Bill Schenley
2004-06-01 03:52:25 UTC
Ronnie Mack, songwriter - Died 5/X/1963. Ronnie Mack died
from Hodgkin's disease just two months after receiving his
gold record for writing "He's So Fine," for the Chiffons.
Note: The back-up band used on that record were Jay Siegal,
guitar; Hank Medress, bass; Phil Margo, drums, and Mitch
Margo, keyboards. They were better known as The Tokens.
Ted Weems, violinist/trombonist/bandleader - Died 5-6-1963.
He recorded "Piccolo Pete" and "Somebody Stole My Gal." He
worked with Marilyn Maxwell, Red Ingle, Art Jarrett and
Perry Como.
Elmore James, guitarist extraordinaire/singer - Died
5-24-1963. Elmore James died from a heart attack. He was
45. He recorded "The Sky Is Crying," Shake Your Money
Maker," "Rollin' And Tumblin'," "Crossroads" and "Dust My
Broom." He worked with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Ike Turner,
Ransom Knowling, Johnny Jones, Boyd Atkins, Joe Turner,
Junior Wells, Odie Payne Jr., Eddie Taylor, B.B. King,
Albert King, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf .
and Robert Johnson. Elmore James has influenced guitar
players from B.B. King, Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Jimi
Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn to .
Rudy Lewis, singer - Died 5-20-1964. Lewis, who died from
asphyxiation, was a member of the Drifters.
Spike Jones, novelty singer - Died 5-1-1965. Jones died
from emphysema. He recorded "William Tell Overture," "Der
Fuhrer's Face" and "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front
Teeth."
Laverne Andrews, singer - Died 5-8-1967. Andrews, who was
one of the Andrews Sisters, died from cancer. They recorded
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree"
and "Rum And Coca-Cola."
Elmo Hope, piano player - Died 5-19-1967. Hope suffered a
heart attack while recuperating from pneumonia. He worked
with Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Joe Morris, Lou Donaldson,
John Coltrane and Clifford Brown.
Billy Strayhorn, pianist/composer/arranger - Died 5-31-1967.
Strayhorn, an arranger with no peer, died from cancer of the
esophagus. He was a member of The Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Benny Benjamin, drummer - Died 5-2-1969. Benjamin died
while in an alcoholic stupor. He played on the Supremes, "My
World Is Empty Without You" and Marvin Gaye's, "I Heard It
Through The Grapevine."
Martin Lamble, drummer/violinist - Died 5-14-1969. Lamble,
a member of Fairport Convention, died when the band's van
crashed.
Jeanne "Genie The Taylor" Franklin, clothing designer - Died
5-14-1969. Franklin designed clothes for Jimi Hendrix, the
Lovin' Spoonful, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan and Eric Burton
& the Animals.
Coleman Hawkins, saxophonist - Died 5-19-1969. Coleman
Hawkins recorded one of the great versions of "Body And
Soul." He was a member of The Jazz Hounds, and worked with
Fletcher Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Benny
Carter, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Eric Dolphy,
Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, Lester Young,
Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and John Coltrane.
"A parallel can be drawn between Hawkins'
"Body and Soul" and Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address. Both were brief, lucid, eloquent and
timeless masterpieces, yet tossed off by their
authors as mere ephemera."
- Len Weinstock -
Johnny Hodges, alto sax player - Died 5-11-1970. He
recorded "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Prelude To A
Kiss." He worked with Duke Ellington for forty years. He
also worked with Sonny Greer, Wild Bill Davis, Earl "Fatha"
Hines and Ben Webster. Hodges died of a heart attack while
having a tooth pulled.
Les Harvey, guitar player - Died 5-3-1972. Harvey, the
younger brother of Alex Harvey, was electrocuted on stage by
touching a live microphone with wet feet. He was a member
of Stone The Crows, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
The Reverend Gary Davis, guitarist/singer- Died 5-5-1972.
Davis died from a heart attack. He recorded "All My Friends
Are Gone" and "Cocaine Blues." Davis worked with Sonny
Terry & Brownie McGhee, Dave Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Odetta,
Jorma Kaukonen, Ernie Hawkins, Blind Boy Fuller, John Cephas
and Bob Weir. Davis may have been one of the most annoying
musicians . ever. But he was also one of the finest
guitarists . ever.
Guitar Slim (Alec Seward), guitarist - Died 5-11-1972. He
recorded "Creepin' Blues" and "Some People Say."
John Ryanes, singer - Died 5-30-1972. He was a member of
The Monotones ("The Book Of Love").
Elmer Snowden, banjo/guitar/mandolin player/bandleader -
Died 5-14-1973. Snowden was the unscrupulous leader of The
Washingtonians, a group who would later become The Duke
Ellington Orchestra. Snowden worked with Bessie Smith,
Benny Carter, Count Basie, Chick Webb and Lonnie Johnson.
Vaughn Monroe, singer/trumpet player/bandleader - Died
5-21-1973. He recorded, "Black Denim Trousers And
Motorcycle Boots," "There! I've Said It Again" and "In The
Middle Of The House."
Graham Bond, piano/sax/guitar/Mellotron/bandleader - Died
5-8-1974. Bond committed suicide by throwing himself under
a subway train. He was a member of Blues Incorporated and
he was the leader of The Gram Bond Organization. He worked
with Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Alexis Korner, Georgie Fame,
Long John Baldry, Marvin Gaye, John McLaughlin and Don
Rendell.
Marshall Owens, guitar player/singer - Died 5-19-1974.
Owens recorded "Try Me One More Time" and "Texas Blues."
Duke Ellington, piano player/composer/arranger - Died
5-24-1974. Ellington, who died from cancer, was
unfulfilled . His dream? To play baseball . for the
Washington Senators.
Bob Wills, bandleader - Died 5-13-1975. Bob Wills died from
pneumonia.
Keith Relf, guitar player - Died 5-14-76. A short in his
guitar cable electrocuted Relf, who was a member the
Yardbirds and Renaissance.
Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson, guitarist/singer - Died
5-30-1976. Jackson, who died from cancer, recorded
"Everybody's Blues" and "Thrill Me Baby."
Eugene Mumford, singer - Died 5-10-1977. Mumford died from
bacterial pneumonia secondary to alcoholism and diabetes.
He was a member of the Dominoes ("My Reverie") and the Larks
("Stolen Love").
Hampton Hawes, pianist - Died 5-22-1977. Hawes worked with
Howard McGhee, Shorty Rogers, Sonny Criss, Art Pepper, Frank
Butler, Dolo Coker, Harold Land, Frank Morgan and Dexter
Gordon.
William Powell. singer - Died 5-26-1977. Powell, who was a
member of the O'Jays, died from cancer.
Paul Desmond, alto sax player - Died 5-30-1977. He was a
member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet and was the leader of The
Paul Desmond Quintet. He worked with Gerry Mulligan, Ed
Bickert, Jim Hall, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck and Charles
Mingus. Paul Desmond's drinking was the stuff of legend .
but it was the three packs a day that killed him.
Glen Sherley, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-11-1978. Sherley died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He
wrote and recorded "Greystone Chapel." He worked with Spade
Cooley and Johnny Cash. Sherley also wrote "Portrait Of My
Woman," for Eddy Arnold.
Milton Ager, composer/songwriter/piano player - Died
5-6-1979. Ager, who worked with Bix Beiderbecke, wrote "Ain
't She Sweet" and "Happy Days Are Here Again."
Lester Flatt, guitar/banjo/mandolin/fiddle player - Died
5-11-1979. He was a member of Flatt and Scruggs & the Foggy
Mountain Boys. He also worked with Bill Monroe, Charlie
Monroe, Mac Wiseman, the Stanley Brothers, Marty Stuart and
Bob Dylan. Flatt, in poor health after suffering from a
stroke, died after heart attack.
Blue Mitchell, trumpet player - Died 5-21-1979. Mitchell
died from cancer. He worked with Paul Williams, Chuck
Willis, Earl Bostic, Chick Corea, Ray Charles, John Mayall,
Tony Bennett and Lena Horne.
Ian Curtis, singer - Died 5-18-1980. Curtis committed
suicide by hanging. He was a member of the Joy Division ("I
Remember Nothing" and "Disorder").
Carl Radle, bass guitarist - Died 5-30-1980. Radle, who
died from kidney problems, was the bass player for Gary
Lewis & the Playboys. He also worked with Delney & Bonnie,
Eric Clapton and Derek & the Dominoes.
Bob Marley, singer/guitar player/bandleader - Died
5-11-1981. Bob Marley died from brain cancer. He was the
leader of Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Ernie Freeman, piano player/arranger - Died 5-16-1981.
Freeman died from a heart attack. He recorded "Raunchy.
Freeman also recorded as B. Bumble & the Stingers ("Bumble
Boogie" and "The Nut Rocker Suite"). He worked with Duane
Eddy, Johnny Burnette, The Crickets, Bobby Vee and Buddy
Knox.
Roy Brown, singer/songwriter - Died 5-25-1981. Brown died
from a heart attack. He wrote and recorded "Let The Four
Winds Blow" and "Good Rockin' Tonight."
Mary Lou Williams, piano player/songwriter - Died 5-28-1981.
Williams, who died from cancer, wrote, "Roll 'Em" and
"What's Your Story Morning Glory." She Pianist worked with
Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, and Tommy Dorsey, and was married
to saxophonist John Williams and trumpeter Harold "Shorty"
Baker.
Roland Trone, singer - Died 5-X-1982. He was one half of
the duo Don & Juan ("What's Your Name?").
Cal Tjader, drummer/vibraphonist - Died 5-5-1982. He
recorded did "Curacao." He was also a member of the George
Shearing Quintet ("Rap Your Troubles In Drums"), and worked
with Dave Brubeck and Alvino Rey.
Neil Bogart, record company executive - Died 5-9-1982.
Bogart, who died from cancer, worked with Kiss, the Ohio
Express, and the 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Melanie and the
Brooklyn Bridge.
John Felten, singer - Died 5-15-1982. Felten, a member of
the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'"), was killed in a plane
crash.
Clarence Quick, singer - Died 5-5-1983. Quick, who died
from a heart Attack, was member of the Del-Vikings ("Come
And Go With Me").
Kai Winding, trombone player - Died 5-6-1983. Winding
recorded "More" and "Wind Bag." He worked with J.J.
Johnson, Alvino Rey, Stan Kenton and Miles Davis.
Rex Gosdin, singer/guitar player - Died 5-23-1983. Gosdin,
the brother of Vern Gosdin, died from a heart attack.
Besides his brother (they recorded, "Just Enough To Keep Me"
and "Hangin' On"), he also worked with Chris Hillman.
Gordon Jenkins, pianist/arranger/orchestra leader - Died
5-1-1984. Jenkins recorded "Goodnight Irene." He worked
with Benny Goodman, Dick Haymes, Nat King Cole and Frank
Sinatra.
Nudie Cohn, clothing designer - Died 5-9-1984. Nudie
designed suits for Elvis Presley Hank Williams, ZZ Top,
Elton John, John Lennon, Webb Pierce, Willie Nelson, Porter
Wagoneer, Little Jimmy Dickens and George Jones.
Gordon Sinclair, DJ - Died 5-17-1984. Sinclair recorded the
spoken word, "The Americans." He was also a DJ for the
Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Jack Vaughn, guitar player - Died 5-20-1984. Vaughn was a
member of the Norman Petty Trio ("Mood Indigo" and "Almost
Paradise"). He worked with Buddy Holly.
Hugo Peretti, record company
owner/producer/songwriter/orchestra leader/mob front man -
Died 5-1-1986. Peretti co-owned Roulette Records. He
co-wrote "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Can't Help Falling
In Love." He produced Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers, the
Stylistics and Sarah Vaughn.
Hank Mobley, tenor sax player - Died 5-30-1986. Mobley was
a member of the Jazz Messengers, and he worked with Pepper
Adams, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Philly Joe Jones, Clark
Terry, Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey,
Paul Chambers, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones and Blue
Mitchell.
Paul Butterfield, harmonica player/bandleader - Died
5-4-1987. The Paul Butterfield Blues band recorded "Born
In Chicago" and "East West." Butterfield worked with
Michael Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Sam Lay, Muddy Waters,
Nick Gravenites, Mark Naftalin, B.B. King, Otis Rush, John
Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Billy Davenport, Howlin' Wolf,
David Sanborn and Bob Dylan. Paul Butterfield, suffering
from intestinal problems, died from an overdose of heroin.
Paul Rothschild's production on the East West album made it
one of the finest recordings ever (IMO).
Chet Baker, trumpet/flugelhorn/vocalist - Died 5-13-1988.
Baker, under the influence of heroin, fell from his hotel
balcony in Amsterdam (his hotel room had a large quantity of
both heroin and cocaine in it). Baker recorded over 200
albums. If you haven't heard Chet Baker perform "My Funny
Valentine" . then you have never really heard the song (his
best recordings of MFV are from 1987 in Tokyo and 1988, his
last). He was a member of The Gerry Mulligan Quartet and
worked with Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Stan Getz, Dick
Twardzik, Russ Freeman, Paul Desmond, Jimmy Bond, Dizzy
Gillespie, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell, Ron
Carter, Leroy Vinnegar, Chico Hamilton, Tony Williams, Bud
Shank (just about everything Chet Baker recorded with Bud
Shank is . shite), Hank Jones, Carl Perkins, Curtis Counce,
Shelly Manne, Harold Land, Condi Candoli, Paul Chambers,
Philly Joe Jones, Herbie Mann, Connie Kay, Jack Nitsche, Joe
Pass, Astrud Gilberto, Phil Markowitz, Larry Coryell, Billy
Higgins, Herbie Hancock, Chico Hamilton, Lee Konitz, Keith
Jarrett, Zoot Sims, Jack Montrose, Pepper Adams, Bill Evans,
Elvis Costello and many, many others. He made beautiful
music.
Paul Wilson, singer - Died 5-15-1988. He was a member of
The Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes For You").
Daws Butler, voice artist - Died 5-18-1988. Butler, who
died of a heart attack, was the voice of many cartoon
characters including Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick
Draw McGraw and Snagglepuss. He recorded "Bingo, Ringo," a
Beatles related song as the voice of Huckleberry Hound.
Dick Jacobs, orchestra leader - Died 5-20-1988. Jacobs, who
died from cancer, recorded "Fascination" and the "Theme From
East Of Eden." He worked on Your Hit Parade. He also
worked with Xavier Cugat, Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong.
Bennie Benjamin, drummer - Died 5-2-1989. He worked with
Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Martha Reeves & the
Vandellas and the Marvelettes.
Keith Whitley, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-9-1989. He died from an overdose of cocaine and alcohol.
He recorded "Ten Feet Away," "Miami My Amy,"
"When You Say Nothing At All," "I'm No Stranger To The
Rain," "Don't Close Your Eyes" and he wrote "Hopelessly
Yours." He worked with Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, J.D.
Crowe, Earl Thomas Conley, Vern Gosdin, Emmylou Harris, Reba
McEntire and he was a member of the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Whitley was married to country singer Lorrie Morgan at the
time of his death.
Woody Shaw, trumpet/flugelhorn - Died 5-10-1989. Shaw died
from kidney failure after losing an arm when a train struck
him. He worked with Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Horace
Silver, Archie Shepp and Lionel Hampton. He was the son of
Woody Shaw of the Diamond Jubilee Singers.
Ron Wilson, drummer - Died 5-19-1989. Wilson, who was a
member of the Surfaris ("Wipe Out"), died from a brain
aneurysm.
Gilda Radner, comedian/actor - Died 5-20-1989. Radner
recorded "The Way We Were," as Lisa Loopner and "Gimme
Mick," a punk song about Mick Jagger. She died from
ovarian cancer.
Phineas Newborn Jr., pianist - Died 5-26-1989. He worked
with B.B. King, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus and his
brother, guitarist, Calvin Newborn.
John Cipollina, guitar player - Died 5-29-1989. Cipollina,
a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service ("Happy Trails"),
died from a respiratory ailment.
Charles Allen, singer - Died 5-7-1990. He was a singer for
Pacific Gas & Electric.
Sammy Davis Jr., singer/actor/dancer - Died 5-16-1990.
Davis died from throat cancer.
Morris Levy, record company executive - Died 5-21-1990.
Sleazy Levy died from liver cancer. He was the co-founder
of Roulette Records. He once tried to copyright the term
"Rock & Roll."
Gary Usher, producer/songwriter - Died 5-25-1990. Usher
died from cancer. He co-wrote "In My Room" and "409." Gary
Usher produced the Byrds, Surfaris and Chad & Jeremy.
Simon Wilde, bass player - Died 5-4-1991. Wilde, a member
of DOA, died from a brain Tumor.
Gene Clark, guitar player/ - Died 5-24-1991. He was a
member of the New Christy Minstrels, the Surf Riders and the
Byrds. Gene Clark died from a heart attack.
Nigel Preston, drummer Died 5-7-1992. He was a drummer for
The Cult ("Bad Medicine Waltz").
Floyd Arceneaux, trumpet player - Died 5-13-1992. He
worked with Ray Charles, Bobby Blue Bland, Chuck Willis and
Junior Parker.
Barbara Lee Jones, singer - Died 5-15-1992 - Jones, who died
from a heart attack, was a member of the Chiffons.
Lawrence Welk, bandleader - Died 5-17-1992. Welk died of
pneumonia.
Marv Johnson, singer - Died 5-16-1993. Johnson performed on
the first record from Motown. He recorded "You Got What It
Takes" (covered by the Dave Clark Five) and "I Love How You
Love." Johnson died after suffering a stroke.
Robert Carr, singer - Died 5-18-1993. He was half of the
duo Robert & Johnny ("We Belong Together").
Herman Sonny Blount (Sun Ra), Composer, arranger, keyboard -
Died 5-30-1993. Sun Ra died from a stroke. He recorded
"Journey Through The Outer Darkness" and "Outer Space Where
I Came From."
Mitchell Parish, composer/songwriter - Died 5-31-1993. He
wrote the lyrics for "Blue Tango" and "Sleigh Ride." He
also added the English lyrics to, "Volaré." Parish worked
with Duke Ellington and Sammy Fain.
Joe Pass, guitarist - Died 5-23-1994. Joe Pass worked with
Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Leroy Vinnegar, Les McCann,
Paul Chambers, Chet Baker, Louie Bellson, Oscar Peterson,
Milt Jackson, Herb Ellis, Zoot Sims, Roy Eldridge, Clark
Terry, Benny Carter, Stephane Grappelli, Benny Goodman and
Duke Ellington. He died from cancer.
Sonny Sharrock, guitarist - Died 5-26-1994. Sharrock was a
member of Last Exit and worked with Miles Davis, Herbie Mann
and Herbie Hancock. He died from a heart attack.
Red Rodney, flugelhorn/trumpet player - Died 5-27-1994. He
worked with Charlie Parker, Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa and
Woody Herman.
Marshall Royal, sax/clarinet player - Died 5-9-1995. He
worked with Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald and
Art Tatum
Patsy Montana, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-3-1996. She recorded "I Want to Be a Cowboy's
Sweetheart."
Johnny Guitar Watson - Died 5-17-1996 - Heart attack
Jimmy Rowles, piano player - Died 5-28-1996. Rowles, who
died from cardiac arrest, worked with Billie Holiday, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, and
Benny Goodman.
John Kahn, bass player - Died 5-30-1996. Kahn, who died
from an overdose of heroin, worked with Elvin Bishop, John
Lee Hooker, Michael Bloomfield and Al Kooper. He was a
member of the Jerry Garcia Band.
Bob Stroup, trombone player - Died 5-30-1996. He worked
with Woody Herman.
Timothy Leary, spoken word/backup vocals/LSD guru - Died
5-31-1996. Leary died from prostate cancer. He sang on
John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance."
Jeff Buckley, guitar player/singer - Died 5-29-1997.
Buckley, the son of folk-rocker Tim Buckley, drowned in the
Mississippi River. He recorded "Everybody Here Wants You"
and "Last Goodbye."
Eddie Rabbitt, singer/songwriter/guitar player - Died
5-7-1998. Eddie Rabbitt died from lung cancer. He recorded
"I Love A Rainy Night" and "Suspicions." He also wrote,
Elvis Presley's "Kentucky Rain."
Lester Butler, harmonica player - Died 5-10-1998. Butler
died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine. He was a member
of The Red Devils, and worked with Tom Petty, Mick Jagger,
Billy Boy Arnold, Johnny Rivers and R.L. Burnside.
Frank Sinatra, vocalist - Died 5-14-1998.
Rudy West, singer - Died 5-14-1998. West, who died from a
heart attack after a cancer treatment, was a member of the
Five Keys ("The Glory of Love").
Royce Kendall, singer - Died 5-22-1998. He was half of the
duo the Kendalls with his daughter Jeannie ("Heaven's Just A
Sin Away").
Steve Clark, bass/flute player - Died 5-1-1999. Clark was
struck and killed by a car while walking. He was a member
of Kaleidoscope.
Gene Schwartz, record company executive - Died 5-4-1999.
Schwartz, who died from a stroke, was the founder of Laurie
Records.
Leon Thomas, vocalist - Died 5-9-1999. Thomas died from
heart failure due to leukemia. He was a member of Santana
for several years. He also worked with Pharaoh Sanders,
Oliver Nelson, Johnny Hodges, Quincy Jones, Roland Kirk, Al
Hibbler, Count Basie, Theresa Brewer, Louis Armstrong,
Ornette Coleman, Hank Crawford and H. Rap Brown. He
co-wrote, with Pharaoh Sanders, "The Creator Has A Master
Plan."
Shel Silverstein, songwriter/author - Died 5-10-1999. Shel
Silverstein, who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" and "Sylvia's
Mother," died from a heart attack.
Joel Price, bass guitar player - Died 5-12-1999. Price was
a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.
Bruce Fairbairn, producer - Died 5-17-1999. He produced
Aerosmith, Van Halen, Kiss and AC/DC. Fairbairn died from a
heart attack.
David Bryant, bassist - Died 5-1-2000. He worked with Buddy
Collette, Charles Mingus, Benny Carter, Nat King Cole and
Dexter Gordon.
Bill Napier, guitar/mandolin player/songwriter - Died
5-3-2000. He wrote "Daybreak In Dixie," and worked with The
Stanley Brothers.
Wilbur Brown, sax player - Died 5-7-2000 - Brown, who died
from pancreatic cancer, worked with Ray Charles, Lionel
Hampton, Hank Crawford and Woody Herman.
Bobbi Martin, singer - Died 5-9-2000. She recorded "For the
Love of Him," and "Don't Forget I Still Love You." Bobbi
Martin died from breast cancer.
Tony Charles, drummer - Died 5-17-2000. He worked with the
Zydeco Brothers, Curtis Mayfield and Jackie Wilson.
Richard Payne, bassist - Died 5-17-2000. He was a member of
The Jazz Hounds, and worked with Professor Longhair, Ray
Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Duke Ellington and Allen Toussaint.
Joe "Yo-Yo" Jaramillo, singer - Died 5-24-2000. He was a
singer for Cannibal & the Headhunters ("Land Of 1000
Dances").
Tommy Scott, singer - Died 6-X-2000. Scott died from cancer
and intestinal problems. He was the lead singer for Steam,
who did "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)."
Billy Higgins, drummer - Died 5-3-2001. Billy Higgins died
from pneumonia. He was one of the founders of The World
Stage, a storefront performance space and teaching venue and
was a member of the jazz faculty at UCLA. He worked with
Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackon,
Art Pepper and Dolo Coker.
Boozoo Chavis, accordion player - Died 5-5-2001. Zydeco
accordion player Chavis, died for a heart attack. He
recorded "Paper In My Shoe."
Michael Hazlewood, songwriter - Died 5-6-2001. Hazelwood
co-wrote "(All I Need Is) The Air That I Breathe" and "It
Never Rains In Southern California," with Albert Hammond.
He also wrote "Southern Lady," for Rita Coolidge. He worked
with T. Bone Brunette, Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson.
Suzanne Bennett, singer - Died 5-8-2001. She sang for TV
shows Your Hit Parade and Kay Kyser's College of Musical
Knowledge. She was also one of the Ray Charles Singers.
James Myers (Jimmy DeKnight), drummer/songwriter - Died
5-9-2001. Myers, who co-wrote "Rock Around the Clock" with
Max Freedman, died from leukemia
Bob Taylor, drummer - Died 5-10-2001. Taylor died from
cancer. He was Duane Eddy's drummer.
Perry Como, singer- Died 5-12-2001.
Susannah McCorkle, cabaret singer - Died 5-19-2001. She
recorded "There's No Business Like Show Business." McCorkle
jumped out of her New York apartment window.
Tommy Eyre, keyboardist/arranger/producer - Died 5-21-2001.
Eyre died from cancer He worked with Joe Cocker, George
Harrison, Daryl Hall, Mick Jagger, Tracy Chapman, Gerry
Rafferty, Wham!, B.B. King, Alex Harvey and Dusty
Springfield. He was married to violinist Scarlet Rivera.
Professor John Hasted, guitar/banjo player/singer - Died
5-4-2002. The physicist/folk singer was a member of The
Ramblers, one of England's first folk groups.
Otis Blackwell, piano player/singer/songwriter/composer -
Died 5-6-2002. Otis Blackwell died from a heart attack. He
recorded "Daddy Rollin' Stone," and wrote "Don't Be Cruel"
and "Great Balls of Fire." Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Billy
Joel, The Who, James Taylor, Otis Redding, Peggy Lee and
Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his songs, and he wrote over a
thousand songs
John Zeidler, guitar maker - Died 5-7-2002. John Zeidler
died from leukemia. He was a master guitar maker who
believed they should be every bit as beautiful as they
sounded. He also made dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, and
violins and built tube amplifiers.
Roland Chambers, guitarist/composer/arranger/producer - Died
5-8-2002. Chambers, who died from heart failure, worked
with Teddy Pendergrass, Phyllis Hyman, the Dells, Dusty
Springfield, Lou Rawls, the Temptations, B.B. King, the
Orlons and the O'Jays.
George Cates, sax player/composer/arranger - Died 5-10-2002.
He had hits with "Moonglow" and the "Theme From Picnic."
Cates was the musical director for The Lawrence Welk Show
for thirty years. He composed the theme song, "Champagne
Time." He also worked with Steve Allen, Bing Crosby, Danny
Kaye, the Andrews Sisters, Alvino Rey and Teresa Brewer.
Cates, who died from a heart attack, was also a producer for
Coral and Dot Records.
Marc Bonel, French accordion player - Died 5-12-2002.
Bonel worked with Edith Piaf.
Sharon Sheeley, songwriter - Died 5-17-2002. Sheeley died
after from a cerebral hemorrhage. She wrote "Poor Little
Fool." She worked with Eddie Cochran, who was her boyfriend
at the time of his death, and Jackie DeShannon. At one
time, she was married to Shindig host, Jimmy O'Neill.
David Lazar, lyricist - Died 5-19-2002. Lazar died from
lung cancer. He co-wrote "Gotta Travel On," which has
recorded by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and The Kingston Trio.
He was and adviser for the National Security Council and
helped negotiate the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.
Anthony E. Caselli, percussionist/drummer/singer/orchestra
leader - Died 5-20-2002. He died from non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma. He led the Tony Caselli Orchestra and worked with
Bob Hope, Tony Orlando and Engelbert Humperdinck. Caselli
was also the substitute drummer for the Bozo TV show.
Umberto Bindi, singer/songwriter - Died 5-23-2002. Bindi,
who co-wrote "You're My World" and "I Will Always Want You,"
died after suffering a heart attack. Dionne Warwick, Glen
Campbell, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black and Tom Jones have
recorded his songs
Randy Garibay, singer/guitar player - Died 5-23-2002. He
was a member of the Velvets and the Pharaohs and The
Dell-Kings. He also worked with Jackie Wilson, Judy
Garland, Doug Sahm and Curtis Mayfield.
George Wyle, pianist/songwriter/music director - Died
5-2-2003. Wyle, who died from leukemia, co-wrote "The Most
Wonderful Time of the Year" and the theme song for
television's "Gilligan's Island." He was also the music
director for The Dinah Shore Show and The Andy Williams
Show.
Nigel Hammond, drummer - Died 5-4-2003. Hammond drowned
while trying to rescue his wife and their dog. He worked
with Billy Fury and PJ Proby.
Jerry Rusch, composer/trumpet player- Died 5-5-2003. Rusch,
who died from liver cancer, worked with Diana Ross, Ray
Charles, Stan Kenton, Joe Henderson, Teddy Edwards, Smokey
Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Temptations and the Rolling
Stones.
Gerry Shephard, guitar player/songwriter - Died 5-6-2003. He
was a member of the Glitter Band and co-wrote, "Don't Play
That Song Again." Shephard used, as a stage prop, the
poorly made Star Guitar. He died from cancer.
Noble Jolley, songwriter/guitar/banjo/mandolin/sitar/piano
player) - Died 5-6-2003. He wrote, "God's Going to Show Us
the Way."
Dick Cross, drummer - Died 5-6-2003. Cross was murdered.
He died from acute pneumonia resulting from exposure to
hydrochloric acid that had been poured onto the seat of his
car.
Noel Redding, violinist/guitar/bass player - Died 5-11-2003.
He was a member of the Modern Jazz Group, the Loving Kind,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress, Road and the Noel
Redding Band.
Scott Rogers, guitar player - Died 5-11-2003. Rogers was
killed in a car crash. He was a member of the Penetrators.
Kim Turner, drummer/manager/producer - Died 5-12-2003.
Turner, who died from cancer, was a road manager and sound
engineer for The Police. He also produced Wishbone Ash.
Harry Hess, guitarist/songwriter - Died 5-12-2003. Hess
died from a heart attack. He worked with Doug Sahm's Texas
Tornados, Jimmy Vaughan and Herb Ellis.
Bross Townsend, pianist - Died 5-12-2003. He worked with
Dinah Washington, Erskine Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Woody
Herman, John Coltrane and Jimmy Reed.
June Carter Cash, singer/songwriter/autoharp/piano/guitar
player - Died 5-15-2003. Carter-Cash died of complications
after heart surgery. - She co-wrote "Ring of Fire," with
her husband, Johnny Cash. She worked with Flatt & Scruggs,
Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Jr., Homer & Jethro, The Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band and The Carter Family.
Les Arnold, sax/clarinet player/arranger - Died 5-19-2003.
Arnold, who died from multiple cancer, arranged music for
Frankie Avalon.
Virginia Osborn, singer - Died 5-19-2003. She was a member
of the Chordettes ("Mister Sandman" and "Lollipop"). She
died from cancer.
Lawson Wayne White, drummer/songwriter/arranger - Died
5-20-2003. White died from cancer. He worked with Dottie
West, Ernest Tubb, Mel Tillis, Ray Charles, Chet Atkins and
Willie Nelson.
Jeremy Michael Ward, keyboard player - Died 5-25-2003. Ward
died from an overdose of heroin. He was a member of Defacto
and Mars Volta.
Mickie Most, producer - Died 5-30-2003. Mickie Most died
from cancer. He worked with Jeff Beck, the Sweet, Suzi
Quatro, Smokie, Hot Chocolate ("You Sexy Thing"), Lulu, Kim
Wilde, the Animals, Yardbirds, Herman's Hermits and Donovan.
Coxsone Dodd, producer/record company executive - Died
5-4-2004. Dodd is credited with launching the career of Bob
Marley & the Wailers. He opened the Jamaica Recording And
Publishing Studio, and is considered the "father of Jamaican
music." He died after suffering a heart attack, four days
after the city of Kingston, Jamaica named a street for him.
Barney Kessel, guitarist/music teacher - Died 5-6-2004.
Barney Kessel died from brain cancer. He worked with
Charlie Parker, Chico Marx, Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw,
Charlie Barnet, Sonny & Cher, Benny Goodman, the Beach Boys,
Liberace, Buffalo Springfield, Frank Sinatra and Art Tatum,
Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, Julie London, Leroy Vinnegar,
Elvin Jones, Shelly Manne, Stepane Grappelli, Kenny Burrell,
Liberace and Elvis Presley. He gave guitar lessons to John
Lennon, George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Rudy Maugeri, singer - Died 5-7-2004. He died from
pancreatic cancer. Maugeri was a member of the Jordonaires
and the Crew Cuts ("Sh-Boom").
Brenda Fassie, singer - Died 5-9-2004. She recorded
"Weekend Special." Considered the "Madonna" of South
Africa, Fassie died from a heart attack. She had been in a
coma, caused by an asthma attack two weeks earlier.
John Whitehead, singer/songwriter/keyboard player - Died
5-11-2004. Whitehead was shot to death while working on a
car. He co-wrote, "Back Stabbers" and "Wake Up Everybody,"
and was a member of the Epsilons.
Marius Constant, composer - Died 5-15-2004. He wrote the
opening and closing themes for television's, The Twilight
Zone.
Clint Warwick, bass player/singer - Died 5-15-2004.
Warwick, who was a member of the Moody Blues, died from
liver failure.
June Carroll, singer/songwriter - Died 5-16-2004. She
wrote, "Love Is A Simple Thing" and "Penny Candy." She was
married to screenwriter, Sidney Carroll.
Alex Nelson, guitar player - Died 5-17-2004. Nelson, a
member of Lizzy Borden, was killed in a car accident.
Elvin Jones, drummer - Died 5-18-2004.
from Hodgkin's disease just two months after receiving his
gold record for writing "He's So Fine," for the Chiffons.
Note: The back-up band used on that record were Jay Siegal,
guitar; Hank Medress, bass; Phil Margo, drums, and Mitch
Margo, keyboards. They were better known as The Tokens.
Ted Weems, violinist/trombonist/bandleader - Died 5-6-1963.
He recorded "Piccolo Pete" and "Somebody Stole My Gal." He
worked with Marilyn Maxwell, Red Ingle, Art Jarrett and
Perry Como.
Elmore James, guitarist extraordinaire/singer - Died
5-24-1963. Elmore James died from a heart attack. He was
45. He recorded "The Sky Is Crying," Shake Your Money
Maker," "Rollin' And Tumblin'," "Crossroads" and "Dust My
Broom." He worked with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Ike Turner,
Ransom Knowling, Johnny Jones, Boyd Atkins, Joe Turner,
Junior Wells, Odie Payne Jr., Eddie Taylor, B.B. King,
Albert King, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf .
and Robert Johnson. Elmore James has influenced guitar
players from B.B. King, Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Jimi
Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn to .
Rudy Lewis, singer - Died 5-20-1964. Lewis, who died from
asphyxiation, was a member of the Drifters.
Spike Jones, novelty singer - Died 5-1-1965. Jones died
from emphysema. He recorded "William Tell Overture," "Der
Fuhrer's Face" and "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front
Teeth."
Laverne Andrews, singer - Died 5-8-1967. Andrews, who was
one of the Andrews Sisters, died from cancer. They recorded
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree"
and "Rum And Coca-Cola."
Elmo Hope, piano player - Died 5-19-1967. Hope suffered a
heart attack while recuperating from pneumonia. He worked
with Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Joe Morris, Lou Donaldson,
John Coltrane and Clifford Brown.
Billy Strayhorn, pianist/composer/arranger - Died 5-31-1967.
Strayhorn, an arranger with no peer, died from cancer of the
esophagus. He was a member of The Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Benny Benjamin, drummer - Died 5-2-1969. Benjamin died
while in an alcoholic stupor. He played on the Supremes, "My
World Is Empty Without You" and Marvin Gaye's, "I Heard It
Through The Grapevine."
Martin Lamble, drummer/violinist - Died 5-14-1969. Lamble,
a member of Fairport Convention, died when the band's van
crashed.
Jeanne "Genie The Taylor" Franklin, clothing designer - Died
5-14-1969. Franklin designed clothes for Jimi Hendrix, the
Lovin' Spoonful, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan and Eric Burton
& the Animals.
Coleman Hawkins, saxophonist - Died 5-19-1969. Coleman
Hawkins recorded one of the great versions of "Body And
Soul." He was a member of The Jazz Hounds, and worked with
Fletcher Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Benny
Carter, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Eric Dolphy,
Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, Lester Young,
Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and John Coltrane.
"A parallel can be drawn between Hawkins'
"Body and Soul" and Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address. Both were brief, lucid, eloquent and
timeless masterpieces, yet tossed off by their
authors as mere ephemera."
- Len Weinstock -
Johnny Hodges, alto sax player - Died 5-11-1970. He
recorded "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Prelude To A
Kiss." He worked with Duke Ellington for forty years. He
also worked with Sonny Greer, Wild Bill Davis, Earl "Fatha"
Hines and Ben Webster. Hodges died of a heart attack while
having a tooth pulled.
Les Harvey, guitar player - Died 5-3-1972. Harvey, the
younger brother of Alex Harvey, was electrocuted on stage by
touching a live microphone with wet feet. He was a member
of Stone The Crows, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
The Reverend Gary Davis, guitarist/singer- Died 5-5-1972.
Davis died from a heart attack. He recorded "All My Friends
Are Gone" and "Cocaine Blues." Davis worked with Sonny
Terry & Brownie McGhee, Dave Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Odetta,
Jorma Kaukonen, Ernie Hawkins, Blind Boy Fuller, John Cephas
and Bob Weir. Davis may have been one of the most annoying
musicians . ever. But he was also one of the finest
guitarists . ever.
Guitar Slim (Alec Seward), guitarist - Died 5-11-1972. He
recorded "Creepin' Blues" and "Some People Say."
John Ryanes, singer - Died 5-30-1972. He was a member of
The Monotones ("The Book Of Love").
Elmer Snowden, banjo/guitar/mandolin player/bandleader -
Died 5-14-1973. Snowden was the unscrupulous leader of The
Washingtonians, a group who would later become The Duke
Ellington Orchestra. Snowden worked with Bessie Smith,
Benny Carter, Count Basie, Chick Webb and Lonnie Johnson.
Vaughn Monroe, singer/trumpet player/bandleader - Died
5-21-1973. He recorded, "Black Denim Trousers And
Motorcycle Boots," "There! I've Said It Again" and "In The
Middle Of The House."
Graham Bond, piano/sax/guitar/Mellotron/bandleader - Died
5-8-1974. Bond committed suicide by throwing himself under
a subway train. He was a member of Blues Incorporated and
he was the leader of The Gram Bond Organization. He worked
with Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Alexis Korner, Georgie Fame,
Long John Baldry, Marvin Gaye, John McLaughlin and Don
Rendell.
Marshall Owens, guitar player/singer - Died 5-19-1974.
Owens recorded "Try Me One More Time" and "Texas Blues."
Duke Ellington, piano player/composer/arranger - Died
5-24-1974. Ellington, who died from cancer, was
unfulfilled . His dream? To play baseball . for the
Washington Senators.
Bob Wills, bandleader - Died 5-13-1975. Bob Wills died from
pneumonia.
Keith Relf, guitar player - Died 5-14-76. A short in his
guitar cable electrocuted Relf, who was a member the
Yardbirds and Renaissance.
Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson, guitarist/singer - Died
5-30-1976. Jackson, who died from cancer, recorded
"Everybody's Blues" and "Thrill Me Baby."
Eugene Mumford, singer - Died 5-10-1977. Mumford died from
bacterial pneumonia secondary to alcoholism and diabetes.
He was a member of the Dominoes ("My Reverie") and the Larks
("Stolen Love").
Hampton Hawes, pianist - Died 5-22-1977. Hawes worked with
Howard McGhee, Shorty Rogers, Sonny Criss, Art Pepper, Frank
Butler, Dolo Coker, Harold Land, Frank Morgan and Dexter
Gordon.
William Powell. singer - Died 5-26-1977. Powell, who was a
member of the O'Jays, died from cancer.
Paul Desmond, alto sax player - Died 5-30-1977. He was a
member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet and was the leader of The
Paul Desmond Quintet. He worked with Gerry Mulligan, Ed
Bickert, Jim Hall, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck and Charles
Mingus. Paul Desmond's drinking was the stuff of legend .
but it was the three packs a day that killed him.
Glen Sherley, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-11-1978. Sherley died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He
wrote and recorded "Greystone Chapel." He worked with Spade
Cooley and Johnny Cash. Sherley also wrote "Portrait Of My
Woman," for Eddy Arnold.
Milton Ager, composer/songwriter/piano player - Died
5-6-1979. Ager, who worked with Bix Beiderbecke, wrote "Ain
't She Sweet" and "Happy Days Are Here Again."
Lester Flatt, guitar/banjo/mandolin/fiddle player - Died
5-11-1979. He was a member of Flatt and Scruggs & the Foggy
Mountain Boys. He also worked with Bill Monroe, Charlie
Monroe, Mac Wiseman, the Stanley Brothers, Marty Stuart and
Bob Dylan. Flatt, in poor health after suffering from a
stroke, died after heart attack.
Blue Mitchell, trumpet player - Died 5-21-1979. Mitchell
died from cancer. He worked with Paul Williams, Chuck
Willis, Earl Bostic, Chick Corea, Ray Charles, John Mayall,
Tony Bennett and Lena Horne.
Ian Curtis, singer - Died 5-18-1980. Curtis committed
suicide by hanging. He was a member of the Joy Division ("I
Remember Nothing" and "Disorder").
Carl Radle, bass guitarist - Died 5-30-1980. Radle, who
died from kidney problems, was the bass player for Gary
Lewis & the Playboys. He also worked with Delney & Bonnie,
Eric Clapton and Derek & the Dominoes.
Bob Marley, singer/guitar player/bandleader - Died
5-11-1981. Bob Marley died from brain cancer. He was the
leader of Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Ernie Freeman, piano player/arranger - Died 5-16-1981.
Freeman died from a heart attack. He recorded "Raunchy.
Freeman also recorded as B. Bumble & the Stingers ("Bumble
Boogie" and "The Nut Rocker Suite"). He worked with Duane
Eddy, Johnny Burnette, The Crickets, Bobby Vee and Buddy
Knox.
Roy Brown, singer/songwriter - Died 5-25-1981. Brown died
from a heart attack. He wrote and recorded "Let The Four
Winds Blow" and "Good Rockin' Tonight."
Mary Lou Williams, piano player/songwriter - Died 5-28-1981.
Williams, who died from cancer, wrote, "Roll 'Em" and
"What's Your Story Morning Glory." She Pianist worked with
Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, and Tommy Dorsey, and was married
to saxophonist John Williams and trumpeter Harold "Shorty"
Baker.
Roland Trone, singer - Died 5-X-1982. He was one half of
the duo Don & Juan ("What's Your Name?").
Cal Tjader, drummer/vibraphonist - Died 5-5-1982. He
recorded did "Curacao." He was also a member of the George
Shearing Quintet ("Rap Your Troubles In Drums"), and worked
with Dave Brubeck and Alvino Rey.
Neil Bogart, record company executive - Died 5-9-1982.
Bogart, who died from cancer, worked with Kiss, the Ohio
Express, and the 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Melanie and the
Brooklyn Bridge.
John Felten, singer - Died 5-15-1982. Felten, a member of
the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'"), was killed in a plane
crash.
Clarence Quick, singer - Died 5-5-1983. Quick, who died
from a heart Attack, was member of the Del-Vikings ("Come
And Go With Me").
Kai Winding, trombone player - Died 5-6-1983. Winding
recorded "More" and "Wind Bag." He worked with J.J.
Johnson, Alvino Rey, Stan Kenton and Miles Davis.
Rex Gosdin, singer/guitar player - Died 5-23-1983. Gosdin,
the brother of Vern Gosdin, died from a heart attack.
Besides his brother (they recorded, "Just Enough To Keep Me"
and "Hangin' On"), he also worked with Chris Hillman.
Gordon Jenkins, pianist/arranger/orchestra leader - Died
5-1-1984. Jenkins recorded "Goodnight Irene." He worked
with Benny Goodman, Dick Haymes, Nat King Cole and Frank
Sinatra.
Nudie Cohn, clothing designer - Died 5-9-1984. Nudie
designed suits for Elvis Presley Hank Williams, ZZ Top,
Elton John, John Lennon, Webb Pierce, Willie Nelson, Porter
Wagoneer, Little Jimmy Dickens and George Jones.
Gordon Sinclair, DJ - Died 5-17-1984. Sinclair recorded the
spoken word, "The Americans." He was also a DJ for the
Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Jack Vaughn, guitar player - Died 5-20-1984. Vaughn was a
member of the Norman Petty Trio ("Mood Indigo" and "Almost
Paradise"). He worked with Buddy Holly.
Hugo Peretti, record company
owner/producer/songwriter/orchestra leader/mob front man -
Died 5-1-1986. Peretti co-owned Roulette Records. He
co-wrote "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Can't Help Falling
In Love." He produced Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers, the
Stylistics and Sarah Vaughn.
Hank Mobley, tenor sax player - Died 5-30-1986. Mobley was
a member of the Jazz Messengers, and he worked with Pepper
Adams, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Philly Joe Jones, Clark
Terry, Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey,
Paul Chambers, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones and Blue
Mitchell.
Paul Butterfield, harmonica player/bandleader - Died
5-4-1987. The Paul Butterfield Blues band recorded "Born
In Chicago" and "East West." Butterfield worked with
Michael Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Sam Lay, Muddy Waters,
Nick Gravenites, Mark Naftalin, B.B. King, Otis Rush, John
Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Billy Davenport, Howlin' Wolf,
David Sanborn and Bob Dylan. Paul Butterfield, suffering
from intestinal problems, died from an overdose of heroin.
Paul Rothschild's production on the East West album made it
one of the finest recordings ever (IMO).
Chet Baker, trumpet/flugelhorn/vocalist - Died 5-13-1988.
Baker, under the influence of heroin, fell from his hotel
balcony in Amsterdam (his hotel room had a large quantity of
both heroin and cocaine in it). Baker recorded over 200
albums. If you haven't heard Chet Baker perform "My Funny
Valentine" . then you have never really heard the song (his
best recordings of MFV are from 1987 in Tokyo and 1988, his
last). He was a member of The Gerry Mulligan Quartet and
worked with Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Stan Getz, Dick
Twardzik, Russ Freeman, Paul Desmond, Jimmy Bond, Dizzy
Gillespie, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell, Ron
Carter, Leroy Vinnegar, Chico Hamilton, Tony Williams, Bud
Shank (just about everything Chet Baker recorded with Bud
Shank is . shite), Hank Jones, Carl Perkins, Curtis Counce,
Shelly Manne, Harold Land, Condi Candoli, Paul Chambers,
Philly Joe Jones, Herbie Mann, Connie Kay, Jack Nitsche, Joe
Pass, Astrud Gilberto, Phil Markowitz, Larry Coryell, Billy
Higgins, Herbie Hancock, Chico Hamilton, Lee Konitz, Keith
Jarrett, Zoot Sims, Jack Montrose, Pepper Adams, Bill Evans,
Elvis Costello and many, many others. He made beautiful
music.
Paul Wilson, singer - Died 5-15-1988. He was a member of
The Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes For You").
Daws Butler, voice artist - Died 5-18-1988. Butler, who
died of a heart attack, was the voice of many cartoon
characters including Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick
Draw McGraw and Snagglepuss. He recorded "Bingo, Ringo," a
Beatles related song as the voice of Huckleberry Hound.
Dick Jacobs, orchestra leader - Died 5-20-1988. Jacobs, who
died from cancer, recorded "Fascination" and the "Theme From
East Of Eden." He worked on Your Hit Parade. He also
worked with Xavier Cugat, Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong.
Bennie Benjamin, drummer - Died 5-2-1989. He worked with
Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Martha Reeves & the
Vandellas and the Marvelettes.
Keith Whitley, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-9-1989. He died from an overdose of cocaine and alcohol.
He recorded "Ten Feet Away," "Miami My Amy,"
"When You Say Nothing At All," "I'm No Stranger To The
Rain," "Don't Close Your Eyes" and he wrote "Hopelessly
Yours." He worked with Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, J.D.
Crowe, Earl Thomas Conley, Vern Gosdin, Emmylou Harris, Reba
McEntire and he was a member of the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Whitley was married to country singer Lorrie Morgan at the
time of his death.
Woody Shaw, trumpet/flugelhorn - Died 5-10-1989. Shaw died
from kidney failure after losing an arm when a train struck
him. He worked with Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Horace
Silver, Archie Shepp and Lionel Hampton. He was the son of
Woody Shaw of the Diamond Jubilee Singers.
Ron Wilson, drummer - Died 5-19-1989. Wilson, who was a
member of the Surfaris ("Wipe Out"), died from a brain
aneurysm.
Gilda Radner, comedian/actor - Died 5-20-1989. Radner
recorded "The Way We Were," as Lisa Loopner and "Gimme
Mick," a punk song about Mick Jagger. She died from
ovarian cancer.
Phineas Newborn Jr., pianist - Died 5-26-1989. He worked
with B.B. King, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus and his
brother, guitarist, Calvin Newborn.
John Cipollina, guitar player - Died 5-29-1989. Cipollina,
a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service ("Happy Trails"),
died from a respiratory ailment.
Charles Allen, singer - Died 5-7-1990. He was a singer for
Pacific Gas & Electric.
Sammy Davis Jr., singer/actor/dancer - Died 5-16-1990.
Davis died from throat cancer.
Morris Levy, record company executive - Died 5-21-1990.
Sleazy Levy died from liver cancer. He was the co-founder
of Roulette Records. He once tried to copyright the term
"Rock & Roll."
Gary Usher, producer/songwriter - Died 5-25-1990. Usher
died from cancer. He co-wrote "In My Room" and "409." Gary
Usher produced the Byrds, Surfaris and Chad & Jeremy.
Simon Wilde, bass player - Died 5-4-1991. Wilde, a member
of DOA, died from a brain Tumor.
Gene Clark, guitar player/ - Died 5-24-1991. He was a
member of the New Christy Minstrels, the Surf Riders and the
Byrds. Gene Clark died from a heart attack.
Nigel Preston, drummer Died 5-7-1992. He was a drummer for
The Cult ("Bad Medicine Waltz").
Floyd Arceneaux, trumpet player - Died 5-13-1992. He
worked with Ray Charles, Bobby Blue Bland, Chuck Willis and
Junior Parker.
Barbara Lee Jones, singer - Died 5-15-1992 - Jones, who died
from a heart attack, was a member of the Chiffons.
Lawrence Welk, bandleader - Died 5-17-1992. Welk died of
pneumonia.
Marv Johnson, singer - Died 5-16-1993. Johnson performed on
the first record from Motown. He recorded "You Got What It
Takes" (covered by the Dave Clark Five) and "I Love How You
Love." Johnson died after suffering a stroke.
Robert Carr, singer - Died 5-18-1993. He was half of the
duo Robert & Johnny ("We Belong Together").
Herman Sonny Blount (Sun Ra), Composer, arranger, keyboard -
Died 5-30-1993. Sun Ra died from a stroke. He recorded
"Journey Through The Outer Darkness" and "Outer Space Where
I Came From."
Mitchell Parish, composer/songwriter - Died 5-31-1993. He
wrote the lyrics for "Blue Tango" and "Sleigh Ride." He
also added the English lyrics to, "Volaré." Parish worked
with Duke Ellington and Sammy Fain.
Joe Pass, guitarist - Died 5-23-1994. Joe Pass worked with
Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Leroy Vinnegar, Les McCann,
Paul Chambers, Chet Baker, Louie Bellson, Oscar Peterson,
Milt Jackson, Herb Ellis, Zoot Sims, Roy Eldridge, Clark
Terry, Benny Carter, Stephane Grappelli, Benny Goodman and
Duke Ellington. He died from cancer.
Sonny Sharrock, guitarist - Died 5-26-1994. Sharrock was a
member of Last Exit and worked with Miles Davis, Herbie Mann
and Herbie Hancock. He died from a heart attack.
Red Rodney, flugelhorn/trumpet player - Died 5-27-1994. He
worked with Charlie Parker, Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa and
Woody Herman.
Marshall Royal, sax/clarinet player - Died 5-9-1995. He
worked with Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald and
Art Tatum
Patsy Montana, guitar player/singer/songwriter - Died
5-3-1996. She recorded "I Want to Be a Cowboy's
Sweetheart."
Johnny Guitar Watson - Died 5-17-1996 - Heart attack
Jimmy Rowles, piano player - Died 5-28-1996. Rowles, who
died from cardiac arrest, worked with Billie Holiday, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, and
Benny Goodman.
John Kahn, bass player - Died 5-30-1996. Kahn, who died
from an overdose of heroin, worked with Elvin Bishop, John
Lee Hooker, Michael Bloomfield and Al Kooper. He was a
member of the Jerry Garcia Band.
Bob Stroup, trombone player - Died 5-30-1996. He worked
with Woody Herman.
Timothy Leary, spoken word/backup vocals/LSD guru - Died
5-31-1996. Leary died from prostate cancer. He sang on
John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance."
Jeff Buckley, guitar player/singer - Died 5-29-1997.
Buckley, the son of folk-rocker Tim Buckley, drowned in the
Mississippi River. He recorded "Everybody Here Wants You"
and "Last Goodbye."
Eddie Rabbitt, singer/songwriter/guitar player - Died
5-7-1998. Eddie Rabbitt died from lung cancer. He recorded
"I Love A Rainy Night" and "Suspicions." He also wrote,
Elvis Presley's "Kentucky Rain."
Lester Butler, harmonica player - Died 5-10-1998. Butler
died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine. He was a member
of The Red Devils, and worked with Tom Petty, Mick Jagger,
Billy Boy Arnold, Johnny Rivers and R.L. Burnside.
Frank Sinatra, vocalist - Died 5-14-1998.
Rudy West, singer - Died 5-14-1998. West, who died from a
heart attack after a cancer treatment, was a member of the
Five Keys ("The Glory of Love").
Royce Kendall, singer - Died 5-22-1998. He was half of the
duo the Kendalls with his daughter Jeannie ("Heaven's Just A
Sin Away").
Steve Clark, bass/flute player - Died 5-1-1999. Clark was
struck and killed by a car while walking. He was a member
of Kaleidoscope.
Gene Schwartz, record company executive - Died 5-4-1999.
Schwartz, who died from a stroke, was the founder of Laurie
Records.
Leon Thomas, vocalist - Died 5-9-1999. Thomas died from
heart failure due to leukemia. He was a member of Santana
for several years. He also worked with Pharaoh Sanders,
Oliver Nelson, Johnny Hodges, Quincy Jones, Roland Kirk, Al
Hibbler, Count Basie, Theresa Brewer, Louis Armstrong,
Ornette Coleman, Hank Crawford and H. Rap Brown. He
co-wrote, with Pharaoh Sanders, "The Creator Has A Master
Plan."
Shel Silverstein, songwriter/author - Died 5-10-1999. Shel
Silverstein, who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" and "Sylvia's
Mother," died from a heart attack.
Joel Price, bass guitar player - Died 5-12-1999. Price was
a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.
Bruce Fairbairn, producer - Died 5-17-1999. He produced
Aerosmith, Van Halen, Kiss and AC/DC. Fairbairn died from a
heart attack.
David Bryant, bassist - Died 5-1-2000. He worked with Buddy
Collette, Charles Mingus, Benny Carter, Nat King Cole and
Dexter Gordon.
Bill Napier, guitar/mandolin player/songwriter - Died
5-3-2000. He wrote "Daybreak In Dixie," and worked with The
Stanley Brothers.
Wilbur Brown, sax player - Died 5-7-2000 - Brown, who died
from pancreatic cancer, worked with Ray Charles, Lionel
Hampton, Hank Crawford and Woody Herman.
Bobbi Martin, singer - Died 5-9-2000. She recorded "For the
Love of Him," and "Don't Forget I Still Love You." Bobbi
Martin died from breast cancer.
Tony Charles, drummer - Died 5-17-2000. He worked with the
Zydeco Brothers, Curtis Mayfield and Jackie Wilson.
Richard Payne, bassist - Died 5-17-2000. He was a member of
The Jazz Hounds, and worked with Professor Longhair, Ray
Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Duke Ellington and Allen Toussaint.
Joe "Yo-Yo" Jaramillo, singer - Died 5-24-2000. He was a
singer for Cannibal & the Headhunters ("Land Of 1000
Dances").
Tommy Scott, singer - Died 6-X-2000. Scott died from cancer
and intestinal problems. He was the lead singer for Steam,
who did "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)."
Billy Higgins, drummer - Died 5-3-2001. Billy Higgins died
from pneumonia. He was one of the founders of The World
Stage, a storefront performance space and teaching venue and
was a member of the jazz faculty at UCLA. He worked with
Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackon,
Art Pepper and Dolo Coker.
Boozoo Chavis, accordion player - Died 5-5-2001. Zydeco
accordion player Chavis, died for a heart attack. He
recorded "Paper In My Shoe."
Michael Hazlewood, songwriter - Died 5-6-2001. Hazelwood
co-wrote "(All I Need Is) The Air That I Breathe" and "It
Never Rains In Southern California," with Albert Hammond.
He also wrote "Southern Lady," for Rita Coolidge. He worked
with T. Bone Brunette, Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson.
Suzanne Bennett, singer - Died 5-8-2001. She sang for TV
shows Your Hit Parade and Kay Kyser's College of Musical
Knowledge. She was also one of the Ray Charles Singers.
James Myers (Jimmy DeKnight), drummer/songwriter - Died
5-9-2001. Myers, who co-wrote "Rock Around the Clock" with
Max Freedman, died from leukemia
Bob Taylor, drummer - Died 5-10-2001. Taylor died from
cancer. He was Duane Eddy's drummer.
Perry Como, singer- Died 5-12-2001.
Susannah McCorkle, cabaret singer - Died 5-19-2001. She
recorded "There's No Business Like Show Business." McCorkle
jumped out of her New York apartment window.
Tommy Eyre, keyboardist/arranger/producer - Died 5-21-2001.
Eyre died from cancer He worked with Joe Cocker, George
Harrison, Daryl Hall, Mick Jagger, Tracy Chapman, Gerry
Rafferty, Wham!, B.B. King, Alex Harvey and Dusty
Springfield. He was married to violinist Scarlet Rivera.
Professor John Hasted, guitar/banjo player/singer - Died
5-4-2002. The physicist/folk singer was a member of The
Ramblers, one of England's first folk groups.
Otis Blackwell, piano player/singer/songwriter/composer -
Died 5-6-2002. Otis Blackwell died from a heart attack. He
recorded "Daddy Rollin' Stone," and wrote "Don't Be Cruel"
and "Great Balls of Fire." Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Billy
Joel, The Who, James Taylor, Otis Redding, Peggy Lee and
Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his songs, and he wrote over a
thousand songs
John Zeidler, guitar maker - Died 5-7-2002. John Zeidler
died from leukemia. He was a master guitar maker who
believed they should be every bit as beautiful as they
sounded. He also made dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, and
violins and built tube amplifiers.
Roland Chambers, guitarist/composer/arranger/producer - Died
5-8-2002. Chambers, who died from heart failure, worked
with Teddy Pendergrass, Phyllis Hyman, the Dells, Dusty
Springfield, Lou Rawls, the Temptations, B.B. King, the
Orlons and the O'Jays.
George Cates, sax player/composer/arranger - Died 5-10-2002.
He had hits with "Moonglow" and the "Theme From Picnic."
Cates was the musical director for The Lawrence Welk Show
for thirty years. He composed the theme song, "Champagne
Time." He also worked with Steve Allen, Bing Crosby, Danny
Kaye, the Andrews Sisters, Alvino Rey and Teresa Brewer.
Cates, who died from a heart attack, was also a producer for
Coral and Dot Records.
Marc Bonel, French accordion player - Died 5-12-2002.
Bonel worked with Edith Piaf.
Sharon Sheeley, songwriter - Died 5-17-2002. Sheeley died
after from a cerebral hemorrhage. She wrote "Poor Little
Fool." She worked with Eddie Cochran, who was her boyfriend
at the time of his death, and Jackie DeShannon. At one
time, she was married to Shindig host, Jimmy O'Neill.
David Lazar, lyricist - Died 5-19-2002. Lazar died from
lung cancer. He co-wrote "Gotta Travel On," which has
recorded by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and The Kingston Trio.
He was and adviser for the National Security Council and
helped negotiate the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.
Anthony E. Caselli, percussionist/drummer/singer/orchestra
leader - Died 5-20-2002. He died from non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma. He led the Tony Caselli Orchestra and worked with
Bob Hope, Tony Orlando and Engelbert Humperdinck. Caselli
was also the substitute drummer for the Bozo TV show.
Umberto Bindi, singer/songwriter - Died 5-23-2002. Bindi,
who co-wrote "You're My World" and "I Will Always Want You,"
died after suffering a heart attack. Dionne Warwick, Glen
Campbell, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black and Tom Jones have
recorded his songs
Randy Garibay, singer/guitar player - Died 5-23-2002. He
was a member of the Velvets and the Pharaohs and The
Dell-Kings. He also worked with Jackie Wilson, Judy
Garland, Doug Sahm and Curtis Mayfield.
George Wyle, pianist/songwriter/music director - Died
5-2-2003. Wyle, who died from leukemia, co-wrote "The Most
Wonderful Time of the Year" and the theme song for
television's "Gilligan's Island." He was also the music
director for The Dinah Shore Show and The Andy Williams
Show.
Nigel Hammond, drummer - Died 5-4-2003. Hammond drowned
while trying to rescue his wife and their dog. He worked
with Billy Fury and PJ Proby.
Jerry Rusch, composer/trumpet player- Died 5-5-2003. Rusch,
who died from liver cancer, worked with Diana Ross, Ray
Charles, Stan Kenton, Joe Henderson, Teddy Edwards, Smokey
Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Temptations and the Rolling
Stones.
Gerry Shephard, guitar player/songwriter - Died 5-6-2003. He
was a member of the Glitter Band and co-wrote, "Don't Play
That Song Again." Shephard used, as a stage prop, the
poorly made Star Guitar. He died from cancer.
Noble Jolley, songwriter/guitar/banjo/mandolin/sitar/piano
player) - Died 5-6-2003. He wrote, "God's Going to Show Us
the Way."
Dick Cross, drummer - Died 5-6-2003. Cross was murdered.
He died from acute pneumonia resulting from exposure to
hydrochloric acid that had been poured onto the seat of his
car.
Noel Redding, violinist/guitar/bass player - Died 5-11-2003.
He was a member of the Modern Jazz Group, the Loving Kind,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress, Road and the Noel
Redding Band.
Scott Rogers, guitar player - Died 5-11-2003. Rogers was
killed in a car crash. He was a member of the Penetrators.
Kim Turner, drummer/manager/producer - Died 5-12-2003.
Turner, who died from cancer, was a road manager and sound
engineer for The Police. He also produced Wishbone Ash.
Harry Hess, guitarist/songwriter - Died 5-12-2003. Hess
died from a heart attack. He worked with Doug Sahm's Texas
Tornados, Jimmy Vaughan and Herb Ellis.
Bross Townsend, pianist - Died 5-12-2003. He worked with
Dinah Washington, Erskine Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Woody
Herman, John Coltrane and Jimmy Reed.
June Carter Cash, singer/songwriter/autoharp/piano/guitar
player - Died 5-15-2003. Carter-Cash died of complications
after heart surgery. - She co-wrote "Ring of Fire," with
her husband, Johnny Cash. She worked with Flatt & Scruggs,
Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Jr., Homer & Jethro, The Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band and The Carter Family.
Les Arnold, sax/clarinet player/arranger - Died 5-19-2003.
Arnold, who died from multiple cancer, arranged music for
Frankie Avalon.
Virginia Osborn, singer - Died 5-19-2003. She was a member
of the Chordettes ("Mister Sandman" and "Lollipop"). She
died from cancer.
Lawson Wayne White, drummer/songwriter/arranger - Died
5-20-2003. White died from cancer. He worked with Dottie
West, Ernest Tubb, Mel Tillis, Ray Charles, Chet Atkins and
Willie Nelson.
Jeremy Michael Ward, keyboard player - Died 5-25-2003. Ward
died from an overdose of heroin. He was a member of Defacto
and Mars Volta.
Mickie Most, producer - Died 5-30-2003. Mickie Most died
from cancer. He worked with Jeff Beck, the Sweet, Suzi
Quatro, Smokie, Hot Chocolate ("You Sexy Thing"), Lulu, Kim
Wilde, the Animals, Yardbirds, Herman's Hermits and Donovan.
Coxsone Dodd, producer/record company executive - Died
5-4-2004. Dodd is credited with launching the career of Bob
Marley & the Wailers. He opened the Jamaica Recording And
Publishing Studio, and is considered the "father of Jamaican
music." He died after suffering a heart attack, four days
after the city of Kingston, Jamaica named a street for him.
Barney Kessel, guitarist/music teacher - Died 5-6-2004.
Barney Kessel died from brain cancer. He worked with
Charlie Parker, Chico Marx, Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw,
Charlie Barnet, Sonny & Cher, Benny Goodman, the Beach Boys,
Liberace, Buffalo Springfield, Frank Sinatra and Art Tatum,
Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, Julie London, Leroy Vinnegar,
Elvin Jones, Shelly Manne, Stepane Grappelli, Kenny Burrell,
Liberace and Elvis Presley. He gave guitar lessons to John
Lennon, George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Rudy Maugeri, singer - Died 5-7-2004. He died from
pancreatic cancer. Maugeri was a member of the Jordonaires
and the Crew Cuts ("Sh-Boom").
Brenda Fassie, singer - Died 5-9-2004. She recorded
"Weekend Special." Considered the "Madonna" of South
Africa, Fassie died from a heart attack. She had been in a
coma, caused by an asthma attack two weeks earlier.
John Whitehead, singer/songwriter/keyboard player - Died
5-11-2004. Whitehead was shot to death while working on a
car. He co-wrote, "Back Stabbers" and "Wake Up Everybody,"
and was a member of the Epsilons.
Marius Constant, composer - Died 5-15-2004. He wrote the
opening and closing themes for television's, The Twilight
Zone.
Clint Warwick, bass player/singer - Died 5-15-2004.
Warwick, who was a member of the Moody Blues, died from
liver failure.
June Carroll, singer/songwriter - Died 5-16-2004. She
wrote, "Love Is A Simple Thing" and "Penny Candy." She was
married to screenwriter, Sidney Carroll.
Alex Nelson, guitar player - Died 5-17-2004. Nelson, a
member of Lizzy Borden, was killed in a car accident.
Elvin Jones, drummer - Died 5-18-2004.