Rest In Peace Part 2

^^^ Yeah, a black day for rock, one of the true mavericks of the business gone. RIP

And the Grim Reaper ain't slacking off either:

Specials drummer John Bradbury dies. He was just 62

Bradbury joined The Specials in 1979, and continued with the reversioned band The Special AKA, who had a top 10 hit with Free Nelson Mandela.

Bradbury took part in The Specials reunion tour in 2009. He also headed up a band called JB Allstars.

RIP

Natalie Cole, legendary songstress, dead at 65

Her optimism amid personal struggles was inspirational. Her voice? Unforgettable.

Natalie Cole has died at age 65.

"I think that I am a walking testimony that you can have scars," she told CBS’s Sunday Morning in 2006. "You can go through turbulent times and still have victory in your life."

Cole died Thursday evening at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles due to complications from ongoing health issues, her family said in a statement.

"Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived ... with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved Mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain UNFORGETTABLE in our hearts forever," read the statement from her son Robert Yancy and sisters Timolin and Casey Cole.

Sad news to start a year with... amazing to recall the "Unforgettable" duet done with her father was almost 25 years ago, so her brief career peaked in 1989 when she'd be around 39 - something that seems weird in comparison to the youth-oriented stars we see normally and especially since then.

RIP - Miss You Like Crazy indeed

Bee Gees manager and impresario Robert Stigwood has died, aged 81 He managed Cream & The Bee Gees, then moved into musicals. RIP

Avant-garde jazz pianist Paul Bley dies at 83 in Florida

Visionary Canadian-born pianist Paul Bley, a pivotal figure in the avant-garde jazz movement known for his innovative trio and solo recordings, has died. He was 83.

Bley died Sunday of natural causes at his winter residence in Stuart, Florida, said Tina Pelikan, publicist for the ECM record label, citing family members.

Throughout his career, Bley was a musical adventurer determined to find his own voice. "If I come up with a phrase that sounds like somebody else, I don't play it," he said in a 2006 interview for the website All About Jazz.

He challenged the bebop orthodoxy, adapting the free jazz of saxophonist Ornette Coleman for the piano, offering a quieter, moodier version. He later pioneered experiments with synthesizers.

His groundbreaking piano trios " notably with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian " liberated rhythm instruments from their traditional supporting roles, making everyone equal as improvisers.

Bley also helped introduce promising young musicians such as guitarist Pat Metheny and electric bassist Jaco Pastorius, and influenced many musicians including pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist Bill Frisell.

French conductor & composer Pierre Boulez has died at the age of 90

As well as being a world-famous composer and conductor he was a prolific writer and pianist and head of the music venue The Paris Philharmonic.

Boulez was also the founder and former director of the Paris based Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique and was famed for his work alongside leading experimental composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Olivier Messiaen.

RIP

Unsure of the details, but RIP Troy Shondell. My mother was a close friend to him and she sent me a brief email this morning. She is heart sick and will be attending his funeral on Sunday. He took his hit "This Time" to #6 in October of 1961.

Celine Dion's husband & former manager, Rene, has died at the age of 73. He'd long had battles with cancer. They were together from 1994, through the heights of her career. RIP

Apparently this happened some time back. I missed it and had no idea. Wow! Johnny Kemp? No! Johnny Kemp

misery guts wrote:Celine Dion's husband & former manager, Rene, has died at the age of 73. He'd long had battles with cancer. They were together from 1994, through the heights of her career. RIP

It's a bit of a stretch, but her elder brother has just died too, also of cancer. A double blow. RIP

Mott the Hoople drummer Dale Griffin dies, aged 67

The drummer, who later became a producer of sessions for the John Peel show, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for nine years
Mott the Hoople drummer Dale Griffin has died, aged 67, after suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. He died in his sleep on Sunday night, according to Mott’s manager, Peter Purnell.

“Dale was a nice, well-spoken man and a brilliant drummer, it’s unbelievable that he’s gone,” Mott keyboard player Verden Allen told the Hereford Times. “I suppose in some ways it’s a release for him now – he had suffered for many years.”

Griffin, who was nicknamed “Buffin” while in Mott the Hoople, was an ever-present in the group, from 1969 until they split in 1976.

What is going on here?!? Who is going to be tomorrow???    

[url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/don-henley-on-glenn-frey-he-changed-my-life-forever-20160118]Don Henley on Glenn Frey: 'He Changed My Life Forever'  Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/don-henley-on-glenn-frey-he-changed-my-life-forever-20160118#ixzz3xe8Ugopk  

Glenn Frey's Eagles bandmate Don Henley has written a touching tribute to his friend, following the news of the guitarist's passing. "Glenn was the one who started it all," he wrote. "He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven."

Frey died Monday due to "complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia," according to a statement from the Eagles. Henley wrote that the band members are still processing the death. "We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow," he wrote. "We brought our two-year History of the Eagles Tour to a triumphant close at the end of July and now he is gone.

"I'm not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet," he continued. "It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life."

Recent musical deaths in the past 24 hours:
Blowfly, musician/songwriter/producer
Dale Griffin, drummer Mott The Hoople
Mic Gillette, brass player Tower Of Power
Glenn Frey, guitarist/singer The Eagles
Gary Loizzo, singer The American Breed

I think 2016's going to seem quite blood-soaked, really

Unfair to single out any one name, but Frey was the biggest of those. RIP all

Former RAINBOW/DIO Bassist JIMMY BAIN Dead at 68

According to a number of industry sources, former RAINBOW and DIO bassist Jimmy Bain has passed away at the age of 68. The news was confirmed by ex-DIO drummer Simon Wright and Diana Deville, a longtime employee of Wendy Dio's Niji Management. More details about Bain's death will be posted here as soon as they become available.

Back in 2012, Bain made headlines when he was arrested in Burbank, California on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.


Since 2013, Bain has been a member of LAST IN LINE, also featuring his fellow ex-DIO bandmates Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice along with singer Andrew Freeman.

LAST IN LINE performed in Miami, Florida on January 20 and is currently taking part in DEF LEPPARD's inaugural "Hysteria On The High Seas" cruise.

Born in Scotland on December 19, 1947, Bain joined RAINBOW in time to appear on the band's second album, 1976's "Rising". He was fired a year later and went on to guest with THIN LIZZY and work in THIN LIZZY frontman Phil Lynott's solo band, before forming WILD HORSES with ex-THIN LIZZY guitarist Brian Robertson. He appeared on Gary Moore's 1983 album "Dirty Fingers" before joining DIO and playing on seven DIO albums with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, from 1983 debut "Holy Diver" to 2002's "Killing The Dragon".

Richie Havens, Folk Icon, Dead at 72

Richie Havens, who brought an earthy soulfulness to the folk scene of the Sixties and was the first act to hit the stage at Woodstock, died of a heart attack on Monday, April 22. He was 72 and was living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Last month, Havens announced he would no longer be touring due to health issues.

From the beginning, when he played Village folk clubs in the mid-Sixties, Havens stood out due to more than just his imposing height (he was six-and-a-half feet tall) and his ethnicity (African-American in a largely white folk scene). He played his acoustic guitar with an open tuning and in a fervent, rhythmic style, and he sang in a sonorous, gravel-road voice that connected folk, blues and gospel.

Sad news both RIP

Colin Vearncombe, best known as singer "Black" for his 1987 hit "Wonderful Life", has died at the age of 53. He had been in a coma since a car crash a fortnight ago, and it seemed just a matter of time alas. RIP

Jefferson Airplane Guitarist Paul Kantner Dead at 74

Paul Kantner, founding member and guitarist for Jefferson Airplane and Starship, died Thursday of multiple organ failure and septic shock. He had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week, according to San Francisco Chronicle. He was 74.

The musician had been in ill health in recent years, with Kantner suffering a heart attack in March 2015, according to the paper.

The musician had been in ill health in recent years, with Kantner suffering a heart attack in March 2015, according to the paper.

With Jefferson Airplane, Kantner helped pioneer the oft-imitated psychedelic sound: simple, fuzzy guitar lines steeped in dreamlike reverb. The group formed in 1965 and, within a few years, scored hits with "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit." In their first run, five of the band's seven albums went gold, including 1967's Surrealistic Pillow and 1968's Crown of Creation.

A very busy start to the year, alas. RIP

Today in 1959...

Devo Guitarist Bob Casale Dead At 61

Devo guitarist Bob Casale, who played with the group alongside his brother Gerald from the original incarnation of the groundbreaking Akron new wave band in 1973 all the way through their recent tours, died suddenly on February 17th of heart failure. He was 61.

"As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning," Gerald said in a statement. "He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all."

Seems little end in sight...

Maurice White, frontman with Earth, Wind & Fire, has died at the age of 74. He had been suffering with Parkinson's Disease since 1992.

Famed for an eclectic style that drew inspiration from funk, jazz and RnB, Earth, Wind and Fire set the tone for soul music scoring a string of hits in the 1970s including September, Shining Star, After the Love Has Gone and Boogie Wonderland.

Maurice White also had a substantial side career producing other artists, including Barbra Streisand and Cher. In the 1970s, he co-wrote and co-produced the Emotions' number one hit, Best of My Love.

RIP

British Indie Band Killed In Car Bridge Plunge

All four members of British indie band Viola Beach and their manager have been killed after their car plunged off a bridge in Sweden.

Their Nissan Qashqai crashed through a motorway bridge barrier at Sodertalje and fell more than 80ft into a canal.

Police divers recovered the bodies of singer Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe, drummer Jack Dakin and the band's manager Craig Tarry, from the water, around 40km (25 miles) from Stockholm.

Rather shocking news. RIP all

Ought to note, though, that they hadn't had any hits, so don't feel extra bad if you've not heard of them. Most people won't have.

Vanity, Singer and Prince Protege, Dies at 57

Vanity, the lead singer of Vanity 6 and Prince protege, whose real name was Denise Katrina Matthews, has died. She was 57.

The pop singer rose to prominence in the early 1980s with the hit "Nasty Girl," which was produced and written by Prince, though he gave Matthews the writing credit. Matthews toured with Prince in support of his album 1999 in 1982 and 1983, and she appeared with him on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1983.

RIP