It breaks my heart to inform you of the passing of Melvin
Edmonds, older brother of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and founding member
of 1990s group After 7. We all loved the sound of After 7, who popularized such
songs as “Heat of the Moment,” “Can’t Stop,” and “Ready or Not.”
Melvin was born in 1953 and died on May 18, 2019 after a brief
illness, at the age of 65.
Melvin left After 7 for a period of time following some measure
of discord, and was replaced by his son, Jason. Melvin returned to the group in
2016, prior to the release of “Timeless.”
After 7 was virtually off of the music scene for several years,
during which Melvin suffered a stroke. But just listen to the opening bars of
“Heat of the Moment” and the smooth voices, the suave looks, and the sexy moves
of After 7 return to mind. We will all miss Melvin.
Little Richard, who was often referred to as “The Innovator,”
“The Originator, and the “Architect of Rock and Roll,” died on May 9, 2019 from
bone cancer. He was 87 years old.
Richard Wayne Penniman was born on December 5, 1932 in Macon, GA
to a religious family. He began singing in church at a very early age. By fifth
grade, he played alto saxophone in his school’s marching band.
In 1947, Richard began opening shows for Sister Rosetta
Tharpe. He was inspired to play piano after hearing Ike Turner play “Rocket
88.” While still in high school, Richard left home and began performing in
vaudeville shows.
Richard had his first hit in 1955, which was titled “Tutti
Frutti” and sold a million copies. Other hits such as “Long Tall Sally” (1956),
“Lucille” (1957), and “Good Golly Miss Molly” (1960) quickly followed.
In about 1958, Richard returned to his gospel roots and did not
record secular music again until 1962.
In 1986, Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. In 1993, he received a Grammy lifetime achievement award. He
received so many accolades that it is difficult to name them all. He was well
known for his flamboyant hairstyles, makeup, and clothes.
The story of Little Richard’s life was brought to the big screen
in 2000, with Leon playing the lead role.
Richard was indubitably one of a kind. Although he had not
performed publicly for some time before his death, he will never be forgotten.
Bill Withers, Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, and musician, died on March 30, 2020 of heart complications, at the age of 81.
Mr. Withers burst upon the scene in 1971 with “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Grandma’s Hands”. He continued his string of hits with “Lean on Me” and “Use Me,” both from 1972. He recorded “Lovely Day” in 1977 and then “Just the Two of Us” with Grover Washington Jr. in 1981.
Mr. Withers was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards and won three. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Two of his songs, “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Just the Two of Us” were also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Bill was a force of nature, one of which was certainly a pleasure to deal with.
James Edward
Ingram was born on February 16, 1952 in Akron, Ohio. He passed
away on January 29, 2019 at the age of 66, after a diagnosis of brain
cancer.
As have many of our finest
musicians, James started out in the church choir where his father was a deacon.
He taught himself to play piano at an early age. Although he was a gifted
athlete, James decided to focus on music, and he moved to Los Angeles to pursue
his dreams.
As a young man, James joined a band
called Revelation Funk and recorded a song featured in the movie “Dolemite.” He
subsequently played piano for Ray Charles and appeared as a member of a support
band for Dick Clark. Later, he was discovered by Quincy Jones and asked to
perform “One Hundred Ways” and “Just Once” on Quincy’s 1981 album “The Dude” and
so became an overnight sensation.
James performed duets with such
distinguished singers as Patti Austin, Linda Ronstadt, Anita Baker, and Michael
McDonald. He appeared on several works of other artists and brought the voice
that only he could bring. He appeared in three films and made numerous
television appearances. He co-wrote several songs that became popular for other
artists, such as Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” from 1984.
James won two Grammy Awards for “One
Hundred Ways” (1982) and “Yah Mo B There” (1985) (and was nominated for twelve
others). He was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
He had many hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B, and Pop charts,
including “I Don’t Have the Heart” (1983), his only solo venture to make it to
number 1.
Although we primarily knew James as
a singer with a beautiful voice, he was also a talented songwriter, producer,
and instrumentalist. All of these talents made him one of the greats, and he will
truly be missed.
Nancy Sue Wilson was born on February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe,
OH and died on December 13, 2018 at the age of 81.
Sometimes known as Fancy Miss Nancy, she won a talent contest at
the age of 15, which led to her performing on and then hosting a weekly radio
show.
In 1964, Miss Nancy recorded “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am”,
which made it to no. 11 on Billboard’s Top 100. (I remember that song so well
because we had it in our living room on vinyl when I was very young.) She
debuted “Guess Who I Saw Today” in 1962, and it is another of my favorites.
The inimitable Miss Nancy won three Grammy Awards over five
decades for the albums “How Glad I Am” (1965), R.S.V.P (Rare Songs, Very
Personal) (2005), and “Turned to Blue” (2007). She won numerous and varied
other awards, such as the NAACP Image Award, a Trumpet Award for Outstanding
Achievement, and an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship Award. She was granted a star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Big Band and
Jazz Hall of Fame. For a decade, she hosted the NPR Jazz Profiles program.
My daughter attended high school with Miss Nancy’s daughter in
the 1990s, and when Miss Nancy came to town, my daughter and I saw her at
Kimball’s East. I only regret that I did not accompany my daughter backstage
when I had the opportunity to meet this lovely lady.
The legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has died on
August 16 2018 at the age of 76. She had been suffering from pancreatic
cancer.
Aretha was born on March 25,
1942 in Memphis, TN to the Reverend C. L. Franklin. Almost from the
beginning, she sang and played the piano in her father’s church choir at New
Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. She developed into a fantastic gospel
singer, sometimes traveling on the road with Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers.
In the early 1960s she recorded standards, jazz, blues, doo-wop, and rhythm and
blues.
In 1960 at the age of 18, Aretha
began singing R&B music. She signed a contract with Atlantic Records and
from the beginning of her reign in the 1960s, she recorded a number of hits,
such as “I Never Loved a Man,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” and the ever
popular “Respect,” all from 1967. Aretha’s special voice and delivery were a
part of the sound track of my childhood.
Aretha won a total of 18 Grammy
Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, becoming the
first female inductee. Throughout her career, she was awarded numerous honors,
including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979 and the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2005. She is listed on the Rolling Stones 100 greatest
artists of all time. In 2014, an asteroid was named in her honor. In 2017, a
street in Detroit was renamed Aretha Franklin Way. She had a total of 20 number
one hits during her lifetime.
Queen Aretha performed before presidents
and queens and Super Bowl audiences, never failing to impress. Over the course
of her decades long career, Aretha sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
Pete Moore of the Miracles died on November 19,
2017, his 79th birthday. His death was attributable to complications of
diabetes. He was a co-founder of the Miracles, a singer-songwriter, and a vocal
arranger. He co-wrote many hits for the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and for the
Miracles. Notable hits are Ooh, Baby Baby 1965) and The Tracks of My
Tears (1965). Mr. Moore sang co-lead on Doggone Right (1969) and
produced Choosey Beggar (1969), Here I Go Again (1969), and Baby,
Baby Don’t Cry (1969).
Pete’s
compositions were recorded by many famous artists, including Michael Jackson,
Ramsey Lewis, Luther Vandross, and the Four Tops.
Pete was
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame,
and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. He was also awarded a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mr. Moore’s
contributions to music are too numerous to name.
