MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JANUARY 2023
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JANUARY 2023
CHECK ALSO DECEMBER 2022 AGAIN AS THERE WERE MANY NEW RECENT ADDITIONS
JANUARY 1
FRED WHITE (67) / AMERICAN DRUMMER AND COMPOSER, PLAYED AND RECORDED WITH DONNY HATHAWAY, ESPECIALLY ON FAMOUS LIVE! (1972) AND EXTENSION OF A MAN (1973), WITH LITTLE FEAT ON FEATS DON'T FAIL ME NOW (1974), LINDA RONSTADT, THE EMOTIONS RAMSEY LEWIS AND ESPECIALLY HIS BROTHERS' BAND EARTH WIND AND FIRE ON NINE ALBUMS (1975-1983). IN 2000, WITH OTHER EARTH WIND AND FIRE BAND MEMBERS, FRED WHITE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME.
DATE UNKNOWN
ALAN RANKINE (64) / SCOTTISH MUSICIAN AND RECORD PRODUCER. PLAYED KEYBOARDS AND GUITAR. FOUNDING MEM BER OF THE POST-PUNK / NEW WAVE / EXPERIMENTAL POP GROUP THE ASSOCIATES. RANKINE FORMED THE DUO THE ASSOCIATES AKA ASSOCIATES IN DUNDEE IN 1979 WITH LEAD VOCALIST BILLY MACKENZIE. FIRST RANKINE HAD THE CABARET BAND CASPIAN BUT WAS LOOKING FOR A SINGER. THEY GOT A CONTRACT WITH FICTION RECORDS (HOME OF THE CURE) AND RELEASED THE DEBUT ALBUM THE AFFECTIONATE PUNCH IN 1980 (ROBERT SMITH GUESTING) FOLLOWED BY THE UK TOP 10 ALBUM SULK IN 1982 AND THEN RANKINE LEFT. HE WORKED AS A PRODUCER WITH PAUL HAIG OF JOSEF K, COCTEAU TWINS, THE PALE FOUNTAINS. IN 1986 SIGNED SOLO CONTRACT WITH THE BELGIAN LABEL LES DISQUES DU CRÉPUSCULE RELEASING THREE ALBUMS THE WORLD BEGINS TO LOOK HER AGE IN 1986, MORE COMMERCIAL SHE LOVES ME NOT ON VIRGIN AND INSTRUMENTAL THE BIG PICTURE SUCKS IN 1989.
JANUARY 6
JEFF BLACKBURN (77) / AMERICAN SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST. IN 1964 FORMED THE FOLK ROCK DUO BLACKBURN & SNOW WITH VOCALIST SHERRY SNOW. THEIR SONG "STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND" (WRITTEN BY DAVID CROSBY OF THE BYRDS) WAS CONSIDERED A FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE. AFTER THE BREAKUP IN 1967, BLACKBURN JOINED MOBY GRAPE IN THE MID-1970s, THEN FORMED THE JEFF BLACKBURN BAND WITH BOB MOSLEY (OF MOBY GRAPE) WHICH TURNED INTO THE DUCKS WHEN NEIL YOUNG AND JOHNNY CRAVIOTTO JOINED. BLACKBURN AND YOUNG CO-WROTE THE BIG HIT "MY MY, HEY HEY (OUT OF THE BLUE)".
JANUARY 10
JEFF BECK (78) / ENGLISH ROCK, BLUES ROCK, JAZZ FUSION GUITARIST. AT 6 HEARD LES PAUL PLAYING "HOW HIGH THE MOON" AND DECIDED TO BECOME AN ELECTRIC GUITARIST. STUDYING AT ART COLLEGE PLAYED WITH DIFFERENT BANDS, MOST NOTABLY WITH SCREAMING LORD SUTCH AND THE SAVAGES (1962). IN 1965 JOINED THE YARDBIRDS. LATER LED THE JEFF BECK GROUP AND BECK, BOGERT & APPICE.
JANUARY 10 ?
DENNIS BUDIMIR (84) / AMERICAN JAZZ AND ROCK GUITARIST, MEMBER OF THE WRECKING CREW. WENT PROFESSIONAL AT 14. IN THE MID-1950s IN L.A. PLAYED IN A QUARTET WITH DON CHERRY, LA MONTE YOUNG, BILLY HIGGINS. LATE 1950s WITH BIG BANDS INCLUDING HARRY JAMES, CHICO HAMILTON. 1960-1961 WITH BUD SHANK, PEGGY LEE. 1961-1963 IN THE MILITARY. AFTER 1963 JAPANESE TOUR WITH BOBBY TROUPE ("ROUTE 66") WAS A SESSION MUSICIAN WORKING WITH DON ELLIS, FRANK ZAPPA, RAVI SHANKAR, JONI MITCHELL, RINGO STARR, GEORGE HARRISON, MICHEL LEGRAND, NELSON RIDDLE, BRIAN WILSON, QUINCY JONES, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, JULIE LONDON, NATALIE COLE, JUDY COLLINS, JULIE ANDREWS, ROSEMARY CLOONEY, PERRY COMO, THE CARPENTERS, THE MONKEES, BOBBY DARIN, GIL MELLE, JOHNNY MATHIS, HARRY NILSSON, BILL WITHERS, VAN DYKE PARKS, DORIS DAY, BARBRA STREISAND, MARIA MULDAUR, RANDY NEWMAN, ROBERT PALMER, TOM WAITS, PHIL SPECTOR, ROD STEWART, LINDA RONSTADT, LALO SCHIFRIN, PAUL ANKA, BURT BACHARACH, MARTY PAICH, DAVE GRUSIN, DAVID AXELROD, DORIS DAY, CHER. PLAYED JAZZ WITH STAN GETZ, JOHNNY HARTMAN, OLIVER NELSON, ELLA FITZGERALD, CARMEN McRAE, DIZZY GILLESPIE, BENNY GOLSON, MILT JACKSON, BOBBY HUTCHERSON, JIMMY SMITH, RAY BROWN, GENE AMMONS, JOHNNY MANDEL, SONNY CRISS, WILLIE BOBO, VICTOR FELDMAN, LES McCANN, BARBARA CARROLL, TOOTS THIELEMANS, BOB THIELE, PETE RUGOLO, GABOR SZABO, LEE RITENOUR AND MANY OTHERS. RECORDED WITH THE CAPP-PIERCE JUGGERNAUT IN THE 1990s. BUDIMIR RECORDED OVER 900 FILM SOUNDTRACKS.
JANUARY 11
YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI (70) / JAPANESE MUSICIAN, SINGER, RECORD PRODUCER, ACTOR. PLAYED DRUMS, SYNTHESIZER AND SANG. HE WAS THE DRUMMER AND LEAD SINGER OF THE YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA. IN THE EARLY 1970s PLAYED WITH THE SADISTIC MIKA BAND, LATER WITH THE SADISTICS AND THEN STARTED SOLO CAREER WITH THE ALBUM SARAVAH IN 1977. IN 1978 JOINED TWO VERY IMPORTANT MUSICIANS RYUICHI SAKAMOTO AND HARUOMI HOSONO TO FORM THE YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA (YMO). APART FROM HIS SOLO CAREER, TAKAHASHI COLLABORATED WITH MANY ARTISTS INCLUDING BILL NELSON OF BE-BOP DELUXE AND FORMED THE ALTERNATIVE ROCK DUO THE BEATNIKS WITH KEIICHI SUZUKI OF THE MOONRIDERS.
JANUARY 12
ROBBIE BACHMAN (69) / CANADIAN ROCK DRUMMER, WITH HIS ELDER BROTHER RANDY BACHMAN FOUNDED BRAVE BELT IN 1971 AND BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (BTO) IN 1973. ROBBIE DESIGNED THE BTO LOGO. BETWEEN 1973 AND 1976 BTO RELEASED FIVE TOP FORTY ALBUMS, SIX U.S. TOP 40 SINGLES AND ELEVEN CANADIAN TOP 40 SINGLES. ROBBIE BACHMAN AND FRED TURNER CO-WROTE "ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY", ONE OF THE BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE'S GREATEST HITS (1975).
LISA MARIE PRESLEY (54) / AMERICAN SINGER AND SONGWRITER. THE ONLY CHILD OF ELVIS PRESLEY AND PRISCILLA PRESLEY. 2003-2012 MADE THREE ALBUMS, HER DEBUT WAS A GOLD DISC. IN 1997 RECORDED A DUET WITH HER DEAD FATHER "DON'T CRY DADDY" AND IN 2007 ADDED HER VOCALS TO ELVIS'S 1969 SINGLE "IN THE GHETTO". PRESLEY WORKED WITH BILLY CORGAN, PAT BENATAR, GEORGE MICHAEL, RICHARD HAWLEY, T BONE BURNETT, PINK, THE HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR. PRESLEY DID MANY COVERS INCLUDING THE RAMONES' "HERE TODAY AND GONE TOMORROW". SHE ALSO APPEARED IN THE 2006 MANDY STEIN FILM TOO TOUGH TO DIE: A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY RAMONE, A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE LEAD SINGER OF THE PUNK ROCK LEGEND THE RAMONES. OTHER PEOPLE APPEARING INCLUDE DEBBIE HARRY, THE DICKIES, X, EDDIE VEDDER, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. FOR ABOUT TWENTY YEARS LISA MARIE PRESLEY (AND ALSO ISAAC HAYES) SUPPORTED SCIENTOLOGY. HER LIFE IS OFTEN SEEN AS TRAGIC: FATHER'S EARLY DEATH, FOUR FAILED MARRIAGES, HER SON'S SUICIDAL DEATH.
JANUARY 17
LARRY MORRIS (75) / NEW ZEALAND HALL OF FAME SINGER. SANG WITH THE GARAGE ROCK BAND THE REBELS WHO BECAME LARRY'S REBELS WHEN MORRIS JOINED (1964-1970). THEIR MUSIC WAS INFLUENCED BY ROCK AND ROLL AND BLUES AND LATER BY PSYCHEDELIC POP. LARRY'S REBELS COVER OF "IT'S NOT TRUE" BY THE WHO WAS A TOP TEN HIT. THEY SUPPORTED THE WALKER BROTHERS, THE YARDBIRDS, ROY ORBISON. THEY WERE EXPOSED BOTH TO THE PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC AND THE DRUG SCENE WHICH CAUSED LOTS OF PROBLEMS MAINLY FOR LARRY MORRIS. MORRIS LEFT LARRY'S REBELS IN EARLY 1969 TO GO SOLO.
JANUARY 18
DAVID CROSBY (81) / AMERICAN ROCK, FOLK AND JAZZ MUSICIAN. SINGER-SONGWRITER, GUITARIST AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE BYRDS (1964) AND CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (1968). CSN SOLD FOUR MILLION COPIES OF THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM IN THE US ONLY (4 X PLATINUM) AND THEY GOT GRAMMY IN 1969. SOON NEIL YOUNG JOINED AND THEY WERE CSNY, A FOLK ROCK SUPERGROUP AND PLAYED WOODSTOCK. CROSBY MADE EIGHT STUDIO AND FOUR LIVE ALBUMS WITH THEM AND FIVE FIRST ALBUMS WITH THE BYRDS. BOTH BANDS PIONEERED FOLK ROCK. CSNY WERE THE LEADERS OF COUNTERCULTURE AND THE WOODSTOCK GENERATION AND WERE SOMETIMES CALLED "THE AMERICAN BEATLES". CSNY WERE ACTIVE 1968-1970 AND 1973-2015. CROSBY HAD A DUO WITH GRAHAM NASH CALLED C&N, WHICH MADE FOUR STUDIO AND TWO LIVE ALBUMS AND A JAZZ TRIO WITH SON JAMES RAYMOND AND GUITARIST JEFF PEVAR AND MADE EIGHT SOLO ALBUMS. WITH THE BYRDS AND CSNY, DAVID CROSBY SOLD OVER 35 MILLION ALBUMS. CROSBY WAS A POPULAR SESSION MUSICIAN WITH ENDLESS COLLABORATIONS INCLUDING JONI MITCHELL, CAROLE KING, JAMES TAYLOR, DAVE MASON, JACKSON BROWNE, DAVID GILMOUR, ELTON JOHN, ART GARFUNKEL, J.D. SOUTHER, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, SARAH JAROSZ, JOHN MAYER, PHIL COLLINS, INDIGO GIRLS, MEMBERS OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, GRATEFUL DEAD, SANTANA AND OTHERS. IN 1969 CROSBY RECORDED ONE OF HIS BEST SONGS "GUINNEVERE" BASED ON A MOTIF FROM THE MILES DAVIS ALBUM "SKETCHES OF SPAIN". HE LOVED CHET BAKER, GERRY MULLIGAN AND WEST COAST JAZZ. L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO FROM THE VATICAN CITY, PUBLISHED A LIST OF THE TOP TEN POP ALBUMS OF ALL TIME AND NUMBER ONE WAS REVOLVER BY THE BEATLES AND NUMBER TWO, CROSBY'S DEBUT SOLO ALBUM IF I COULD ONLY REMEMBER MY NAME, WHICH IS STILL POPULAR AMONG FREAK FOLK AND NEW WEIRD AMERICA PEOPLE. IN 2019 CAMERON CROWE MADE A DOC DAVID CROSBY: REMEMBER MY NAME. CROSBY WAS ALSO AN ACTOR, SAILOR, ALCOHOLIC, DRUG ADDICT, CANNABIS DEFENDER AND SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST, LAW-BREAKER AND ARRESTEE. DIABETIC AND LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT.
GARY SMITH (85) / AMERICAN RECORD PRODUCER, MANAGER AND RECORDING STUDIO OWNER, WORKING MAINLY WITH ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSICIANS. SINCE MID-1980s SMITH WAS THE STUDIO MANAGER AT FORT APACHE STUDIOS IN NEW ENGLAND. HE FIRST HELPED HIS NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND FRIENDS THROWING MUSES, THEN RECORDED THEIR FRIENDS THE PIXIES FAMOUS DEMOS THE PURPLE TAPE AND IN 1987 THE PIXIES' 4AD EP COME ON PILGRIM. LATER PRODUCED LOTS OF GREAT ARTISTS INCLUDING THOSE ON THE 4AD AND ROUGH TRADE RECORDS LABELS LIKE THROWING MUSES, TANYA DONELLY, BILLY BRAGG, 10,000 MANIACS, JULIANA HATFIELD, THE CHILLS, THE CONNELLS, BLAKE BABIES, THE FEELIES. AS THE FORT APACHE OWNER, GARY SMITH TURNED IT INTO THE RECORDING STUDIO, LIVE VENUE AND MANAGEMENT OF ARTISTS LIKE JULIANA HATFIELD, TANYA DONELLY OR NATALIE MERCHANT.
VAN CONNER (55) / AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE ROCK SINGER AND MUSICIAN WHO PLAYED BASS AND LEAD GUITARS. BEST KNOWN AS THE BASSIST FOR THE PSYCHEDELIC ROCK AND THE GRUNGE PIONEERING BAND SCREAMING TREES WHICH HE FORMED WITH SINGER MARK LANEGAN, GUITARIST GARY LEE CONNER AND DRUMMER MARK PICKEREL IN 1984. SCREAMING TREES EXISTED 1984-2000, AT SOME POINTS WORKING WITH JOSH HOMME, PETER BUCK, JAZZ DRUMMER BARRETT MARTIN OF MAD SEASON, TUATARA AND SKIN YARD AND DONNA DRESCH A PUNK ROCK AND RIOT GRRRLS GUITARIST OF TEAM DRESCH AND BRIEFLY DINOSAUR JR. VAN CONNER ALSO FORMED OTHER BANDS INCLUDING SOLOMON GRUNDY, GARDENER AND VALIS AND PLAYED WITH DINOSAUR JR. COVID-19.
JANUARY 24 ANNOUNCED BUT DATE UNKNOWN
TOP TOPHAM (70) / BORN ANTHONY TOPHAM, ENGLISH MUSICIAN AND VISUAL ARTIST, BLUES AND BLUES-ROCK GUITARIST. TOPHAM WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER AND THE FIRST LEAD GUITARIST OF THE YARDBIRDS, FOLLOWED BY ERIC CLAPTON, JEFF BACK AND JIMMY PAGE. (JEFF BECK DIED TWO WEEKS AGO). WHEN TOP TOPHAM WAS FIFTEEN, HE MET CHRIS DREJA THROUGH HIS BROTHER STEFAN DREJA (SONS OF POLISH AIR FORCE PILOTS). TOPHAM AND DREJA FOUNDED THE METROPOLITAN BLUES QUARTET. WITHIN A YEAR KEITH RELF, JIM McCARTY AND PAUL SAMWELL-SMITH JOINED AND THEY BECAME THE YARDBIRDS. IN TWO WEEKS THEY SUPPORTED THE CYRIL DAVIS ALL-STARS, IN TWO MONTHS GIORGIO GOMELSKY GAVE THEM RESIDENCY AT THE CRAWDADDY CLUB (AFTER THE ROLLING STONES). WHENTHE YARDBIRDS WENT PROFESSIONAL, TOP TOPHAM LEFT (REPLACED BY ERIC CLAPTON) AS HE WAS TOO YOUNG, BUT DREJA CONTINUED. IN 2013 DREJA LEFT AFTER A SERIES OF STROKES AND WAS REPLACED BY TOP TOPHAM. AFTER YARDBIRDS, TOPHAM PLAYED WITH DUSTER BENNETT AND MARC BOLAN, LATER WITH PETER GREEN AND CHRISTINE McVIE FOR MIKE VERNON'S BLUE HORIZON LABEL FOR WHICH TOPHAM MADE HIS SOLO ALBUM ASCENSION HEIGHTS (1970).
JANUARY 27
ALFRED LESLIE (95) / AMERICAN PAINTER, PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER, ALSO BODYBUILDER AND MODEL. FIRST AN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST, LATER BECAME REALISTIC FIGURATIVE PAINTER. ANTICIPATED MANY NEW TRENDS IN MODERN ART LIKE SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL (SI) AND LETTERIST INTERNATIONAL, WITH IDEAS LATER ADOPTED BY THE PUNK ROCK MOVEMENT. WHEN IN 1966 HIS MONOCHROME PAINTINGS WERE LOST IN A FIRE, INTRODUCED COLOR. MADE LARGE SCALE CHARCOAL DRAWINGS. IN 1959 WITH ROBERT FRANK (THE AMERICANS), MADE THE SHORT FILM PULL MY DAISY, ADAPTED BY JACK KEROUAC FROM HIS PLAY BEAT GENERATION (INSPIRED BY NEAL CASSADY AND CAROLYN CASSADY, THEY WERE ALSO DEPICTED IN ON THE ROAD). KEROUAC IMROVISED THE NARRATION FOR THE FILM. MANY IMPORTANT PEOPLE APPEAR, INLUDING POETS ALLEN GINSBERG, GREGORY CORSO, PETER ORLOVSKY, ARTISTS LARRY RIVERS, ALICE NEEL, ACTRESS AND FILM DIRECTOR DELPHINE SEYRIG.
JANUARY 28
TOM VERLAINE (73) / BORN THOMAS MILLER, AMERICAN PUNK ROCK SINGER, SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, KNOWN AS FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE NYC PROTO-PUNK BAND TELEVISION. AS A CHILD STUDIED PIANO, THEN TURNED TO SAXOPHONE, INFLUENCED BY STAN GETZ, LATER INTO ELECTRIC GUITAR AFTER HEARING THE ROLLING STONES AND THEN INFLUENCED BY THE ELECTRIC MILES DAVIS RECORDINGS. WHILE AT SCHOOL IN DELAWARE, VERLAINE MET RICHARD MEYERS, LATER KNOWN AS RICHARD HELL, WHO WAS ALSO INTERESTED IN POETRY AND MUSIC, AND THEY RAN AWAY TO NEW YORK AND FOUNDED PROTO-PUNK NEON BOYS WITH DRUMMER BILLY FICCA IN 1972, TRYING ALSO TO GET DEE DEE RAMONE AND CHRIS STEIN. NEON BOYS LASTED ONLY A FEW MONTHS AND IN MARCH 1973 BECAME TELEVISION AFTER ADDING GUITARIST RICHARD LLOYD. TELEVISION PLAYED AT NY PUNK CLUBS LIKE CBGB AND MAX'S KANSAS CITY.
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