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!
