic black singer/songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, hayes co-wrote some of "stax records" biggest hits in memphis in the late '60's: "hold on i'm coming, "i'm a soul man" and "i thank you" all for "sam and dave", plus he won an academy award for "shaft" (the movie soundtrack" and he was a multiple grammy winner as well) (2008)
robert hazard (philadelphia-area singer /songwriter, his own hit "escalator of life" in the '80's, then he wrote for "cindi lauper" "girls just want to have fun" which turned out to be a huge hit) (2008)
erik darling (gtrst. and banjo player for folk heroes "the rooftop singers" and "the weavers", darling replaced folk god "pete seeger" in "the weavers", each band had a huge hit with the same song: "walk right in" in the early '60's) (2008)
*jerry wexler (legendary record producer, co-partner/head/founder of atlantic records w/"ahmet ertegun", wexler discovered/signed/produced everyone from "aretha franklin", "dusty springfield","ray charles", "wilson pickett", "led zeppelin", "yes", "foreigner", "percy sledge", "the rolling stones" and so many more, from the 1950's to the 1990's) (2008)
pervis jackson (original member of detroit r&b act "the spinners", jackson was the deep bass guy/"i'll be around", "then came you", "rubber band man", "games people play" and many more) (2008)
jerry finn (modern day record producer, he produced "green day's" biggest selling album "dookie" and also their "insomniac" album, finn also worked with "rancid", "morrissey", "blink-182" and other modern rock/punk artists) (2008)
buddy harman (legendary nashville session drummer, on more than 18,000 recordings, including "roy orbison's" "pretty woman", "johnny cash's" "ring of fire", "patsy cline's" "crazy", "elvis's" "little sister" and so many others) (2008)
ralph young (1/2 of the internationally popular singing duo "sandler & young",from the '50's and '60's, they were frequent guests on the "ed sullivan show" and "the tonite show") (2008)
*richard wright (original member/kybrdst. for british pschedelic rock pioneers "pink floyd", wright was responsible for such floyd classic as "great gig in the sky", "us and them" and "astronomy dominie" and others, his kybrds. were an integral part of "pink floyd's" sound)(2008)
norman whitfield (1/2 of one of motown's greatest song-writing teams, "whitfield-strong(barrett strong)", responsible for such motown classics as"heard it thru the grapevine","just my imagination", "war","papa was a rolling stone", "ball of confusion","cloud nine", so many more) (2008)
*earl palmer (legendary studio/session drummer in l.a. and new orleans in the '50's and '60's mostly, earl played with everyone from "fats domino" to "little richard", the "righteous bros.", "ike and tina turner", "sam cooke", "frank sinatra" and so many of "phil spector" "wall of sound" recordings too, and countless others) (2008)
nick reynolds (original member of folk rock pioneers "the kingston trio"/"tom dooley", "the ballad of reuben james", "MTA", so many more, including their version of "pete seeger's" "where have all the flowers gone", "the kingston trio" paved the way for artists like "bob dylan" and "peter paul and mary" and "joni mitchell" and "joan baez") (2008)
george wydell jones (the guy who wrote the late '50's/early '60's hit "rama lama ding dong" for "the edsels") (2008)
*levi stubbs jr. (lead singer for legendary motown superstar act "the four tops"/"reach out i'll be there", "bernadette", "i can't help myself", "its the same old song" so many others...there's only one original living member of "the four tops" left now) (2008)
dee dee warwick (sister of "dionne warwick" and cousin of "whitney houston", dee dee had 2 "60's hits/"she didn't know, she kept on talkin" & "foolish fool", she was nominated 2x for a grammy & as a younger woman she sang back-up for "aretha franklin" and "wilson pickett") (2008)
neal hefti (composer of the original "batman" tv theme song, & "the odd couple" theme song too, plus he worked w/"count basie" & "woody herman" as well, being an arranger for big bands too) (2008)
merle saunders (jazz/rock kybrdst. who collaborated w/ such diverse artists as "miles davis" & "the grateful dead", specifically "jerry garcia" & "johnny mathis", saunders & garcia made several albums together from the '70's into the '90's) (2008)
hal kant (lawyer/principal counsel for "the grateful dead" and other bands as well from that era, but mostly for "the dead", kant is credited w/preserving "the dead's" legacy & their intellectual property rights, including ownership of their music masters & publishing rights, he also won the "world series of poker" on 1987) (2008)
*mitch mitchell (legendary drummer and the last remaining original member of the "jimi hendrix experience", hugely influential for decades of rock drummers following him, mitch was one of the 1st "fast and furious" highly stylistic drummers of the rock era) (2008)
jimmy carl black (original drummer for "frank zappa & the mothers of invention", black worked w/zappa from the debut in 1966 "freak out" till 1970's "weasels ripped my flesh"...black also had a part in zappa's film "200 motels"( 2008)
elmer valentine (one of the co-founders of the legendary l.a. rock club "the whiskey a-go go" on the sunset strip, the "whiskey" became one the world's most famous rock clubs in the mid-late '60's, where bands like "the doors", "buffalo springfield", "the byrds" and so many others played before hitting the big time...) (2008)
odetta ( the "voice of the civil rights movement", "the queen of american folk music" [as dubbed by the "rev. martin luther king"] and a huge influence on "bob dylan", "joan baez", "janis joplin" and so many others who began singing folk songs as very young artists in the early '60's) (2008)
alan gordon (hit machine songwriter, along with his partner jim bonner, for "the turtles"/"happy together","she's my girl", "she'd rather be with me", and also for "gary lewis & the playboys","3 dog nite", "lovin spoonful" & many others)(2008)
john "sean" byrne (lead singer, rythym gtrst. for one hit wonders garage rock pioneers "count five" out of southern california/"psychotic reaction", 1966) (2008)
steve isham (kybrdst. for american '80's rock band "autograph"/"turn up the radio", which isham co-wrote) (2008)
dennis yost (lead singer for '60's pop/soft rock band "classics IV" out of atlanta, ga./"stormy". "spooky", "traces of love") (2008)
davy graham (early '60's folk gtrst., major influence on "led zeppelin", "simon & garfunkel" and others but never credited properly) (2008)
delaney bramlett (hugely influential gtrst./songwriter/singer ["delaney & bonnie"/"never ending song of love"], collaborator w/"eric clapton" who was actually a member of the band for a short time, "george harrison", "dave mason", so many others, bramlett produced clapton's debut album in 1970 and co-wrote "let it rain") (2008)
freddie hubbard (legendary grammy-award winning jazz trumpet guy, a towering figure in jazz circles, working w/"thelonious monk", "miles davis", "cannonball adderly" and "john coltrane" beginning in the late '50's) (2008)
robert ward (georgia blues musician who also played w/some of motown's biggest stars, like "the temptations" as a gtrst., then he went on to form 1970's r&b band "the ohio players"/"love rollercoaster" and others) (2008)
ron asheton (gtrst./bass player for punk pioneers "the stooges"("iggy pop") out of detroit) (2009)
*billy powell (kybrdst. & original member of "lynard skynard"/"free bird" sweet home alabama" "gimme 3 steps", about a million more hits too, "skynard" is the biggest selling american southern band of all time) (2009)
clint ballard jr. (texas songwriter/"you're no good" huge hit for "linda ronstadt" in the '70's, then "game of love" for "wayne fontana & the mindbenders" in the '60's) (2009)
gary kurfirst (legendary industry manager/label head for "the ramones", "talking heads", "eurythmics", "jane's addiction", "b-52's", and others, he was also a promoter in the "60's", debuting in n.y.c. artists like "the doors" & "the who", "janis joplin", "jef beck" at would become "the fillmore east") (2009)
*dewey martin (drummer for "buffalo springfield"/"for what's its worth", "mr. soul", "bluebird", many others) (2009)
lux interior (real name erick lee purkhiser) (frontman for influential punk pioneers "the cramps"/"bad music for bad people" 1984) (2009)
*estelle bennett (one of the "ronettes", the legendary "girl group" from that era in the early '60's/"be my baby"," walking in the rain", "baby i love you", estelle is "ronnie spector's" sister, both "the beatles" and "the rolling stones" were opening acts for "the ronettes" in england in the early '60's) (2009)
kelly groucutt (bass player for "the electric light orchestra"/ "telephone line", "its a living thing", "fire on high" "mr. blue sky" "don't bring me down",many many others (2009)
louis bellson (legendary big band/jazz drummer who worked w/"duke ellington", "count basie", "benny goodman" , "dizzy gillespie", "louie armstrong" many more too, and was married to "pearl bailey"...he pioneered the double bass drum set up") (2009)
eddie bo (new orleans blues singer/pianist beginning in the 1950's up to the present, he wrote hits for "etta james" and "little richard", he had his own big hit "check mr. popeye" in '62, he toured w/"big joe turner", "lloyd price" and "art neville") (2009)
ted jarrett (nashville songwriter and producer from '50's and '60's, huge hit w/"you can make it if you try" in '57, it was covered by the "rolling stones" on their debut '64 album...he produced and wrote songs on one of the grammy winning "night train to nashville" albums (2009)
uriel jones (legendary motown/"funk brothers" drummer on such hits as "cloud nine", "i can't get next to you", "ain't too proud to beg", "tracks of my tears" and so many others...jones was the last of the surviving "funk brothers" drummers) (2009)
dan seals ("england dan" of "england dan & john ford coley", big hit artists from the '70's/"i'd really love to see you tonite" and "nites are forever without you", he was the younger brother of "jim seals" of "seals and crofts" fame) (2009)
david williams (session and touring guitarist for superstars like "michael jackson", "madonna", "paul mccartney", "marvin gaye" and so many others, williams played on "michael jackson's "off the wall" and "thriller" albums, and was a huge in-demand session gtrst. in l.a. in the '80's & '90's) (2009)
jimmy boyd (child singer/actor who did the original "i saw mommy kissing santa clause" in 1952, he was 13 yrs. old when he recorded it, he also appeared on the "ed sullivan show", he worked w/"rosemary clooney" and "frankie laine" during the '50's and early '60's) (2009)
ean evans (bass player for "lynard skynard", evans replaced the late "leon wilkeson" who died in 2001, evans is the 8th member of "skynard" to have died from various causes over the last 32 years) (2009)
bud shank (pioneer of "cool school" west coast jazz, he was an alto saxophonist/flutist who could do big band swing, orchestra and pop, he played the flute on the "mamas and papas" hit "california dreamin" in 1966)(2009)
reg isidore (drummer for "robin trower's" first 2 solo albums/"bridge of sighs" and "twice removed from yesterday") (2009)
stephen bruton (multi-talented reknowned texas musician/gtrst./producer/songwriter/movie actor who worked with and had his songs covered by everyone from "kris kristofferson" to "t.bone burnett" to "carly simon" to "bonnie raitt", "johnny cash"and many more...and he also had acting roles in the films "heaven's gate" and "a star is born" and others as well) (2009)
randy cain (founding member of philadelphia soul legends "the delfonics"/"la la means i love you" /"didn't i blow your mind this time") (2009)
alan w. livingston (former president of capitol records, responsible for signing "the beatles", "the beach boys", "steve miller" and "the band" and many other legendary artists...livingston was also the creator of "bozo the clown") (2009)
barry beckett ("muscle shoals" kybrdst/producer who worked w/everyone from "paul simon" to "willie nelson" to "bob dylan" to "bob seger" to "phish" to "dire straits"...he was a member of the famed "muscle shoals rhythm section"...his 1st big hit he produced was the "sanford townsend band's" 'smoke from a distant fire') (2009)
*bob bogle (lead gtrst. for rock and roll hall of fame inductees and surf rock pioneers "the ventures"/"walk don't run", "hawaii 5-O" and many others)(2009)
*michael jackson ("the king of pop", world superstar/rock/pop star,dancer/performer extrordinaire, bizarre freaky howard hughes-like recluse, alleged child molestor, cosmetic surgery addict, pre-teen recording star w/"the jackson five", take your pick, he was all of the above...he also recorded the 2nd best selling album in history "thriller" in 1982...the asterisk next to "michael jackson's" name means he is in the rock and roll hall of fame) (2009)
kenny rankin (singer-songwriter-gtrst. who wrote the hit song "peaceful" for "helen reddy" and played in "bob dylan's" back-up band on "bringing it all back home" in '65, he also was the opening act for legendary comedian "george carlin" for several years, "johnny carson" was a huge fan of rankin's, so was "paul mccartney") (2009)
gordon waller (1/2 of '60's british pop stars "peter and gordon"/"a world without love" (written by "paul mccartney")/" i go to pieces", "lady godiva" and others) (2009)
drake levin (lead gtrst. for '60's american pop/garage rock pioneers "paul revere and the raiders"/"kicks", "just like me", "hungry", "good thing," many more" (2009)
tom wilkes (legendary, though obscure, rock art director, photograher and designer for posters and album covers (for a&m records and abc records) for everything from the "monterey pop festival" posters to "the rolling stones"/beggar's banquet album cover, to "janis joplin"/pearl album cover to "dave mason"/alone together album cover, "eric clapton/eric clapton album cover, "neil young/harvest album cover, lots of "spirit" album covers, "cheech and chong" album covers, "flying burrito brothers" album covers, so many more...) (2009)
allen klein (former ruthless but brilliant manager of the "beatles" and the "rolling stones", reviled by many but respected by many as well, klein's record company ABKCO's assets include recordings by the "rolling stones", "the animals", "herman's hermits" and many many more) (2009)
john "marmaduke" dawson (founder of the "new riders of the purple sage" along with "jerry garcia" and dawson was also a "grateful dead" collaborator, he wrote "friend of the devil" for "the dead") (2009)
*les paul (legendary brilliant pioneer/musician/inventor who gave rock and roll the solid body electric guitar, not to mention multi-track recording and the echo chamber...he played till the age of 94 at a jazz club in n.y.c...without les paul would rock and roll have found its way? unlikely...) (2009)
jim dickinson (hugely popular and highly respected memphis based session musician(piano)/producer who worked with everyone from "dylan" to 'the rolling stones","big star", "aretha franklin" and many others) (2009)
allen shellenberger ("lit" drummer/southern california new rock band/"my own worst enemy")(2009)
willy deville (obscure but fascinating american singer/songwriter on the cutting edge of punk rock in the late '70's and '80's, his band "mink deville" were the house band at legendary "cbgb's" in n.y.c....deville was lterally unknown in this country but huge overseas and he was deeply respected by his peers such as "mark knopfler", "doc pommus" "dr. john" and others) (2009)
larry knechtel (multi-instrumentalist, legendary l.a. session musician who played with EVERYBODY from "the byrds" to "the beach boys" to "the turtles" to "simon & garfunkel" to "elvis" to "the mamas & the papas" to "the monkees" to "neil diamond" and so many more including "bread" of which he was a member, gtrs., bass, kybrds.) (2009)
*john e. carter (twice inducted into the "rock and roll hall of fame" , once as a member of doo-wop pioneers "the flamingos"/"i only have eyes for you" and again as a member of "the dells"/"oh what i nite" and "stay in my corner") (2009)
ellie greenwich (one of pop's most prolific songwriters from the '50's and '60's, brill bldg. legend, she co-wrote (w/"phil spector" among others) "chapel of love", "be my baby", "leader of the pack", "da doo ron ron", "river deep, mountain high", "baby i love you" and so many more) (2009)
wycliffe "steely" johnson (jamaican former kybrdst. for reggae legends "bob marley and the wailers", he was also a reknowned producer on dancehall tunes in the '80's & '90's) (2009)
lucy vodden ("lucy" in "the beatles" classic "lucy in the sky with diamonds"...she really did exist! she was a childhood friend of "john lennon's" son julian, who drew a picture at school and brought it home to his famous father and told him it was "lucy (his friend at school) in the sky with diamonds!") (2009)
mary travers ("peter paul and mary", she was "mary"...multiple grammy winning folk pioneers, the voices of a new generation before dylan even/"leavin on a jet plane","if i had a hammer", "lemon tree", "puff the magic dragon", many more) (2009)
bobby graham (england's most prolific session drummer, he played with everyone from "the animals", "dusty springfield" "tom jones", to "the kinks" and turned down the opportunity to be "the beatles" drummer coz they weren't famous enuff yet!) (2009)
bob greenberg (heavy hitter record label executive in the '60's and '70's for warner bros. and atlantic records...he worked with everyone from from "led zeppelin" to "the rolling stones" to "genesis", "foreigner", "alice cooper',"bette midler" and many others) (2009)
rev. john "bootsie" wilson (former lead singer & last surviving member of the influential '60's doo-wop/soul band "the silhouettes"out of philadelphia/"get a job" was their biggest hit) (2009)
al martino ('50's & '60's crooner from south philadelphia/"spanish eyes",and so many more, he was also "johnny fontane" [based loosely on 'frank sinatra'] in "the godfather", godson of "don vito corleone") (2009)
shelby singleton (legendary nashville producer/"harper valley PTA", he also is the only producer to record 3 #1 hits in one day by 3 different artists! he also later purchased memphis' "sun records", containing early hits from "elvis", "johnny cash" "jerry lee lewis" and others) (2009)
dickie peterson (lead singer/bass player for '60's san francisco based heavy metal pioneers "blue cheer"/"summertime blues") (2009)
freddy robinson (also known as "abu talib", blues gtrst. who played with everyone from "ray charles" to "little walter", "howlin wolf" , "bobby blue bland","jimmy rogers" and so many more in the blues clubs of chicago and l.a. and elsewhere) (2009)
colin cooper (lead singer/sax/harp/flute for british blues rockers "climax blues band"/"couldn't get it right", "i love you") (2008)
norton buffalo (blues & rock harmonica great, the past 32 yrs. he was a member of "the steve miller band", he also worked w/"the doobie bros.", "bonnie raitt", "johnny cash", "elvin bishop", "kenny loggins", members of "the grateful dead' and so many more) (2009)
dee anthony (legendary music industry manager, mostly specializing in british rock bands, he managed "tony bennett", "peter frampton", "traffic", "jethro tull", "joe cocker", "j. geils band", "ten years after" and so many more") (2009)
vic mizzy (hollywood songwriter who wrote the themes to "60's classic sit-com tv shows "the addams family" and "green acres") (2009)
maurice jones (legendary british concert promoter/manager, he began his career in the '60's in england booking acts like "led zeppelin" and "yes" and "argent", then he helped co-found the annual "monsters of rock" event at donnington castle in 1980, he also helped to organize "live aid" in 1985, plus he managed early in their careers "the police" and "U2") (2009)
al alberts (founding member of the philadelphia-based vocal group "the four aces"/"three coins in the fountain" & "love is a many splendored thing") (2009)
bob keane (founder of 1950's independant west coast record label "del-fi" and the guy who discovered a teenage "ritchie valens"/"la bamba") (2009)
bess lomax hawes (the daughter of legendary folk musicologist/historian john lomax, bess over the years sang with "woody guthrie" and "pete seeger" and she co-wrote the "kingston trio" hit "m.t.a.", she also taught banjo, guitar and mandolin, produced several documentaries exploring american music history and was given many prestigious awards during her life) (2009)
eric woolfson (co-founder, chief songwriter, singer and producer of the "alan parsons project"/"eye in the sky", "i wouldn't want to be like you", "games people play",many others) (2009)
aaron schroeder (prolific songwriter/producer, he wrote for "elvis" "its now or never" and "stuck on you") (2009)
torrie zito (producer/arranger, he arranged the string section for "john lennon's" song" "imagine", he also worked with "clay aiken" and "sinead o'connor" and "bobby darin" and "tony bennett" among others) (2009)
tim hart (founding member of the british folk-rock band "steeleye span", hart played gtr., mandolin, dulcimer, banjo and violin, besides singing)(2009)
gregory slay (drummer for american alternative rock band "remy zero" who moved from birmingham al. to hollywood in the late '80's, early '90's, their songs have been used in tv show soundtracks and movie soundtracks and are highly respected by their fellow artists (like "radiohead"), though the band was largely ignored by the public)(2010)
willie mitchell (memphis-based record producer ansd musician who worked w/"al green", "buddy guy" and so many others, he owned "royal studio" in memphis and "hi records" too, and he and his band in the '60's & '70's would be the "house band" for "elvis" at graceland when "elvis" would throw a party)(2009)
james gurley (one of the 2 guitarists in "big brother & the holding co.", "janis joplin's" 1st big-time backing band in san francisco in the psychedelic '60's, he was an acid-rock pioneer who appeared with the rest of the band at the legendary "monterey pop festival" in june of '67, where "janis" made her big-time debut) ((2009)
yvonne king burch (matriarch of the world famous singing "king sisters", one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1930's & '40's, they evolved into the "king family", had their own tv show during the '60's & '70's & appeared on the "ed sullivan show" many times, as well as working w/"dean martin" & "bing crosby") (2009)
teddy pendergrass (hugely popular R&B singer/performer from the '70's and '80's..."love TKO", "close the door", "if you don't know me by now" [w/"harold melvin & the bluenotes"] and many others...pendergrass was paralyzed in a car accident in '82 but comntinued to perform and write till his death) (2010)
bobby charles (louisiana singer-songwriter/"walking to new orleans" for "fats domino" & "see you later alligator" for "bill haley & the comets") (2010)
doug fieger (lead singer for "the knack", late '70's early '80's pop band from l.a., their huge hit was "my sharona", which has been used on different movie soundtracks and tv shows over the years) (2010)
robert "squirrel" lester (member of the '70's chicago soul pop band "the chi-lites"/"oh girl" and "have you seen her") (2010)
earl wild (grammy winning world reknowned american classical concert pianist, who performed globally and for 6 different u.s. presidents, beginning in the 1930's, from "hoover" to "LBJ") (2010)
erich segal (american author/screenwriter who wrote the screenplay for the film "love story" in 1970 and who also co-wrote the screenplay for "the beatles" movie "yellow submarine" in 1967) (2010)
carl smith (legendary country singer based out of nashviklle in the '50's and '60's who had a million hits/"are you teasing me" and "back up buddy", and many more, the father of "carlene carter" and was once married to "june carter" who would go on to be "johnny cash's" wife) (2010)
kate mcgarrigle (canadian folk singer/songwriter, who perfprmed w/her sister "anna mcgarrigle", "linda ronstadt" covered kate's song "heart like a wheel,", kate was once married to american songwriter "loudon wainwright III") (2010)
john locke (kybrdst./songwriter for l.a. progressive rock band from late '60's "spirit"/"i got a line on you", "animal zoo", "nature's way") (2006)
richard delvy (pioneering california-based surf-rock drummer/composer/arranger/publisher and producer, he owned the rights to the smash '60's hit "wipe out" from "the surfaris", he worked on albums from "the chambers bros." to "the outsiders", he contributed to cartoon sereis like "the archies" and "fat albert & the cosby kids" and he was the touring musical director for "tony orlando & dawn" and "david cassidy"( 2010)
jim marshall ("photographer of rock stars", marshall snapped pix of "jimi hendrix" at monterey, "janis joplin" "the beatles" at their last concert in san francisco, "the doors", "dylan"," the grateful dead", "the rolling stones", the jefferson airplane", and so many others in the '60's and '70's) (2010)
tom "t-bone" wolk (long time bass player for "hall & oates", he also recorded with "elvis costello" and "billy joel" and was a member of the "SNL" house band in the late '80's...plus he worked w/"carly simon", cyndi lauper" and many others) (2010)
ron banks (founding member of "the dramatics",late '60's and 'early '70's soul/R&B band from detroit/"whatcha see is what you get"...3 other members of "the dramatics" have also died, elbert wilkins (1992), william howard (2000) and james mack brown (2008)
alex chilton (lead singer/songwriter for memphis based '60's pop/R&B band "the box tops"/"the letter", "cry like a baby", "soul deep", then chilton went on to form critcally acclaimed "big star", though radio never picked up on that band, as they had no hits) (2010)
lesley duncan (british singer/songwriter who worked w/"elton john" and "pink floyd" and "ringo starr", duncan was a background vocal chick on "dark side of the moon" and also sang BG on "madman across the water" and sang w/"elton john" on one of her own songs, "love song" on "tumbleweed connection") (2010)
herb cohen (legendary rock star manager for artists such as "frank zappa", "alice cooper" and "tom waits", "linda ronstadt" too) (2010)
johnny maestro (mastrangelo) (lead singer for early '60's doo-wop band "the crests"/"16 candles" and then later '60's pop band "the brooklyn bridge"/"the worst that could happen" (2010)
bob mercer (visionary music industry executive, he signed "the sex pistols", "queen", "olivia newton john," "marc bolen" and others while at EMI Music, he also ran "jimmy buffet's" "margaritaville records" label and he also developed the "now that's what i call music" album compilation series) (2010)
dave fisher (lead singer of early '60's folk rockers "the highwaymen"/"michael (row the boat ashore)", "cotton fields", "the gypsy rover" and others, appearing on the "ed sullivan" and "johnny carson" shows)(2010)
malcolm mclaren (clothing designer, producer and legendary manager of punk pioneers "the sex pistols", "the new york dolls", and "bow wow wow") (2010)
peter steele (singer/bassists for goth-metal brooklyn band "type o negative"/"christian woman", "black no.1", "my girlfriend's girlfriend" and others) (2010)
devon clifford (drummer for canadian dance-punk band "you say party! we say die!") (2010)
susan reed ("life" magazine referred to her as "the leading lady of folk" in the mid '50's, she also was a hollywood actress and a tv show/broadway performer too) (2010)
lena horne (legendary singer, dancer, actress and civil rights activist,, she worked the "cotton club" in harlem in the '30's and became the 1st black singer to tour with a white group in the '40's, mega-star of stage, screen/tv and broadway, her skin color never held her back) (2010)
ronnie james dio (super powerful pipes[despite his diminutive stature] metal/rock vocalist for "rainbow"/"man on the silver mountain", "black sabbath"[3x]/"heaven and hell", "dio"/"rainbow in the dark", "heaven and hell" lead singer as well, and so many other projects from the late '60's to 2010) (2010)
frank frazetta (american fantasy and science-fiction artist, who illustrated comic books, paper back covers, movie posters, album covers, including the "conan the barbarian" images and 3 of "molly hatchet" album covers, featuring the dark menacing warrior on horseback in the middle of battle.. (2010)
*marvin isley (bass player and youngest of the "isley brothers"/"twist & shout", "shout", "its your thing", although marvin didn't play on any of those tunes...he did however play on another '70's isley's hit "who's that lady") (2010)
stuart cable (former drummer for british late '90's rock band "stereophonics") (2010)
hank jones (legendary grammy award winning jazz pianist, he was the guy who accompanied "marilyn monroe" when she sang "happy b-day" to "president kennedy" in new york in the early '60's)( 2010)
*pete quaife (original bass player for rock and roll hall of famers "the kinks". pete played on all the kinks 1st big hits in the '60's, "you really got me", "all day and all of the nite", "tired of waiting for you" and so many others, he quit the band in 1969 becoz of all the infighting) (2010)
jo jo billingsley (a member of "lynard skynard's" "honkettes", the back-ground chick singers on so many skynard songs before 1977..."the honkettes" also toured the world with skynard before the plane-crash in '77) (2010)
jimmy dean (hugely popular country-pop singer/tv host, ,movie actor and sausage pitchman, his entertainment career began in the late '50's, his sausage empire started in 1969...he had a #1 hit with "big bad john" and won a grammy for the song in 1961) (2010)
ali-ollie woodson (later member of legendary motown stars "the temptations", woodson joined the completely revamped line-up in the '80's)
tony peluso (lead gtrst. w/"the carpenters" for 12 years, he also played gtr. w/"paul revere & the raiders" and produced records for "smokey robinson" and "michael jackson" and "kenny loggins" and "seals and crofts" and others, he was a very successful motown producer) (2010)
*garry shider (gtrst/vocalist/songwriter for rock and roll hall of fame inductees and psychadelic funk/punk pioneers "parliament-funkadelic", along with "george clinton" and "bootsy collins", shider was also known as "star child" and 'diaper man") (2010)
harvey fuqua (singer,songwriter and motown record producer,an early mentor of "marvin gaye", also a member of '50's r&b doo-wop group "the moonglows"/"aincerely", he worked w/"the spinners", "jr. walker & the all-stars" and "shorty long") (2010)
michael been (lead singer for early '90's american rock band "the call"/"let the day begin") (2010)
kenny edwards (singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist and founding member of "60's country rock/pop band "the stone poneys"w"linda ronstadt"/"different drum", edwards also worked with "stevie nicks", "don henley", "brian wilson" and many others) (2010)
richard lopez (founding member of the one hit wonders from east l.a. hispanic band "head hunter & the cannibals"/"land of 1000 dances") (2010)
ritchie hayward (phenomenal drummer for influential but vastly underrated american rock band "little feat"/"dixie chicken", "fat man in the bathtub" so many many more, hayward worked with other artists too like "eric clapton" and "robert plant") (2010)
*phelps "catfish" collins" (gtrst. for legendary influential funk/psychadelic band and rock and roll hall of fame inductees "parliament funkadelic", brother of the band's co-founder "bootsy collins", collins also worked w/"james brown" on many of his hits) (2010)
andy hummel (bass player for critically acclaimed memphis early "70's rock band "big star", including lead singer, the late "alex chilton" formerly of '60's pop band "the box tops"/"the letter", cry like a baby" and others) (2010)
robert wilson (founder and bass player of '80's funk band "the gap band"/"you dropped the bomb on me", there were 3 wilson brothers in the band, robert, charlie and ronnie) (2010)
ben keith (long-time "neil young" sideman/pedal steel mostly but ketih was a multi-instrumentalist too, based out of nashville, he played on neil's "heart of gold" and "rockin in the free world" albums and toured as a member of "crazy horse" for years w/"neil young") (2010)
mitch miller (legendary "sing along with mitch" orchestra leader, recording star, tv star in the early '60's, record label executive in the pre-rock and roll era of the '40's and '50's) (2010)
bobby hebb (nashville singer/songwriter responsible for 1968 pop hit "sunny", he also wrote "natural man" for "lou rawls", he toured w/"the beatles" in the '60's too) (2010)
walter hawkins (grammy award winning gospel singer, composer and pastor, his gospel records sold millions) (2010)
bob mercer (legendary music industry executive w/"EMI Records", he was responsible for signing acts like "queen" and "olivia newton john", he briefly managed "paul mccartney", he ran "jimmy buffet's" record label "margaritaville"and he was instrumental in developing the "now that's what i call music" compliation series, which has sold hundreds of millions of copies globally since the late 1990's) (2010)
bill aucoin (music manager of "kiss" and "billy squire" and "billy idol", he was responsible for discovering and making "kiss" the marketing juggernaut that they are today) (2010)
george david weiss (songwriter responsible for 3 major hits/"elvis" "can't help falling in love" and "louis armstrong" "what a wonderful world", also "the tokens" "the lion sleeps tonite", he also wrote for "frank sinatra", "tom jones" and many others) (2010)
hank cochran (country songwriter who had huge hits with "make the world go away"/"eddie arnold", he co-wrote "i fall to pieces"/"patsy cline" too and many other country classics for artists like "ronnie milsap" and "mickey gilley")(2010)
tuli kupferberg (founding member of nyc underground, anti-war '60's protest bands "the fugs") (2010)
phillip walker (blues gtrst./singer who backed "etta james" and lowell fulson" and worked with "little richard" for a short ime as well) (2010)
al goodman (lead singer of "the moments", new jersey r&b band from the '70's/"love on a 2 way street," sexy mama" and others) (2010)
fred carter jr. (longtime nashville session player, worked w/"willie nelson", "dolly parton", "waylon jennings" and many others, also pop/rock/blues stars like "simon & garfunkel"," bob dylan" and "muddy waters") (2010)
eddie fisher (reknowned crooner from the "50's, he had 19 singles in the "top ten"including 4 # 1's/"wish you were here", "i'm walking behind you", "oh! my pa-pa" and "i need you now"...his music was covered by "the beach boys" and "frank zappa", he was married to 3 of hollywoods' most famous actresses, "elizabeth taylor", debbie reynolds" and "conie stevens") (2010)
buddy morrow (trombonist/bandleader beginning in the late 1930's, he was at the top of the "swing world" for 7 decades, w/"the artie shaw orchestra","the tommy dorsey orchestra", the "jimmy dorsey orchestra" and 'the tonite show band" as well, along with his own rochestra/"rose rose i love you", "night train" "one mint julep") (2010)
*solomon burke (known as "the king of rock and soul", he was a soul legend on atlantic records/"cry to me", "everybody needs somebody to love", he was covered by "otis redding", "bruce springsteen" and 'the rolling stones", "the blues brothers" and "patrick swayze") (2010)
t. lavitz (keyboardist w/jazz fusion band the "dixie dregs", and the "jefferson starship", he also worked w/"robbie kreiger ("the doors")", "pat benatar", "nils lofgren" and others) (2010)
general johnson (lead singer for r&b band from the "60's & '70's "chairman of the board"/"give me just a little more time", he also wrote "patches" for "clarence clemons" and 'want ads" for "the honeycombs") (2010)
layne staley ("alice in chains" singer/"man in the box", "rooster", he o.d.'ed exactly 8 years to the day after kurt cobain killed himself) (2002)
*janis joplin (legendary blues-rock chick singer from the san francisco scene of the '60's [though she was born in texas], with "big brother & the holding co."/"down on me", "piece of my heart", "me and bobby mcgee" [written by kris kristofferson]) (1970)
phil lynott (bass and singer for irish rockers "thin lizzy"/"jailbreak", "the boys are back in town") (1986)
danny whitten (gtrst. for "crazy horse", "neil young's" band, danny can be heard all over the album "everybody knows this is nowhere", there's a picture of him too in the liner notes for that album/cd) (1972)
*jerry garcia (legendary co-founder and gtrst./singer/songwriter for the "grateful dead"/"truckin", "sugar magnolia", jerry died in a de-tox center of a heart attack, de-toxing from heroin) (1995)
kurt cobain (much worshipped and misunderstood singer/songwriter/gtrst. for "nirvana"/"smells like teen spirit") (he's under 2 categories here) (1994)
john belushi (brilliant but drug crazed "sat. nite live" alum, "jake" of the "blues bros.") (speedball: cocaine and heroin) (1982)
lenny bruce (cutting edge comedian, the 1st guy to incorporate profanity into his act back in the late '50's and early '60's/funeral paid for by "phil spector") (1966)
*dee dee ramone (real name: douglas colvin, bassist for "the ramones", 3 of the original "ramones" are now dead) (2002)
tommy bolin ("deep purple" gtrst. after "ritchie blackmore" left in mid-70's) (1976)
*frankie lymon (of "the teenagers") ('50's singer/ teen idol,/"why do fools fall in love") (1968 )
ric grech (bass player for "blind faith" and another british band "family" and "traffic" too....he also did some production work for "gram parsons"/"can't find my way home", "presence of the lord") (1990)
hilliel slovak (original "red hot chili peppers" gtrst. before the band became popular) (1988)
sid vicious (real name: john simon ritchie...bassist for the "sex pistols") (1979)
robby macintosh (drummer for "average white band"/"pick up the pieces") (1974)
pete farndon (1983) and james honeyman-scott (1982) (both gtrsts. for "the pretenders"/"middle of the road", "brass in pocket")
brian cole (singer/bass player for "the association"/ "along comes mary", "windy", "cherish") (1972)
*benny benjamin (legendary motown drummer/"the funk brothers", the session musicians who played on ALL the motown hits) (1968)
paul kosoff (gtrst. for "free" w/"paul rodgers"/"allright now") (1976)
andrew wood (singer for "mother love bone", seattle grunge pioneers before "pearl jam" and "nirvana") (1990)
mike bloomfield (legendary blues gtrst., session guy w/"bob dylan" on 'highway 61 revisted', also was in the band that backed up "dylan" the 1st time he went "electric" in 1965 at the 'newport jazz festival', rhode island/member of '60's rockers "paul butterfield blues band" and "electric flag", a part of the "super sessions" album w/"al kooper" back in '68) (1981)
tim buckley ('60's folk rock/protest singer) (1975)
al "blind owl" wilson (singer for "canned heat"/ "goin up the country", "on the road again") (1970)
*billy holiday (legendary jazz singer, worked w/"count basie", "benny goodman", during '30's, '40's, '50's, was arrested on her death bed for heroin possession) (1959)
jimmy mccullough ("wings" gtrst.{there were a few of them, he was one of 'em}, also "thunderclap newman" gtrst.) ("thunderclap newman" had the hit "something in the air" in the early '70's)) (1979)
brad nowell (singer/gtrst. for "sublime") (1996)
gary thain (bass player for"uriah heep"/"sweet lorraine","easy livin","stealin") (1975)
johnny thunders (co-founder/gtrst./front man for the "new york dolls", glam-punk pioneers in early '70's....4 "dolls" are now dead) (1991)
vinnie taylor (gtrst. for "sha-na-na", goofy but slick '50's tribute band from late '60's...they played the original "woodstock" festival in '69) (1974)
tim hardin (legendary but troubled '60's folk singer who wrote 2 smash hits, that others had hits with, not him! "if i were a carpenter", "bobby darin" covered that in '67 and "reason to believe", "rod stewart" covered that in '71...tim was a dope buddy of "jim morrison's" of "the doors"...he also appeared at the original "woodstock" in '69) (1980)
robert quine (one of punk rock's most innovative gtrsts., heavily influenced by "the velvet underground"... he played w/"lou reed", "richard hell & the voidoids", "tom wait" and others (2004)
derek frigo (former lead gtrst. for "enuff z'nuff", chicago based early '90's rock band) (2004)
kristen pfaff (bassist for "hole" ["courtney love's" band]) (1994)
jonathon melvoin (touring kybrdst. for "smashing pumpkins") (1996)
bobby sheehan (bassist for "blues traveler") (1999)
g.g.allin (notorious punk rocker [of no consequence musically] from '80's and early '90's who would defecate on stage then eat his own feces!) (1993)
greg herbert (sax man for "blood sweat and tears"/ "spinning wheel", you've made me so very happy", many many others) (1978)
randy jo hobbs (bass, sax, gtrst. for "the mccoys", "johnny winter", "rick derringer", "montrose") (1993)
jon-jon poulos (original drummer for '60's pop, chicago-based "the buckinghams"/"kind of a drag", "don't you care", "mercy mercy mercy", many others) (1980)
*rudy lewis (one of the many lead singers for "the drifters"/rudy sang on "up on the roof",and "on broadway", he replaced "ben e. king" in the band) (1964)
"stevo" jensen (original lead singer for avante-garde southern california punk pioneers "the vandals", he was with them in the early '80's) (2005)
tony thompson (singer for '90's black r&b band "hi-five"/"i can't wait another minute", "i like the way (kissing game)" and others) (2007)
malcolm owen (vclst. for british reggae-influenced punk band "the ruts"/"babyon's burning", late '70's, early '80's) (1980)
darby crash (lead singer for l.a. punk band "the germs", one of the original punk bands to emerge from l.a in the late '70's) (1980)
paul gray (bass player for heavy-thrash-speed metal band "slipknot", all the members wear masks on stage) (2010)
*duane allman (legendary slide gtrst., session gtrst. at "muscle shoals studios", gtrst. for "the allman bros." (1971) (motorcycle)
*berry oakley (bass player for "the allman bros.", he was killed 3 blocks from where "duane" died a year earlier) (1972) (motorcycle)
billy stewart (huge black guy, incredible singer, one hit wonder with "george gershwin's" classic "summertime" from '66) (1970) (car, 3 other band members died with billy too)
clarence white (gtrst. for "the byrds") (1973) (hit by drunk driver while loading equipment after a gig)
cliff burton (former "metallica" bass player) (1986) (fatal "metallica" van wreck in europe)
marc bolen (he was "t-rex"/"get it on, bang a gong", "ringo starr" worked with t-rex, so did "flo and eddie" ["the turtles"]) (1977) (car)
allen collins (gtrst. for "lynard skynard", ultimately, a car crash both disabled and killed allen) (1990)
cozy powell ("jeff beck group"/"black sabbath"/legendary solo british session drummer) (1998) (car)
james dean (the original rebel, only made 3 movies in his whole career) (1955) (car)
sonny bono ("sonny and cher"/"i got you babe", "the beat goes on", sonny started as a songwriter/gopher for "phil spector" in l.a. in early '60's) (1998) (skiied into a tree)
falco(real name: hans holzel, german singer/songwriter,"der kommisar", "rock me ammadeus") (1998) (car crash in dominican republic)
sandy denny (sang b.g. chick vocals on "the battle of evermore" w/ "led zeppelin," member of british outfit "fairport convention") (1978) (fell down stairs)
kit lambert (original "who" manager in the '60's) (1981) (fell down stairs)
tommy caldwell ("marshall tucker" bass player, younger brother of toy, lead singer in the band) (1980) (car)
patti santos (chick singer on song "white bird", by "its a beautiful day") (1989) (car)
tim kelly (gtrst.for "slaughter") (1998) (car)
lynn strait ("snot" lead singer) (1998) (car)
"razzle" (real name: nicholas dingley)("hanoi rocks" drummer, vince neil of "motley crue" was driving that car that crashed and killed razzle) (1984) (car)
donnie hathaway (singer from the '70's, known for his work with "roberta flack"/"where is the love", "the closer i get to you") (fell from a hotel window in n.y.c., probable suicide) (1979)
gus dudgeon (legendary rock producer, primarily for "elton john", but he also worked w/"david bowie" and "the zombies" and others...he produced all of "elton's" biggest hits from all of his biggest albums from the '70's) (2002) (car)
chris bell (singer/songwriter/gtrst. for early '70's memphis act "big star", featuring "alex chilton" formerly of the "box tops") (1978) (car)
phil "taylor" kramer (bassist, though not original member, of "iron butterfly"['inna-gadda-da-vida"], his remains went undiscovered for 4 years after wrecking his van in a southern california ravine near malibu) (1995, remains found in '99) (van wreck)
freyda epstein (multi instrumentalist,violinist, violist, gtrst. and vocalist with folk bands "trapezoid" and "acoustic attitude") (2003) (car)
rushton moreve (original bassist for "steppenwolf" in 1968, wrote "magic carpet ride" then left the band) (1981) (car)
*nico (real name: christa paffgen, swingin' '60's model, "velvet underground" chick singer and former squeeze of "jim morrison's" of "the doors" and "andy warhol" plaything) (1988) (hit by a car while riding a bicycle in spain)
johnny kidd (early british rocker w/ "the pirates" who were england's 1st raunchy rock band/"shakin all over", covered by "the who" on "live at leeds") (1966) (car)
*tommy gaither (singer for music's legendary 1st r&b vocal group "the orioles"/"its too soon to know", "crying in the chapel", many many others) (car) (1950)
bessie smith ("empress of the blues", from early 1900's, highest paid black performer of her day, $1500 per gig in late '20's, worked w"louie armstrong", loved her gin/"nobody knows you when you're down and out" (1937) (car)
rod price (founding member & lead gtrst. for "foghat"/"fool for the city", "slowride", he also worked w/blues legends like "john lee hooker" and "muddy waters" and willie dixon") (fell down stairs) (2005)
richard farina (folk singer,author, dulcimer player from late '50's, early '60's, married "joan baez'" sister mimi) (motorcycle) (1966)
steve currie (bassist, for a time, for "t-rex"/"bang a gong", "the slider") (car) (1981)
kirsty macoll (british singer who worked w/"rolling stones","talking heads"," simple minds" and others, wife of big time producer "steve lillywhite") (boating accident) (2000)
jerry edmunton (original drummer w/"steppenwolf"/"born to be wild", "the pusher", "magic carpet ride", he & his brother dennis, a.k.a. "mars bonfire" came from canada w/steppenwolf founder "john kay" in the '60's) (car) (1993)
johnny horton (novelty singer from the '50's/"battle of new orleans", "north to alaska") (car) (1960)
doug nelson ("jonny lang's" bass player/"lie to me", jonny, a hot shot teen gtr. slinger from late '90's) (hit by car) (2000)
tony meehan (original drummer w/influential british pop/gtr. group "the shadows", who pre-dated 'the beatles" and all the other british wave acts in early '60's/"apache", "fbi")(fell at his home) (2005)
roebuck "pops" staples (patriarch of the "staples singers", a family vocal gospel group, they were "stax records" stars in late '60's thru mid '70's) (fell at his home) (2000)
gerry tolman (mgr. of "crosby, stills & nash" and of NASCAR driver "tony stewart" too, he was also a musician and songwriter) (car) (2005)
pete de freitas (drummer for english pop band from late '70's thru much of the '80's "echo & the bunnymen") (motorcycle) (1989)
mary hansen (singer/gtrst. for quirky british '90's band "stereolab") (bicycle accident) (2002)
*ahmet ertegun (hugely influential, legendary founder of "atlantic records", launched the careers of countless pop, r&b, jazz and rock stars, including "led zeppelin", "ray charles", "aretha franklin", "csn&y", "cream", "yes", so many others, a monster in the industry) (fell at a "rolling stones" concert, major head injury, then into a coma) (2006)
brent liles ( bass player for cutting edge "80's rock punk pioneers "social distortion"/"mommy's little monster") (hit by a truck while riding his bike) (2007)
jesse belvin (prolific songwriter/pianist from the '50's, he toured w/"sam cooke" & "jackie wilson", 2 monster hits: "earth angel"["the penguins" did this]. "goodnite my love", which "alan freed", radio dj pioneer, used to close out his radio show nitely) (1960) (car)
stiv bators (real name: steven john bator, vclst. & gtrst. for punk pioneers "the dead boys",a popular act at "cbgb's" in n.y.c., then bators formed another punk outfit "the lords of the new church" in england in early '80's, he also had cameo film appearances over his career) (hit by car in paris) (1990)
ola brunkert (drummer for swedish pop superstars "abba"/"dancing queen", "knowing me knowing you", so many more) (fell thru glass windowpane in spain) (2008)
d.boon (gtrst. for cutting edge, groundbreaking california punk/underground band "the minutemen", which also included punk pioneer "mike watt", "the minutemen" toured with "r.e.m." before THEY became big stars) (van accident) (1985)
hugh jarrett (back-up singer for "elvis presley", jarrett was a member of "the jordinaires", "elvis'" backing band, he also appeared with "elvis" in several of "the king's" movies) (2008) (car accident)
leroi moore (sax guy for jam masters, grammy award winning, stadium filling "the dave matthews band"/"ants marching", "crash into me" what would you say", so many more) (ATV accident) (2008)
dennis yost (lead singer for "60's pop stars "the classics 4"/"stormy", "spooky", "traces of love") (fell down steps/brain injury)(2008)
jake brockman (former kybrd. guy for "80's british techno-pop band "echo & the bunnymen") (bicycle accident) (2009)
mike edwards (founding member of "ELO"/"evil woman," strange magic," "its a living thing,", "fire on high" so many more, he played cello) (crushed by huge bale of hay in his car) (2010)
Guns/Stabbings/Assassination/Suicide/Death by Misadventure
By Sean McDowell
Monday, July 28, 2008
*john lennon ("beatles" singer/songwriter) (shot by a deranged fan) (1980)
*sam cooke (incredible singer/songwriter from late '50's, early '60's/"another saturday nite", "twistin the nite away", "cupid", many, many others) (shot by a hotel mgr.in l.a.) (1964)
bobby fuller (of the "bobby fuller 4", 1 hit wonders...shot, but under mysterious circumstances) (" i fought the law...") (1966)
felix pappalardi ("mountain" singer and bassist/"nantucket sleighride"/"cream" songwriter and producer) (1983) (shot by his wife)
*al jackson ("stax" stars "booker t. and mg's" drummer/"time is tight" hang 'em high", "green onions") (1975) (shot in his home by an armed intruder)
*terry kath ("chicago" gtrst., singer, he and "jimi hendrix" were pals/kath sang on "make me smile", and "colour my world" and other "chicago" hits) (1978) (accident while allegedly playing russian roulette)
kurt cobain (much worshipped and misunderstood "nirvana" singer/gtrst.) (1994) (suicide by shotgun)
*marvin gaye (legendary superstar motown singer/songwriter/"what's goin on", "you're all i need to get by", "heard it thru the grapevine","sexual healing", many, many others) (1984) (shot by his father)
peter tosh (reggae superstar, original member of "the wailers"w/"bob marley") (1987) (murdered by burglers in his home)
phil hartmann (brilliant and much loved "sat.nite live" alum) (shot by his wife) (1998)
wendy o. williams (bizarre "plasmatics" front person) (1998) (suicide by gun)
jaco pastorius (reknowned session bass player for "weather report", "joni mitchell", others) (1987) (beaten to death outside ft.lauderdale club)
mal evans ("beatles" original road mgr., was w/the fab 4 till the very end, mal can be heard talking or playing a goofy instrument on several "beatles" songs, he can be seen at the very beginning of film "let it be") (1976) (shot by police in los angeles during a serious misunderstanding)
*del shannon (real name: charles westover...greatly influential early '60's rocker/singer/underrated gtrst., was 1st to record "bob seger" in a studio back in the '60's/"runaway", "little town flirt") (1990) (suicide by gun)
tommy boyce (1/2 of top songwriting team from '60's, w/"bobby hart", they wrote "the monkees" big hits like" last train to clarksville" and "valerie" and others...) (1994) (suicide by gun)
larry williams (singer-songwriter from new orleans originally/"boney maroney", and "the beatles" covered 2 of larry's songs: "dizzy miss lizzy" and "slowdown") (1980) (suicide by shotgun)
little walter (real name: marion walter jacobs) (legendary harp player with the great "muddy waters", it was little walter who 1st amplified the harmonica in concert, he wrote "boom boom, out go the lights", covered by "pat travers") (1968) (he died as a result of a street fight in chicago)
john lee "sonny boy" williamson (the original "sonny boy" williamson, from the '30's and '40's... there were 2 "sonny boy" williamson's and they were both legendary blues harp players! john lee was the older of the 2, they weren't related...john lee played with "big bill broonzy", legendary blues gtrst.) (mugged on the way home from a chicago club, he died from his injuries) (1948)
bobby bloom (one hit wonder/"montego bay" from '60's) (it was reported that he accidentally shot himself somehow in l.a.) (1974)
*cornell gunter (singer w/"the coasters"/"yakkity yak", "charlie brown", "poison ivy") (shot to death in las vegas) (1990)
*king curtis (real name: curtis ousley, top session tenor sax man, played with all the "50's and '60's stars like "buddy holly", "coasters", "drifters", "wilson pickett" & "sam cooke" and many others) (stabbed to death in n.y.c.) (1971))
*paul williams (original member of "the temptations", he was responsible for "the temps" mesmerizing dance moves in concert) (alleged suicide by gun in his car) (1973)
graham bond (early '60's british blues pioneer["graham bond organization"], "jack bruce", and "ginger baker" played w/bond before forming "cream") (jumped in front of a train) (1974)
danny rapp (lead singer for "danny & the juniors"/2 million selling "at the hop" and also "rock and roll is here to stay", late '50's philly doo-wop pop band discovered by "dick clark" of 'american bandstand') (suicide by gun) (1983)
john whitehead (1/2 of "mcffaden & whitehead", philly r & b performers/songwriters, they sang 'ain't no stoppin us now' in '79, and wrote for "the o'jays": 'back stabbers' and 'for the love of money', and many other songs for other artists..."mcfadden & whitehead" were discovered by "otis redding" back in the '60's) (shot to death by 2 gunman on the streets of philadelphia) (2004)
elliot smith (gifted singer songwriter, oscar nominated for his music in the soundtrack of film "good will hunting") (suicide by knife) (2003)
johnny ace (real name: john alexander, r&b star from the early '50's/"yes, baby", "my song", "the clock" and others) (russian roulette backstage during a break) (1955)
terry knight (former manager of "grand funk", extremely bitter split w/the band in '72 permanently estranged him from the 3 band members) (stabbed to death by his daughter's boyfriend) (2004)
"dimebag" darrell (real name: darrell abbott, former gtrst. for "pantera" and was w/"damageplan" at the time of his death) (murdered on stage by crazed gunman at columbus club) (2004)
james "shep" sheppard (founder of "shep and the limelights", r&b group from early '60's/"daddy's home") (robbed and murdered in his car in n.y.c.) (1970)
samuel george (drummer/lead singer for 'the capitols"/"cool jerk" from '66) (stabbed to death in argument in detroit) (1982)
hunter s. thompson (creator of "gonzo journalism", legendary brilliant novelist & writer beginning in the '60's, heavy doper and drinker and gun enthusiast, once took the hells angels to "ken kesey's" farm in california in '65 for an "acid test") (suicide by gun) (2005)
selena (tejano {hispanic but born in texas} singer, wildly popular in the latino community) (shot by her fan club's president) (1995)
arlester christian (singer/songwriter/bass player for "o'jays" back up band, wrote "funky broadway" for "wilson pickett", was "dyke" in "dyke & the blazers" from late '60's) (shot by gunman on gehtto street in phoenix) (1971)
barry sadler (wrote & sang hugely popular "ballad of the green berets" in "66, former green beret himself) (shot by mysterious unknown assailant in guatamala, never fully recovered and died within the next year) (1989)
nathaniel "buster" wilson (bass singer for "the coasters"/"yakity yak", "charlie brown", many many others) (shot to death in las vegas, his hands and feet were both cut off!) (1980)
johnny jackson (original drummer for "the jackson 5", motown superstars featuring a pre-teen "michael jackson"/"i'll be there", "i want you back", "abc" many others) (stabbed by unknown woman) (2006)
daniel mckenna (gtrst. for texas pop band "toby beau", 1 hit wonders from '78/ "my angel baby")(suicide by gun) (2006)
jeffrey carteralbrecht (kybrdst. for dallas '90's rock band "edie brickell & the new bohemians", (shot by unknown assailant, possibly a burglery) (2007)
linda stein (former "ramones" mgr. and "realtor to the stars" in nyc, she was found beaten to death in her luxury nyc apt., she was married to "sire records" founder "seymour stein", who signed "talking heads", and "madonna" as well as the "ramones", her real estate clients included "sting", "billy joel", "elton john" and many others who were rich and famous) (2007)
daniel harrison (former tour manager for "billy joel" and "paul simon") (stabbed by girlfriend) (2005)
brad delp (lead singer for "boston", their debut album in 1976 is the best selling debut album in history/"more than a feeling", "foreplay-longtime", "rock and roll band", "boston" had a ton of hits and brad delp had an enormous vocal range too) (suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning) (2007)
cliff davies ("ted nugent's" drummer on all of ted's biggest hits, "stranglehold", "cat scratch fever", "dog eat dog", "great white buffalo", many others) (suicide by gun) (2008)
joe meek (visionary british producer-songwriter behind "the tornadoes" huge hit "telstar" and "the honeycombs" "have i the right", both from the '60's, he murdered his landlady with a shotgun then turned the gun on himself) (1967)
brian epstein (closeted homosexual "beatles" mgr. and the guy who discovered the fab 4, and they were never the same without him either) (barbituates o.d./ probably a suicide) (1967)
*jimi hendrix (guitar god/"purple haze", "little wing", "angel", former army paratrooper w/101st airborne) (sleeping pills and wine/accidental) (1970)
gram parsons (legendary country rock pioneer, member of "the byrds" [for less than 1 year], founder of "flying burrito bros.", much-admired solo career, heroin-coke pals w/"keith richards") (morphine & tequila/accidental) (1973)
rob pilatus (1/2 of "milli vanilli", the lip-synching, grammy winning phonies [the grammys, 'best new artist'-1990, were returned after it was discovered the 2 guys in "milli vanilli" didn't actually sing the lyrics themselves] (alcohol and prescription pills in a germany hotel room, probable suicide) (1998)
dave blood ( punk rockers "dead milkmen" bassist, it hasn't been confirmed yet publicly, as of 3/17/04, but we suspect it was a barbituates suicide...sadly, it was definately a suicide, we just don't know how he did it...yet...) (2004)
rory storm, of "the hurricanes" (real name: alan caldwell...the liverpool band "ringo starr" played with before joining "the beatles" in '62...he was found dead w/his mother, a combo of booze and sleeping pills in a suicide pact) (1972)
nick drake (mysterious, troubled british folk singer, only recorded 4 albums, none sold well, he died at his parents' home in england, o.d.'ing on anti-depressants) (1974)
paul hammond (original drummer for "atomic rooster"/"death walks behind you") (barbituates o.d./ suicide) (1993)
*dinah washington(real name: ruth jones, powerful jazz/pop vocalist from '40's & '50's, worked w/"lionel hampton", "max roach", "brook benton" ["rainy nite in georgia"]) (booze and pills/accidental) (1963)
bryan ottoson (gtrst. for "american head charge", fledgling rockers from u.s.a.) (prescription pills o.d., apparently accidental) (2005)
lester bangs (legendary rock/punk critic from late '60's thru the early '80's, wrote for "rolling stone" "creem", "the village voice", "penthouse, "playboy" and many other magazines, he is credited with coining the term" punk" when describing bands) (darvon & valium) (1982)
steve foley (drummer for "the replacements" final tour in 1991) (prescription medication o.d./accidental) (2008)
jay bennett (former "wilco" gtrst.,"wilco" is an american alternative/country rock/folk band, bennett sued "wilco" members for unpaid royalties shortly before he died) (fentanyl patch o'd) (2009)
vic chestnutt (athens georgia-based singer-songwriter, confined to a wheelchair, discovered by "REM" frontman "michael stipe" in the late '80's, he released 13 albums in his career, he was also greatly appreciated by "patti smith")(od'ed on muscle relaxers, possible suicide)(2009)
jimmy "the rev" sullivan (drummer for orange county metal scene band "avenged sevenfold") (acute polydrug intoxication/oxycodone, oxymorphone, diazepam and others!) (2010)
© 2012
