Rockstar Death Notice - December 2009
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Brian Barney aka Lane Klozier playing drums for Guido's Racecar out of Milwaukee
Brian Barney (Brian M. Barney) (aka Lane Klozier) - Died November 16 of a heart attack. He was born in 1960. He was a singer, guitarist and drummer. He worked with The Buggs (They did remakes of, “I Am The Walrus” and “Lady”), Guido’s Racecar (They did, “When People Die In Nebraska” and “Intentions”) and The Silos. He wrote for The Shepherd and was a columnist for Maximum Ink
Rev. Billy Jones (Billy J. Jones) - Died November 1. He was a singer and led The Operation Breadbasket Choir. He shared the stage with Harry Belafonte, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Isaac Hayes, The Jackson 5, Quincy Jones and Roberta Flack. He was father of musician, Rev. Bryant Jones and husband of singer, Jeanette Robinson Jones.
Beverley O’Sullivan - Died November 2 at age 28 in Bharatpur, India in a car accident. She was a singer. She did, “How Could An Angel Break My Heart” and “Ag Criost an Siol.” She was a member of Fifth Avenue. They did, “Infidelity” and “Sometimes When We Touch.”
Mark Smith - Died November 2 in London, England. He was born in 1960. He was a bassist. He worked with The Futility Orchestra (They did, “Don’t Know Now” and “Spacewalk”), Kokomo, The Waterboys, Leo Sayer, Percy Sledge, Roxy Music, Terry Reid, Alvin Stardust, Chris Farlowe, Bryan Ferry, Tony O’Malley, The Adam Phillips Band, Barbara Dickson, Shania Twain, Zoot Sims, Neneh Cherry, Lionel Ritchie, George Michael, Ronan Keating, Charlotte Church, Joe Cocker, Malcolm McLaren, Van Morrison and Patricia Kass.
Jay Hlungwani - Died November 2 at age 32. He was a musician. He did, “Mina Nawe” and “More Than A Religion.” He worked with Judith Sephuma, Pastor Benjamin Dube and Revolution Maduvha
Fernando Lettieri - Died November 3 in Italy of pneumonia compounded by the flu after a kidney transplant. He was born in 1972. He played trumpet. He did, “Volo con Doc Volzone” and “My Little Prince.”
Sotiris Sgouros - Died November 3 at age 80. He was a clarinetist and singer.
James Elps (aka Jimmy Jam) (James Ivan Elps) - Died November 3 in Jacksonville, FL, of cancer. He was a guitarist and worked with Al Green.
Nicky Byrne Sr. - Died November 3 at age 60 of a suspected heart attack. He was a musician and father of Westlife singer, Nicky Byrne Jr.
Keith Line - Died November 3 at age 60 of cancer. He was a drummer. He worked with The Rumble Band, Bram Tchaikovsky, The Heroes and The Dangerous Brothers.
Tina Marie Rodriguez Otero - Died November 4 in San Juan, Puerto Rico of two heart attacks after being wounded in a shooting at a bar October 17th where she was performing that also killed 8 other people. She was 22 years old and a singer. She was a member of The Bomba Swing Band.
Rishat Shafi - Died November 4 at age 56 of cardiac arrest. Drummer and was a member of Gunesh.
Art D’Lugoff (Arthur Joshua Dlugoff) - Died November 4 at age 85 in Manhattan, NY. He owned The Village Gate night club in New York City which hosted artists such as Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, B. B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Mangione, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. He helped conceive the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Jacno (Denis Quilliard) - Died November 6 at age 52 of cancer. He was a guitarist. He was a member of The Stinky Toys (They did, “Boozy Creed” and “Driver Blues”) and Elli et Jacno.
Ben Jack - Died November 6 at age 75 in Arkansas. He played pedal steel guitar. He worked with Bob Wills And The Texas Playboys and Marty Robbins.
Ted Ledbetter (Terry Wells Ledbetter) (aka Deacon) - Died November 7. He was born in 1974. He was a guitarist. He worked with Virgos Merlot (They did, “Beautiful Lie” and “Knowing Burns”) and Red Halo (They did, “Ballad Of The Lost” and “Why Fight It”).
Vic Davies - Died November 8 at age 55 in lung cancer. He was a DJ and hosted Radio’s, Club Veg. He wrote comedy songs and song parodies.
Jerry Fuchs (Gerhardt Fuchs) - Died November 8 in Williamsburg, NY. He fell down an elevator shaft. He was born in 1974. He was a drummer. He was a member of Maserati (They did, “Show Me The Season” and “A Common Interest In Silence”), !!! (They did, “Heart Of Hearts” and “Must Be The Moon”), Turing Machine (They did “Friday I Died”), The Martians, Koncak (They did, “Organ Grinder” and “Ginger Gingham”) and Vineland (They did, “Unfriendly.”) He worked with The Juan MacLean.
Malcolm Laycock - Died November 8. He was a radio presenter and producer. He worked for Radio 2, BBC London and The BBC World Service. He hosted Jazz For The Asking, Kings Of Swing and The Big Band Singers. He produced the programmes, Voices and Back Numbers and also documentaries on Nat King Cole and Josh White.
Accordion Al (Al Maletta Sr.) - Died November 9 at age 95. He played accordion and was a member of The Three Rito Brothers.
Gheorghe Dinica - Died November 10 at age 75 in Bucharest, Romania of an illness. He was an actor. He recorded folk albums with Stefan Iordache and Nelu Ploiesteanu. He appeared in the films, The Afternoon Of A Torturer and Filantropica and TV’s, Regina and Gypsy Heart.
Dick Katz (Richard Aaron Katz) - Died November 10 at age 85 in Manhattan, NY, of lung cancer. He was a pianist and producer. He worked with Benny Carter, Helen Merrill, Tony Scott, Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, J.J. Johnson, The American Jazz Orchestra, Roy Eldridge, Lee Konitz, Kai Winding, Miles Davis, Carmen McRae, Sonny Rollins and Kenny Dorham’s Jazz Prophets - Co-founded the jazz label Milestone.
John Bryan - Died November 10 at age 56 after a heart seizure brought on by natural causes. He was a member of Strandz.
Tom Merriman - Died November 11 in Dallas, Texas, of an illness. He was a jingle writer. He led The Liberty Network Band. He also arranged and/or produced music for Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.
Ben Hills - Died November 11 at age 23 in Seattle, WA, in a house fire. He was a drummer and a member of The Shy Ones (They did, “She Called Me A Brat” and “The One”).
Derek B (Derek Boland) (aka EZQ) - Died in November at age 44 of a heart attack. He did, “Good Groove” and “Bad Young Brother.” He worked with The Cookie Crew and Eric B and Rakim.
Sonny Murray - Died November 13 of emphysema. He was born in 1930 in Te Hapua. He sang and played guitar, bass, electric mandolin and violin. He was a member of The Satellites (They did, “Mandolin Boogie.” He worked with The Howard Morrison Quartet.
Bill Nelson (William T. Nelson) - Died November 14 at age 26 in Huron after a gig of a possible heart problem. He was a drummer and singer and a member of The Paper Street Soap Company.
Fred Scherz Sr. - Died November 14 at age 79 of liver cancer. He played accordion and was a founder of Fritz’s Polka Band. He worked with The Roy Kessler Band, Frank Yankovic and The Jimmy Nelson Band.
Seth Kachadorian (Seth Daniel Kachadorian) (aka Seth Decay) - Died November 14 at age 32 in Vero Beach, FL. He was a singer and a member of Getcha Pull.
Earl Wentz - Died November 15 at age 71 in Charlotte of an illness. He was a singer, actor, pianist and composer. He wrote, “Am I Crazy?” and “NYC Living.”
Morris Nanton - Died November 15 in Perth Amboy, NJ. He was a pianist. He led The Morris Nanton Trio with their recording of “Ja Da” being the first music to be heard in space on Apollo’s radio as it orbited the earth. He worked with Jack Jones, Mel Torme, Nel Carter and Barbra Streisand.
Natalicio Lima - Died November 15 of stomach cancer. He was a guitarist and half of the duo, Los Indios Tabajaras (They did, “Always In My Heart” and a version of, “Maria Elena.”) He worked with his wife, Michiko.
Otto Balgemann (Otto J. Balgemann) - Died November 16 at age 92 in Lockport. He played accordion and was half of the duo, Jimmy And Otto. He worked with The Over The Hill Gang.
Billy Hall (William Hall Jr.) - Died November 16 of stomach cancer. He was born in 1957 in Tallahassee, FL. He was a keyboardist and worked with Don Black. He participated in the Jazz For Jesus jams.
Edward Woodward (Edward Albert Arthur Woodward) - Died November 16 at age 79 in Truro, Cornwall, England. He was an actor and singer. He did remakes of, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “It Had To Be You.” He portrayed Robert McCall on TV’s, The Equalizer.
Jeff Clyne (Jeffrey Ovid Clyne) - Died November 16 at age 72 of a heart attack. He played bass and acoustic double bass. He worked with The Jazz Couriers, Stan Tracey, Gordon Beck, John McLaughlin, Nucleus, Keith Tippett, Isotope, Gilgamesh, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Amalgam, Blossom Dearie, Marion Montgomery, Annie Ross, Tony Crombie’s Rockets, Lucky Thompson, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Jim Hall, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Ian Carr, Tal Farlow, Norma Winstone, Giles Farnaby’s Dream Band and Turning Point.
Sonny Ellis (Charles Winfield Ellis Jr.) - Died November 16 at age 73 of Sepsis. He sang and played organ and piano. He worked with The Tommy Roberts Singers, The Gospel Leaders and The Gospel Music Workshop of Maryland.
Bob Aumiller (Joseph Robert Aumiller) - Died November 16 at age 86 of congestive heart failure. He played saxophone, clarinet, flute, piano and trombone. He worked with The Chesapeake Greys , The Crabtown Big Band, The George Hipp Band and The Zim Zemarel Orchestra.
Pres Miller (Preston Russell Miller Sr.) - Died November 17 at age 83 in Bangor, Maine. He played trumpet. He worked with Chandler’s Band, The Don Doane Band, The Syd Lerman Band, The Penobscot Wind Ensemble and The Sentimental Journey Dance Band.
Gita Ghatak - Died November 17 at age 78 of an illness. She was a singer and actress. She did, ” Ami Rup Tomay ” and “Ogo Kangal Amarey.”
Daniel Moreno - Died November 17 at age 23 in Steger, Illinois. He was shot during a robbery. He was a drummer and singer. He worked with Veloz.
Dan Wills (Daniel R. Wills) - Died November 17 at age 48 in Santanoni Mountain, NY. The plane he was piloting crashed. He sang and played bass and piano. He was a member of Slab City.
Grace Gale (aka Pest Gale and Tempest Gale) - Died November 18 at age 25 in Hornby Island. She was murdered. She sang and played guitar and banjo. She was a member of The Killer Bagels (They did, “Magic Drum” and “Butterflies Parmesean Cheese”).
Papa Lee (Ted Lee) (aka Papa Soul) - Died November 18 of a heart attack. He was a member of 100% Delta Blues Stomp (They did, “Flip, Flop, Fly” and “Skinny Woman.”) He sang and played washboard and bass drum. He was the owner of Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen in Eugene, Oregon.
Johnny Almond (John Albert Almond) - Died November 18 at age 63 in Hayward, CA, of cancer. He played saxophone, flute, keyboards and vibraphone. He led The Johnny Almond Music Machine. He was a member of The Mark-Almond Band (They did, “One Way Sunday”) - Worked with The Alan Price Set, Tony Knight’s Chess Men, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Linda Laurie (Linda Gertz) - Died November 19 at age 68 of cancer in Santa Barbara, CA. She was a singer and song writer. She did, “Ambrose (Part 5)” and “Jose, He Say” and wrote Helen Reddy’s, “Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress.)” She worked with The Knott Sisters (They did, “Sunglasses”).
Allen Shelton - Died November 21 at age 73. He played banjoand worked with Hack Johnson And The Tennesseans, Jim Eanes, Mac Wiseman and Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys.
Jody Taylor (Harold Dean Taylor) - Died November 21 at age 74 in Lexington. He was a singer and half of the duo, Jude ‘n’ Jody.
Ray Slick (Ray Darrell Slick) - Died November 21 at age 63. He was a bassist and a member of Charlie Estes And Friends. He worked with Carol Lou Woodward. He was on the board of directors for The Aloha International Steel Guitar Club.
T T Sainoj - Died November 22 at age 32 of possible blood cancer. He was a singer. He did, “Ennikku padan oru pattillunndoru pennu.”
Manalemosh Dibo - Died November 22 in South Africa of intestinal cancer. She was a singer. She did, “Asabelew” and “Wello.”
Phil Powell (aka CatBass) - Died November 22 at age 44. He was a guitarist, bassist and singer. He was a member of Corky’s Cats (They did, “Knife” and “Out Of My Hands.”) He co-founded, Leaping Cat Records.
Cliff Crofford (Clifton Thomas Crofford)- Died November 22 of a stroke. He was born in 1929 in Rochester, TX. He was a songwriter, singer and trumpet player and guitarist. He worked with The Orange Blossom Playboys, The Jimmy Thomason Band, Billy Mize (They did, “Tell Him No”) and The Beardsley Ball Room. He appeared in the films, Every Which Way But Loose and Smokey And The Bandit II.
Haydain Neale - Died November 22 at age 39 in Toronto, Canada of lung cancer. He was a singer and a member of Jacksoul (They did, Can’t Stop” and “Lonesome Highway”).
Joe Papa - Died in November of a heart attack. He was a singer and was a member of Controlled Bleeding.
Pim Koopman - Died November 23 at age 56. He was a percussionist and composer. He wrote Willeke Alberti’s, “Champagne” and Dick Rienstra’s, “Jouw lach.” He was a member of Kayak. He worked with Diesel and The President.
Robert Degen - Died November 23 at age 104 in Lexington, KY. He was a pianist. He’s credited with co-writing, “The Hokey Pokey” which is disputed. He was father of pianist, Bob Degen.
Hale Smith - Died November 24 at age 84 in Freeport, Long Island, NY, due to complications of a stroke. He was a composer, arranger and pianist. He wrote the score for the film, Mr. Ricco. He worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Ahmad Jamal and Chico Hamilton.
Pia Beck (Pieternella Beck) - Died November 26 at age 84 in Torremolinos, Spain of a heart attack. She was a singer and pianist. She did, “Pia’s Boogie.” She worked with The Miller Sextet. She had been married to pianist, Pim Jacobs.
Phillip Kremer (Phillip T. Kremer) - Died November 27 at age 75 in Newark, Ohio. He played accordion. He was half of the duo, The Sounds Of Music. He was a co-founder of The Central Ohio Squeeze Box Society.
Al Alberts (Al Albertini) - Died November 27 at age 87 in Arcadia, FL, due to complications from kidney failure. He was a singer. He was a member of The Four Aces (They did, “Three Coins In The Fountain” and “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing.”) He hosted TV’s, Al Alberts Showcase which helped the careers of Sister Sledge, The Kinleys, Teddy Pendergrass and Andrea McCardle.
Bess Lomax Hawes - Died November 27 at age 88 of a stroke. She sang and played guitar and mandolin. She co-wrote The Kingston Trio’s, “M.T.A.” She worked with The Almanac Singers. She had been married to guitarist, Butch Hawes. She was daughter of musicologist, John Lomax and sister of musician, Alan Lomax.
Winnie Mmadi - Died November 28 at age 45 in Limpopo. She collapsed on stage. She was a singer.