MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JANUARY 2021


 
 
 

 MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN JANUARY 2021

 

 


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JANUARY 1

MICK BOLTON  (72)  /  BRITISH MUSICIAN, KEYBOARD PLAYER WHO WORKED WITH MOTT THE HOOPLE AND DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS. TAUGHT LINDA McCARTNEY TO PLAY KEYBOARD AND CO-WROTE AND PLAYED ON HER SONG "ENDLESS DAYS" FROM THE WIDE PRAIRIE ALBUM (1998).

 

 

JANUARY 2

STEVE BROWN  (62)  /  BRITISH MUSIC PRODUCER WORKING FOR JOEY RAMONE AND HOLLY VINCENT ("I GOT YOU BABE"), MANIC STREET PREACHERS ("MOTORCYCLE EMPTINESS") , THE CULT ("SHE SELLS  SANCTUARY"), ELTON JOHN, WHAM! ("CLUB TROPICANA"), THE POGUES ("POGUE MAHONE"). ALSO FREDDIE MERCURY, THE ALARM, ALISON MOYET, MANSUN, BOOMTOWN RATS, ABC AND PUNK / NEW WAVE THE GODFATHERS. AS AN ENGINEER: ROY WOOD'S WIZZARD, THIN LIZZY, GRAHAM PARKER'S RUMOUR, DIRE STRAITS, OINGO BOINGO, JOAN ARMATRADING AND LOTS OF PUNK BANDS INCLUDING SEX PISTOLS' JOHNNY THUNDERS PROJECT.

 

 

JANUARY 3

GERRY MARSDEN  (78)  /  ENGLISH SINGER-SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, TV PERSONALITY. HE WAS THE LEADER AND, TOGETHER WITH HIS OLDER DRUMMER BROTHER FREDDIE, FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE MERSEYBEAT GROUP GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS IN 1959. HIS BAND WAS THE NEXT ONE, AFTER THE BEATLES, SIGNED BY BRIAN EPSTEIN AND THE SECOND MOST SUCCESSFUL. FIRST THREE HITS WERE ALL NUMBER 1 IN THE UK IN 1963. "HOW DO YOU DO IT?" WAS ORIGINALLY RECORDED BY THE BEATLES IN 1962 BUT REJECTED UNTIL 1995  (ANTHOLOGY 1). GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS MADE IT #1. THE SECOND HIT WAS "I LIKE IT" AND THE THIRD ONE, THE IMMORTAL "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE". THEY ALSO MADE A FILM, CONSIDERED AN ANSWER TO THE BEATLES' A HARD DAY'S NIGHT TITLED FERRY CROSS THYE MERSEY WITH A GREAT HIT SONG UNDER THE SAME TITLE. IN 2020 GERRY MARSDEN MADE A COVID-19 VERSION OF "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE" FOR THE BENEFIT OF  NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE.

 

JANUARY 4

ALEXI LAIHO  (41)  /  FINNISH GUITARIST, COMPOSER AND VOCALIST. WAS THE LEAD GUITARIST, LEAD SINGER AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE MELODIC DEATH METAL GROUP CHILDREN OF BODOM. WORKED AND RECORDED WITH MEGADEATH, ANNIHILATOR, MARTY FRIEDMAN, PAIN.

 

 

 

 

 JANUARY 10

MARK KEDS  (50)  /  ENGLISH PUNK ROCK SINGER, SONGWRITER AND GUITARISTPLAYED IN PUNK BANDS SENSELESS THINGS AND DEADCUTS. WHEN HE WAS 11 FORMED WILD DIVISION. FOR A SHORT TIME IN 1995 JOINED THE WILDHEARTS, THEN FORMED JOLT. 

 

 

 

 

JANUARY 20 

JOHN RUSSELL

 

ANDRZEJ BIENIASZ

 

JANUARY 21

 HENRYK JERZY CHMIELEWSKI  (97)  /  (AKA PAPCIO CHMIEL) LEGENDARY COMIC BOOK ARTIST AND JOURNALIST. DURING WW II IN THE HOME ARMY, TOOK PART IN THE WARSAW UPRISING (AUGUST-OCTOBER 1944). CREATED TYTUS, ROMEK I A'TOMEK, THE MOST POPULAR AND LONGEST-PUBLISHED COMIC BOOK SERIES (1957-2021).

 

JANUARY 22 

JANET LAWSON  (80)  /  AMERICAN JAZZ VOCALIST, SCAT SINGER AND IMPROVISER, EDUCATOR. DEBUT AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD WITH ART FARMER. FORMED THE JANET LAWSON QUINTET. WORKED WITH DUKE ELLINGTON, ART FARMER, RON CARTER, BOB DOROUGH, TOMMY FLANAGAN, BARRY HARRIS, SHEILA JORDAN, MILT HINTON, BARNEY KESSEL, CLARK TERRY, ED THIGPEN, EDDIE JEFFERSON, RUFUS REID, DAVE LIEBMAN, CHICK COREA, JOE NEWMAN, CEDAR WALTON, DUKE PEARSON. TAUGHT VOICE AT NYU AND THE NEW SCHOOL.

 

JANUARY 23 

JONAS GWANGWA  (83)  /  SOUTH AFRICAN JAZZ MUSICIAN, SONGWRITER AND FILM MUSIC COMPOSER. STARTED PLAYING TROMBONE WITH THE JAZZ EPISTLES. IN 1965 TOOK PART IN THE CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT "SOUND OF AFRICA" WITH MIRIAM MAKEBA, HUGH MASEKELA, LETTA MBULU. OPRESSED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID GOVERNMENT, WENT INTO EXILE IN THE 1970's. FIRST TO THE US, THEN TO GABORONE, BOTSWANA. FOUNDED BAND SHAKAWE WITH SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES INCLUDING TONY CEDRAS. INVOLVED IN THE ANTI-APARTHEID MEDU ART ENSEMBLE. IN 1987 COMPOSED MUSIC FOR THE FILM CRY FREEDOM (TITLE SONG WAS ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED IN 1988). SAME YEAR PLAYED THE WEMBLEY STADIUM NELSON MANDELA 70TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE. 1980-1990 WAS THE LEADER OF AMANDLA, THE CULTURAL ENSEMBLE OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESSJOHNNY DYANI COMPOSED "PORTRAIT OF MOSA GWANGWA" (ON ALBUM ANGOLIAN CRY).

   

JANUARY 24

TOM STEVENS  (64)  /  AMERICAN BASSIST, GUITARIST, SINGER, SONGWRITER. SINCE NINE IN GARAGE ROCK AND HARD ROCK BANDS. CLASSICALLY TRAINED, IN 1975 JOINED HARD ROCK MAGI. THEY MADE A 1,000 COPIES DIY ALBUM. JANUARY 1984 STEVENS JOINED LONG RYDERS WHO MIXED PUNK WITH 1960's COUNTRY ROCK RESULTING IN COWPUNK AND INFLUENCING THE ALT COUNTRY MOVEMENT (THREE ALBUMS 1984-1987). 1985 MADE THE LOST WEEKEND WITH DANNY & DUSTY (MEMBERS OF THE DREAM SYNDICATE AND GREEN ON RED) AND SEVEN SOLO ALBUMS. PERFORMED WITH GENE CLARK FROM THE BYRDS. RECORDED WITH PSYCHEDELIC GARAGE BAND DONOVAN'S BRAIN.


JANUARY 28

CICELY TYSON  (96)  /  AMERICAN ACTRESS AND FASHION MODEL. VEGETARIAN. STARTED ACTING IN 1951. IN JEAN GENET'S THE BLACKS WORKED WITH MAYA ANGELOU, CHARLES GORDONE, JAMES EARL JONES. LATER WITH GEORGE C. SCOTT, SAMMY DAVIS JR. IN THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER IN 1968, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, IDLEWILD. TV: ROOTS, KING, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (AS HOST, WITH TALKING HEADS), HOUSE OF CARDS, LOTS OF OTHERS. THEATRE E.G. TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK (1969). WON ACADEMY AWARD, 3 EMMY AWARDS,TONY AWARD, PEABODY AWARD, TELEVISION HALL OF FAME. TONS OF OTHER HONORS, MEDALS, AWARDS. CICELY TYSON DATED MILES DAVIS IN THE 1960's, THEY MARRIED IN 1981. DAVIS SAID SHE HELPED HIM KICK HIS COCAINE HABIT AND GET INTO MUSIC AGAIN. DUE TO DAVIS' VOLATILE ANGER AND INFIDELITY, THEY DIVORCED IN 1989, TWO YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH. CICELY TYSON'S PROFILE PORTRAIT IS ON THE COVER OF THE 1967 MILES DAVIS QUINTET ALBUM SORCERER.  


 
JANUARY 29
 
HILTON VALENTINE  (77)  /  ENGLISH ELECTRIC GUITARIST, SKIFFLE AND ROCK AND ROLL MUSICIAN. AT 15 FORMED HIS SKIFFLE GROUP THE HEPPERS WHICH LATER PLAYED ROCK AND ROLL AS THE WILDCATS (1959). IN 1963 CHAS CHANDLER (THE FUTURE MANAGER OF JIMI HENDRIX AND SLADE) ASKED HIM TO JOIN THE ALAN PRICE COMBO. TOGETHER WITH ERIC BURDON AND JOHN STEEL THEY BECAME THE ANIMALS. HILTON VALENTINE CREATED THE FAMOUS INTRO TO THE ANIMALS' GREAT HIT "THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN". AFTER THE BAND'S BREAKUP IN SEPTEMBER 1966, WENT TO THE US, WORKED SOLO AND MADE SEVERAL ALBUMS. HAD A SOLO PROJECT SKIFFLEDOG AND PARTICIPATED IN A FEW ANIMALS REUNIONS. ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 1994.  

 
  
GRADY GAINES  (86)  /  AMERICAN ELECTRIC BLUES, JAZZ BLUES AND TEXAS BLUES TENOR SAXOPHONE PLAYER. IN THE 1950's GIGGED AND RECORDED WITH LITTLE RICHARD AND THE UPSETTERS. PLAYED ON HITS "KEEP A KNOCKIN'" AND "OOH! MY SOUL". WORKED ALSO WITH SAM COOKE, JAMES BROWN, JACKIE WILSON, DEE CLARK, LITTLE WILLIE JOHN, JOE TEX, CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN, BIG WALTER PRICE. TOURED WITH MILLIE JACKSON AND CURTIS MAYFIELD.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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