George Michael of the 1980s duo Wham! has passed away on
Christmas Day of apparent heart failure. He was only 53.
George was given the name Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou upon his
birth on June 25, 1963 in London, of Greek and British descent.
George and Andrew
Ridgeley formed Wham! after meeting in high school, and some of their early
hits were “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Everything She Wants”, and “Careless
Whisper”.
Embarking on his solo career, George scored big with a duet with
Aretha Franklin entitled “I Knew You Were Waiting” in 1987.
George’s solo “I Want Your Sex” (1987) was featured in “Beverly Hills
Cop II”. The album “Faith” was also released in
1987, and was No. 1 on Billboard for 12 weeks. One of its most popular singles
was “Father Figure”.
George thereafter experimented with musical styles, but did not again
reach the same level of success in the U.S. as he had in the mid-1980s. During
the course of his career, he won four MTV Video Music Awards, three American
Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards.
Robert “Big Sonny” Edwards of the sensational 1960s and 1970s
soul group The Intruders passed away on October 15, 2016 of a sudden heart
attack. He was born on February 22, 1942 in Philadelphia, PA and died in his
home town at the age of 74.
Big Sonny was one of the founding members of The Intruders, in
1960. The group signed with then-unknown songwriting / producing duo Kenny
Gamble & Leon Huff in 1966, thus beginning a fruitful decade-long union.
This union produced We'll Be (United) (1966), Together (1967), and (Love is
Like A) Baseball Game (1968). Their 1968 song Cowboys to Girls (written by
Gamble & Huff) was their only number 1 single on the R&B charts, but
they enjoyed success in the form of 24 total hits.
The Intruders were said to be the foundation of The Sound of
Philadelphia.
The original group disbanded in 1975, but there are several
tribute groups still performing. I'll Always Love My Mama.... 🎶
It was announced today that folk musician Bob Dylan (legally
Robert Allen Zimmerman ) won a Nobel Prize for literature for "having
created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
He has been described as “the voice of a generation” and “the
greatest living poet” by those who know. He is the only American to win a Nobel
Prize in 2016.
Whenever I hear Bob Dylan’s name mentioned, I think of the
“Dylan/Dylan” contest in “Dangerous Minds,” (1995) starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
“Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan (1965) was prominently featured in the
movie, as the students contemplated the meaning of the lyrics and interpreted
the meaning of life.
Many of you may not remember Bob Dylan or even like his style of
music, but his voice is still powerful, through the generations. I am just
paying tribute to a living legend.
I have been telling everyone who would listen about Kashif’s
book entitled “Everything You'd Better Know About the Record Industry” which
was published in 1996. It is a must for any young artists trying to break into
the business.
Kashif was inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame as a “Living
Legend” in November 2014.
In 2006, he founded Kashif University on the campus of a high
school in Inglewood, California, as an integrated education and arts training
program for at-risk youth ages 8–18.
Kashif deserves our admiration as a singer, songwriter, record
producer, artist, composer, author, director and educator.
Robert "Bobby"
Hutcherson was born in Los Angeles on January 27, 1941. He died of emphysema on
August 15, 2016 in Montara, CA at the age of 75. He was a longtime resident of
San Mateo County.
Bobby heard Milt Jackson playing
the vibraphone when he was 12, and from that time he was hooked. (For those of
you who don't know what a vibraphone is, think of Lionel Hampton.)
Bobby began his musical career in
his teens, playing on the Sunset Strip. His first recordings were with jazz
musician Les McCann in 1960.
During his career, Bobby
thoroughly mastered chords and harmony. This mastery allowed him to perform the
functions traditionally performed by the piano. It has been said that Bobby was
"the greatest vibes player of all time."
Mr. Hutcherson was in a few films
during his career, such as They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) and Round
Midnight (1986).
George Bernard “Bernie” Worrell
Jr., co-founder of Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s, died today (June 24,
2016), at the age of 72, of lung cancer.
Worrell (born in New Jersey on
April 19, 1944), began playing piano at the age of three, wrote his first concerto
at eight, and played with the Washington Symphony Orchestra at the age of 10.
He attended the Juilliard School of Performing Arts and the New England
Conservatory. He played for a time with the band later to be known as Tavares.
While playing in bars, he met fellow Funkateer George Clinton, and the rest, as
they say, is history.
Worrell was a keyboardist,
songwriter, and arranger with P-Funk, as well as a synthesizer pioneer. Among
other works, Worrell was a co-writer of Flashlight, perhaps the group's most
popular cut. He played with P-Funk throughout the 1970s in its various forms,
including Bootsy's Rubber Band, the Parlets, the Brides of Funkenstein, and the
Horny Horns, leaving the group in 1981. He thereafter worked on solo projects,
as well as working with rock band Talking Heads, Keith Richards of the Rolling
Stones, and rapper Mos Def, as well as many others. He appeared in the 2015
film Ricki and the Flash as a keyboardist.
Parliament-Funkadelic and Worrell
were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. A 2005 documentary
film, Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth was produced about Worrell's
life, exploring the paradox that even a "genius" sometimes has to
struggle to make a living.
Though Worrell's name may not be
familiar to most of you, his music will definitely live on!
Grammy Award winning singer Billy
Paul (whose birth name was Paul Williams), associated with the Philadelphia
Soul sound of the 1970s, died on April 24, 2016 of pancreatic cancer at the age
of 81.
Mr. Paul began his music
career at the age of 11, performing on a local radio station. He was formally
trained in voice, attending the Granoff School of Music. At the age of 16, he
played the Club Harlem in Philadelphia, alongside Charlie “Bird” Parker.
In 1968, Billy fortuitously met
Kenny Gamble, and recorded "Feeling Good at the Cadillac Club" in
less than four hours, helping to launch Gamble & Huff.
Mr. Paul sang briefly with the
Blue Notes, and with the Flamingos.
Paul was best known for his 1972
hit, “Me and Mrs. Jones,” which was later covered by the Dramatics. In 2000,
Nike used Paul's biggest hit for a commercial featuring track phenom Marion
Jones, which sparked a lawsuit, which Paul won. Shortly thereafter, Paul sued
Philadelphia International and Sony for miscalculating his royalties. He
eventually won $.5 million, and many other artists profited from his battle
with the record companies.
In 2009, the biographical film Am
I Black Enough for You was released, titled after Paul's 1973 recording of
that name.
In addition to his Grammy, Paul
won an American Music Award, and an NAACP Image Award.
Although Mr. Paul absented himself
from the popular music scene following his pseudo-retirement in 1989, he
continued to play theaters, clubs, and jazz festivals. He will be missed for
his unique voice and contributions to the music industry.
Prince: I know that all of you are already
aware that possibly the most talented artist of our time has passed away. I
know because everybody who has my phone number or e-mail address has contacted
me.
It is hard for people to believe
that Prince is gone. Prince is IMMORTAL! His music certainly is.
Prince Rogers Nelson was born on
June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, MN. He wrote his first song at the age of 7. Since
that time, he wrote and arranged nearly all of his own music.
Although Prince was famous for his
purple guitars, he played more than twenty instruments with ease and grace.
Prince sold more than 100 million
records worldwide, and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
His second album entitled
"Prince", released when he was just 18, went platinum in 1979. He
starred in his first film, Purple Rain, at the age of 26. I could tell
you of my experience during the first weekend of the release, but I am already
saddened enough by this news. The film grossed over $80M and won an academy
award for best original song score. Prince also won seven Grammy Awards and
four MTV Video Music Awards.
During the early 1990s, Prince
went through a well-publicized disagreement with his recording company (Warner
Bros.) and changed his name to a symbol. Many artists have been ripped off, but
not everyone had the nerve to stand up for himself in exactly that way.
In addition to creating his own
awesome music, he also produced such artists as Sheila E., Vanity 6, and The
Time. Of course, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and was
named one of the greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
There is no such thing as a
favorite Prince song. He had so many truly great songs that it would be hard
for anybody to choose.
Prince defined the word “unique”
and he is already missed greatly!
Malik Izaac Taylor, better known
as Phife Dawg, a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, left this earthly
life on March 22, 2016, as a result of complications of diabetes. He was born
in Queens, New York on November 20, 1970, and died at the age of 45. In 2008,
he received a kidney transplant from his wife, but by 2012 he needed another
transplant.
The group Quest was initially
formed in 1985 and released their first album on Jive Records in 1990. This
album, “People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm” went gold. Their
second album from 1991, “The Low End Theory,” contained “Check the Rhime” and “Scenario,”
and eventually went platinum. Quest’s initial life span was from 1990 through
1998, during which time they were heralded as pioneers in the fusion between
rap and jazz. The group was honored by VH-1, labeled “the most intelligent,
artistic rap group during the 1990s”, and were listed as among the best hip hop
groups of all time.
Phife contemporaneously enjoyed a
solo career, and was featured on the work of such artists as Fu Schnickens and
Pete Rock. He was also featured in the video games NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K9.
At the time Vanity came into the
public eye, she was the love interest of Prince, and as the relationship went,
so went her career. She was replaced in the group, in Prince’s life, and in the
movie Purple Rain by Apollonia Kotero.
Vanity went on to an unmemorable
solo music career, and to a more successful acting career. She appeared in The
Last Dragon (1985), Action Jackson (1988), and in The New Mike
Hammer and Miami Vice television series, both in 1987.
Vanity 6 did not last very long,
nor did it produce a ton of hits, but I am sure everyone remembers “Nasty
Girl.” I am also sure that it has been a while since you have heard it. Play
it, Sam.
Imagine my shock to learn of the
death of Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, on February 3, 2016
(at age 74), in his sleep. Mr. White had suffered from Parkinson’s disease
for many years, and had not toured with EWF since the mid-1990s.
Mr. White was born in Memphis
in 1941. He began his career as a session drummer in the 1960s in the Chicago area.
Also in the 1960s, he backed Muddy Waters, the Impressions, and others.
He and his brother Verdine formed
EWF in 1969, creating such hits as “Evil,” “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” “Devotion,”
and “Sun Goddess” (with Ramsey Lewis). Mr. White produced other artists,
including Barbra Streisand and Cher. In the 1970s, he co-wrote and co-produced
the “The Best of My Love” for the Emotions.
EWF won six Grammy Awards and four
American Music Awards. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. They have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Earth, Wind & Fire
was ranked at number 60 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Rock &
Roll.
Maurice White was responsible for
so much awesome music that it is impossible to list it all here. This legendary
artist was one of the greats of our time!
I don’t know how I missed this
one. Legendary trumpet, trombone player, and founding member of Oakland-based
Tower of Power Mic Gillette died last month of a sudden heart attack, at the
age of 64.
Thanks in great measure to
Gillette, Tower of Power’s horn section has several times been ranked among the
best of its kind.
Gillette was a musical prodigy,
reading music by the age of four.
Gillette was instrumental in bringing
the “Music in the Schools” program to Bay Area aspiring musicians.
Although Gillette stopped playing
with the band in the mid-1980s, he still can be heard on such great TOP hits as
“You’re Still a Young Man,” “So Very Hard to Go,” and “What is Hip.” I can
still remember seeing them in the early 1970s in San Francisco, although it was
so long ago that I cannot recall the venue.
I heard on this morning’s news
that Glenn Lewis Frey, founding member of The Eagles, passed away on January
18, 2016 at the age of 67. He died from complications of pneumonia, ulcerative
colitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
While many of us did not listen to
The Eagles on a regular basis, their sound was unmistakable. Frey played
guitar, piano, and keyboards, and sang lead on many of their hits, as well as
co-writing many of them. The Eagles was the best selling band of the 1970s,
with such hits as “Tequila Sunrise” and “Take it Easy” (on which Frey sang lead).
They went on to become one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.
During the time after The Eagles
broke up (or took an extended vacation), Frey attained solo success with such
hits as “The Heat is On” (from Beverly Hills Cop) and “You Belong to the
City” (from Miami Vice). The group reunited in 1994 with the album
entitled “Hell Freezes Over.”
Here is one of my favorite
Eagles songs, from the good old days!
1970s icon David Bowie (born David
Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in London, England), died of liver cancer on
January 10, 2016 at the age of 69.
Bowie came to fame ultimately as a
singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, arranger, painter, and actor in The
Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), in Labyrinth (1986), in The Last
Temptation of Christ (1988), and in The Prestige (2006), among other
appearances.
In my neighborhood, if one
mentions the name David Bowie, the 1975 megahit “Fame” comes immediately to
mind.
I guess the word has already gone
out that Nicholas Caldwell, one of the founding members of The Whispers, passed
away on January 5, 2016 from heart disease, at the age of 71.
The Whispers have been performing
since I was a child, so they have so many songs that I love that there is no
way that I could name them all. I remember when they used to perform frequently
at McClymond’s High School. As my mom would say, that is going back some.
Mr. Caldwell entered this world in
Los Angeles on April 5, 1944. He, along with Wallace and Walter Scott and
others, formed The Whispers in 1963. Many of you may not know of his
songwriting talents, but I have included several songs by The Whispers on which
he was given writing credits. He also wrote for other artists, such as Phil
Perry.
Nicholas may not be an artist I
think of every day, but now that he is gone, I miss him greatly! And the beat
goes on!
I must report some disturbing news. On December 31, 2015, the famous daughter
of Nat "King" Cole passed away at age 65.
Natalie Cole had modest success in the
1970s with such songs as “This Will Be” and “Our Love” and greater success with
“Inseparable.” She then had a period when her popularity fell way off.
In the 1990s, Ms. Cole had
additional success with a series of standards previously recorded by her
father. The Grammy Award winning album “Unforgettable... with Love” included
such standards as “Unforgettable” (digitally altered to include both Natalie's
and Nat's voices), “Nature Boy” and “Mona Lisa.”
Natalie had a somewhat sporadic
acting career through the 1990s, culminating in a 2001 performance in Livin'
for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, for which she received an NAACP Image
Award.
We wish a fond farewell to the
lovely and talented Ms. Cole.
Regrettably, I report that Ms.
Cynthia Robinson has passed away early on the morning of November 23, 2015,
following a battle with cancer. Ms. Robinson was 69.
Cynthia was an original member of
Sly & the Family Stone, one who played trumpet and sang on many of the
hits, including Dance to the Music, I Want to Take You Higher, and Everyday
People. She was inducted along with the Family Stone into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame in 1993.
Cynthia was also an integral part
of the group Graham Central Station, one of the funkiest bands to ever grace a
stage.
Sadly, I must report that bassist
Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson has died on May 21, 2015 at the age of
60. The exact cause of death is yet unconfirmed. Louis started his earthly
journey on April 13, 1955.
The Brothers began their musical
exploration while still in school. They were joined by their elder brother
Tommy Johnson and cousin Alex Weir for an early incarnation of the group. The
Brothers played backup for the Supremes and Bobby Womack, among others. Louis
later joined Billy Preston’s band, and wrote songs for Billy’s albums.
In 1975, the Brothers were hired
by Quincy Jones to play on “Mellow Madness.” They were subsequently hired for
Quincy’s tour in Japan and produced their debut album “Look Out For #1,”
released in March 1976. “Right on Time” was released in May 1977 and reached
number 13 on Billboard.
The Brothers’s songs were featured
on the soundtrack of the film Mother, Jugs & Speed in 1976. An
instrumental track on that film refers to the Brothers’s nicknames, “Thunder
Thumbs” and “Lightnin' Licks.”
The album “Light Up The Night” was
released in 1980 and hit #5 on the Billboard. It made it to Rolling Stone’s
"Top 100 LPs of 1980." Among the Brothers’smost popular songs are “I'll Be Good to You”
(1976), “Strawberry Letter 23” (1977), “Ain't We Funkin' Now” (1978), and “Stomp!”
(1980). Their primary style was funk, and funky they were.
The Brothers Johnson split up in
1982 to pursue separate projects.
Louis Johnson recorded a gospel
music album in 1981. He continued his musical career, playing bass on Michael
Jackson's “Thriller” (1982), the bestselling album of all time. He played with
Earl Klugh, and a host of other world-famous musicians. He later made
instructional videotapes on which he displayed his bass-playing skills. He
started a bass academy during the 1990s and gave clinics via his own website.
In the mid-1790s, the Brothers
Johnson were on top of the world. In my neighborhood, they were everybody’s
favorite group.
Ironically, I played some of the
Brothers’s most popular songs on iTunes earlier this week. Premonition?
My heart just hurts knowing that a
part of my personal past is now gone!
Rest in Peace, Louis “Thunder
Thumbs” Johnson. [1955 – 2015]
I just heard the news that blues
icon Riley B. King (better known as B.B.), passed away yesterday at the age of
89. He had been ill for some months prior to his passing and had spent the last
month of his life in hospice care in Las Vegas.
B.B. was born on September 16,
1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, to sharecroppers. After his mother left the
family when he was 4, he was raised by his maternal grandmother.
As a child, B.B. sang in his
church choir, and obtained his first guitar. As a young man, he was a radio
disc jockey and singer. In 1949, he scored his first recording contract with a
precursor of Sun Records, and began touring all across the country. His first
#1 hit in 1952 was “3 O’Clock Blues.” Well, that is before my time.
B.B. named his guitar Lucille, to
remind him not to fight over a woman; there were many subsequent generations of
Lucille, all well-loved.
In 1956, B.B. founded his own
record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, headquartered at Beale Street in Memphis.
In 1970, King won a Grammy for “The
Thrill is Gone,” which is probably his most popular song to non-blues fans, and
is on the Rolling Stone list of greatest hits of all time.
In 1980, King was inducted into
the Blues Hall of Fame; in 1987 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame; in 2014 he was inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall
of Fame.
I am sad to say that for many fans
of the blues, finally, the thrill really is gone!
I just learned this morning that
beloved Ben E. King of the Drifters passed away yesterday at the age of 76.
Everyone knows that his megahit “Stand
By Me” was popular when it was released in 1961, and many may also recall that
it enjoyed a huge success once again when it was featured in the movie of the
same name in 1986.
Ben was born Benjamin Earl Nelson
on September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina. When the original members
of the Drifters were fired by the manager in 1958, Ben’s group the Five Crowns
took over the name and the legacy. Their first big hit was 1959’s “There Goes
My Baby,” led and co-written by Ben. A string of other notable songs followed,
including “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” and “Spanish
Harlem.” “Stand By Me,” co-written by Ben, was voted one of the most notable
songs of the 20th century.
In 1960, Ben left the Drifters and
took on the name “Ben E. King,” in preparation for his solo career. He
proceeded to put out magical songs, the most memorable of which is probably “Supernatural
Thing,” which many didn’t have a clue was done by Ben E.
I know I am saddened by this loss,
as are many others.
Sadly, I must inform you all that
Johnny Kemp (of “Just Got Paid” – 1988 fame) has died at the age of 55.
Apparently he hit his head during a fall in Jamaica and the details have not
yet been confirmed. So, I am sending you the song today… even though I said I
wouldn’t.
Enjoy each day; we never know
which might be our last.
Only one day after producing our
second “uplifting” musical news, I must sadly report the death of Percy Sledge,
of “When A Man Loves A Woman” fame, certified gold in 1966.
Mr. Sledge was born on November
25, 1941 in Leighton, AL, and passed over on April 14, 2015 in Baton Rouge, LA
of liver cancer.
During his early life, he worked
as a hospital orderly during the week, while touring with the Esquires Combo on
the weekends. His first hit came after a personal life event, the departure of
his long-time girlfriend after he was laid off. The song was a collaboration,
but Sledge gave all of the songwriting credits to his co-writers.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” was
re-issued in 1987 and was a hit for a second time, and enjoyed a resurgence in
1994, after being used in a Levi’s commercial.
Mr. Sledge’s career also included
the hits “Take Time to Know Her” and “Warm and Tender Love,” at a time when
local radio stations played a wide variety of genres of music.
Mr. Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm
and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 1996, he was the
recipient of the Blues Music Award for best Soul/Blues album of the year. In
2005, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In May 2007, Mr.
Sledge was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He continued to tour
through 2011, and was an international favorite.
Although I was only a baby when I
fell in love with Mr. Sledge, he will never be forgotten.
