DEAD MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN FEBRUARY 2022
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN FEBRUARY 2022
FEBRUARY 1
HIROSHIMA ( ) / AKA TOHRU "MONAMOUR" HIROSHIMA, JAPANESE HARDCORE PUNK DRUMMER , BEST KNOWN FOR HIS WORK WITH THE HARDCORE LEGEND G.I.S.M. (ギズム). GISM PLAYED THEIR FIRST GIG AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO IN 1981. DEBUT ALBUM DETESTATION IN 1983, THEN M.A.N. (MILITARY AFFAIRS NEUROTIC) IN 1987. HIROSHIMA HAD ANOTHER BAND WITH THE GUITARIST RANDY UCHIDA CALLED R.U.G. (RANDY UCHIDA GROUP) WHICH MADE ONE VINYL EP DEATHLY FIGHTER IN 1984.
JON ZAZULA (69) / BORN JONATHAN ZAZULA AKA JONNY Z, AMERICAN MUSIC INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE, A RECORD STORE OWNER (ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN IN NEW JERSEY) AND CO-FOUNDER OF MEGAFORCE RECORDS LABEL (WITH HIS WIFE MARSHA). HELPED METALLICA START A CAREER, ORGANIZED THEIR FIRST TOURS, RELEASED KILL 'EM ALL, METALLICA'S DEBUT ALBUM. SIGNED TAD, MINISTRY, WARREN HAYNES, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, KING'S X, ACE FREHLEY'S COMET AND OTHERS.
FEBRUARY 2
JOE DIORIO (85) / AMERICAN JAZZ GUITARIST. WORKED WITH SONNY STITT, STAN GETZ, HORACE SILVER, ANITA O'DAY, FREDDIE HUBBARD, EDDIE HARRIS, PAT METHENY. RECORDED WITH ROBBEN FORD, MICK GOODRICK, PETE AND CONTE CANDOLI, GARY WILLIS, DAVE BECKER.
WILLIE LEACOX (74) / AMERICAN MUSICIAN, BEST KNOWN AS THE FORMER DRUMMER OF THE ROCK BAND AMERICA. SON OF A DRUMMER, HE HAD OTHER DRUMMING RELATIVES AS WELL. AMERICA WAS FORMED IN LONDON IN 1970 AND LEACOX JOINED IN MARCH 1973, JUST AFTER THEIR SUCCESSFUL, GOLD DISC SECOND ALBUM HOMECOMING AND RETIRED IN 2014 AFTER 41 YEARS.
FEBRUARY 6
GEORGE CRUMB (92) / AMERICAN MODERN CLASSICAL AND AVANT-GARDE MUSIC COMPOSER, EMPLOYING EXTENDED VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES AND RARE TIMBRES. APART FROM USUAL INSTRUMENTS, SOMETIMES PLAYED IN UNUSUAL WAYS, CRUMB USED IN HIS COMPOSITIONS TOY PIANOS, BOWED WATER GLASSES, CARILLON, ELECTRIC FLUTE, SPOKEN WORD, AMPLIFIED PIANOS, SITAR, GLASS HARMONICA, ANTIPHONAL CHILDREN'S VOICES, MALE SPEAKING CHOIRS, BELL RINGERS. ALSO USED UNUSUAL MUSICAL NOTATION, MASKS, COSTUMES, TEXTS (FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA). ONE OF CRUMB'S MOST FAMOUS COMPOSITIONS WAS BLACK ANGELS (THIRTEEN IMAGES FROM THE DARKLAND) FROM 1970, A PROTEST AGAINST THE VIETNAM WAR, WHICH INSPIRED DAVID HERRINGTON TO FORM THE KRONOS QUARTET. GEORGE CRUMB HAD MANY OUTSTANDING STUDENTS INCLUDING THE JAZZ AND CLASSICAL PIANIST AND COMPOSER URI CAINE.
SYL JOHNSON (85) / AMERICAN BLUES AND SOUL SINGER, GUITARIST, SONGWRITER, RECORD PRODUCER, RECORD LABEL OWNER. HAD BIG HITS LIKE "DIFFERENT STROKES" (1967), "IS IT BECAUSE I'M BLACK" (1969), "TAKE ME TO THE RIVER" (1975). BROTHER OF JIMMY JOHNSON WHO DIED A WEEK EARLIER.
FEBRUARY 7
ZBIGNIEW NAMYSŁOWSKI (82) / POLISH JAZZ ALTO SAXOPHONIST, COMPOSER AND BANDLEADER. ALSO JAZZ CELLO, TROMBONE, FLUTE AND PIANO PLAYER. ONE OF THE GREATEST GIANTS AND LEGENDS OF BOTH POLISH AND EUROPEAN JAZZ. HAD A VERY UNIQUE, INDIVIDUAL SOUND. BORN IN WARSAW JUST A WEEK AFTER GERMANS INVADED POLAND (ACTUALLY ON THE EVACUATION TRAIN TO VILNIUS). HIS PARENTS WERE SOON KILLED BY GERMANS AND HE WAS BROUGHT UP BY HIS GRANDMOTHER. AFTER THE WAR THEY SETTLED DOWN IN KRAKÓW WHERE ZBIGNIEW STARTED HIS MUSICAL EDUCATION, THEN IN 1954 THEY MOVED BACK TO WARSAW AGAIN. NAMYSŁOWSKI STARTED PLAYING JAZZ IN 1957 IN HYBRYDY STUDENTS CLUB, THEN THE 2ND JAZZ MUSIC FESTIVAL IN SOPOT LATER THAT YEAR. INITIALLY TRAD JAZZ TROMBONIST (LED MODERN DIXIELANDERS), LATER SWITCHED TO MODERN ALTO SAX. APPEARED AT THE FIRST JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC CONCERT. WITH THE WRECKERS LED BY ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI, NAMYSŁOWSKI TOURED THE US IN 1962 (FIRST SUCH TOUR). THEN FORMED HIS OWN JAZZ ROCKERS AND ZBIGNIEW NAMYSŁOWSKI QUARTET. IN 1964 HIS MODERN JAZZ QUARTET RECORDED LOLA FOR DECCA. HE PLAYED WITH ALL THE GREATS INCLUDING KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA, CZESŁAW NIEMEN, MICHAŁ URBANIAK, ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI , ROMAN DYLĄG APPEARING ON THEIR BEST ALBUMS. THE LISTS OF THE BEST POLISH JAZZ ALBUMS OF ALL TIME USUALLY HAVE ASTIGMATIC BY KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA AS UNDISPUTED #1, THEN #2 AND #3 GO TO WINOBRANIE (1973) AND KUJAVIAK GOES FUNKY (1975), BOTH BY NAMYSŁOWSKI AND ZBIGNIEW NAMYSŁOWSKI IS THE ONLY MUSICIAN PLAYING ON ALL THREE. LIKE CHOPIN, NAMYSŁOWSKI WAS GREATLY INSPIRED BY POLISH FOLKLORE, BUT WAS ALSO INSPIRED BY INDIAN AND BALKAN FOLK MUSIC. HE ALSO LOVED ODD TIME SIGNATURES, COMPLEX HARMONIES, WAS INTERESTED IN ROCK, FUNK, COMPOSED QUALITY POP SONGS.
FEBRUARY 9
BETTY DAVIS (77) / BORN BETTY MABRY, AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, MODEL. STARTED WRITING SONGS AT 12. WAS AN INNOVATIVE FUNK, ROCK, R&B SINGER USING SEXUAL LYRICS, SEEMED CONTROVERSIAL TO SOME. HAD SUCCESS IN EUROPE, BUT BOYCOTTED AND CENSORED IN THE US, BANNED FROM THE RADIO BY RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND THE NAACP (SIC!). CARLOS SANTANA SAID SHE WAS INDOMITABLE, EXTREME AND ATTRACTIVE. IN 1968 RELATIONSHIP WITH HUGH MASEKELA, THEN WITH MILES DAVIS, WHOM SHE MARRIED IN 1968 AND DIVORCED IN 1969 DUE TO HIS VIOLENT NATURE. BETTY DAVIS INTRODUCED MILES TO THE NEW STYLES OF FASHION AND THE MUSIC OF HER FRIENDS, JIMI HENDRIX AND SLY STONE AND SO CHANGED THE DIRECTIONS IN MODERN MUSIC.
IAN McDONALD (75) / ENGLISH MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST AND ROCK SESSION MUSICIAN, PLAYED ALTO SAXOPHONE, ALSO KEYBOARDS, FLUTE, VIBRAPHONE, GUITAR. FOUNDING MEMBER OF KING CRIMSON (1969) AND FOREIGNER (1976). APPEARS ON KING CRIMSON'S TWO STUDIO (IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING AND RED) AND FIFTEEN OTHER ALBUMS, FOREIGNER'S THREE STUDIO AND SEVENTEEN OTHER. RECORDED WITH McDONALD AND GILES, JOHN WETTON, STEVE HACKETT, 21st CENTURY SCHIZOID BAND, ALSO WITH T.REX ("GET IT ON"), HERBIE MANN (LONDON UNDERGROUND), JAKKO JAKSZYK, ASIA, LINDA LEWIS, CENTIPEDE.
FEBRUARY 10
ROMAN KOSTRZEWSKI (61) / POLISH HEAVY METAL SINGER, LEAD VOCALIST OF KAT, SPEED METAL, THRASH BAND HE JOINED IN 1981. TOURED WITH HANOI ROCKS, DEBUT ALBUM 666 IN 1985 (ENGLISH VERSION TITLED METAL AND HELL). AFTER THE SECOND ALBUM, KAT SPLIT. IN 2001 KOSTRZEWSKI FORMED THE TWIN-BASS GUITAR EXPERIMENTAL THRASH BAND ALKATRAZ WHICH MADE A CD TITLED ERROR AND SPLIT IN 2002. IN 2004 KOSTRZEWSKI LEFT KAT AND FORMED KAT & ROMAN KOSTRZEWSKI. HE ALSO RECORDED HIS OWN SOLO ALBUM WODA AND AUDIO BOOKS INCLUDING LETTERS FROM THE EARTH BY MARK TWAIN (1999).
FEBRUARY 10
KING LOUIE BANKSTON (49) / AKA LOUIS PAUL BANKSTON AMERICAN PUNK ROCK, GARAGE PUNK AND ROCK AND ROLL MUSICIAN FROM NEW ORLEANS. IN 1991 CO-FOUNDED THE ROYAL PENDLETONS, IN 1996 GARAGE ROCK THE PERSUADERS. IN 2000 MOVED TO PORTLAND, OREGON WHERE HE JOINED THE PUNK ROCK BAND THE EXPLODING HEARTS IN 2001. THREE OF THE FOUR MEMBERS GOT KILLED IN 2003. THIS PROMISING YOUNG GROUP LEFT ONLY ONE ALBUM GUITAR ROMANTIC. IN 2013 BANKSTON STARTED TERRY AND LOUIE WITH THE ONLY SURVIVING EXPLODING HEARTS MEMBER, GUITARIST TERRY SIX. BANKSTON ALSO HAD THE KING LOUIE ONE MAN BAND WHERE HE SANG, PLAYED GUITAR, HARMONICA, DRUMS AND COWBELL. HE WAS IN ABOUT TWENTY MORE OTHER BANDS.
FEBRUARY 11
MIKE RABON (78) / BORN MICHAEL LEE RABON, AMERICAN MUSICIAN, LEAD GUITARIST, LEAD SINGER AND SONGWRITER. IN THE 1960s FOUNDER OF THE BEAT GROUP THE FIVE AMERICANS. CO-WROTE THEIR HITS INCLUDING "EVOL NOT LOVE", "I SEE THE LIGHT" AND "WESTERN UNION", COVERED BY THE VENTURES AND THE SEARCHERS. FORMED MIKE RABON AND THE CHOCTAW. WAS A TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL. WROTE FIVE BOOKS.
FEBRUARY 14
SANDY NELSON (83) / AMERICAN MUSICIAN, ROCK DRUMMER. MADE OVER 30 ALBUMS, WORKED AS SESSION MUSICIAN, MADE SOME INSTRUMENTAL HIT SINGLES, LIKE "TEEN BEAT", BILLBOARD'S #4 IN 1959 AND SOLD OVER MILLION COPIES, AND SURF ROCK "LET THERE BE DRUMS", BILLBOARD'S #7 IN 1961. WENT TO SCHOOL WITH SURF ROCK JAN AND DEAN AND PROTO-PUNK KIM FOWLEY (NELSON'S AND HIS RENEGADES' FIRST PRODUCER).
ROGER SEGAL (49) / AMERICAN PUNK ROCK BASS GUITARIST FROM PHILADELPHIA. CO-FOUNDER OF THE TRASH PUNK BAND TRASHLIGHT VISION (2004-2007, 2011), FRONTED BY ACEY SLADE (FORMERLY IN HORROR PUNK MURDERBALLS, NOW IN THE MISFITS). THEY MADE 2 EPs AND ALBUM ALIBIS AND AMMUNITION (2006). WHEN TRASHLIGHT VISION SPLIT IN 2007, ROGER SEGAL FORMED SORRY AND THE SINATRAS. WHEN THEY MADE THEIR DEBUT ALBUM HIGHBALL ROLLER IN 2009, SEGAL LEFT. HE WAS MURDERED, FOUND IN A CAR STABBED TO DEATH.
FEBRUARY 16
BOB DeMEO (66) / AMERICAN JAZZ DRUMMER WHO WAS A STUDIO MUSICIAN IN THE BLUE NOTE RECORDS IN THE EARLY 1980s. HE WORKED WITH GEORGE BENSON, NANCY WILSON, JON HENDRICKS, TYLER MITCHELL, ERIC REVIS. TEN YEARS IN PARIS WITH MICHEL GRAILLIER, HAL SINGER. PRODUCED BOBBY FEW. PLAYED WITH MELVIN GIBBS AND BERN NIX IN THE FREE JAZZ / NO WAVE BAND SEDITION ENSEMBLE.
FEBRUARY 18
DEREK HUSSEY (64-65) / AKA DEREK THE DRAW, BORN IN 1957, BRITISH MUSICIAN, SINGER AND PERCUSSIONIST. FRIEND, CHAPERONE OF IAN DURY, THE LEAD SINGER OF IAN DURY ANDTHE BLOCKHEADS. INITIALLY HE RAN A SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY (JAMES BOND, STAR WARS) AND HE MET DURY IN THE EIGHTIES BECOMING HIS FRIEND AND ON-STAGE MINDER FOR MANY YEARS AS DURY WAS STRICKEN WITH POLIO AT SEVEN. WHEN IAN DURY DIED OF CANCER AT 57 IN 2000, HUSSEY TOOK OVER THE VOCALS AND BECAME THE MAIN LYRICIST.
FEBRUARY 19
GARY BROOKER (76) / ENGLISH SINGER-SONGWRITER, PIANIST, FOUNDER OF THE ROCK GROUP PROCOL HARUM. IN 1962 FORMED THE PARAMOUNTS WITH GUITARIST ROBIN TROWER (THE ROLLING STONES WERE THEIR FANS). IN 1966 WITH LYRICIST KEITH REID, TROWER AND HAMMOND ORGANIST MATTHEW FISHER, GARY BROOKER FOUNDED PROCOL HARUM. THEIR 1967 #1 HIT SINGLE "A WHITER SHADE OF PALE" SOLD OVER 10 MILLION COPIES AND HAD OVER 1,000 COVER VERSIONS.
FEBRUARY 20
SAM HENRY (65) / AMERICAN PUNK ROCK MUSICIAN. PLAYED DRUMS WITH DIFFERENT BANDS SINCE 1970, BUT HIS FIRST SERIOUS ONE WAS FORMED IN PORTLAND AROUND 1975 WITH GUITARIST GREG SAGE AND BASSIST DAVE KOUPAL WHICH IN 1977 BECAME THE WIPERS. IN 1979 HE LEFT AND JOINED FRED AND TOODY COLE'S GARAGE PUNK BAND THE RATS AND PLAYED ON THE 1981 INTERMITTENT SIGNALS ALBUM. WHEN HE LEFT THE RATS, HENRY JOINED PUNK ROCK / PUNK BLUES / GRUNGE BAND NAPALM BEACH, WHERE HE STAYED THE LONGEST. IN 2009 FORMED THE BAND DON'T, THEN JENNY DON'T AND THE SPURS. HE ALSO PLAYED WITH THE HARDCORE PUNK BAND POISON IDEA, FUNK SHOCK, SWING JAZZ THE STOLEN SWEETS, ROOTS COUNTRY MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON AND WITH MORGAN GRACE. IN 2011 SAM HENRY WAS INDUCTED INTO THE OREGON MUSIC HALL OF FAME.
NILS LINDBERG (88) / SWEDISH COMPOSER, ARRANGER AND PIANIST, PLAYING JAZZ, FOLK AND CLASSICAL MUSIC. WORKED WITH MANY SWEDISH AND INTERNATIONAL JAZZ GREATS. IN 1957 WITH BENNY BAILEY, WITH DUKE ELLINGTON IN 1973, WITH IDREES SULIEMAN, ROMAN DYLAG, LARS GULLIN, EJE THELIN, KARIN KROG, ARNE DOMNÉRUS, JAN ALLAN.
FEBRUARY 22
MUVAFFAK "MAFFY" FALAY (92) / TURKISH JAZZ TRUMPETER, WHO LEARNED TO PLAY AT 12. PLAYED IN MANY GREAT ORCHESTRAS AND BIG BANDS LED BY KURT EDELHAGEN, QUINCY JONES, BENNY BAILEY, PHIL WOODS, AKE PERSSON, KENNY CLARKE/FRANCY BOLAND BIG BAND (SIX ALBUMS) OR THE DIZZY GILLESPIE REUNION ORCHESTRA. WORKED ALSO WITH DEXTER GORDON, STAN GETZ, ELVIN JONES, DON CHERRY. WITH DON CHERRY RECORDED THE CREATOR HAS A MASTER PLAN (1971). ALSO IN 1971 MAFFY FALAY FORMED THE BAND SEVDA WHICH INCLUDED BERNT ROSENGREN AND OKAY TEMIZ AMONG OTHERS. HIS TURKISH HOMETOWN HAS HIS TRUMPET PLAYING STATUE.
MARK LANEGAN (57) / AMERICAN SINGER, SONGWRITER, AUTHOR AND MUSICIANS. BEING INTO PUNK AND GARAGE, IN 1984 WITH THREE FRIENDS FORMED THE PSYCHEDELIC GRUNGE BAND SCREAMING TREES (SEVEN ALBUMS, THREE FOR GREG GINN'S SST RECORDS, WHICH HELPED THEM TOUR WITH fIREHOSE AND MEAT PUPPETS). THEY OFFICIALLY SPLIT IN 2000. LANEGAN ALSO SANG IN MAD SEASON (1995, 1997-1999), QOTSA (2001-2005). WITH GREG DULLI OF THE AFGHAN WHIGS FORMED THE GUTTER TWINS (2003-2011). APART FROM HIS SOLO CAREER, MARK LANEGAN HAD MANY COLLABORATIONS WITH ISOBEL CAMPBELL OF BELLE AND SEBASTIAN (THREE ALBUMS), KURT COBAIN (AN UNRELEASED ALBUM), DUKE GARWOOD, MOBY, TINARIWEN, MANIC STREET PREACHERS, UNKLE, MELISSA AUF DER MAUR, MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD AND MANY OTHERS. MARK LANEGAN WAS AN ALCOHOLIC BY 12 AND A HEROIN ADDICT BY 18. RECENTLY LANEGAN AND HIS WIFE WERE ANTI-VAXXERS AND PARANOIAC ABOUT COVID-19 BELIEVING DIFFERENT CONSPIRACY THEORIES, INCLUDING THE 5G TECHNOLOGY PARANOIA. IN MARCH 2021 HE HAD SEVERE COVID-19 AND ALMOST DIED. HE THEN CHANGED HIS MIND, CALLING HIMSELF STUPID AND WANTED VACCINATION.
FEBRUARY 23
CARLOS BARBOSA-LIMA (77) / BRAZILIAN CLASSICAL AND JAZZ GUITARIST AND ARRANGER. SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN THE US. PERFORMED SOLO AND WITH ORCHESTRAS. WORKED AND RECORDED WITH CHARLIE BYRD, LAURINDO ALMEIDA, ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM, EDDIE GOMEZ, SHARON ISBIN, THIAGO De MELLO OFTEN FOR CONCORD RECORDS LATER FOR ZOHO MUSIC.
FEBRUARY 24
DON CRAINE (76) / BORN MICK O'DONNELL, BRITISH SINGER AND GUITARIST. IN 1962 FORMED THE DOWNLINERS, SOON RENAMED THE DOWNLINERS SECT. THEY EXPERIMENTED WITH DIFFERENT STYLES INCLUDING BLUES ROCK, FREAKBEAT, R&B, GARAGE ROCK, COUNTRY. SOME OF THEIR FANS WERE STEVE MARRIOTT AND ROD STEWART (BOTH WANTED TO JOIN) AND VAN MORRISON. THE DOWNLINERS SECT OFTEN PLAYED AT THE KEN COLYER JAZZ CLUB. IN THE 1990's COLLABORATED WITH BILLY CHILDISH AND HIS THEE HEADCOATS AS THEE HEADCOATS SECT (TWO ALBUMS, 1996 AND 1999). THEY REFORMED IN 1979 AND 1991.
FEBRUARY 25
NICKY TESCO (66) / BORN NICK LIGHTOWLERS, BRITISH PUNK ROCK MUSICIAN, VOCALIST AND LYRICIST, MUSIC PRESS AND RADIO JOURNALIST. IN 1976 FORMED THE PUNK ROCK BAND THE MEMBERS AND THEY HAD MANY DIFFERENT MEMBERS IN THEIR NEARLY 50-YEAR CAREER (WITH A 25-YEAR BREAK IN THE MIDDLE) NICKY TESCO LEFT THE BAND IN 2009, AFTER THE REUNION AND MADE GUITARIST JC CARROLL THE OLDEST MEMBER OF THE MEMBERS (STILL PLAYING). AMONG OTHER CONTRIBUTORS WERE RAT SCABIES (THE DAMNED, THE MUTANTS), PAUL GRAY (EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS, THE DAMNED), CLIVE PARKER (SPIZZENERGI / ATHLETICO SPIZZ 80), STEVE BROOKES (THE JAM). IN 1979 THE MEMBERS HAD A HIT SINGLE "THE SOUND OF THE SUBURB". NICKY TESCO WROTE FOR MUSIC WEEK AND REVIEWED FOR BBC 6 MUSIC's "ROUNDTABLE" AND APPEARED IN THE AKI KAURISMÄKI DIRECTED ROAD MOVIE LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA (1989). TESCO APPEARED IN THE VIDEO FOR HIS SONG "THRU THE WIRE" DIRECTED BY KAURISMÄKI .
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