The People Who Died ~ 2013 Edition

Kent Abbott ~ Guitarist for Toronto Hardcore Band Grade ~ 32

Chrissy Amphlett ~ Australian singer for The Divinyls ("I Touch Myself") ~ 53

Patty Andrews ~ Singer with Swing Era voval trio The Andrews Sisters. Classic hits include "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Rum and Coca Cola" ~ 94

Maya Angelou ~ Author, Poet, Singer, Dancer, Actress & Civil Rights Leader ~ 86

Peter Appleyard ~ Canadian Jazz Xylophone player ~ 84

Phil Baheux ~ Belgian heavy metal drummer (Channel Zero) ~ 45

Chris Bailey ~ Bassist for 1970's & 80's Australian Proto-Punk band The Angels, he had previously been in Mount Lofty Rangers with Bon Scott in 1974 ~ 62

Kenny Ball ~ English jazz trumpeter who had several hits in the 1960's ~ 82

Bob Beckham ~ 1960's country singer w/ hits "Just As Much As", and a version of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" ~ 86

Rob Belmore ~ 40's ~ Harmonica player with 1980's Toronto Blues rock band the Tennessee Rockets

Ronnie Biggs ~ English criminal (Great Train Robbery) and fugitive. Later recorded a sinlge with The Sex Pistols ~ 84

Claude Black ~ Jazz pianist w/Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery and Aretha Franklin ~ 80

Lorne Black ~ Bassist for American 1980's Hair Metal band Great White

Bobby Blue Bland ~ American Blues and R&B singer from the 1950's on with hits like "Turn On Your Lovelight", "Stormy Monday", "I'll Take Care Of You" ~ 82

Eddie Bond ~ 1950's Rockabilly singer from Sun Records ~ 79

Leroy Bonner ~ American funk singer and guitarist with 1970's R&B/Funk band The Ohio Players ~ 69

Jon Brookes ~ British drummer with Britpop band The Charlatans ~ 44

Reggie Bovaird ~ Toronto poet & spoken word artist in the 1970's & 80's

Billy Bowers ~ American gospel vocalist Blind Boys of Alabama ~ 71

Tony Brevet ~ Singer for 1960's & 70's Jamaican Ska/Rocksteady group The Melodians

Texas Johnny Brown ~ Blues singer/guitarist, played with Joe Hinton, Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lavelle White, Buddy Ace and Junior Parker ~ 85

Precious Bryant ~ Folk Blues singer/guitarist ~ 71

Donald Byrd ~ American Be Bop Jazz trumpet player from the 1950s on. Played with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk,Eric Dolphy and Art Pepper ~ 80

Clarence Burke, Jr., ~ Singer w 1970's Soul group The Five Stairsteps ~ 62

Clive Burr ~ Drummer for classic British band Iron Maiden ~ 56

Tomás Ó Canainn ~ Uilleann piper with 1960's & 70's Irish folk band Na Fili ~ 83

Oliver Cheatham ~ American R&B singer ("Get Down Saturday Night") ~ 65

Chi Cheng ~ Bassist for California Metal Band The Deftones (in a coma from a car crash since 2008) ~ 42

Charlie Chesterman ~ 1990's American alt-rock singer

Phil Chevron ~ Guitarist Irish band The Pogues ~ 56

Chorão ~ Singer for Brazilian Punk/Funk band Charlie Brown Jr. ~ 42

Jack Clement ~ American record and film producer, songwriter and singer (Sun Records, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, U2) ~ 82

Stompin Tom Connors ~ Legendary Canadian Folk/Country singer ~ 77

Lindsay Cooper ~ British rock and jazz bassoonist and oboist (Henry Cow, Comus, Feminist Improvising Group) ~ 62

Richard Coughlan ~ English drummer w/ U.K. Psyche/Prog Rock Band Caravan ~ 66

Dani Crivelli ~ Drummer for Swiss Metal Band Krokus

Mac Curtis ~ 1950's Rockabilly singer ~ 74

Jimmy Damon  ~  75  ~  Memphis born Chicago based pop & lounge singer. Started as a Teen Idle Pop singer in Memphis, where he recorded a single for Sam Phillips and hosted a TV show, later moved to Chicago and became a lounge singer and inspiration for Bill Murrays' SNL lounge lizard character

Jimmy Dawkins ~ 1970's Mississippi/Chicago Blues and R&B singer/guitarist with Delmark Records ~ 76

Brian Dawson ~ British folk singer and folklorist ~ 74

Bob Day ~ English singer with 1960's pop group The Allisons ~ 72

Dickie Dodd ~ Singer and drummer with 1960's Garage Band The Standells w/ classic songs "Dirty Water", "Good Guys Don't Wear White" and "Why Pick On Me", later played in Surf Bands The Belaires ("Mr. Moto") and Eddie & The Showmen ~ 68

Alastair Donaldson ~ Bassist for Scottish 1970's & 1980's Punk Band The Rezzilos ~ 58

Eddy Doorenbos ~ Dutch jazz singer and composer ~ 91

John Doyle ~ Singer/Guitarist with 1960's Miami Garage Punk band The Evil ~

Frank D'Rone ~ American 1950's Jazz singer ~ 81

George Duke ~ American Grammy Award-winning jazz fusion keyboardist, played with Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderly, Jon Luc Ponyt, Don Ellis ~ 67

Tom Ebbert ~ American trombonist (Dukes of Dixieland) ~ 93

Bob Engemann ~ Singer with 1950's Pop Vocal Group The Letterman w/hits like "Love is A Many Splendored Thing", "When I Fall In Love", "The Way You Look Tonight", and covers of pop hits ~ 76

Arash Farazmand ~ Drummer for Iranian alt rock band The Yellow Dogs ~ 28

Soroush Farazmand ~ Guitarist for Iranian alt rock band The Yellow Dogs ~ 26

Pat Fear ~ (Real name; Bill Bartell), Singer for California Punk/Hardcore/Parody band White Flag from 1982 on ~ 52

Jim Foglesong ~ Country Music Record Executive for various labels, signed Barbara Mandrell, Don Williams, Garth Brooks, Donna Fargo, Reba McEntire, the Oak Ridge Boys, Con Hunley, George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown, Suzy Bogguss ~ 90

T Model Ford ~ Blues singer active since the 1940's discovered in 1995, recorded for Fat Possum Records ~ Aprox age, late 80's

Lage Fosheim ~ Singer for Norwegian 1980's Ska/Pop band The Monroes ~ 55

Chris Friedrich ~ Bassist for Alt Band Caspian ~ 33

Annette Funicello ~ 1950's & 60's TV and movie star of various "Beach Blanket" movies, also had a series of pop hit records ~ 70

Rex Garvin, 73, American 1950's & 60's R&B musician with hits "I Can't Sit Down" (as a duet Marie & Rex), "Over The Mountain, Across The Sea", by Johnnie and Joe, and his own 1966 recording "Sock It To 'Em J.B.", later recorded by The Specials. ~ 73

Eydie Gormé ~ American singer 1950's pop singer ("Blame It on the Bossa Nova") ~ 82

James Gray ~ Canadian country rock keyboardist for Blue Rodeo and Vital Sines ~ 52

Jack Greene ~ 1960's & 70's Country singer with hits w/ "There Goes My Everything" ~ 83

Trevor Grills ~ British singer with folk band The Fisherman's Friends ~ 54

Bengt Hallberg ~ Swedish Jazz pianist and accordianist, played with Clifford Brown, Stan Getz and Quincy Jones ~ 80

Chico Hamilton ~ American Jazz drummer and bandleader, also played with Eric Dolphy ~ 92

Jeff Hanneman ~ Guitarist for Thrash Metal Legends Slayer ~ 49

John Harrelson ~ Singer/Guitarist for 1960's L.A. Garage band The Southe and later solo ~ 62

Damon Harris ~ American soul and R&B singer with The Temptations during the early 1970's ~ 62

Jane Harvey ~ American Big Band jazz singer w/Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Desi Arnez ~ 88

Richie Havens ~ American folk/blues singer and guitarist, best known for opening gig at Woodstock ~ 72

Pete Haycock ~ English singer/guitarist with 1970's blues/rock band The Climax Blues Band and later ELO ~ 62

Donna Hightower ~ American 1960's & 70's R&B singer w/hit "The World's A Mess" ~ 86

Monroe Hopper ~ Singer with Southern Gospel group The Hoppers from the 1950's on ~ 86

Rick Huxley ~ English bassist with 1960's Beat Band The Dave Clark Five w/ hits like "Glad All Over", "Bits & Pieces", "I Like it Like That", "Catch us if You can" ~ 72

George Jackson ~ Rock and R&B singer and songwriter with hits like "Old Time Rock And Roll" (for Bob Seger), "One Bad Apple" (The Jackson Five) and "The Only Way Is Up" (Yazzoo) ~ 68

Roland Janes ~ 1950's Rockabilly guitarist for Sun Records, played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Lee Riley, Charlie Rich, Sonny Burgess, Rayburn Anthony, Harold Dorman, later played with Mudhoney ~ 80

George Jones ~ Classic Country singer from the 1950's on. Had numerous hits including; "White Lightning", "Why Baby Why", "She Thinks I Still Care", He Stopped Loving Her Today", "The Race Is On" ~ 81

Andy Johns ~ Record producer for Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Free, Humble Pie, Van Halen, Cinderella, LA Guns, Kiler Dwarves ~ 61

Virgil Johnson ~ Singer with Doo-Wop group The Velvets ~ 77

John Kalinowski ~ British rock and roll manager (Madness, Procol Harum, Van Morrison, The Kinks) ~ 66

Fred Katz ~ Jazz Cellist from 1950's on, also composed scores for Roger Coram films A "Bucket of Blood", "The Wasp Woman" and "Creature from the Haunted Sea" ~ 94

Chris Kelly ~ Rapper with 1990's pre-teen rappers Kriss Kross ~ 32

Joe Kelly ~ Guitarist for 1960's Chicago Garage Punks The Shadows Of Knight w/ hit version of "Gloria"

Bi Kidude ~ Zanzibari Taarab singer ~ c.100

Nick Keir ~ Scottish guitarist for Prog-Folk band The McCalmans ~ 60

Louis Killen ~ British transsexual musician, folk singer and songwriter ~ 79

Claude King ~ American country music singer ("Wolverton Mountain") ~ 90

Marilyn King ~ American singer and actress, last surviving member of 1940's and 50's pop vocal group The King Sisters ~ 82

Steve Knight ~ Keyboardist for 1960's & 70's band Mountain ~ 76

Basile Kolliopoulos - 59 - Singer/guitarist for 1980's Oklahoma Garage Blues bands the Fortune Tellers, Reverb Brothers, The Fensics

János Kőrössy ~ Romanian/Hangarian jazz pianist and composer ~ 86

Paul Kuhn ~ German Big Band Jazz leader ~ 85

Johnny Laboriel ~ Mexican rock 'n' roll singer ~ 71

Joey LaCaze ~ Drummer for American metal band Eyehategod ~ 42

Allen Lanier, 67, American rock keyboardist and guitarist (Blue Öyster Cult) ~ 67

Greg Lanier ~ Keyboardist with ZZ Top ~ 64

Dick LaPalm ~ American music producer and promoter (Count Basie, Nat King Cole) ~ 86

Roger LaVern ~ Keyboardist with British intsro band The Tornados ~ 75

Alvin Lee, singer guitarist for Blues Rock super group Ten Years After, best known for their epic performance at Woodstock ~ 68

Claudio Leo ~ Guitarist with Italian Goth-Metal band Lacuna Coil ~ 40

Chris Levoire ~ Guitarist for Toronto garage band The Mark Inside ~ 31

Curly Lewis ~ Fiddler for Bob Wills' Western Playboys ~ 88

Terry Lightfoot ~ British Dixieland Jazz clarinettist ~ 77

Jackie Lomax ~ British 1960's guitarist w/The Undertakers, also worked with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Gene Clark ~ 69

Mary Love ~ American soul and gospel singer ~ 69

Lewis Lymon ~ 1950's Doo Wop singer, brother of Frankie Lymon and replaced him in the Teenagers after he quit to go solo ~ 69

Gloria Lynne ~ 1960's Jazz & R&B singer and lyricist; "Watermelon Man" (w/Herbie Hancock) and several solo hits in the 1960's ~ 83

Marshall Lytle ~ Bassist with Bill Haley's Comets as well as his preceding band The Saddlemen. Also co-wrote "Crazy Man Crazy" and a few songs for Haley associated group The Jodimers including their big hit "Rattle Shakin' Daddy" ~ 79

Bernie McGann ~ Australian jazz alto saxophonist ~ 76

Hugh McCrackin ~ American Jazz, R&B and Fusion guitarist, played with Steely Dan

Floyd McCrea ~ Singer with 1950's Doo-Wop group, The Chords who did the original version of "Sh-Boom" later covered by The Crewcuts ~ 80

Mindy McCready ~ American country music singer ~ 37

Lawrence McKiver ~ American gullah singer (Gullah is a dialect spoken by the descendents of African slaves along the Carolina coastlines and islands ~ 97

Rita MacNeil ~ Nova Scotian Juno Award wining Folk and Country singer and TV show host ~ 68

Marian McPartland ~ British jazz pianist, writer, composer, and radio host, wife of American Jazz horn player Jimmy McPartland ~ 95

Magic Slim ~ Blues singer/guitarist and cousin of the great Magic Sam ~ 75

Gia Maione ~ Wife and singer for Louis Prima and his Orch ~ 72

Ray Manzarek ~ Keyboardist for 1960's stars The Doors, later produced first album by X ~ 74

Peppi Marchello ~ Singer/Guitarist with New Jersey garage band The Good Rats from the late 1960's to the 1990's ~ 68

Shirley Mathews ~ 61 ~ Toronto 1960's R&B singer ("Big Town Boy")

Gypie Mayo ~ English guitarist w/ Dr Feelgood in the 1980's and later the reformed Yardbirds ~ 62

Eyob Mekonnen ~ Ethiopian reggae singer ~ 37

Scott Miller ~ Singer/guitarist for 1980's New Wave/Power Pop bands Game Theory, Loud Family and Alternate Learning ~ 53

Wayne Mills ~ American country music singer ~ 44

Yngve Moe ~ Norwegian bass guitarist (Dance with a Stranger) ~ 55

Jason Molina ~ American singer-songwriter with Songs:Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co. ~ 39

Rob Morsberger ~ Pianist w/ My Morning Jacket, Crash Test Dummies, Marshall Crenshaw, Jules Shear, Loudon Wainwright III ~ 53

Cordell Mosson ~ Bassist with 1970's R&B/Funk band Parliament-Funkadelic ~ 60

Sam Most ~ American Jazz Jazz flutist, played with Buddy Rich, Paul Quinichette and Teddy Wilson ~ 82

Albert Murray ~ American literary and jazz critic ~ 97

Junior Murvin ~ Jamaican reggae singer who did the original "Police and Thieves" later covered by The Clash~ 67

Alan Myers ~ Drummer for Ohio New Wave Band Devo ("Whip It", "Satisfaction", "Are We Not Men") ~ 58

Claude Nobs ~ Swiss founder and general manager of Montreux Jazz Festival ~ 76

Bernie Nolan ~ Irish singer for pop vocal group The Nolans ~ 52

Oophoi ~ Real name Gianluigi Gasparetti, Italian Ambient/Electra-Acoustic/New Age musician ~ 55

Greg Quill ~ Australian singer/songwriter w/1970's country-rock band Country Radio, later moved to Toronto and became music journalist with the Toronto Star

Patti Page ~ 1950's Pre-Rock Pop Singer w/hits "Tennessee Waltz", "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window", "Red Sails in The Sunset" ~ 85

Dennis Palmer, 56, American multi-insturmentalist w/ Improvisational Prog-Rock band Shaking Ray Levis ~ 56

Bobby Parker ~ 1960's American R&B singer/guitarist w/1961 hit "Watch Your Step" later covered by Spencer Davis Group, Dr. Feelgood, Steve Marriott and Carlos Santana ~ 76

Jody Payne ~ Guitarist with Willie Nelson's band ~ 77

Kevin Peek ~ Australian born guitarist for 1970's British Prog-Rock band Sky as well as session work w/Lulu,Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Cliff Richards ~ 66

Eddie Perez ~ Puerto Rican Grammy Award-winning salsa musician (El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico)

Jeanne Arland Peterson ~ American jazz pianist ~ 91

Gary Pickford-Hopkins ~ Welsh singer (Wild Turkey, Rick Wakeman) ~ 65

Andy Pierce ~ Vocalist w/Swedish Glam Metal Band The Nasty Idols ~ 45

Jimmy Ponder ~ Pittsburgh Jazz guitarist from the 1970's on. Played with Jimmy McGriff,Donald Byrd and Stanley Turrentine ~ 67

Nic Potter ~ British bassist with Prog Rock band Van der Graaf Generator ~ 61

Ray Price ~ 1950's and 60's Honky Tonk singer and pioneer of The Nashville Sound with a slew of hits including "Release Me", "Crazy Arms", "Heartaches by the Number", "For the Good Times" ~ 87

Anne Rabson ~ Singer and guitarist with Saffire; The Uppity Blues Women ~ 67

Bill Putt ~ Australian bassist with progressive rock bands Spectrum and Ariel ~ 66

Deke Richards ~ Songwriter and Producer for Motown. Wrote hits like "Love Child" for The Supremes and produced songs like "I Want You Back" and "ABC" for The Jackson 5 ~ 68

Roach ~ Bassist for Toronto Punk Band The Liquor Pigs ~ 44

Eivind Rølles ~ Guitarist with Norwegian Ska/Pop band The Monroes ~ 54

Phil Ramone ~ Record producer for Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Barbra Streisand ~ 79

Lou Reed ~ Singer/guitarist with classic The Velvet Underground and solo ~ 72

Charlie Salmon ~ Singer/guitarist w/1980's Toronto Indie Band The Plasterscene Replicas

Wendy Saddington ~ Australian jazz and blues singer with fusion band Chain ~ 64

Ed Shaughnessy ~ Jazz and Swing drummer from the 1950's on; played with Benny Goodman, Dorsey Brothers, Gene Ammons, Roy Eldridge, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, Horace Silver, Count Basie and Jimmy Smith among others. Later played with Doc Severnson's Tonight Show Band ~ 84

George Beverly Shea ~ Canadian/American Gospel singer ~ 104

Gary Shearston ~ Australian singer/songwriter, had a hit in the UK with a cover of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" ~ 74

Tony Sheridan ~ British 1960's Mersey Beat singer, had The Beatles as his back-up band and did their first recordings ~ 72

Bobby Smith ~ American singer with R&B The Spinners ~ 76

Cal Smith ~ 1950's Country singer ("The Lord Knows I'm Drinking", "Country Bumpkin" ~ 81

Jay Smith ~ Canadian guitarist with Matt Mays ~ 34

Johnny Smith ~ American guitarist who did the original version of the classic "Walk Don't Run" covered by The Ventures, Belaires, Shadows, Los Sraitjackets, and virtually every other surf band ~ 90

Neil Smith ~ Bassist for 1970's versions of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo ~ 59

Paul Smith ~ Jazz pianist from the 1940's to the 1980's w/Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Anita O'Day, Buddy DeFranco, Steve Allen, Stan Kenton, Mel Tormé ~ 90

Ronnie Splinter ~ Guitarist for 1960's Dutch garage band The Outsiders

Clyde Stacey ~ 1950's & 60's Oklahoma Country/Rock singer/guitarist ~ 77

Gordon Stoker ~ Singer with 1950's & 1960's Country/Rock and Gospel vocal group The Jordanaires ~ 88

Kerry Strayer ~ American saxophonist and bandleader ~ 56

Richard Street ~ R&B singer with the 1970's version of The Temptations ~ 70

Jim Sundquist ~ Guitarist for 1960's garage band The Fendermen ("Mule Skinner Blues" ~ 75

Paul Tanner ~ Big Band trombone player with Glenn Miller who later went on to pioneer the electro-theremin, which he played on Beach Boys records including "Good Vibrations" ~ 95

Janie Thompson ~ American singer w/ 1940's big band Ike Carpenter's Big Band ~ 91

Dan Toler ~ Guitarist with the Allman Bros Band ~ 64

Filip Topol ~ singer/pianist for Czech alt-rock band Psí Vojáci ~ 48

Stan Tracey ~ British Jazz pianist. Mostly solo but also played with Ronnie Scott, Carmen McRea, Ted Heath and Cab Calloway ~ 86

Marguerite Trina ~ 73 ~ 1950's California Rockabilly singer

Ben Tucker ~ American Jazz Sax player w/ Quincy Jones & Dexter Gordon ~ 82

Bebo Valdés ~ Cuban latin jazz pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger from the 1940's on ~ 94

Dan Van Patten - 60's - Drummer for 1980's American Techno Pop band Berlin ("Sex", "The Metro", "No More Words", "Take My Beath Away")

Arturo Vega ~ Mexican-born American punk graphic designer and artistic director for The Ramones ~ 65

Bernard Vitet ~ French Jazz trumpet player w/ Serge Gainsbourg,Yves Montand,Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty, Django Reinhardt, Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler and The Art Emsemble Of Chicago. He also worked on film scores. ~ 77

Paul Walter ~ American singer with 1950's pop vocal group The Lettermen ~ 56



Cedar Walton ~ American Jazz Pianist from 1960's w/ The Jazztet ("Killer Joe"), John Coltrane, Don Ellis, Lee Morgan, Abbey Lincoln ~ 79

Virginia Waring ~ Pianist w/ her husband, Fred Waring's 1940's Big Band ~ 97

Butch Warren ~ BeBop Jazz bassist w/ Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, and Stanley Turrentine and Thelonious Monk ~ 74

Derek Watkins ~ British trumpeter, played on every James Bond movie ~ 68

Frank Wess ~ American Jazz saxman and flautist from the 1940's on, played with Billy Eckstine, Count Basie, Clark Terry, Mel Tormé, Ernestine Anderson ~ 91

Slim Whitman ~ Yodeling Country singer from the 1950's w/hits "Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie" ~ 90

Tommy Whittle ~ British jazz saxophonist w/Ted Heath and Benny Goodman ~ 87

Paul Williams ~ American music journalist & publisher for Crawdaddy!" and Bob Dylan biographer ~ 64

Pixie Williams ~ New Zealand 1950's pop singer, scored the first New Zealand based hit record with "Blue Smoke" in 1949 ~ 85

John Wilkinson ~ Rhythm guitarist w/Elvis Presley's TCB Band ~ 67

Bert Wilson ~ American jazz saxophonist ~ 73

Paul Wilson ~ Drummer for South African blues/rock band Southern Gypsey Queen ~ 29

Tim Wright, 61, American bass guitarist for New Wave bands Pere Ubu and DNA ~ 61

Robert Zildjian ~ American manufacturer of Sabian cymbals ~ 89

Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground (1942 - 2013)

Everyone knows the quote about the Velvet Underground; "They didn't sell a lot of records but everyone who bought one started a band." That's not entirely true of course. A lot of those fans became writers and college radio DJ's instead. And therein lies part of the enduring appeal of the Velvets. They attracted the kind of fans who could and would become promoters, Hell proselytizers, for the Underground church. And so it remains.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ~ "SUNDAY MORNING";


It's easy to forget in these post punk years that back when the Velvet Underground's first album came out in 1967 there was no real underground as we know it. Bands were either successful or they were not, if they were not they did not get played on the radio, let alone TV, and they got very few gigs. Touring was out of the question. The nation wide network of small alternative clubs and promoters simply did not exist. These are all the unruly spawn of the punk and post-punk revolution of the late 1970's as it urged a thousand flowers to bloom Mao-like across North America, Europe and Australia. As are the cadre of fly-by-night zines and more co-incidentally the network of ground breaking college radio stations which sprang up in the same era. This ad-hoc network would make it possible for a willfully uncommercial band like the Velvets to actually thrive in spite of getting absolutely no attention from the mainstream music press. There are no shortage of such bands today in a variety of genres to choose from. But back in 1967 such a musical world was not even a dream. Bands like the Velvet Underground, The MC5, The Stooges, Shaggs, Silver Apples, Runaways, Red Krayola, Love, Brinsley Schwartz, Holy Modal Rounders, Gram Parsons, Hasil Adkins, Syd Barrett, Nick Drake, Van Dyke Parks, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Albert Ayler and The Flaming Groovies, slaved away, sometimes for years, with only small devoted cults of lonely followers and a few stubborn music writers to keep them warm. Even combined they all probably sold fewer records than Monkees. Now they are recognized as icons of the late sixties underground counter-culture. And the Velvets are their godfathers, even for those who sound nothing like them.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ~ "VENUS IN FURS";


They didn't plan it that way, nobody did in those days. Lou Reed, the son of a conservative accountant, started off with a thoroughly conventional background scuffing around in teenage garage bands and later as a staff songwriter for a bargain-basement Tin Pan Alley song mill when he stumbled on the far more Bohemian art students John Cale and Angus MacLise and along with fellow garage band guitarist Sterling Morrison, decided to form a band. Cale was a classically trained cellist, pianist and bassist who had been an active part of New York's avant garde music seen with the likes of John Cage and Lamonte Young. As for their first drummer Angus Maclise, he was part of the beatnik art and poetry scene. He named the band before quitting to be replaced by rock's first female drummer Maureen Tucker. Reed had studied modern literature with his rock & roll and like Bob Dylan saw no reason not to blend them. Unlike Dylan he and Cale also brought the avant garde to their music as well.

JOHN CALE ON A TV GAME SHOW "I'VE GOT A SECRET" IN 1963;


The first album had the legend "produced" by Andy Warhol boldly emblazoned on it's cover but other than helping them get a record deal and designing a cover he had nothing to do with the recording. There was his one and only musical brainstorm of course, forcing the band to adopt Nico, an icy glowering Germanic chanteuse, to the mix. The resulting album was a disorienting mix of reasonably straight forward, even beautiful, if off centre ballads like "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "I'll Be Your Mirror" with jaw-dropping wall of sound epics like "Venus In Furs", "Heroin", "European Son", "Waiting For My Man", "Run Run Run" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" which pushed the boundaries of what was considered rock & roll farther than anyone had ever considered, as well as wallowing in the dark side of the Summer of Love. People were not amused. The second album went even father, discarding the bitter sweet ballads for the full-on feedback overdrive of "Sister Ray", "I Heard Her Call My Name" and the Edgar Allen Poe mini rock opera "The Gift". People were even less amused. The first album limped onto the very bottom of Billboard's top 200 for a week an then crept away, as if embarrassed. The second album sank without a trace.

While everybody else was saying "All You Need Is Love" the Velvets said that the whole happy peace and love facade was not only a mask but a scab over a festering sore of sex and rugs. They turned out have a valid point about much of that of course but nobody likes a spoilsport, especially if he might be right. In their one journey out of New York and down to the centre of the action at the time, California, the Velvets were shunned as disturbing interlopers into the laid back hippy scene. While every other band was singing tributes to pot, acid and LSD, usually in cryptic or playful ways, the Velvets were wallowing in tales of heroin and speed in coldly matter- of-fact tones. They didn't even look the part, while everybody else was in a riot of flowing colours the Velvets dressed in severe black, dark shades and dour glares. Now their look is essential to any band with artsy rebel pretensions, but at the time they were an affront to all that was utopian about the sixties. After the failure of the first two albums Cale left and Reed carried on for two more albums that tried to forge a somewhat more conventional sound, sort of like a New York version of the Byrds. Both still had some classic (and surprisingly upbeat) songs in "Sweet Jane", "Rock And Roll" "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time", and "What Goes On" but they were no more successful than the first two and Reed gave up in frustration as the band fell apart.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ~ "ROCK AND ROLL";


Lou Reed's post Velvet's career would have many ground breaking moments like "Berlin", "Transformer" (which scored a fluke hit in "Walk On The Wild Side" which probably surprised even him) and "Metal Machine Music" which unsurprisingly scored no hits. In between were attempts at the mainstream like "Rock And Roll Animal", "Busload Of Faith" and the surprisingly upbeat "I Love You Suzanne" which had an even more surprising video in which Lou Reed proved that he could not only smile but dance . Plenty of smart people swear by these later songs and I won't quarrel but I've always been a Velvets fan first and foremost.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO ~ "I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR";


Someone once said that most people who bragged about listening to the Velvets (or The MC5, or The Stooges) were full of shit. Most reasonably hip people who grew up in the eighties listened to The Smiths, Cure, Clash, Siouxsie, Sex Pistols, Simple Minds, and Psychedelic Furs at best. Maybe Teenage Head if you lived in Canada. But I was actually the only person in my high school who could honestly say I really did listen to the Velvets. In 1985 it so happened that the Velvet Underground's long out of print albums were re-released along with the "VU" album of out-takes and demos. Coincidentally the very same month a different record label (Rhino of course) also re-released the classic Nuggets collection of sixties Garage Punk. This allowed music mags like Spin to run full page articles saying in essence "Hey Punk. Yeah You. You think you're so cool? Well here's were all this Punk and New Wave started. So buy these records". Naturally I ran out and did so. Keep in mind that this was before the internet so you couldn't just go on Youtube and check out a band you didn't know, you had to actually go downtown and spend you money and take your chances. Of course the fact that you went out and searched for off-the-beaten track music in small dusty record stores and had to do some reading and research helped form an unshakable bond with band like this for the few who ventured out to the outlying districts of music. That is an era that that will never quite return in the internet age. I'm not sure that instant gratification and convenience is a fair trade.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ~ "I'M WAITING FOR MY MAN";


When Lou Reed died this past month he was a much revered and still active elder statesman whose cool, monosyllabic persona was as beloved as a crusty uncle. He leaves John Cale as the only surviving member of the Velvet Underground since Maureen Tucker wasn't the original drummer. Sterling Morrison died in 1995 of cancer aged 53 and Angus MacLise of complications from tuberculosis, malnutrition and dehydration in Kathmandu in 1979 aged 41. Nico died after having a heart attack while riding her bike in Ibiza and striking her head in 1988, she was 49. Cale's replacement Doug Yule is still around, as is Mo Tucker.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ~ "PALE BLUE EYES";


One of the indicators of a band's importance is the number and variety of cover songs they inspire and the Velvets have a progeny that ranks with The Beatles. A few faves are;

Cabaret Voltaire; One of the founders of Industrial Music named the Velvets as one of the few bands they would admit to as an influence, their droning, feedback drenched version of "Here She Come's Now" brought the Velvet's nascent noise-rock experiments to perfect fruition.

CABARET VOLTAIRE ~ "HERE SHE COMES NOW";


The Cowboy Junkies; At the other end of the spectrum it took the Cowboy Junkies to realize the gentle beauty that was the flipside to the Velvet's menace. Lou Reed himself said that it was even better than the original.

THE COWBOY JUNKIES ~ "SWEET JANE";


Eater; This band from the first wave of 1976 London punk bands was known mostly for their extreme youth (average age of 15) and their barely competent but energetic three chord thrash. Their version of "Waiting For My Man" is too slap-dash to approach the original's hypnotic drone of course, and it totally misses the monotony of heroin by romping through the song like it's a drunken rave-up, but damned if it isn't still catchy. Their ham-fisted version of "Sweet Jane" is pushing it too far though.

EATER ~ "I'M WAITING FOR MY MAN";


Joy Division on the other hand were perfect for the Velvet's brooding dark side and this was their only cover song, as a live track on the "Still" album. Done with a very English droll wit, especially the closing brush-off; "You should hear our version of "Louie Louie", Whoa..."

The Runaways; The Runaways were the same age as Eater but they were more musically savvy and their changing of "Rock & Roll" to a stadium rocker manages to outdo Reed's attempts to do the same thing on his bombastic "Rock & Roll Animal" album. Check out how Joan Jett brings the boogie to the original guitar riff. Oh, and Sandy West brings the cowbell. Natch.

THE RUNAWAYS ~ "ROCK AND ROLL";


The Scenics; This artsy first wave punk band from Toronto were obvious Velvets fanatics and they proved it by releasing an entire album of Velvet's covers including a suitably cacophonous trek through "Waiting For My Man".

THE SCENICS ~ "I'M WAITING FOR MY MAN";


R.E.M.; Known in their early years for their variety of covers including a soulful version of "Pale Blue Eyes"

R.E.M. ~ "PALE BLUE EYES";


Simple Minds; It's actually from Lou's solo album "Berlin" rather than a Velvet's track but the Scottish artsy New Wavers did a lovely version of "Street Hassle" on their "Sparkle In The Rain" album. Much later they did a more perfunctory version of "All Tomorrow's Parties".

SIMPLE MINDS ~ "STREET HASSLE"


THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO LIVE 1967;

Some Rock & Blues Figures Pass On

Dickie Dodd ~ Singer and drummer with 1960's Garage Band The Standells w/ classic songs "Dirty Water", "Good Guys Don't Wear White" and "Why Pick On Me", later played in Surf Bands The Belaires ("Mr. Moto") and Eddie & The Showmen ~ 68

THE STANDELLS ~ "RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP";


THE STANDELLS ~ "DIRTY WATER" & "WHY PICK ON ME";


THE STANDELLS ~ "HELP YOURSELF";


Pete Haycock ~ English singer/guitarist with 1970's blues/rock band The Climax Blues Band and later ELO ~ 62

THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND ~ "COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT";


THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND ~ "GOING TO NEW YORK";


THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND ~ "I LOVE YOU";


Bobby Parker ~ 1960's American R&B singer/guitarist w/1961 hit "Watch Your Step" later covered by Spencer Davis Group, Dr. Feelgood, Steve Marriott and Carlos Santana ~ 76

BOBBY PARKER ~ "WATCH YOUR STEP";


BOBBY PARKER ~ "BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN";


Junior Murvin ~ Jamaican Reggae and Ska singer w/ classic hit "Police and Thieves" later covered by The Clash on their first album ~ 63

THE CLASH ~ "POLICE AND THIEVES";


Tony Brevet ~ Singer for 1960's & 70's Jamaican Ska/Rocksteady group The Melodians

THE MELODIANS ~ "RIVERS OF BABYLON";


THE MELODIANS ~ "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND";


Ray Price ~ 1950's and 60's Honky Tonk singer and pioneer of The Nashville Sound with a slew of hits including "Release Me", "Crazy Arms", "Heartaches by the Number", "For the Good Times" ~ 87

RAY PRICE ~ "HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER";


RAY PRICE ~ "CRAZY ARMS" & "HEART ACHES BY THE NUMBER";

A Few 1980's & 90's Hard Rock Dudes Pass On

Mark Gibson ~ Guitarist with Toronto 1990's (and recently reformed) Hardcore band The Almighty Trigger Happy

THE ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY ~ "THINK";


THE ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY ~ "MEATHOOK", "BRONCHITIS" & "FEVER";


Pat Fear ~ (Real name; Bill Bartell), Singer for California Punk/Hardcore/Parody band White Flag from 1982 on ~ 52

WHITE FLAG ~ "IN THE CITY";


WHITE FLAG ~ "SECRET";


WHITE FLAG ~ "IN THE CITY";


Lorne Black ~ Bassist for 80's Hair Metal Band Great White ("Once Bitten Twice Shy")
GREAT WHITE ~ "ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY";


Jan Kuehnemund ~ Guitarist with 1980's American Hair Metal band Vixen ~ 51


Andy Pierce ~ Vocalist with Swedish Glam Metal Band The Nasty Idols ~ 45

THE NASTY IDOLS ~ "COOL WAY OF LIVING";



THE NASTY IDOLS ~ "BITCH";

A Few Classic Rockers Of The 1950's & 60's Pass On

Joe Kelly; Guitarist for The Shadows Of Knight, Chicago's greatest 1960's Garage Band. They only had one real hit, a cover of Them's "Gloria", and a couple of excellent but little heard followups on their two albums. Then they basically broke up although a reformed version finally had another hit with "Shake". Some version of the band also played as a studio backing band on various classic Bubblegum Hits of the late 60's and 70's such as "Yummy Yummy Yummy", "Sugar Sugar" and "1,2,3, Redlight" and others although exactly which ones is a matter of some debate.

THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT ~ "SHAKE";


THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT ~ "GLORIA";



THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT ~ " A LONG TIME COMING";


Jackie Lomax; Bassist and Vocalist for 1960's Liverpool band The Undertakers, known for their all black with drape-jackets and top hats stage outfits as well as a wild live show. They did have a couple of hits such as a version of "Mashed Potatoes" before an ill-advised attempt to break into the US market by moving there.

THE UNDERTAKERS ~ "MASHED POTATOES";


Mac Curtis, 1950's Rockabilly singer with a couple of minor hits. Later became a well known part of the rockabilly revival in the 1970's and 80's recording with Rollin' Rock Records.

MAC CURTIS ~ "IF I HAD ME A WOMAN";


MAC CURTIS ~ "GRANDDADDY'S ROCKIN";


Marvin Rainwater, 1950's Rockabilly singer from Kansas with a couple of minor hits. Known for accenting his part Cherokee heritage in his stage show. Later became a country singer.

MARVIN RAINWATER ~ "WHOLE LOTTA WOMAN";


Roland Janes ~ 1950's Rockabilly guitarist for Sun Records, played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Lee Riley, Charlie Rich, Sonny Burgess, Rayburn Anthony, Harold Dorman, later played with Mudhoney

JERRY LEE LEWIS ~ "GREAT BALLS OF FIRE" & "BREATHLESS";


JERRY LEE LEWIS ~ "WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN";


BILLY LEE RILEY ~ "SPEED LOVERS";


Shirley Mathews - 71 - Toronto 1960's R&B singer ""Big Town Boy"


Gia Maione ~ Wife and singer for Louis Prima and his Orch ~ 72

LOUIS PRIMA ~ "LAS VEGAS WOMAN";


Johnny Laboriel ~ Mexican rock 'n' roll singer known for doing Spanish languiage versions of American hits in the 1960's ~ 71

JOHNNY LABORIEL ~ "POISON IVY";

T Model Ford & Some Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country Figures Pass On

T Model Ford ~ Blues singer/guitarist. Born some time in the early 1920's (he wasn't sure when) but he didn't become a professional recording artist until he was discovered in 1995 and signed to Fat Possum Records, the label that had resurrected RL Burnside. Ford had spent most of his life in rural Mississippi doing manual labour, supervising a saw mill and truck driving. He was also sentenced to prison for ten years for murder, although he only served about two. When he was released and his wife left him and he began playing guitar, learning from records by Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Son House and Jimmy Reed. He did not record but spent his career locally playing juke joints and opening for Buddy Guy until he was discovered by Matt Johnson of Fat Possum for who he recorded five well regarded albums. He also toured widely, in fact I remember working at a club in Toronto back in the late 1990's when we tried to bring in Ford only to find he couldn'y get over the border becuase of his old murder conviction.

T MODEL FORD ~ "SALLIE MAE";


T MODEL FORD ~ "CHICKEN HEAD MAN";


Billy Bowers ~ American gospel vocalist Blind Boys of Alabama ~ 71

THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA ~ "TOO CLOSE TO HEAVEN";


THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA ~ "SOMEBODY GOT TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN"


Lewis Lymon ~ 1950's Doo Wop singer, brother of Frankie Lymon and replaced him in the Teenagers after he quit to go solo ~ 69

LEWIS LYMON & THE TEENAGERS ~ "DANCE GIRL";


Texas Johnny Brown ~ Blues singer/guitarist, played with Joe Hinton, Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lavelle White, Buddy Ace and Junior Parker ~ 85


Curly Lewis ~ Fiddler for Bob Wills' Western Swing Band ~ 88

BOB WILLS & TEXAS PLAYBOYS ~ "SAN ANTONIO ROSE";


BOB WILLS & TEXAS PLAYBOYS ~ "STAY A LITTLE LONGER";


Bengt Hallberg ~ Swedish Jazz pianist and accordionist, played with Clifford Brown, Stan Getz and Quincy Jones ~ 80

CLIFFORD BROWN ~ "OH LADY BE GOOD" & "MEMORIES OF YOU";


Butch Warren ~ BeBop Jazz bassist w/ Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, and Stanley Turrentine and Thelonious Monk ~ 74

MILES DAVIS ~ "SO WHAT":


THELONIUS MONK ~ "ROUND MIDNIGHT";


Bernard Vitet ~ French Jazz trumpet player w/ Serge Gainsbourg, Yves Montand,Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty, Django Reinhardt, Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler and The Art Emsemble Of Chicago. He also worked on film scores. ~ 77

SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIGITTE BARDOT ~ "J'T'AIME";


Gary Shearston ~ Australian singer/songwriter, had a hit in the UK with a cover of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" ~ 74

GARY SHEARSTON ~ "I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU";

A Few New Wave Figures Pass On

Gypie Mayo ~ English guitarist w/ Dr Feelgood in the 1980's and later the reformed Yardbirds ~ 62

DR FEELGGOD ~ "SHE'S A WINDUP";


DR FEELGOOD ~ "DOWN AT THE DOCTORS";


Alastair Donaldson, AKA William Mysterious - 57 - Bassist for Scotland's most beloved Punk band The Revillos (AKA The Rezillos)

THE REVILLOS ~ "TOP OF THE POPS";


THE REVILLOS ~ "MOTORBIKE BEAT";


Tim Wright ~ American bass guitarist for New Wave bands Pere Ubu and DNA ~ 61
PERE UBU ~ "30 SECONDS OVER TOKYO";


PERE UBU ~ "ELECTRICITY";


PERE UBU ~ "WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY";


Alan Myers; Drummer for 1980's Ohio Icons Devo ~ 58;
DEVO ~ "SATISFACTION";


DEVO ~ "WHIP IT";


Dan Van Patten - 60's - Drummer for 1980's American Techno Pop band Berlin ("Sex", "The Metro", "No More Words", "Take My Beath Away")

BERLIN ~ "SEX";


BERLIN ~ "THE METRO";


BERLIN ~ "THE MASQUERADE";


BERLIN ~ "NO MORE WORDS";


James Gray ~ Keyboardist Blue Rodeo and Vital Sines ~ 52

VITAL SINES ~ "COLLAGE";


BLUE RODEO ~ "LOST TOGETHER";


Charlie Salmon ~ Singer/guitarist w/1980's Toronto Indie Band The Plasterscene Replicas

THE PLASTERSCENE REPLICAS ~ "ALL I SEE":


Peppi Marchello ~ Singer/Guitarist with New Jersey garage band The Good Rats from the late 1960's to the punk era ~ 68

THE GOOD RATS ~ "REASON TO KILL";


Jon Brookes ~ British drummer with Britpop band The Charlatans ~ 44
THE CHARLATANS ~ "WEIRDO";

Chris Levoir of The Mark Inside

THE MARK INSIDE ~ "SHOTS FROM INSIDE A BROKEN BOTTLE";


The local Toronto scene was shocked to hear of the sudden death of Chris Levoir, guitarist with neo-garage band The Mark Inside. Since their 2007 debut "Static/Crush" The Mark Inside were one of those buzz bands always on the verge of a breakthrough. They had some good songs, some well made videos and one of the best live shows around. Rather like Tangiers, Young Rival and The Ride Theory. I'm not sure why things never seemed to work out for them but they had played just s few months ago at CMW and had a new album on the way. Levoir also worked as a sound-man at a few local clubs and was universally popular with other bands both for his professionalism and his laid back attitude. The rumours seem to point to snorting heroin as being the culprit. He was only 31.

THE MARK INSIDE ~ "CAROUSEL";


THE MARK INSIDE ~ "SWEET LITTLE SISTER";


THE MARK INSIDE ~ "THE BOTTOM LINE";

Some Rock, R&B, Doo Wop & Jazz figures of the 1950's & 60's Pass On

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors died of cancer. A hugely influential band but I must say it was years before I could listen to them. See I grew up in Scarbourgh listening to punk, new wave as well as garage and rockabilly from the 50's & 60's while everybody else was listening to Q-107 who insisted on playing the same playlist every fucking day for years and years. The Doors, Zeppelin, Stones, Who, Floyd and Rush literally every fucking day, at least twice a day. No exaggeration. I really resented that at the time. It wasn't till years later that I got over that and decided that they were actually good bands. Except for Rush, they still suck.

Anyway where was I? Oh right, Ray Manzerek. He also produced the first X album as well, on which they buzz-sawed their way through "Soul Kitchen". Which was in turn later used in an episode of "Miami Vice" just before something blew up real good. So there's that.

THE DOORS ~ "LIGHT MY FIRE";



X & RAY MANZAREK ~ "SOUL KITCHEN";


Ronnie Splinter ~ Guitarist for influential 1960's Dutch garage band The Outsiders (not be confused with the 1960's American garage band The Outsiders who had a hit with the classic "Time Won't Let Me")

THE OUTSIDERS ~ "LYING ALL THE TIME";


Marshall Lytle ~ Bassist with Bill Haley's Comets as well as his preceding band The Saddlemen. Also co-wrote "Crazy Man Crazy" and a few songs for Haley associated group The Jodimers including their big hit "Rattle Shakin' Daddy", pioneer of the Rockabilly "Slap Bass" sound ~ 79

BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK";


BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "RAZZLE DAZZLE";


Johnny Smith ~ 1955 Guitarist who did the original version of the surf classic "Walk Don't Run", later covered by The Ventures, Shadows, Belaires, Los Straitjackets and virtually every other surf band ~ 90

THE VENTURES ~ "WALK DON'T RUN";


Roger LaVern ~ British rock keyboardist with The Tornados and Joe Meek ~ 75
JOHN LEYTON ~ "JOHNNY REMEMBER ME" & THE TORNADOS ~ "TELSTAR";


Jim Sundquist ~ Guitarist for 1960's garage band The Fendermen "Mule Skinner Blues" ~ 75

THE FENDERMAN ~ "MULE SKINNER BLUES";


Eddie Bond ~ 1950's Rockabilly singer originally on Sun Records then on Mercury later became a country singer ~ 79

EDDIE BOND ~ "TORE UP";


EDDIE BOND ~ "ONE WAY TICKET";


Bobby Blue Bland ~ American Blues and R&B singer from the 1950's on. With hits like "Turn On Your Love Light", "I Pity The Fool", "Stormy Monday", "I'll Take Care Of You". Sang with BB King as well. "Turn On Your Love Light" was covered by Van Morrison & Them, Edgar Winter, Greatful Dead, Grand Funk Railroad, Rascals, Paramounts, Fugitives, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.

BOBBY BLUE BLAND & BB KING ~ "IT'S MY OWN FAULT";


BOBBY BLUE BLAND & BB KING ~ "THE THRILL IS GONE";


Cedar Walton ~ American Jazz Pianist from 1960's w/ The Jazztet, Art Farmer, John Coltrane, Don Ellis, Lee Morgan, Abbey Lincoln ~ 79
THE JAZZTET ~ "KILLER JOE";


Donna Hightower ~ American 1960's & 70's R&B singer ("The World's In A Mess") ~ 86

DONNA HIGHTOWER ~ "THE WORLD TODAY IS IN A MESS";


Floyd McRae ~ Singer with 1950's Doo-Wop group The Chords who did the original version of the classic hit "Sh-Boom" later covered by The Crewcuts ~ 80

THE CHORDS ~ "SH-BOOM" (recorded in 1980);


THE CREWCUTS ~ "SH-BOOM";


Virgil Johnson ~ Singer with Doo-Wop group The Velvets ~ 77

THE VELVETS ~ "MY LOVE";


Bob Engemann ~ Singer with 1950's Pop Vocal Group The Letterman w/hits like "Love is A Many Splendored Thing", "When I Fall In Love", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Softly", and covers of pop hits like "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Up Up And Away", "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Walk On By" ~ 76

THE LETTERMEN ~ "LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING";


THE LETTERMEN ~ "WALK ON BY";


Ed Shaughnessy ~ Jazz and Swing drummer from the 1950's on; played with Benny Goodman, Dorsey Brothers, Gene Ammons, Roy Eldridge, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, Horace Silver, Count Basie and Jimmy Smith among others. Later played with Doc Severnson's Tonight Show Band ~ 84

THE DORSEY BROS ~ "MARIE";
Marion McPartland ~ British born Jazz Pianist, and composer from the 1940's on, called the "First Lady of Jazz". Married American Jazz Cornetist Jimmy McPartland, later became a jazz historian and host of a long running radio show ~ 86

MARION MCPARTLAND ~ "IN A MIST";


Marilyn King ~ American singer and actress, last surviving member of 1940's and 50's pop vocal group The King Sisters ~ 82

THE KING SISTERS ~ "ROUTE 66";




Pixie Williams ~ New Zealand 1950's pop singer, scored the first New Zealand based hit record with "Blue Smoke" in 1949 later covered by Nat King Cole ~ 85

George Jones and some other classic Country singers

This week country legend George Jones died. Considered by many to be the greatest male country singer of all time (Hank Williams Sr. doesn't count, because he's Hank, and so is Johnny Cash). Starting out as just another hyperactive Honky Tonk and Rockabilly singer (recordong a rockabilly single, which he later disowned, under the name Thumper Jones), George Jones sang with a sobbing tenor on the verge of a nervous breakdown that would personify the Hurtin' Song for the Honky Tonks of the 1960's and 70's. He had a more modern style than the older nasal twang of the previous post war generation of Hank, Webb, Ernest and Hank Snow, and having an obvious influence on Buck Owens and Johnny Paycheck in particular. Jones was also able to absorb the new Nashville Sound with it's assembly line approach of syrupy back ground vocals and lush string laden production on the strength of his instantly recognizable voice. In a way he was the male Patsy Cline.

GEORGE JONES ~ "WHITE LIGHTNING";


Of course his county outlaw persona helped keep him from becoming another faceless product, especially since the image was largely real. Jones was not a rebel in the sense of being a bad-ass rebel without a clue, like his friend Johnny Paycheck say. Jones was by all accounts a nice, friendly, down-to-earth guy, but he did like to drink and popped a lot of pills. By the late 1960's his reputation for blowing off gigs by being too drunk or hungover had earned him the nick-name "No Show Jones". On one occasion he had to be carried off stage in a straight jacket after having a bizarre on-stage meltdown in which he stumbled and slurred, insulted the audience, forgot the words to his songs or the names of his band and launched into an extended imitation of Donald Duck.

GEORGE JONES ~ "WHO SHOT SAM";


He went through a few marriages (of course) including to Tammy Wynette, with whom he would record a number of hit duets. They would continue to do so even after their divorce. All the while he would continue to churn out the hits, always supported by his devoted fans.

GEORGE JONES ~ "THE RACE IS ON";


By the 1990's he had quit, or at least cut back on the drinking and was still recording and touring up to a few years ago. He was 81.

GEORGE JONES ~ "SHE THINKS I STILL CARE";


Gordon Stoker ~ Singer with 1950's & 1960's Country, Pop and Gospel vocal group The Jordanaires who sang with Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Faron Young, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, ~ 88

THE JORDINAIRES ~ "SOMETHING WITHIN";


THE JORDINAIRES ~ "GREAT GETTING UP MORNING";


DON GIBSON & THE JORDINAIRES ~ "I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU";


FARON YOUNG & THE JORDINAIRES ~ "THE SHRINE OF ST CECILIA";


Claude King ~ 1950's Country singer with classic hit "Wolverton Mountain" ~ 90

CLAUDE KING ~ "THE COMANCHEROS";


Jack Greene ~ 1960's & 70's Country singer with hits w/ "There Goes My Everything", "Statue of a Fool", "All The Time" ~ 83

JACK GREENE ~ "THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING";


JACK GREENE ~ "ALL THE TIME";


Cal Smith ~ 1950's Country singer ("The Lord Knows I'm Drinking", "Country Bumpkin" ~ 81

CAL SMITH ~ "LORD KNOWS I'M DRINKING";


CAL SMITH ~ "I TOOK HER FOR A FOOL";


Slim Whitman, 90, American yodeling country singer from the 1950's w/hits "Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie" Besides having hits in the USA he was also hugely successful in Europe, Austrailia, Japan and South Africa throughout the 1960's and 70's ~ 90

SLIM WHITMAN ~ "I REMEMBER YOU";
Slim Whitman, 90, American country singer-songwriter ("Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie"),

Two One Hundred Year Old Singers Pass On

This week had the odd distinction of having not one but two totally different singers die who were over one hundred years old.

George Beverly Shea ~ A Canadian/American Gospel singer who sang with The billy Graham Crusdae since the 1950's on and had recorded hundreds of songs.His style, with a deep stately baritone had little to do with the black gospel tradition and showed his formal vocal training. Although he came from a devout christian background Shea did make an attempt to succeed as a secular singer in the 1930's on the popular Fred Allen Radio Show and On "Your Hit Parade", however he soon decided to give up secular music and focus on Gospe lwhich he did from the early 1940's on. He was best known for his work with Billy Graham. He was 104 and was still occasionally active as of few years ago. .

GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS";


GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "HOW GREAT THOU ART";


GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "THE LORDS PRAYER";


Bi Kidude was billed as The World's Oldest Singer although her real age was unknown. Born in Zanzibar about one hundred years ago she was a master of singing styles known as Taarab and Unyago music by the Muslim people of Tanzania. She was still active as of a few years ago.

BI KIDUDE ~ "PAKISTANI";


BI KIDUDE& CULTURAL MUSIC CLUB ~ "KIJITI";

A Few Punk & Metal Figures Pass On

Steve Knight ~ Keyboardist for 1960's & 70's Proto-Metal band Mountain, best known for their appearance at Woodstock and the hit "Mississippi Queen" ~ 76

MOUNTAIN ~ "MISSISSIPPI QUEEN";


Allen Lanier ~ American rock keyboardist and guitarist for Blue Öyster Cult ~ 67

BLUE OYSTER CULT ~ "DON'T FEAR THE REAPER";


BLUE OYSTER CULT ~ "ASTRONOMY/ETI";


Clive Burr was the original drummer for classic British band Iron Maiden during the pre-Bruce Dickenson Paul Dianno era of the late 1970's & early 1980's died of Muscular Dystrophy ~ 56

IRON MAIDEN ~ "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA";


IRON MAIDEN ~ "IRON MAIDEN";


Chris Bailey ~ Bassist for 1970's & 80's Australian Proto-Punk band The Angels, he had previously been in Mount Lofty Rangers with Bon Scott in 1974 ~ 62

THE ANGELS ~ "TAKE A LONG LINE";


THE ANGELS ~ "AM I A+EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN";


Neil Smith ~ Bassist for 1970's versions of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo ~ 59

ROSE TATTOO ~ "ROCK N ROLL OUTLAW";


ROSE TATTOO ~ "BAD BOY FOR LOVE";


Chi Cheng ~ Bassist for California Metal Band The Deftones (in a coma from a car crash since 2008) ~ 42

THE DEFTONES ~ "DIAMOND EYES";


Kent Abbott ~ Guitarist for Toronto Hardcore Band Grade ~ 32

GRADE ~ "TERMITES HOLLOW";


GRADE ~ "A YEAR IN THE PAST, FOREVER IN THE FUTURE";


Roach, the bassist for 1990's Toronto?Hamilton Hardcore band the Liquor Pigs died aged 44

THE LIQUOR PIGS ~ "IRAQI LOVE";


THE LIQUOR PIGS ~ "ENERGIZER";


Jeff Hanneman ~ Guitarist for Thrash Metal Legends Slayer ~ 49

SLAYER ~ "SEASONS IN THE ABYSS";


Dani Crivelli ~ Drummer for 1980's Swiss Metal Band Krokus

KROKUS ~ "HEADHUNTER";

Stompin Tom, Reg; The Other Presley, and some other other early Rockers

Reg Presley was the singer for the British Beat group The Troggs who of did the classic hits "Wild Thing", (a massive hit which has since been covered by Jimi Hendrix, X, The Cult, Runaways, Cheap Trick, Divinyls, um...Sam Kinison and lord knows how many other bands), "I Can't Control Myself" and "Love is All Around". He was 71

THE TROGGS ~ "WILD THING";


THE TROGGS ~ "I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF";


George Shadow Morton ~ Songwriter and Producer with 1960's Girl Group The Shangri-La's with classic hits "The Leader of The Pack" & "(Remember) Walking in the Sand" and later Janis Ian, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly and The New York Dolls ~ 72

THE SHANGRI-LA'S ~ "THE LEADER OF THE PACK";


VANILLA FUDGE ~ "YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON";


THE NEW YORK DOLLS ~ "PERSONALITY CRISIS";


THE NEW YORK DOLLS ~ "LOOKING FOR A KISS";


Alvin Lee, singer guitarist for Blues Rock super group Ten Years After, best known for their epic performance at Woodstock ~ 68

TEN YEARS AFTER ~ "I'M GOING HOME";


TEN YEARS AFTER ~ "SPOONFUL";


Rick Huxley ~ English bassist with 1960's Beat Band The Dave Clark Five w/ hits like "Glad All Over", "Bits & Pieces" (later covered by Joan Jett), "I Like it Like That", "Catch us if You can" ~ 72

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "DO YOU LOVE ME" & "GLAD ALL OVER";


THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "BITS AND PIECES";


THE DAVE CLARK FIVE ~ "I LIKE IT LIKE THAT";


Tony Sheridan ~ British 1960's Skiffle and Mersey Beat singer, had The Beatles as his back-up band and did their first recordings ~ 72

TONY SHERIDAN ~ "SHAKE IT SOME MORE";


John Doyle ~ Singer/Guitarist with 1960's Miami Garage Punk band The Evil ~

THE EVIL ~ "FROM A CURBSTONE";


Cecil Womack was one of the Womack Brothers (including Bobby, Harry, Friendly and Curtis) who started out in Cleveland as a Gospel group and were discovered by Sam Cooke who signed them to his S.A.R. Record label in 1961 renamed as The Valentinos. They recorded the original version of "It's All Over Now" which was later covered by The Rolling Stones. After Cooke's death in 1964 S.A.R Records folded and Bobby Womack left the group and married Cooke's widow which created some outrage from Cooke's fans. The remaining brothers kept the band together and signed to Chess Records and recorded a few singles which failed to chart. They then signed to Jubilee Records with no greater success. The Valentinos broke up when Henry Womack was stabbed to death by his girlfriend. The renaming brothers became backup singers for their by no more successful brother Bobby's solo career.

THE VALENTINOS ~ "IT'S ALL OVER NOW";


Deke Richards ~ Songwriter and Producer for Motown. Wrote hits like "Love Child" for The Supremes and produced songs like "I Want You Back" and "ABC" for The Jackson 5 ~ 68

THE SUPREMES ~ "LOVE CHILD";


Bluesman Magic Slim was a cousin of the great Magic Sam, he would go on to record several respected albums for Alligator Records died at 75

MAGIC SLIM & THE TEARDROPS ~ "LET ME LOVE YOU BABY";


And of course Stompin Tom Connors, the legendary Canadian Folk/Country singer died at 77. It's been a little hard for Canadians to explain to Americans exactly what made Stompin Tom such an icon. Or even to come up with a real comparison. Woody Guthrie? Sort of, both were working man's troubadours and champions of a nationalism that was never right wing or racist. Johnny Cash? Both wore black and both were coolly charismatic. But Connors had a goofy sense of humour that Guthrie and Cash would have found undignified. The closest I can come up with is Guthrie as done by Lonnie Donnegan.

STOMPIN TOM CONNORS ~ "BUD THE SPUD";


STOMPIN TOM CONNORS ~ "MARGO'S GOT THE CARGO";

Three Jazz Pioneers; From Swing to Psyche

Donald Byrd ~ American Be-Bop Jazz trumpet player from the 1950s on. Played with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, Jackie MacLean, Gigi Gryce and Art Pepper. He later recorded with his own band for several highly successful albums on Bklue Note Records in the 1970's & 80's. His work has been heavily sampled and used on Hip Hop and Acid Jazz ~ 80

DONALD BYRD ~ "CRISTO REDEMER";


Kenny Ball ~ British Jazz trumpet player who had several hits in the 1960's ~ 82

KENNY BALL ~ "MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW";


Paul Tanner ~ Big Band trombone player with Glenn Miller who later went on to pioneer the electro-theremin, which he played on Beach Boys records including "Good Vibrations" ~ 95

THE GLENN MILLER ORCH ~ "IN THE MOOD";


THE GLENN MILLER ORCH ~ "I GOT A GAL IN KALAMAZOO";


THE GLENN MILLER ORCH ~ "CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO";


THE GELNN MILLER ORCH ~ "SERENADE IN BLUE";


THE BEACH BOYS ~ "GOOD VIBRATIONS";

Two Totally Different Types of Female Singers

On the one hand;
Patti Page was a pre-rock n' roll pop singer from the early singers with huge hits like "Tennessee Waltz", originally by Pee Wee King, which was number one on the charts for 13 weeks and is still one of the biggest selling singles of all time. It was later made the official state song. Other hits included "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window", "red Sails In The Sunset" and "Old Cape Cod". She also hosted her own TV show. She was 85

PATTI PAGE ~ "TENNESSEE WALTZ";


PATTI PAGE ~ "RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET";


The Andrews Sisters were by far the biggest female vocal group of the Swing Era with numerous hits like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and literally dozens more from 1938 to 1955. They would have an influence on later Doo Wop and Pop Vocal Groups of the 1950's, including male groups, especially the Crewcuts. The last surviving sister, Patty died aged 94.

THE ANDREWS SISTERS ~ "BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY FROM COMPANY B";


THE ANDREWS SISTERS ~ "DON'T SIT UNDER THE APPLE TREE";


And on the other hand;
Precious Bryant was a Folk Blues singer/guitarist from the 1960's on, although she did not record until the 1980's, she was 72.
PRECIOUS BRYANT;


Saffire; The Uppity Blues Women were a trio who mixed serious versions of blues classics with bawdy obscurity in the 1990's on Alligator Records to critical acclaim. They broke up in 2009. Anne Rabson died at 67.

SAFFIRE; THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN ~ "BALD HEADED BLUES";


SAFFIRE; THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN ~ "MIDDLE AGED BLUES";