In Memoriam: January 2022 – February 2023

January 2022

R. Dean Taylor (Richard Dean Taylor)
11 May 1939 – 7 Jan 2022
Canadian musician, singer and songwriter, who also produced for Motown in the 60s and 70s.  In the US Taylor was best known for his 1970 smash Indiana Wants Me, but in the UK he is most remembered for his Top-3 hit There’s A Ghost In My House.

Sam Lay
20 Mar 1935 – 29 Jan 2022
US drummer and vocalist who began making his mark in the late Fifties in R&B, blues and jazz. He worked with many of the greats including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley and performed on more than 40 recordings for the Chess label. Featured in the Martin Scorsese documentary History Of The Blues, he was inducted in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Hargus “Pig” Robbins
18 Jan 1938 – 30 Jan 2022
Celebrated American session keyboard player, who played for many of the greats in music ranging from Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers to Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

February 2022

Joseph Horovitz
26 May 1926 – 9 Feb 2022
British composer and conductor, though born in Austria, who was a composer of orchestral and ballet pieces.  He is also known for his work in television, composing the theme music to Rumpole of the Bailey, among other pieces, as well as his 1970 work “Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo”.

Nora Nova (Ahinora Kumanova)
8 May 1928 – 9 Feb 2022
Bulgarian singer and entertainer who was also popular in Germany, who she represented at the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest.

Betty Davis (nee Betty Gray Mabry)
16 Jul 1944 – 9 Feb 2022
US singer and songwriter and style setter who also stood out through her flamboyant approach to life, once described as combining the “gritty emotional realism of Tina Turner, the futurist fashion sense of David Bowie, and the trendsetting flair of Miles Davis" – who she was also married to.

Ian McDonald
25 Jun 1946 – 9 Feb 2022
British musician who was a founding member of the prog rock group King Crimson, performing keyboard and other instruments on their acclaimed 1969 debut LP “In The Court Of King Crimson”. He also performed with rock acts Foreigner and Steve Hackett, among others, and was known for his session work as a saxophonist.

Aapurba Bezbaruah
1952 – 9 Feb 2022
Popular Indian singer and entertainer.

Brian Dunning
21 Dec 1951 – 10 Feb 2022
Irish flautist and composer who was influenced by jazz and Celtic music and studied under James Galway.  He is perhaps most known as a member of the Celtic music group Nightnoise. 

Roman Kostrzewski 
15 Feb 1960 – 10 Feb 2022
Polish rock musician and  lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Kat. He also founded another heavy metal group, Alkatraz, with Valdi Moder in 2000.

‘Big' John Harte
1953 – 11 Feb 2022
American professional security operative and bodyguard who worked extensively in music, including with bands such as KISS and Iron Maiden.

William Kraft
6 Sep 1923 – 12 Feb 2022
US composer, conductor and musician, recognised as an outstanding percussionist and timpanist who went on to work with a number of leading orchestras including the New York Metropolitan.

Howard Grimes
22 Aug 1941 – 12 Feb 2022
American percussionist and a precocious talent who worked with legendary labels such as Stax and Hi Records, and went on to perform with a number of soul greats, including Al Green.  His drumming contributed to some of the most memorable soul recordings of the Seventies.

Clifton Eddie
1944 – 13 Feb 2022
American musician considered a legendary r’n’b and jazz drummer.  He worked with artists including Patti LaBelle and The Dells, and his work can be heard on such major R&B recordings as The Dells’ “Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation”. He also appeared in the 2017 Oscar-winning “La La Land,” and 2014’s “Whiplash.”

‘King’ Louis Bankston
1973 – 13 Feb 2022
Versatile American rock n roll musician, initially associated with early garage punk before moving into the equally niche genres of Louisiana swamp and boogie woogie, where he made his name.

Sander "Sandy" Nelson
1 Dec 1938 – 14 Feb 2022
US rock drummer and versatile musician, who came to prominence in the Sixties, working with others as a session musician but also achieving solo success with over 30 recordings and a number of To-40 hits.
Ralf "Bummi" Bursy
18 Jan 1956 – 14 Feb 2022
German rock and pop vocalist and a record producer, who enjoyed a loyal following in the GDR.

Vivi l’Internationale (Victorine Agbato)
1947 – 15 Feb 2022
Singer most popular in her native Benin, but with a loyal following across parts of Africa, France and Europe.

Sandhya Mukherjee
4 Oct 1931 – 15 Feb 2022
Indian musician and playback singer, specialising in Bengali music and whose vocals featured in a number of Indian films.

Bappi Lahiri (Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri)
27 Nov 1952 – 15 Feb 2022
Popular Indian singer, composer and music producer, who leaves a legacy of having helped to popularise the use of synthesized disco in Indian and particularly Bengali cinema, who contributed to many soundtracks. 

Toni Stricker
4 Apr 1930 – 16 Feb 2022
Austrian born composer and acclaimed violinist; also popular in German for his folk interpretations. He worked with other leading musicians, including pop artists such as Shirley Bassey.

José Enrique “Chelique” Sarabia
13 Mar 1940 – 16 Feb 2022
Venezuelan musician, producer and prolific songwriter of more than 1,000 songs, including the 1958 hit “Ansiedad”, which was recorded by Nat King Cole among others.

Ramón Stagnaro
10 May 1954 – 16 Feb 2022
Celebrated Peruvian guitarist and record producer who also worked extensively with leading artists over a four decade career, ranging from Diana Ross and Andrea Bocelli to Nelly Furtado and Josh Groban.

Bob DeMeo
1956 – 16 Feb 2022
US jazz drummer who worked with leading stars on the Blue Note label, including George Benson, Nancy Wilson and Jon Hendricks, among others, before moving to France and becoming part of the French jazz scene.

Fausto Cigliano 
1937 – 17 Feb 2022 
Italian singer, musician and actor who specialised in Neapolitan folk music, and performed at the San Remo festival on three occasions.

David Tyson
1960 – 17 Feb 2022
American vocalist and part of the Philadelphia music scene, who for over three decades was a singer with The Manhattans soul group. Part of a music family, his brother Ron sand with The Temptations.

Dallas Good
1974 – 17 Feb 2022
Canadian musician who was the singer-guitarist of Toronto-based rock n roll group The Sadies. 

Witold Paszt
1954 – 18 Feb 2022
Singer, hugely popular in his native Poland and as a vocalist with the VOX group celebrated Polish folk music.

Charles Gatt
1945 – 18 Feb 2022
An accomplished jazz drummer and an educator who founded the Malta Jazz Festival; earning him the soubriquet “Malta’s Father of Jazz”.

Chris Scicluna
1960 – 18 Feb 2022
Maltase singer who, with his wife Moira, represented Malta in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

Nigel Butterley AM
13 May 1935 – 19 Feb 2022
Award-winning Australian composer and pianist, whose 1966 work “Head in the Fire” won the Prix Italia.

Gary Brooker MBE
29 May 1945 – 19 Feb 2022
UK musician, singer, songwriter and actor, most known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Procul Harum. Their classic hit, A Whiter Shade of Pale is memorable for Brooker’s vocals and keyboard playing.  Brooker collaborated with many artists in a 50-year career, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Joni James (Giovanna Carmella Babbo)
22 Sep 1930 – 20 Feb 2022
US pop sensation. Initially with ambitions to act, executives at MGM signed her in 1952 after spotting her in a TV ad, and major hits followed, including her first smash Why Don’t You Believe Me, which sold over 2m copies, and a cover of Your Cheatin’ Heart. She became the first American to record at Abbey Road Studios, recording five albums there, and had a big following in parts of Asia, especially the Philippines. By the end of her career she had sold more than 100m singles and more than 25m albums.

Setha Sirachaya
1945 – 20 Feb 2022
Thai singer and actor, best known as a member of the popular group The Impossibles, who were among the first Thai pop bands to cover English-language songs.

Jamal Edwards MBE
24 Aug 1990 – 20 Feb 2022
British music entrepreneur, DJ, author, charity and community leader, and visionary founder of SB.TV, the online music platform which helped to support the early careers of artists such as Dave and Ed Sheeran, and which helped bring grassroots UK rap and grime talent into popular mainstream music culture.  Honoured in 2022 with a posthumous Music Industry Trusts Award.

Josephine Veasey
10 Jul 1930 – 22 Feb 2022
UK mezzo-soprano, who began in the chorus at the ROH, specialising in roles by Mozart, Berlioz and Wagner.

Mark Lanegan
25 Nov 1964 – 22 Feb 2022
US musician and singer-songwriter, who came to public attention as lead singer of grunge band Screaming Trees, but also developed a following as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins.

Carlos Barbosa Lima
17 Dec 1944 – 23 Feb 2022
Brazilian, but US-based classical and jazz guitarist who was popular on international concert tours giving solo recitals as well as appearing with orchestras.

David Brown
N/A – 23 Feb 2022
British DJ who was part of the team working with Promo Only UK. 

Riky Rick (Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado)
20 Jul 1987 – 23 Feb 2022
South African rapper and songwriter, including with Boyz n Bucks, who achieved fame with the hit single Nafukwa and the platinum-certified LP Family Values. He also founded record label Cotton Club Records.

Nick Tesco
3 Oct 1954 – 26 Feb 2022
A career in music that encompassed performing with punk band The Members as its frontman – enjoying an acclaimed Top-20 hit with Sound of The Suburbs – before becoming a music journalist, covering the music industry with Music Week during the 90s and Noughties.

March 2022

Ron Miles
9 May  1963 – 8 Mar 2022
American musician who played the jazz trumpet and the cornet, and also composed.  He recorded for labels such as Prolific, Capri and Gramavision, and his final album Rainbow Sign was released on Blue Note.  He released 12 solo albums over a 35 year career and also made his mark as Professor of Music at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.   

Bobbie Nelson
1 Jan 1931 – 10 Mar 2022
American keyboard player and vocalist, who was the elder sister of Willie Nelson.  From the early Seventies she was a member of his band, Willie Nelson and Family, appearing on his acclaimed recordings for Atlantic Records such as Troublemaker and Shotgun Willie.

Timmy Thomas 
13 Nov 1944 – 11 Mar 2022
Versatile US musician, who sang, composed, played keyboard and also produced, and is arguably best-known for his chart hit Why Can’t We Live Together.

Mira Calix (Chantal Francesca Passamonte)
28 Oct 1969 – 25 Mar 2022
Audio visual artist and electronic musician of South African-heritage, part of the UK indie scene. From 2000s she incorporated writing for classical instrumentation into her musical works and expanded into multidisciplinary performance, film and multi-channel installation artworks. 

Taylor Hawkins 
17 Feb 1972 – 25 Mar 2022
US musician, most known for his acclaimed drumming with Foo Fighters over 20 years, contributing to eight studio albums in this time.  Previously Hawkins worked with artists ranging from Alanis Morissette to Sass Jordan, while he also had his own band and was working on a supergroup with artists from Jane’s Addiction.

Tom Parker 
4 Aug 1988 – 30 Mar 2022
British singer and musician, most known as a member of the boy-band The Wanted between 2009 and 2014.  He went on to become a passionate campaigner for treatment against cancer, raising funds for the charity Stand Up To Cancer, including through the Inside My Head event at The Royal Albert Hall in 2021.  

Gavin Martin
1962 – March 2022
Northern Ireland born music writer, who began writing for the NME as a schoolboy before taking up a staff role that saw him interview artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to the Sex Pistols.  He was appointed Music Critic at the Daily Mirror as part of a 40-year career that saw him write for many leading music publications.

Robert Richards
1956 – Mar 2022
British music industry figure who started out in design engineering and then film and went on to play a key role in the development of the Glastonbury festival over three decades, including as the producer of the 2006 Julien Temple directed film, Glastonbury. 

Donald “Tabby” Shaw
1955 – 29 Mar 2022
Lead singer and founding member of Jamaican roots reggae group The Mighty Diamonds. The harmony vocals trio formed in the late 60s and continued until 10 years ago. They are best known for their 1976 debut album Right Time, which also brought them a wider, international audience.

Stewart Brown 
11 Nov 1952 – 31 Mar 2022
Classical music industry executive and clarinet player, who founded Testament Records, which specialised in historical classical recordings – bringing to life rare or forgotten recordings and often licensing these to larger labels.  Honoured with a number of Gramophone Awards and other accolades.

April 2022

Bill Fries
1929 – 1 Apr 2022
American country music singer and songwriter, who most notably wrote and performed the hit Convoy.

Roland White (Roland LeBlanc)
23 Apr 1938 – 1 Apr 2022
American bluegrass musicians, known largely for his mandolin playing.

Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson
1951 – 1 Apr 2022
Jamaican artist most known as a harmony vocalist with roots reggae trio The Mighty Diamonds.  Simpson was a member of the group over a four decade career until 2012, and contributed to their acclaimed 1976 debut album Right Time, released by Virgin Records internationally.

Jordan (Pamela Rooke)
23 Jun 1955 – 3 Apr 2022
English model and personality who influenced and gave expression to the early punk scene that came out of the Kings Road in the late Seventies. Known for her trademark bleached platinum blonde look and distinctive eye make-up, Jordan, as she was most known, worked with Vivienne Westwood and other fashion figures.

Paul Siebel
19 Sep 1937 – 5 Apr 2022
American singer-songwriter and musician, who achieved success mainly through other musicians covering his songs, most notably the track Louise and Spanish Johnny.

Bobby Rydell (Roberto Louis Ridarelli)
26 Apr 1942 – 5 Apr 2022
US singer of Italian heritage who was a huge teen idol in his early years and acted also, including in the 1963 production of Bye Bye Birdie. At the height of his popularity in the 60s, with hits such as Wild One and his cover of Volare, Rydell revived his career in the 80s as part of the Golden Boys trio.

Con Cluskey
18 Nov 1935 – 8 Apr 2022)
Irish singer, one of the founding members of harmony vocal trio The Bachelors with his brother Declan and friend John Stokes. Starting out as the Harmonichords in 1957, they went on to become a huge 60s light entertainment act – often to be found on TV – with hits such as I Believe and their UK No.1 Diane.

Chris Bailey
29 Nov 1956 – 9 Apr 2022
Australian singer of Irish heritage who also wrote, played and produced. He is most known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of rock band, The Saints, who released well over 10 albums from the late Seventies through to the Noughties, including the 1977 debut (I’m) Stranded.

Art Rupe (born Arthur Goldberg)
5 Sep 1917 – 15 Apr 2022
American music executive and record producer credited with helping to launch the careers of artists such as Little Richard and Sam Cooke, who also founded R&B, gospel and early rock’n’roll label Speciality Records.

Peter Swales
5 Jun 1948 – 15 Apr 2022
Welsh-born, sometimes eccentric figure who was famously an assistant to the Rolling Stones along with being a self-styled ‘punk historian of psychoanalysis’, specialising in the work of Sigmund Freud.

Radu Lupu CBE
30 Nov 1945 – 17 Apr 2022
Acclaimed Romanian musician considered was of the greatest concert pianists, who performed with many of the great orchestras around the world and won many international prizes.

Re Styles (born Shirley Marie Macleod)
1950 – 17 Apr 2022
Dutch-born singer, musician and actor and co-vocalist in The Tubes'.  Styles appeared in numerous movies including The Holy Mountain, Space Is the Place and the musical fantasy Xanadu with Olivia Newton-John. In a varied career, Styles at one time was also a landscape gardener, interior designer, party planner and florist. 

DJ Kay Slay (Keith Grayson)
14 Aug 1966 – 17 Apr 2022
New York DJ who began with street culture and graffiti, featured in the hip hop documentary Style Wars, and then forged  a career in music as a successful disc jockey with four studio albums to his name, resulting in the description by New York Times of "Hip Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults".

Roderick Pooh-Clarke
27 Feb 1973 – 17 Apr 2022
American R&B and soul singer, best known as the lead vocalist with boy band Hi Five and the hit song I Like The Way, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. 

Sir Harrison Birtwistle CH
15 Jul 1934 – 18 Apr 2022
Celebrated British classical composer with contemporary style, particularly known for his operas, including with mythological themes, such as The Minotaur, which was ranked by music critics as one of the best pieces this century.

Nicholas Angelich 
14 Dec 1970 – 18 Apr 2022
American pianist who was also based long-term in Paris and was regarded for his international performances with ensembles from Europe and North America. 

Andrew Woolfolk
11 Oct 1950 – 24 Apr 2022
American musician and sax player most known as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire at various spells from the Seventies through to the Nineties, featuring on classic hits such as Fantasy and September. He also worked with artists as wide-ranging as Deniece Williams, Phil Collins, Philip Bailey and Level 42.

Klaus Schulze 
4 Aug 1947 – 26 Apr 2022
German musician and composer who, sometimes using the alias Richard Wahnfried, was a pioneer of German electronic music in the 1970s.  A member of the influential bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, among others, he went on to pursue a solo career, releasing over 60 albums in a six decade career.

Randy Rand
N/a – 26 Apr 2022
American musician and a founding member and bassist for the glam rock band Autograph. 

Judy Henske
20 Dec 1936 – 27 Apr 2022
American singer and songwriter, known as "the Queen of the Beatniks” – breaking through in the 1960s, and initially a folk artist but whose music went on to embrace blues, jazz and show tunes. 

Naomi Judd (Diana Ellen Judd)
11 Jan 1946 – 30 Apr 2022
US country singer-songwriter and actress, who with her daughter Wynonna formed the successful country act The Judds in the 1980s. The duo won five Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Awards and have also been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

May 2022

Régine (Rachelle Zylberberg)
26 Dec 1929 – 1 May 2022
Much-loved Belgian-born French singer, socialite and nightclub impresario, born into a Jewish family who had to hide during the Nazi occupation of war-time France.  She developed an enthusiastic following and became known as the "Queen of the Night".

Totoyo Millares (Luis Millares Sall)
13 Jul 1935 – 1 May 2022
Spanish composer and musician who specialised in the timple stringed musical instrument, playing a leading role in establishing and popularizing from the 1950s onwards.

Ric Parnell
13 Aug 1951 – 1 May 2022
British rock drummer, successful in his own right through his group Atomic Rooster, but most known for his part in the cult film This Is Spinal Tap, where he played the band’s ill-fated drummer Mick Shrimpton.

DJ Delete (Ryan Biggs)
N/a – 1 May 2022
Australian born MC and a leading figure in dance music, particularly the Hardstyle scene, working through such labels as Theracords, Spoontech and End Of Line.

María José Cantilo 
5 Jun 1953 – 2 May 2022
Argentinian singer and songwriter and a self-styled ‘rock adventurer’, who rose to national prominence in the 1980s and was known for her powerful vocals and an acoustic folk rock style.

Bobby O’Jay (Joe Louis Jones)
1954 – 3 May 2022
US disc-jockey and radio presenter, who was a feature of the WDIA radio station. 

Valeri Kocharov
1954 – 3 May 2022
Rock guitarist, musician and vocalist, who was a staple feature of the Georgian music scene.

Ruža Nikolić-Lakatos
1945 – 4 May 2022
Originally from Hungary, Austrian-based Romani singer and cultural representative. 

Howie Pyro (Howard Kusten)
28 Jun 1960 – 4 May 2022
American guitarist who co-founded and played bass in various punk and rock bands, including The Blessed, Freaks, PCP Highway and most notably D Generation.

Albin Julius
16 Oct 1967 – 4 May 2022
Austrian musician and composer specialising in martial and industrial music.  He founded a number of record labels including  HauRuck!, which focuses on neo folk albums.

Jewell (Jewell Caples aka Jewell Peyton)
12 Jun 1968 – 6 May 2022
American R&B vocalist, most regarded for her work in the 1990s with artists releasing on Death Row Records, such as Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, earning her the epithet "First Lady of Death Row Records". She also enjoyed solo success in 1994 with her cover of Woman to Woman, which made the Billboard Hot 100.

Robert Barnard AM
24 Nov 1933 – 7 May 2022
Australian musician who specialised in jazz trumpet and cornet. His work earned him multiple honours, including ARIA nominations and the ultimate national distinction as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to music.

Mickey Gilley
9 Mar 1936 – 7 May 2022
US country music singer and songwriter in the 1970s and 80s – landing 42 songs in the US country Chart – but who also made his mark in pop’s mainstream. His biggest hits included Room Full of Roses and a cover of the soul classic Stand by Me.

Minoru Nojima
23 May 1945 – 9 May 2022
Japanese concert pianist who began as a child prodigy and went on to be a globally appreciated and award-winning classical musician.  He gave back to his art by serving as President of the Tokyo College of Music.

Doug Caldwell MNZM
22 Mar 1928 – 10 May 2022
New Zealand jazz pianist and composer, who also taught music and wrote, and affectionally became known as ‘the Maestro’.

Kjell Lönnå 
13 July 1936 – 10 May 2022
Swedish musician, composer and conductor, but arguably best known in his home country as the host of various long-running TV shows between the 1970s and 1990s.

Shivkumar Sharma
13 Jan 1938 – 10 May 2022
Indian classical musician and composer who popularised santoor playing and wrote music extensively for Indian films.  He won multiple awards for music and artistry in his home country.

Richard Benson
1955 – 10 May 2022
British-born but naturalised Italian musician and guitarist, who was particularly active in Rome’s underground music scene of the 1970s and was also a broadcaster. 

Trevor Strnad
1981 – 10 May 2022
US rock metal vocalist, most known as the lead singer of The Black Dahlia Murder, who released eight studio albums which all charted in the Billboard Top 200.
William Bennett OBE
7 Feb 1936 – 11 May 2022
English flautist who featured as a soloist and as a performer in numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles. He recorded prolifically, working with greats such as Yehudi Menuhin, and premiered a number of flute concertos composed for him. In later life he taught, including with the Royal Academy of Music.

Norman Dolph
11 May 1939 – 11 May 2022
A hugely creative career that spanned songwriting and the visual arts, but arguably found its most effective expression as the US music industry executive that reputedly produced the first recordings of The Velvet Underground for Columbia Records. 

Ian Hall
18 Jan 1940 – 11 May 2022
British musician of Guyanese heritage, who composed and played organ. An educator and social activist, he sought to promote equality and inclusivity through his music, leading him to found the Bloomsbury International Society, which blends “western instruments with sounds from the Caribbean, Asia and Africa”.

Patricia Cahill
3 Mar 1942 – 11 May 2022
Irish vocalist who first made her mark on the Irish TV entertainment shows of the 1960s and Seventies.

Alexander "Lexo" Toradze
30 May 1952 – 11 May 2022
Georgian, American-based concert pianist, most regarded for repertoire of classical Russian works, who performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Berlin and New York Philharmonics.

Ben Moore (aka Bobby Purify) 
7 Aug 1941 – 12 May 2022
American soul vocalist who at one point performed as part of the group James and Bobby Purify before overcoming the challenge of visual disability to pursue a solo soul and gospel career. 

Henry Mollicone
1946 – 12 May 2022
US composer of opera and ballet, who also wrote for film and TV. He specialised in one-act operas, with his finest considered to be The Face on the Barroom Floor, though also composed full operas such as Coyote Tales and Gabriel's Daughter. 

Andrei Alpatov
1967 – 12 May 2022
Russian percussionist, best known in his homeland as the drummer of rock band, Trek.

Rosmarie von Trapp
8 Feb 1929 – 13 May 2022
American singer who also taught and became a missionary, but is best known as one of the children of Maria and George von Trapp – whose family life was immortalised by the musical/film The Sound of Music. 

Teresa Berganza Vargas OAXS  
16 Mar 1933 – 13 May 2022
Spanish mezzo-soprano who specialised in Rossini operas and was admired for her stage presence.  Among notable achievements, she featured in the opening ceremony of Barcelona’s 1992 Summer Olympics.

Simon Preston CBE
4 Aug 1938 – 13 May 2022
British organist who, starting out as a chorister at King’s College Cambridge in his early years, went on to become a noted conductor and composer of classical and choral music.

Ricky Gardiner
31 Aug 1948 – 13 May 2022
Scottish musician and composer who performed in his own 60s group Beggars Opera, but who arguably leaves a greater legacy having composed the music for Iggy Pop’s classic hit The Passenger and playing lead guitar on the album that bore it, Lust for Life.  He also played lead guitar on David Bowie’s 1977 album, Low.

Lil Keed (Raqhid Jevon Render)
16 Mar 1998 – 13 May 2022
US rapper and songwriter.  Mentored by fellow rapper Young Thug, and signed to his YSL label, he made the Billboard Hip Hop/R’n’B Top 50 with his track Nameless.

Robert Cogoi (Mirko Kogoj)
25 Oct 1939 – 14 May 2022
Belgian singer of Slovenian heritage, who represented his country in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest.

Deborah Fraser
9 Jun 1965 – 15 May 2022
Award-winning gospel singer from South Africa, who became a million-seller in her homeland with her 2000 album Abanye Bayombona.

Vangelis (Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou)
29 Mar 1943 – 17 May 2022
Acclaimed Greek artist and composer of music across a range of genres, with a signature style that fused electronic and orchestral to great effect, most memorably for award-winning and iconic soundtracks for films such as Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner and Missing.

Bob Neuwirth
20 Jun 1939 – 18 May 2022
Versatile figure in American music, who was a respected folk singer, a successful songwriter – writing the Janis Joplin hit Mercedes Benz among others – and a record producer.  He also had spells as Bob Dylan’s road manager, and toured with other artists. 

Cathal Coughlan
16 Dec 1960 – 18 May 2022
Irish singer and songwriter, most known as the frontman of the cult indie band Microdisney in the 1980s. He went on to front the Fatima Mansions before pursuing a solo career, which peaked with the critically acclaimed Song of Co-Aklan (composed from the point of view of his alter ego "Co Aklan".

Bill Walker
28 April 1927 – 26 May 2022
Australian-born composer and conductor, who arrived in Nashville after working with Jim Reeves in South Africa making recordings, and developed a career composing for country music and directing music in television, including on the Johnny Cash Show. Walker went on to arrange orchestra scores for a great concerts and television appearances.

Alan White
14 Jun 1949 – 26 May 2022
British percussionist and songwriter who was most known to fans as a drummer with the prog rock band Yes, but also performed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the Plastic Ono Band, featuring on their iconic single Imagine.  Alongside his studio work with Yes, he appeared on over 50 albums with a range of other artists.

Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher
8 Jul 1961 – 26 May 2022
British musician who was a founding member of iconic electronic band that rose to global prominence in the 1980s, Depeche Mode. His keyboard playing was a fundamental part of the band’s signature sound and style. In 2020 he and the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Ronnie Hawkins
10 Jan 1935 – 29 May 2022
US-born singer-songwriter who found success in Canada and helped to shape the rock scene there from the 60s onwards.  He was well known for his covers of classic rock’n’roll numbers by the likes of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, but his greatest legacy is his part in the formation of the highly influential group The Band.

Steve Broughton
1950 – 29 May 2022
English drummer and multi-instrumentalist who performed in the midlands group the Edgar Broughton Band, and recorded multiple albums with them. He also performed on Mike Oldfield’s seminal Tubular Bells album of 1973.

Ingram Marshall
10 May 1942 – 31 May 2022
American composer specialising largely in the field of electronic music.

Dave Smith
2 Apr 1950 – 31 May 2022
US sound engineer who contributed greatly to the synthesizer technology that shaped so much of the sound of the Eighties and music production generally.  Through his company Sequential, he developed the first polyphonic synthesizer with a fully programmable memory, and then worked on MIDI interface and synching software for electronic instruments and audio equipment, which saw him awarded a Technical Grammy.

KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath)
23 Aug 1968 – 31 May 2022
Indian vocalist and playback singer in numerous films, who recorded songs in multiple Indian and South Asian languages. He released seven studio albums and compilations, including his successful debut Pal in 1999 on the Sony label in India.

June 2022

Deborah McCrary
N/a – 1 Jun 2022
American vocalist who was part of the hugely popular The McCrary Sisters gospel quartet from Nashville. 

Harold Bynum
29 Sep 1934 – 2 Jun 2022
Prolific American songwriter who wrote a number of iconic country songs including Lucille for Kenny Rogers and Papa was A Good Man for Johnny Cash.  He also wrote for the likes of Waylon Jennings and Jim Reeves, among many others, eventually earning him a place in the Academy of Country Music.

Gracia Montes (Gracia Cabrera Gómez)
1 Mar 1936 – 2 Jun 2022
Spanish actor and singer in the Copla style, who build a devoted following in her homeland over the course of a 70-year career.

Ken Kelly
19 May 1946 – 2 Jun 2022
American fantasy artist who performed his art for five decades, including designing seminal album covers for the rock bands KISS and Rainbow.

Bhajan Sopori
22 Jun 1948 – 2 Jun 2022
Indian musician who specialized in the santoor stringed instrument, and who also achieved ‘Pandit’ status.

Kai Bumann 
1961 – 2 Jun 2022
German-born conductor and orchestra leader but who worked largely in Polish classical music.

Grachan Moncur III 
3 Jun 1937 – 3 Jun 2022
US jazz artist who was a renowned trombonist, following in the family footsteps of his bassist father Graham Moncur II and his uncle saxophonist Al Cooper.

El Noba (Lautaro René Coronel)
15 Jan 1997 – 3 Jun 2022
Argentinian vocalist in the cumbia style who rose to prominence and achieved chart success in his homeland In 2021 with the song Tamo Chelo.

Eugen Mamot
1941 – 5 Jun 2022
Moldovan composer and a leading figure in his country’s music culture.

Cinzia (aka Laura Gray) 
1941 – 5 Jun 2022
Italian singer who began as a teenager with the name Cinzia, but made a comeback in recent years as Laura Gray through Italian TV’s The Voice Senior.

Alec John Such
14 Nov 1951 – 5 Jun 2022
American musician rock musician and best known as a founding member of the rock group Bon Jovi.  Playing bass in a 11 year peak period to 1994, he performed on the band’s first five albums including the 12X Platinum RIAA certified Slippery When Wet, which is in the top 100 biggest selling US albums of all time. 

Dom Phillips
23 July 1964 – 5 Jun 2022
British journalist, who in his early career was a music writer and critic, but who found his true vocation as a campaigner for the environment and for the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous peoples – his courage ultimately cost him his life and that of his associate Bruno Pereira. 

Trouble (Mariel Semonte Orr aka Scoob)
4 Nov 1987 – 5 Jun 2022
American rapper from Atlanta who enjoyed success with the track Bring it Back and collaborated with artists ranging from Drake and The Weeknd. 

Jim Seals
17 Oct 1942 – 6 Jun 2022
American singer and musician who co-founded the Seventies MOR rock outfit Seals and Crofts alongside Darrell “Dash” Crofts. The duo are most known for their Seventies top-10 Billboard hits Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl and Get Closer. 

Mikhail Vladimirov
1967 – 6 Jun 2022
Russian musician and songwriter who enjoyed his largest following during the Soviet era.

David Lloyd-Jones 
19 Nov 1934 – 8 Jun 2022
UK conductor considered an authority in Russian music, translating a number of Russian operas into English.

Wolfgang Reisinger 
16 Jul 1955 – 8 Jun 2022
Austrian musician who started early in music with the Vienna Boys Choir, working in classical and choral before developing into a highly regarded jazz percussion player. 

Julee Cruise
1 Dec 1956 – 9 Jun 2022
Versatile American artist who was a vocalist, a songwriter, an instrumentalist and who also acted.  She had a highly productive relationship with director David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti in the 1980s and 90s, and single Falling provided the theme song to the cult TV series Twin Peaks.

Dario Parisini
1 Dec 1966 – 9 Jun 2022
Italian actor, singer and musician.  He co-founded and performed in a number of bands covering rock, punk and industrial styles, including Disciplinatha, Massimo Volume, Post Contemporary Corporation and Dish-is-Nein, among others.

FBG Cash (Tristian Hamilton)
1990 – 10 Jun 2022
American rapper, musician, songwriter and social influencer, who worked with a number of leading rappers and was part of Chicago ‘Fly Boy Gang’ rap scene. 

Osayomore Joseph
1953 – 11 Jun 2022
Nigerian musician, who was considered an early pioneer of popular African music known as Highlife.

Gabe Baltazar Jr. (Gabriel Ruiz Hiroshi Baltazar Jr.)
1 Nov 1929 – 12 Jun 2022
US musician of multicultural Hawaiian, Japanese and Filipino heritage who was part of the 1950s and 1960s jazz scene, working with some of its great performers.  He excelled at jazz alto sax and could play multiple woodwind instruments.

Roman Bunka
2 Dec 1951 – 12 Jun 2022
Versatile German musician and guitar player, specializing in the oud instrument, who also composed and was a respected figure in the world music and jazz fusion styles of music.

Meghan Stabile
1984 – 12 Jun 2022 
US musician and music industry executive who founded the Revive Music Group and successfully served as its Chief Executive among other roles.  Her collective efforts over a two decade career marked her as a jazz pioneer.

Dawit Nega 
11 Apr 1988 – 12 Jun 2022
Ethiopian singer who popularised the indigenous Tigrigna style of music. 

Joel Whitburn
29 Nov 1939 – 14 Jun 2022
US writer who, over time, specialised as a music historian, working with Billboard magazine, among other media.  He set up the Record Research, authoring a series of books on music chart placings.

Peter Scaping
30 Nov 1945 – 14 Jun 2022
English music industry executive who joined UK labels association the BPI as its General Manager from Decca in 1976.  During a key period of transformation in the industry, Peter anticipated the increasing demand for insights, overseeing a new era in data reporting and the launch in 1976 of the respected BPI Yearbook. Peter retired as General Manager and Director of Development & Research in March 2000 after 25 years’ service.

Subhomoy Chatterjee
N/a – 14 Jun 2022
Indian actor and singer and a stalwart of the Bengali entertainment industry who appeared in the popular film Mahalaya

Ivonne Haza (Sara María Ivonne Haza del Castillo)
 25 Dec 1938 – 16 Jun 2022
Dominican-born soprano, whose operatic range and repertoire took her all across the Americas during a five-decade career that also saw her acclaimed in Italy and other parts of Europe.  

Rino Vernizzi
15 Nov 1946 – 16 Jun 2022
Italian musician who was a leading bassoon player of his generation as well as an accomplished pianist, and mainly expressed himself through the medium of jazz. 

Big Rude Jake (Andrew Jacob Hiebert)
1 Mar 1963 – 16 Jun 2022
Canadian musician, vocalist and songwriter, part of the Toronto musician scene and a leading figure in the neo-swing movement of the Nineties, though his musical interests extended to jazz, blues and rockabily, among others.

Iulia Buciuceanu
25 Jun 1931 – 18 Jun 2022
Romanian mezzo soprano with a wide operatic repertoire, and who toured extensively across Europe including numerous seasons at the Bolshoi, Moscow.

DiFelisatti (Gian Pietro Felisatti)
1950 – 18 June 2022
Italian producer and writer of popular songs, who composed for leading artists in the 1960s and 70s.

Jim Schwall 
12 Nov 1942 – 19 Jun 2022
US musician and a singer and songwriter.  He was arguably most known as a founder and member of the electric blues group the Siegel-Schwall band. 

Brett Tuggle
23 Sep 1951 – 19 Jun 2022
US musician and a singer and songwriter.  He performed as keyboardist with various artists on tour and in the studio in the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with Jon Kay and Steppenwolf and then, most notably, with Fleetwood Mac and the David Lee Roth Band.

Bernard Belle
1965 – Jun 2022
US soul musician, producer and songwriter, who co-written Michael Jackson’s “Remember The Time” and composed for other artists including Whitney Houston. He gained recognition as guitarist in The Manhattans but came into his own with the rise of New Jack Swing, collaborating with Teddy Riley, among others.

Massimo Morante
1953 – Jun 2022
Italian musician who played guitar for prog rock group Goblin, but perhaps leaves a greater legacy in the music he composed for a number of horror film soundtracks, notably Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Zombi by George Romero. 

Dennis Cahill
16 Jun 1954 – 20 Jun 2022
American folk guitarist whose repertoire reflected the Irish traditional music of his heritage. Starting out in the Chicago group Midnight Court, he was arguably best known as a member of the Irish/US ‘supergroup’ The Gloaming – awarded the Meteor Choice Music Prize in 2014 and the BBC R2 Folk Award in 2015.

Artie Kane
1929 – 21 Jun 2022
Renowned American pianist and composer, including of numerous award-winning film scores such as for Looking for Mr. Goodbar and Eyes of Laura Mars.  His work saw him collaborate with many leading film composers in the 1960s and 70s, including John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and Lalo Schifrin among others.

Paulo Diniz 
1940 – 22 Jun 2022
Brazilian singer and songwriter, including of the Latin music hit Pingos de Amor.

Patrick Adams
1950 – 22 Jun 2022
American musician described as a pioneer of US R’n’B and disco, who wrote, produced and arranged through the 1970s and 1980s.  He initially worked with artists as varied as Sparks and Sister Sledge before making making his mark in rap and hip hop through collaborations with the likes of Eric B. Rakim and Salt ‘n’ Pepa. 

Arkady Gartsman
1947 – 23 Jun 2022
Ukrainian film and TV songwriter, who also wrote for screen and acted.

Leluţ Vasilescu
1956 – 23 Jun 2022
Romanian musician, who was a founding member of and drummed for rock band Compact.

Yuri Shatunov 
1974 – Jun 2022
Russian lead vocalist who had rose to prominence in his homeland as a member of the boyband Laskovyi.

Blanka Kulínská
1935 – 29 Jun 2022
Czech Republic composer and choral conductor for the Bambini di Praga choir, who was particularly associated with radio broadcasts in her home country.

Yasmin Lajoie
1988 – Jun 2022
UK music manager and campaigner for equity and inclusion in music, chairing SheSaid.So’s Committee on intersectionality. She worked with EMI, Sony ATV and Empire Artist Management, and was a consultant on global music. She was also a member of UK Music Futures Group, MMF and the BRITs Voting Academy. 

July 2022

Manuel “Manny” Charlton
25 Jul 1941 – 5 Jul 2022
Scottish rock musician and producer, who co-founded the rock band Nazareth and played lead guitar for them for the best part of a quarter of a century up to 1990. He also produced a number of Nazareth LPs in the Seventies , including the 1975 critically acclaimed album Hair of the Dog.

Monty Norman (Monty Noserovitch)
4 Apr 1928 – 11 Jul 2022
London-born British composer and vocalist of Latvian heritage who will forever been known as the man who gave us the iconic James Bond signature theme as well as the score to Dr. No. Norman wrote extensively for 50s/60s musicals as well as hit songs for pop stars of the day, such as Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele.

Michael James Jackson
20 June 1945 – 13 July 2022
American music producer, engineer and composer best known for producing albums hugely successful albums by rock band KISS in the 1980s.

William “Poogie” Hart
1945 – 14 Jul 2022
American vocalist, songwriter and arranger, who was most known as a co-founder of and singer with the Philadelphia R&B/soul group The Delfonics. The band enjoyed major success in the Sixties and Seventies with songs like La La (Means I Love You) and Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time), which also featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

Paul Ryder
24 Apr 1964 – 15 Jul 2022
British musician from Salford, Greatest Manchester, who along with his brother Shaun was a co-founder of and played bass 90s/90s band Happy Mondays that were an integral part of the Madchester sound.  The group are known for now classic hits such as Kinky Afro and Step On. 

Michael Henderson
7 Jul 1951 – 19 Jul 2022
American R&B/soul and jazz musician who sang vocals but was most known for his command of bass guitar.  Career highs included his work with Miles Davis in the early Seventies as well as eight solo albums and multiple singles, including the 1976 Norman Connors-produced hit You Are My Starship.

Frederick Waite Jr. 
23 May 1967 – 20 Jul 2022
British musician of Jamaican heritage who was the drummer and a vocalist with the eighties reggae group Musical Youth, which he co-founded with the other members aged just 12. The Birmingham-based band had a number of hits including the global smash Pass The Dutchie, which topped the UK charts in 1982. 

Robert Rafelson 
21 Feb 1933 – 23 Jul 2022
Most noted as a US film director and producer, but who also left his mark on the world of music as one of the creators of the Sixties pop group and TV series The Monkees.

Michael Moloney
15 Nov 1944 – 27 Jul 2022
Irish, New York based musician, academic and advocate for Irish American culture, including the importance of women artists within this.  He was the artistic director of several major arts tours and he co-founded the ensemble of Green Fields of America, which brough together Irish singers, musicians and dancers. 

Archie “Uncle Archie” Roach AC
8 Jan 1956 – 30 Jul 2022
Australian singer of Aboriginal heritage, who also wrote and campaigned for Aboriginal rights.  Coming to prominence with his 1990 song Took The Children Away, he developed an international following and performed with numerous artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Patti Smith to Tracy Chapman and Billy Bragg. He received numerous accolades and in 202 was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Mo Ostin (Morris Meyer Ostrofsky)
27 Mar 1927 – 31 Jul 2022
US music industry executive, who had key roles at some of the great record labels including Verve,  Reprise, and Warner Bros. Ostin was Chairman and CEO of Warner/Reprise for over two decades, signing such iconic talents as The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix. In 2003 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Colin “Col” Harkness
English Singer and guitarist who co-founded the Wirral rock band Spider in 1976. The group released three studio albums, including their 1982 debut Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies, and were prolific live performers, playing alongside other rock outfits such as Gillan, Uriah Heep and Slade.

August 2022

Judith Durham AO (Judith Mavis Cock)
3 Jul 1943 – 5 Aug 2022
Australian vocalist and songwriter most regarded as the lead singer of the hugely successful Sixties folk group, The Seekers, who found particular fame in the UK and US and sold over 50 million records worldwide including with the hits Georgy Girl and The Carnival is Over.

Nicky Moore 
21 Jun 1947 – 3 Aug 2022
English rock and metal singer and performer, most known as the frontman of the band Samson after he took over from Bruce Dickinson, who moved to Iron Maiden.  Moore had two spells with Samson while also performing with other groups. 

Gord Lews
1957 – 7 Aug 2022
Canadian musician considered a pioneer of the punk scene in his home country, and best known as the guitarist in the punk band Teenage Head, which he co-founded in the Seventies.

Lamont Dozier
16 Jun 1941 – 8 Aug 2022
A successful US singer-songwriter in his own right and also a music industry executive, but most celebrated as a key part of the iconic songwriting and producer team Holland, Dozier, Holland. The trio were responsible for many of the hits that came out of Motown, including The Supremes’ Baby Love, Stop! In The Name of Love and You Keep Me Hangin’ On. Dozier also won awards and nominations composing for film, including Let The River Flow for Working Girl and Two Hearts for Phil Collins’ Buster.  In all, he co-wrote and produced 14 No.1 hits on the US Billboard chart and four chart-toppers in the UK, as well as founding record labels Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records.

Olivia Newton-John AC DBE
26 Sep 1948 – 8 Aug 2022
UK-born but Australian-raised singer and actress, whose already significant recording career, which had seen her represent the UK in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, was propelled to new and iconic heights through her pairing with John Travolta in the acclaimed film musical Grease. The global success of the movie’s soundtrack saw Olivia enter the elite bracket of multi-platinum, multi-award-winning artists who have sold over 100m records.  The singer also left her mark as an effective campaigner for breast cancer research as well as a champion of animal rights and environmental causes.

Darryl Hunt
4 May 1950 – 8 Aug 2022
British singer-songwriter and musician who appeared in many band line up in the Seventies and Eighties, but who is most-known for playing bass guitar with punk-folk group The Pogues.

Raymond Briggs CBE
18 Jan 1934 – 9 Aug 2022
British illustrator and designer, best known as the creator of the children’s Christmas story The Snowman. The soundtrack to its animated 1982 film includes the song performed by Aled Jones and beloved of generations –  Walking in the Air.   

Abdul Wadud (born Ronald Earsall DeVaughn)
30 Apr 1947 – 10 Aug 2022
American cellist who performed jazz and classical work.

Ray Carless
27 Jan 1954 – 10 Aug 2022
Jamaican-born musician who came to the UK as part of the Windrush Generation and went on to become one the country’s greatest saxophonists, specializing in multi-reed tenor, alto, soprano and baritone play. He came to prominence in the late 70s and early 80s during the Brit Funk explosion and went on to perform and record with artists ranging from ABC and Billy Ocean to Gregory Isaacs, Aswad, Mica Paris and Kool & The Gang, though he also achieved success in his own right as a founder member of the Jazz Warriors, and his tenor sax can be heard on Adele’s Rolling In The Deep from her 2011 Grammy winning album 21.

Bill Pitman
12 Feb 1920 – 11 Aug 2022
US guitarist who went on to become one of the all-time great session musicians, performing for iconic acts and whose playing can be heard on countless classic recordings. A part of the so-called Wrecking Crew in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, Pitman worked with stars ranging from The Byrds, featuring on Mr. Tambourine Man, the Mamas and the Papas, Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys. He also performed on many soundtracks for films such as Paint Your Wagon, Dirty Dancing, Goodfellas and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – playing the distinctive ukulele in the Academy Award-winning song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.

Darius Campbell Danesh
19 Aug 1980 – 11 Aug 2022
Scottish singer and songwriter, who went on to act in film, TV and theatre, and produce films.  He came to prominence in 2001 as Darius Danesh when auditioning for the reality series Popstars and then Pop Idol the following year. He released two top 40 albums, but his single, Colourblind, topped the UK Official Singles Charts in 2002. Darius moved into musical theatre, performing in Chicago and Guys and Dolls, followed by operatic productions after training for opera on the ITV competition Popstar to OperaStar.  Darius worked with various charitable causes, including  Prince’s Trust, who he represented as an ambassador.

Stephen Grimmett 
19 Aug 1959 – 15 Aug 2022
British rock and metal singer, most known to fans as the front-man for the rock band Grim Reaper. 

Creed Taylor
13 May 1929 – 22 Aug 2022
US record producer, known most for his work with CTI Records, which he founded in 1967.  With spells at various other labels, including Impulse, Verve and A&M, in the Sixties he made his mark signing leading bossa nova talent such as Astrud Gilberto and Joao Gilberto.

Jerry Allison
31 Aug 1939 – 22 Aug 2022
US musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer for Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets, and who co-wrote the classic hits That’ll Be The Day and Peggy Sue.  A solo career that followed Holly’s premature death achieved more modest success by comparison, but Allison’s achievements were honoured when in 2012 he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Jaimie “Breezy” Branch
17 Jun 1983 – 22 Aug 2022
American jazz trumpeter, composer and studio engineer who worked in jazz and indie rock with numerous artists but also co-founded her own group Block and Tackle.

Joey DeFrancesco 
10 Apr 1971 – 25 Aug 2022
American musician whose talents encompassed jazz organ, trumpet, saxophone and vocals.  Starting at just 16, He was a prolific solo artist, releasing over 30 albums, but also collaborating with jazz greats such as Miles Davis,  John McLaughlin and George Benson.  He was also a leading session musician, favoured by superstar artists such as Bette Midler, Diana Krall, Ray Charles and Van Morrison. 

September 2022

Lars Vogt
5 Sep 1970 – 5 Sep 2022
German classical pianist and conductor.  Widely regarded for his interpretations of Brahms, he performed with leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, and he directed the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, while also running the Spannungen festival of chamber music.

Ramsey Lewis Jr. 
27 May 1935 – 12 Sep 2022
US jazz pianist who also composed and later developed a career as a radio host in his home town of Chicago.  A prolific recording artist, with over 80 albums to his name, earning him RIAA Gold Records and Grammy Awards. He supported education and mentoring in music, including through his Ramsey Lewis Foundation.

Anton Fier 
20 June 1956 – 14 Sep 2022
US percussionist, who also produced, composed and was a session musician and bandleader. He performed on drums with a wide range of artists including Pere Ubu, The Feelies, and The Lounge Lizards as well as Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger and Herbie Hancock later in his career.

David Andersson
1975 – 14 Sep 2022
Swedish musician and a guitarist with the Swedish death metal outfit Soilwork.

John Hartman
18  Mar 1950 – 22 Sep 2022
American percussionist who co-founded and was the original drummer for the Doobie Brothers before a second drummer was added to the line up. 

Pharoah Sanders (Ferrell Lee Sanders)
13 Oct 1940 – 24 Sep 2022
American jazz musician, widely regarded for his key contribution to the development Free Jazz and Spiritual Jazz in the Sixties when part of John Coltrane’s groups, and for his distinct harmonic, overblowing, and “sheets of sounds” saxophone technique.  Involved in over 30 recordings, he worked extensively with other artists, including Ornette Coleman, who once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world".

Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey Jr.)
1 Aug 1963 – 28 Sep 2022
US rapper who first emerged in the rap scene of the early Nineties with the group WC and the Maad Circle before finding a wider audience with Tommy Boy Records  The breakthrough hit It Takes A Thief, was followed in 1995 by the global smash Gangsta’s Paradise, which topped the charts in over 10 countries and has gone on to be one of the biggest rap singles of all time. Coolio’s career never matched such heights again, and the subsequent years were more one of celebrity, but lasting fame was assured.  

Ahmed Alshaiba
1990 – 28 Sep 2022
Yemeni musician who was New York-based and specialised in the traditional oud (lute) instrument of his heritage.  He reached and built a wide following through his YouTube posts.

Pat Haggerty
1944 – 30 Sep 2022
US singer, songwriter, musician and a pioneer of gay rights in music, who in the Seventies founded and played guitar for the American country outfit Lavender County. 

October 2022

Mary McCaslin
22 Dec 1946 – 2 Oct 2022
US folk singer and songwriter, who recorded and performed extensively in the Sixties, getting her break at Los Angeles’ famous Troubadour Club. 

Loretta Lynn
14 Apr 1932 – 4 Oct 2022
US singer and songwriter, who drew on her early struggles to become an icon of country music. In a 60 year career, which took off in 1967 with her breakthrough No.1 country hit, Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind), Lynn achieved 24 No.1 hit singles and 11 No.1 albums as well Grammy Award success  and countless other accolades.  But she will be most remembered for her autobiographical hit, The Coal Miner’s Daughter, which was also the title of the Oscar-winning film biopic that immortalised her life story.   

Jody Miller (Myrna Joy Miller)
29 Nov 1941 – 6 Oct 2022
US country singer, who enjoyed success in the 1960s with the No.1 country music hits Queen Of The House and Home Of The Brave, among others.  Her performances around this time earned her a Grammy Award.  

Toshi Ichiyanagi
4 Feb 1933 – 7 Oct 2022
One of Japan’s leading post-war composers, known for his avant-garde style across different genres that in turn produced a unique sound that brought together traditional Japanese instruments with western-style opera, and orchestral and chamber works.  Ichiyanagi was married to Yoko Ono between 1956 and 1962.

Anita Kerr
13 Oct 1927 – 10 Oct 2022
Multi-talented US vocalist, composer, musician and producer who worked with musical harmony groups and country largely out of Nashville, including as part of her vocal group the Anita Kerr Singers. Her long career saw her work with and provide backing to artists of the calibre of Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and Ray Charles. 

Elizabeth Stewart
1939 – 13 Oct 2022
Scottish folk singer, pianist, and composer with roots in the Scottish Traveller community.  She is credited as being a key influence in the revival traditional Scottish music in the 1950s and 1960s, with its cultural impact felt as far away as the US and in the early folk music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Joan Baez, among others. 
Joyce Sims 
6 Aug 1959 – 13 Oct 2022
US singer, songwriter and musician known for her popular blend of R&B, dance and soul, who enjoyed chart success on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1980s and 1990s, including  with the huge Eighties and frequently sampled hit, Come Into My Life.

Noel Duggan
23 Jan 1949 – 15 Oct 2022
Influential figure in Irish music, who, with his twin Pádraig, formed the traditional Irish music duo The Duggans in the Sixties before, with additional family members, coming to global prominence in the 1970s with the new age folk outfit Clannad. The band’s ethereal signature sound ensured popularity in TV and film scores, and helped to secure Grammy, BAFTA and Ivor Novello awards, among others. 

Robert Gordon
29 Mar 1947 – 18 Oct 2022
US rockabilly singer who began by fronting local bands the Confidentials and the Newports before a move to New York saw him drawn into the emerging punk scene and the club culture of CBGBs. He returned to rockabilly as the genre enjoyed a late Seventies revival, landing a contract with RCA, while also acting, appearing in the minor cult hit, The Loveless.  His last LP, a collection of unreleased songs, came out in 2022.

Joanna Simon
20 Oct 1936 – 19 Oct 2022
US opera performer known for her mezzo-soprano voice. Part of the Simon entertainment family, including younger sister Carly, Simon performed in many of the great opera houses through the Sixties and Eighties.  Her 1967 role of Pantasilea in the premiere of Ginastera's Bomarzo brought her international acclaim.

Geoff Nuttall
1966 – 19 Oct 2023
US born Canadian musician who founded and was first violinist in the renowned, Ottowa based St. Lawrence Strong Quartet.

Lucy Simon
5 May 1940 – 20 Oct 2022
American singer-songwriter and composer for theatre who, along with sisters Carly – with whom she performed in the duo The Simon Sisters – and Joanna, was part of the Simon entertainment family.  She is most known for the musicals The Secret Garden and Doctor Zhivago.  Simon was honoured with a Grammy and Tony award among other accolades. 

Paul Dufour
1948 – October 2022
Musician who, later in his career, was The Libertine’s original drummer. He played with various other bands, including as part of the Venus Edge jazz combo until 2017.  In a career that also saw him perform drum rolls for comedian Tommy Cooper, as well as working in the charity sector, Paul continued to pursue his passion for music through the London recording studio he set up with his friend and engineer Gwyn Matthias.  

Jerry Lee Lewis 
29  Sep 1935 – 28 Oct 2022
One of the great figures of rock and roll – a singer, pianist and songwriter known for signature live performances that earned him a reputation as a wild man of rock n roll.  His six-decade career was not without scandal and controversy, however. Starting out in the early Fifties and by 1956 recording for Sun Records, his career sky-rocketed with the smash hits A Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Goin’ On and Great Balls of Fire. After his star waned, he was able to revive his career by successfully moving into country & western, with hits such as Me And Bobby McGee bringing him renewed chart success and a 1989 film biopic with Dennis Quaid in the title role, along with Grammys and inductions into the Grammy and Country Music Hall of Fames respectively. Continuing well into the Noughties, his 2006 Last Man Standing million-seller proved his most successful album.  

D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley)
9 July 1959 – 28 Oct 2022
American percussionist who came to prominence as the drummer for seventies punk band The Dead Kennedys, joining them in 1981 and performing with them across various spells.   In more recent years he drummed with Red Hot Chili Peppers, while also working with other artists. 

November 2022

Joseph Tarsia
23 Sep 1934 – 1 Nov 2022
Influential US recording studio executive and engineer who, with his Sigma Sound Studios, was involved in the recording of countless classic hits from the Sixties onwards, and was part of the Sound of Philadelphia scene in the 1970s, working with artists such as The Stylistics. He became a trustee of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame.

Takeoff (Kirsnick Khari Ball)
18 Jun 1994 – 1 Nov 2022
US rapper and a member of the group Migos.  The hip hop act made the Top-10 of the Billboard Hot 100 on a number of occasions including with the hits MotorSport, Stir Fry and Walk It Talk It, collaborating with artists such as Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Drake, and earning two Grammy nominations. 

Colin Irwin
19 May 1951 – 3 Nov 2022
English music journalist who came to the fore with Melody Maker in the 1970s, before moving into the pop mainstream in the Eighties and Nineties as editor of such titles as Pop Music and Number One, and then later in the Nineties and Noughties writing for magazines including Mojo and Q during their golden period.

Tyrone Downie
20 May 1956 – 5 Nov 2022
Jamaican keyboard and a member of Bob Marley and The Wailers in the 1970s, making his debut on the LP Rastaman Vibration.  Downie went on to work with a host of reggae stars, including The Abyssinians, Beenie Man, Peter Tosh, Steel Pulse and Sly & Robbie. A move to France brought a change of direction that saw him work with acts such as Youssou N’Dour and Grace Jones, for whom he produced the single My Jamaican Guy.
Mimi Parker
1967 – 5 Nov 2022
US drummer and vocalist, who with her husband Alan Sparhawk formed the influential indie rock group Low, that became an important part of the Eighties grunge scene. Known for their sonic harmonies and “slowcore” tempo, the band released over 10 studio albums, while their treatment of the classic Little Drummer Boy song for a Gap Christmas TV Ad introduced their distinct style to a wider generation of fans

Aaron Carter
7 Dec 1987 – 5 Nov 2022
US vocalist and rapper, and brother of Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys.  He rose to prominence as a major teen star towards the end of the Nineties and in the early Noughties, with his 1997 self-titled debut LP becoming a million-seller when he was aged just nine.  His profile continued to rise until a hiatus saw him move more in TV, musicals and other work.  His sixth and final album Blacklisted was released posthumously.

John ‘Knocker’ Knowles
1949 – Nov 2022
Much loved and respected English music executive with a larger than life personality.  He began excelling in record sales for Island Records in the 1970s, and, coming to the attention of founder Chris Blackwell and the MD Tim Clark, he successfully moved into marketing, working with the label’s iconic stars, including Bob Marley and The Wailers.  After moving on, John developed a career in label management alongside  marketing, working with a number of labels including MCA, Eagle Rock and then Magnet – where he came to know Chris Rea, who he went on to manage.  A great supporter of music charities, Knowles, who earned his ‘Knocker’ nickname thanks to his love of boxing, helped to found the annual Nordoff Robbins boxing dinner.   

Jeff Cook
27 Aug 1949 – 7 Nov 2022
Versatile US country musician – with talents ranging from keyboards to fiddle and guitar to vocals.  He is most known as a member of the band Alabama, who in the Eighties achieved over 25 No.1 country hits and seven multi-platinum albums among numerous accolades.

Dan McCafferty
14 Oct 1946 – 8 Nov 2022
Scottish singer and songwriter and known most to fans as the frontman of the Scottish rock and metal band Nazareth during a 45-year career until 2013. He contributed to most of their studio albums, including with songs co-written by him, such as Broken Down Angel and Bad Bad Boy, and toured extensively with them, as well as releasing three solo albums at various stages in his career. 

Gal Costa
26 Sep 1945 – 9 Nov 2022
Brazilian popular singer and most known as a leading figure in the Tropicalia music scene of the late Sixties and early Seventies. 

Garry Roberts 
16 Jun 1950 – 9 Nov 2022
Irish musician and co-founder of The Boomtown Rats in the late Seventies, playing lead guitar until the band broke up a decade later.  He then developed a new career as a sound engineer and then in non-music work. Returning with blues band The Velcro Files and then The Rats, in 2013 he joined a reunited Boomtown Rats to tour internationally and release the 2020 album Citizens Of Boomtown.

Nik Turner
26 Aug 1940 – 10 Nov 2022
Versatile English musician and member of prog group Hawkwind over two spells, who played sax and flute and also composed and contributed vocals.  With a style that extended from space rock to jazz fusion, and known also for his eccentric costumes, he was also part of the eighties group Sphynx and the Inner City Unit.

Robert ‘Rab’ Noakes
13 May 1947 – 11 Nov 2022
Scottish singer-songwriter and a leading figure in the Scottish folk scene for over five decades, releasing nearly 20 albums over this period and a prolific live performer, including at festivals such as Celtic Connections. He achieved wider prominence by joining with Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan to form Stealers Wheel in the early Seventies, and through his performances with Lindisfarne.

Keith Levene
18 Jul 1957 – 11 Nov 2022
London guitarist with the impressive credentials of having been a founding member of The Flowers of Romance, The Clash – whom he persuaded Joe Strummer to join – and Public Image Ltd (PiL), with whom, alongside John Lydon, he achieved top 10 single success.  He then pursued solo recording and producer projects, also working in collaboration with artists such as former PiL band-member Jah Wobble.    

David English CBE
4 Mar 1946 – 12 Nov 2022
A man of many talents, including as journalist and as a music industry executive with RSO Records, where he signed the Bee Gees, among others, and as a press Officer at Decca Records.  He applied his talents to great effect on behalf of charitable causes, in total raising over £14 million, including through his fundraising events with the Bunbury Cricket Club that he founded. 

Ned Rorem
23 Oct 1923 – 18 Nov 2022
US composer of contemporary classical music for orchestra, piano and chamber music.  His artistic vision was to essentially produce a vocal, song-like effect, but in a poetic context, through his many music compositions.  In a near 80-year long career, he was responsible for creating over 500 of his art songs.

Wilko Johnson (John Wilkinson)
12 Jul 1947 – 21 Nov 2022
Much-loved English singer songwriter, guitarist and live performer, who at heart was a blues and R&B musician but emerged in the UK’s punk scene with Canvey Island pub rock band Dr. Feelgood.  Regarded for his fingerstyle technique and particularly appreciated by fellow guitarists, in later life he found a new and younger audience when appearing as the executioner Ser Ilyn Payne in the fantasy drama Game of Thrones . 

Pablo Milanés 
24 Feb 1943 – 22 Nov 2022
Cuban singer and guitarist, known as a co-founder  of the Cuban Nueva Trova movement that promoted social and political change through music.

Charles Koppelman
30 Mar 1940 – 25 Nov 2022
Significant figure in the global music industry, who occupied senior roles in song publishing and recorded music in a five-decade career. Hailing from New York and beginning with Aldon Music in the 1960s and then Screen Gems/Columbia Music, his partnerships, first with Don Rubin with and later Martin Bandier and Samuel LeFrak, resulted in hugely successful corporations Koppelman/Rubin Associates, The Entertainment Company, and SKB as well as roles and business dealings with CBS and EMI among others that reshaped the face of the global music publishing industry.  Starting out as an artist himself with the group The Ivy Three, Koppelman went on to work with or promote many music greats ranging from Billy Joel to Barba Streisand, and also played a key role in launching the career of Tracy Chapman the Eighties, among others.

Irene Cara (Escalera)
18 Mar 1959 – 25 Nov 2022
US singer, songwriter, and actor who became one of the defining faces of the 1980s thanks to her celebrated lead roles in the musical films Fame and Flashdance.  She performed the title songs of both to achieve No.1 standout success in the US, UK and around the world, earning her Grammys and other awards in the process. 

Louise Tobin
11 Nov 1918 – 26 Nov 2022
American Jazz performer and musician, who came to prominence in the US during the inter-war years, working with band leader Benny Goodman and others.  Her wartime hit There’ll Be Some Changes Made reached No.2 in the Hit Parade and enjoyed a 15 week run in the chart.

Jake Flint
1985 – 27 Nov, 2022
Described as an American singer in the Red Dirt country style, Flint was very much an artist of the Mid-West, and released two albums in the past five years – I’m Not OK and Jake Flint. 

Henry Grossman
11Oct 1936 – 27 Nov 2022
American photographer known for his portraits of eminent figures from the world of politics and the arts, which included The Beatles, Luciano Pavarotti and Barbra Streisand among many others

Christine McVie (née Perfect)
12 Jul 1943 – 30 Nov 2022
One of the greats of British music, both as a member of rock icons Fleetwood Mac but also as a hugely accomplished musician, vocalist and songwriter, responsible for some of the band’s classic hits such as Don’t Stop, Little Lies and Everywhere – in fact over half the songs on Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits LP were either written or co-written by her.  Starting out in the 1960s as Christine Perfect, and finding initial success with blues group Chicken Shack, McVie went on win BRIT Awards, Grammys, and to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame with the rest of Fleetwood Mac, among other achievements in a glittering career. 

December 2022

Janis Hunter Gaye
1956 – 3 Dec 2022
Figure in the US music scene who was the daughter of musician Slim Gaillard, but is best known as the wife of legendary singer Marvin Gaye. Coming into each other’s lives in the Seventies, she reportedly inspired a number of Gaye songs, including on I Want You, and she also managed the career of their daughter Nona. 

Manuel Göttsching
9 Sep 1952 – 4 Dec 2022
German musician and composer, who, as a founder and guitarist with the groups Ash Ra Tempel and Ashra, as well as an influential solo performer, is regarded as one of the key figures of the Krautrock and electronic styles of music that emerged in the Seventies and Eighties. 

Jet Black (Brian Duffy)
26 Aug 1938 – 6 Dec 2022
UK musician who was a founding member of post punk group The Stranglers, drumming for them in their Seventies and Eighties heyday and then in spells through to 2015, contributing to over 20 top 40 UK singles including such classics as Golden Brown and No More Heroes, and albums like The Raven. In later years he wrote two books about his experience with the band – Much Ado About Nothing and Seven Days in Nice.

Angelo Badalamenti 
22 Mar 1937 – 11 Dec 2022
US composer and arranger of Italian heritage, who enjoyed a peak of success with iconic film director David Lynch on Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks (for which he won a Grammy), but who worked on a great many other film and TV scores and soundtracks as well as with artists ranging from Nina Simone to David Bowie.

Kim Simmonds
5 Dec 1947 – 13 Dec 2022
Welsh musician who in 1965 founded and was a guitarist, main songwriter and member of the blues and rock group Savoy Brown.

Dino Danelli 
23 Jul 1944 – 15 Dec 2022
US drummer of Italian heritage, most known as a founder member of the Young Rascals rock band, before they became The Rascals. Garnering appreciation for his talent in later life, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Danelli played with Bulldog, and Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, among others.  

Chris Ledesma
28 Jan 1958 – 16 Dec 2022
US music editor and producer, most known for his long-term work as the principal music editor of The Simpsons from the very first series in 1989 until its 33rd season, when he had to step down due to ill health. 

Terry Hall
19 Mar 1959 – 18 Dec 2022
English singer and songwriter whose work resonated with social commentary. Emerging as a leading figure in the 2-tone and ska scene that came out Coventry and was part of music’s new wave, Hall co-founded and sang in a number of groups that gave us some of the era-defining songs of the late Seventies and early Eighties.  With The Specials (or The Special A.K.A.) the 1980 No.1 single Much Too Young sparked with the energy of the period, while the recession-themed Ghost Town was the soundtrack to 1981. After numerous top-10 singles, Hall left with bandmates Neville Staples and Lynval Golding to form The Funboy Three, finding immediate success with such hits as The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum), the Bananarama collaboration, It Ain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It), and Our Lips Are Sealed, among others.  Hall went on to form The Colourfield, and worked with many other acts including Gorillaz and Lily Allen.

Martin Duffy
18 May 1967 – 18 Dec 2022
British musician and keyboard player who originally played with the band Felt but most notably also performed with The Charlatans and Glasgow band Primal Scream.

Thomas Bell 
27 Jan 1943 – 22 Dec 2022
Prolific American soul singer and musician, who also wrote, composed, and produced, and is celebrated as an artist who, working with bands including The Delfonics, The Stylistics and The Spinners, helped to forge the Sound of Philadelphia in the Seventies. Inducted into both the Songwriters and Musicians Halls of Fame.

Maxi Jazz (Maxwell Fraser)
14 Jun 1957 – 24 Dec 2022
UK musician, rapper and DJ from Brixton.  Starting out with the Soul Food Café Band, which he founded in the mid-Nineties Maxi went on to co-found the influential dance and electronic group Faithless.  Performing lead vocals and writing for the group’s nine studio albums over its two active periods stretching to 2016, including the No.1 releases No Roots and Faithless 2.0.  Jazz worked with numerous other artists during his career, including Jamiroquai and Jah Wobble, as well as his own band Maxi Jazz and the E-Type Boys.

Robert J. Dowling
16 Sep 1939 – Dec 2022
American journalist and businessman, who made his mark as the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the US and global film and entertainment industry bible The Hollywood Reporter during 17 years with the publication. 

Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE RDI
8 Apr 1941 – 29 Dec 2022
English fashion designer, style icon and activist, who, with partner Malcolm McLaren, had a profound influence on the look and culture of British punk and new wave in the late 1970s and early Eighties, not least through their SEX fashion boutique in Chelsea’s King’s Road, which synthesised music and clothing.

Anita Pointer
23 Jan 1948 – 31 Dec 2022
American soul and pop country singer and songwriter, renowned as a founding member and lead vocalist of The Pointer Sisters, featuring prominently on such Seventies and Eighties hits as Fire, the Grammy-winning Fairytale, Jump (For Your Love), and I’m So Excited. She was honoured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jeremiah Green
4 Mar 1977 – 31 Dec 2022
US drummer who co-founded and performed with the East Coast indie rock group Modest Mouse from the early 1990s until his passing. The band’s 2000 album The Moon And Antarctica met with critical acclaim, but it was the 2003–2009 collaboration with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr that helped to broaden their appeal.  

January 2023

Kelly Monteith
17 Oct 1942 – 1 Jan 2023
Known largely as a US comedian, actor, and write, and known to UK audiences for his self-titled BBC show, in 1984 Monteith released a comedy album in the UK, Lettuce Be Cool.

Fred E. White (Frederick Adams)
13 Jan 1955 – 1 Jan 2023
US musician, most known for his drumming, but a songwriter also, White made his initial mark by playing drums on the Live album by Donny Hathaway before breaking through with his brothers as one of the members of the iconic Seventies soul group Earth, Wind & Fire.  

Alan Rankine
17 May 1958 – 3 Jan 2023
Influential Scottish musician and, with Billy McKenzie, founder of the iconic eighties electro-band The Associates, which started out life as Caspian.  Rankine worked on the acclaimed LPs The Affectionate Punch and Sulk as keyboardist before leaving to develop as a record producer, working with such artists as The Cocteau Twins.  In the Nineties he pursued a solo career and then became an academic – but even here he left is mark, helping students to set up the Electric Honey label that played its part in launching the careers of such acts as Belle and Sebastian, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol.

Michael Lang
11 Dec 1944 – 8 Jan 2022
US live music promoter, who also produced and was involved in artist management.  He will be most remembered, however, as the co-founder of Woodstock in 1969 – and of subsequent editions of the festival. 
In more recent years he ventured into music and film production as well as becoming a successful author.

Jeff Beck
24 Jun 1944 – 10 Jan 2023
A mainstay of British rock and blues over a six decade career, during which time he came to be regarded as the “guitarist’s guitarist”, known for an innovative and unique sound. Beck rose to prominence as lead guitarist for Sixties group The Yardbirds, and hits including For Your Love, before going on to form and front the Jeff Beck Group and other bands, as well as working with countless other musicians. Arguably known most for his solo hit Hi Ho Silver Lining, Beck may not have achieved the commercial success of some of his peers, but he leaves an indelible mark as one of the most influential musicians of his generation, recognised with Grammys, Ivor Novellos and other awards, and a two-time place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Robbie Bachman
18 Feb 1953 – 12 Jan 2023
Canadian drummer and brother to musician and singer-songwriter Randy Backman. Robbie was the original drummer for both the Brave Belt and Bachman-Turner Overdrive bands in the Seventies, performing on global hits like You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.

Lisa Marie Presley 
1 Feb 1968 – 12 Jan 2023
American singer-songwriter, who released three albums, including the RIAA Gold Certified To Whom It May Concern, but inevitably will be most remembered as the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.  She was, however, also a notable philanthropist, overseeing the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, supporting relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and contributing to the Grammy Foundation’s Gold Grammy Signature Schools Project, among various charitable endeavors.

Bruce Gowers
21 Dec 1940 – 15 Jan 2023
British TV producer director, most associated with music events and TV production, and his ground-breaking video for Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.  A move to the US saw him extend his reputation, working with many, including Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, and on such shows as The MTV Awards and American Idol, among many others, but he arguably reached a pinnacle of achievement with Live Earth and Live 8.  

CJ Harris
28 Jan 1991 – 15 Jan 2023
US singer, songwriter and musician, who found some success with his debut album Small Town Boy before reaching a wider audience as a finalist on American Idol in 2014, which eventually led to his debut single,     In Love. 

Renée Geyer
11 Sep 1953 – 17 Jan 2023
Australian R&B, jazz and soul vocalist, who found success in her home country in the Seventies and Eighties, including with hits It’s A Man’s, Man’s World and Say I Love You, while also working as a session musician with such artists as Chaka Khan, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond and Sting. Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

David Cosby
14 Aug 1941 – 18 Jan 2023
Influential US singer-songwriter and musician most known as a founding member and performer with not one but two Sixties supergroups – The Byrds, with whom he recorded the iconic cover of Bob Dylan’s Hey Mr Tambourine Man – and then Cosby, Stills and Nash.  His remarkable success over a near 60 year-long               recording career, including as a solo artist, saw him achieve over 35 million record sales and grammy wins among other accolades, resulting in two separate inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while five of the albums he contributed to are ranked among the 500 greatest by Rolling Stone magazine.

Van Conner 
17 Mar 1967 – 18 Jan 2023
Rock musician from the US west coast, most known as bassist with Screaming Trees, having helped to form its earlier iteration, Explosive Generation.  He played on seven of the band’s albums before its split in 2000, then appearing in a number of other groups including Solomon Grundy and Dinosaur Jr. 

Anthony "Top" Topham (aka Sanderson Topham and Sanderson Rasjid) 
3 Jul 1947 – 23 Jan 2023
British musician and blues guitarist most known as a founder member and for his tenure playing lead guitar for Sixties group The Yardbirds – a role also performed by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck at various stages. Topham wen on to pursue a solo career after leaving the band.

Tom Verlaine (Thomas Miller)
13 Dec 1949 – 28 Jan 2023
US vocalist, musician and songwriter and founder of seminal group Television (previously The Neon Boys), which emerged in the New York counter-culture punk scene of the late Seventies. After two albums, including the acclaimed debut Marquee Moon, Verlaine left to pursue a solo career, which also saw him work with numerous artists including Patti Smith and compose the soundtrack to the film Love And A .45.   

Barrett Strong 
5 Feb 1941 – 29 Jan 2023
US singer with the  distinction of being the first to record a hit for Motown – Money (That’s What I Want), but he is best remembered a great lyricist. In partnership with Norman Whitfield he co-wrote such classics as I Heard It On The Grapevine, War, and Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home), as well as many hits by The Temptations, including Ball Of Confusion, and Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee.

Charlie Thomas
7 Apr 1937 – 31 Jan 2023
US singer most known as a performer with the R&B/Soul group The Drifters, who enjoyed particular success in the 1960s and 1970s, including with such top-40 hits such as Sweets For My Sweets and When My Little Girl Is Smiling, both of which Charlie was lead vocalist on. 

Burt Bacharach

12 May 1928 – 8 Feb 2023

American composer revered as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, who also produced, arranged, conducted and played piano. In a career spanning some seven decades, but particularly a golden period between the Sixties and Nineties, he and his lyricist partner Hal David composed countless songs, many instant classics that have reportedly been recorded by over 1,000 different artists – resulting in well over 70 US and 50 UK top-40 hits as well as six Grammy Awards, among many other honours. Influenced in his early years by jazz, and helped in his breakthrough when working with Vic Damone, Bacharach wrote for numerous artists, ranging from Perry Como, Dusty Springfield, and Gene Pitney to Aretha Franklin, The Carpenters and Tom Jones.  However, his most fruitful collaboration was with Dionne Warwick, who recorded some of his most memorable songs – Walk On By, I Say A Little Prayer (arguably covered to even greater effect by Aretha Franklin), and Do You Know The Way To San José, among others. Bacharach also composed successfully for the movies, and songs like Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, which featured in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, and Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do), for Arthur, contributed to his haul of three Academy Awards.  In later years Bacharach’s music was discovered by a new generation, evidenced by his acclaimed performance at the 2015 Glastonbury festival, and with streaming now enabling millions of fans around the world to permanently enjoy his work, his enduring legacy is assured.  

ENDS


The BRIT Awards extend their sincere condolences to the families and friends of all the many artists lost to us these past 12 months, and we give thanks for the music and emotions they gave us and the cherished memories they leave behind.

The BRITs are grateful to the many sources that enable us to research and compile this information, which we take every care to get correct.  We apologise, however, if there are any inaccuracies, which we will of course be very happy to amend on notification. Thank you.