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R.I.P. Peter Fonda

Read More Peter Fonda The latest Keepers Record (for the month of May) will be Bruce Longhorne’s 1971 Peter Fonda film, The Hired Hand... as presented by James Toth of Wooden Wand. .…

The Easy Rider, himself, Peter Fonda has died at the age of 79. Fonda is from a family of famous actors, as the son of Henry Fonda (whose The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles is named after), brother of Jane Fonda, and father of actress/singer Bridget Fonda.

While most people might know Peter Fonda as an actor, he did dabble in being a singer after a recording of a 7” in 1966 called “November Night”, backed with “Catch the Wind” (a Donovan cover).

Fonda also starred in the film Outlaw Blues, which is about a musician, and as a result required him to sing with co-star Susan Saint James for the film. The two songs from this film “Outlaw Blues” and “I Dream of Highways” appear as a 7” from Capitol Records.

Also, notably, The Primal Scream sampled Peter Fonda from The Wild Angels 1966 film as the intro to their song, “Loaded” (which the film The World's End used to good effect at the film’s start).

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

August (26)

[16 Aug 2019] Peter Fonda (American singer and actor for Easy Rider), 79, respiratory failure due to lung cancer

[15 Aug 2019] Claire Cloninger (American Christian songwriter and author), 77, complications from dementia

[15 Aug 2019] Roman Ledenev (Russian composer), 88

[12 Aug 2019] DJ Arafat (Ivory Coast singer), 33, road accident

[11 Aug 2019] Jim Cullum Jr. (American jazz musician, music preservationist, broadcaster for Riverwalk Jazz), 77, suspected heart attack

[09 Aug 2019] Claudio Taddei (Swiss singer), 52

[08 Aug 2019] Malcolm T. Elliott (Australian radio and television personality), 73

[08 Aug 2019] Erling Wicklund (Norwegian jazz trombonist), 75

[07 Aug 2019] David Berman (American singer-songwriter for Silver Jews), 52, suicide by hanging

[07 Aug 2019] Danny Doyle (Irish folk singer), 79

[07 Aug 2019] Paul Grace (Canadian musician and producer), 63

[07 Aug 2019] Francesca Sundsten (American bassist for The Beakers), 59

[07 Aug 2019] Martine Van Hoof (Belgian singer), 48

[07 Aug 2019] Nicky Wonder (American guitarist for Wondermints, Brian Wilson), 59

[05 Aug 2019] Sergey Berezin (Russian composer and singer for VIA Plamya), 81

[05 Aug 2019] Lizzie Grey (American rock musician for London, Spiders & Snakes), 60, Lewy body disease

[05 Aug 2019] Jimi Hope (Togolese musician), 62

[04 Aug 2019] Willi Tokarev (Russian-American singer-songwriter), 84

[04 Aug 2019] Bob Wilber (American jazz clarinetist and bandleader), 91

[03 Aug 2019] Joe Longthorne (English singer and impressionist for Live from...), 64, throat cancer

[03 Aug 2019] Damien Lovelock (Australian musician for The Celibate Rifles), 65, cancer

[02 Aug 2019] Alexandra Strelchenko (Russian folk singer for People's Artist of the RSFSR), 82

[01 Aug 2019] Ian Gibbons (English keyboardist for The Kinks), 67, bladder cancer

[01 Aug 2019] Agung Hercules (Indonesian actor and singer), 51

[01 Aug 2019] Hamid Ali Khan (Pakistani classical singer), 66, heart attack

[01 Aug 2019] Rodolfo Zapata (Argentine singer), 87

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. David Berman (Silver Jews)

Read More Silver Jews since the band was riding high on this hit around this time, but according to bootleggers online, they noted that this show featured an improved version of Silver Jews' "Federal Dust". .…

Singer/songwriter David Berman, from Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, killed himself by hanging on August 7, according to Medical Examiner Rules via pitchfork.com.

Silver Jews formed in 1989 by Berman, along with Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. It’s often mistaken by casual fans that Silver Jews was a “Pavement side project”, but it was really its own entity. Silver Jews broke up in 2009.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

August (22)

[11 Aug 2019] Jim Cullum Jr. (American jazz musician, music preservationist, broadcaster for Riverwalk Jazz), 77, suspected heart attack

[09 Aug 2019] Claudio Taddei (Swiss singer), 52

[08 Aug 2019] Malcolm T. Elliott (Australian radio and television personality), 73

[08 Aug 2019] Erling Wicklund (Norwegian jazz trombonist), 75

[07 Aug 2019] David Berman (American singer-songwriter for Silver Jews), 52, suicide by hanging

[07 Aug 2019] Danny Doyle (Irish folk singer), 79

[07 Aug 2019] Paul Grace (Canadian musician and producer), 63

[07 Aug 2019] Francesca Sundsten (American bassist for The Beakers), 59

[07 Aug 2019] Martine Van Hoof (Belgian singer), 48

[07 Aug 2019] Nicky Wonder (American guitarist for Wondermints, Brian Wilson), 59

[05 Aug 2019] Sergey Berezin (Russian composer and singer for VIA Plamya), 81

[05 Aug 2019] Lizzie Grey (American rock musician for London, Spiders & Snakes), 60, Lewy body disease

[05 Aug 2019] Jimi Hope (Togolese musician), 62

[04 Aug 2019] Willi Tokarev (Russian-American singer-songwriter), 84

[04 Aug 2019] Bob Wilber (American jazz clarinetist and bandleader), 91

[03 Aug 2019] Joe Longthorne (English singer and impressionist for Live from...), 64, throat cancer

[03 Aug 2019] Damien Lovelock (Australian musician for The Celibate Rifles), 65, cancer

[02 Aug 2019] Alexandra Strelchenko (Russian folk singer for People's Artist of the RSFSR), 82

[01 Aug 2019] Ian Gibbons (English keyboardist for The Kinks), 67, bladder cancer

[01 Aug 2019] Agung Hercules (Indonesian actor and singer), 51

[01 Aug 2019] Hamid Ali Khan (Pakistani classical singer), 66, heart attack

[01 Aug 2019] Rodolfo Zapata (Argentine singer), 87

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Ian Gibbons (The Kinks)

Read More The Kinks Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka) Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) God of Wine feat. Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind) Endless Day (The Kinks) …

Former The Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons has died at the age of 67.

According to ultimateclassicrock.com, singer and co-founder Ray Davies said, “To simply say Ian will be missed would be an understatement. When he auditioned for the band, he only played a few chords before I knew he was the right guy to have on keyboard, he seemed to know the right voicing to musically slot in between the other members of the band. And with the Kinks, that took some doing!”

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

August (6)

[03 Aug 2019] Damien Lovelock (Australian musician for The Celibate Rifles), 65, cancer

[02 Aug 2019] Alexandra Strelchenko (Russian folk singer for People's Artist of the RSFSR), 82

[01 Aug 2019] Ian Gibbons (English keyboardist for The Kinks), 67, bladder cancer

[01 Aug 2019] Agung Hercules (Indonesian actor and singer), 51

[01 Aug 2019] Hamid Ali Khan (Pakistani classical singer), 66, heart attack

[01 Aug 2019] Rodolfo Zapata (Argentine singer), 87

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Art Neville (The Neville Brothers)

Neville Brothers : Gold Read More Aaron Neville The concert will be filmed by PBS for broadcast as "Aaron Neville: My True Story" in March 2013! If you are a true fan and want to possibly appear in the background, you definitely will want to attend his upcoming show. .…

Art Neville, the founding member of The Neville Brothers and The Meters (and later known as The Funky Meters), has died at the age of 81, according to a statement released by his longtime manager, Kent Sorrell, via CNN. Neville was 81.

Neville was probably most famous for being in The Neville Brothers with his brothers, Aaron, Charles, and Cyril. It should be noted that Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

July (30)

[22 Jul 2019] Art Neville (American singer-songwriter and keyboardist for The Neville Brothers), 81

[22 Jul 2019] Daniel Rae Costello (Fiji-born Samoan guitarist), 58, cancer

[19 Jul 2019] Yao Lee (Chinese singer), 96

[18 Jul 2019] Bob Frank (American singer-songwriter), 75

[18 Jul 2019] Ruud Jacobs (Dutch jazz musician and music producer), 81

[16 Jul 2019] Pat Kelly (Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer), 70, complications of kidney disease

[16 Jul 2019] Bill Vitt (American drummer)

[12 Jul 2019] Eberhard Kummer (Austrian singer), 78

[12 Jul 2019] Arno Marsh (American jazz saxophonist), 91

[12 Jul 2019] Dick Richards (American drummer for Bill Haley & His Comets), 95

[12 Jul 2019] Joseph Rouleau (Canadian bass opera singer), 90

[12 Jul 2019] Russell Smith (American singer-songwriter for Amazing Rhythm Aces), 70, cancer

[11 Jul 2019] Brendan Grace (Irish comedian and singer), 68, lung cancer

[10 Jul 2019] Jerry Lawson (American a cappella singer for The Persuasions), 75

[09 Jul 2019] Aaron Rosand (American violinist), 92

[08 Jul 2019] James Henke (American music journalist and museum curator for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), 65, dementia

[08 Jul 2019] Tunica Teixeira (Brazilian sound designer and musical producer), 69, cancer

[06 Jul 2019] Martin Charnin (American lyricist), 84, heart attack

[06 Jul 2019] João Gilberto (Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, pioneer of bossa nova music style), 88

[06 Jul 2019] Thommy Gustafsson (Swedish keyboardist for Sven-Ingvars), 71

[06 Jul 2019] Yannis Spathas (Greek guitarist for Socrates Drank the Conium), 68

[05 Jul 2019] Paolo Vinaccia (Italian jazz percussionist), 65, pancreatic cancer

[04 Jul 2019] Vivian Perlis (American musicologist), 91

[02 Jul 2019] Michael Colgrass (American-born Canadian composer), 87, skin cancer

[02 Jul 2019] Costa Cordalis (Greek-born German schlager singer), 75

[02 Jul 2019] Ibrahim Emin (Azerbaijani rock musician for Yukhu), 56

[02 Jul 2019] Jacky Zimah (Indonesian singer), 63

[01 Jul 2019] Oskar Kröher (German folk singer), 91

[01 Jul 2019] Sid Ramin (American composer for West Side Story), 100

[01 Jul 2019] Bogusław Schaeffer (Polish composer, musicologist), 90

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. João Gilberto

Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto: Getz-Gilberto, 1963 Read More Joao Gilberto Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto were responsible for "The Girl from Ipanema" with Gilberto's then-wife Astrud on vocals .…

Bossa Nova pioneer João Gilberto has died at the age of 88.

One of the most famous Bossa Nova song, “The Girl from Ipanema” was a collaboration between American jazz musician Stan Getz and Gilberto. Joao’s then-wife Astrud Gilberto lent her vocals on the recording, because Joao couldn’t sing the song in English (Joao sang the Portuguese version). That magic of rhythmic Brazilian sound and jazz influence, plus the whispery singing style of Astrud Gilberto - it was a winning formula.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

July (15)

[08 Jul 2019] James Henke (American music journalist and museum curator for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), 65, dementia

[08 Jul 2019] Tunica Teixeira (Brazilian sound designer and musical producer), 69, cancer

[06 Jul 2019] Martin Charnin (American lyricist), 84, heart attack

[06 Jul 2019] João Gilberto (Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, pioneer of bossa nova music style), 88

[06 Jul 2019] Thommy Gustafsson (Swedish keyboardist for Sven-Ingvars), 71

[06 Jul 2019] Yannis Spathas (Greek guitarist for Socrates Drank the Conium), 68

[05 Jul 2019] Paolo Vinaccia (Italian jazz percussionist), 65, pancreatic cancer

[04 Jul 2019] Vivian Perlis (American musicologist), 91

[02 Jul 2019] Michael Colgrass (American-born Canadian composer), 87, skin cancer

[02 Jul 2019] Costa Cordalis (Greek-born German schlager singer), 75

[02 Jul 2019] Ibrahim Emin (Azerbaijani rock musician for Yukhu), 56

[02 Jul 2019] Jacky Zimah (Indonesian singer), 63

[01 Jul 2019] Oskar Kröher (German folk singer), 91

[01 Jul 2019] Sid Ramin (American composer for West Side Story), 100

[01 Jul 2019] Bogusław Schaeffer (Polish composer, musicologist), 90

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Philippe Zdar (Cassius)

Cassius: 1999 Read More Cassius Cassius - La Mouche - Virgin France S.A. This is a must have album if you're a dj. I played La Mouche at several clubs in Chicago including Karma and the Metro. Basically, I was beating and the .…

Grammy-winning producer Philippe Zdar (half of influential French house duo Cassius) fell off a building in Paris, France and died at the age of 52. According to Pitchfork, via a press agent, it was an accident.

When not so busy with Cassius, Zdar had worked with Phoenix, Kanye West, Cat Power and more, thanks to his ownership of Motorbass studio (named after Zdar’s old duo Motorbass) in Paris.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

June (36)

[23 Jun 2019] Dave Bartholomew (American Hall of Fame musician), 100, heart failure

[22 Jun 2019] Paulo Pagni (Brazilian drummer for RPM), 61, pulmonary fibrosis

[22 Jun 2019] Stepan Shakaryan (Azerbaijani-born Armenian composer), 84

[21 Jun 2019] Kelly Jay Fordham (Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player for Crowbar), 77, complications from a stroke

[21 Jun 2019] Eamon Friel (Northern Irish singer), 70

[21 Jun 2019] Elliot Roberts (American music executive for Asylum Records), 76

[20 Jun 2019] Jacqui Magno (Filipino jazz singer), 65, pancreatic cancer

[19 Jun 2019] Anthony Hedges (English composer), 88

[19 Jun 2019] Philippe Zdar (French electronic musician for Cassius), 50, fall

[16 Jun 2019] Bishop Bullwinkle (American singer and comedian), 70, heart attack

[16 Jun 2019] Zappy Max (French broadcaster for Radio Luxembourg), 97

[16 Jun 2019] Sergey Ostroumov (Russian drummer for Mashina Vremeni), 53

[15 Jun 2019] Karlheinz Miklin (Austrian jazz musician), 72, stroke

[13 Jun 2019] A. Rahman Hassan (Malaysian singer and composer), 73

[12 Jun 2019] Philomena Lynott (Italian author of My Boy, the story of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy), 88

[11 Jun 2019] Enrico Nascimbeni (Italian singer), 59, heart attack

[10 Jun 2019] Chuck Glaser (American country singer for Tompall & the Glaser Brothers), 83

[10 Jun 2019] Ib Nørholm (Danish composer and organist), 88

[10 Jun 2019] Sven-David Sandström (Swedish composer for Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy), 76, cancer

[10 Jun 2019] Paul Sinegal (American zydeco and blues guitarist and singer), 75

[09 Jun 2019] Bushwick Bill (Jamaican-American rapper for Geto Boys), 52, pancreatic cancer

[08 Jun 2019] Spencer Bohren (American roots guitarist), 68, prostate cancer

[08 Jun 2019] Andre Matos (Brazilian singer for Viper), 47, heart attack

[08 Jun 2019] Yehuda Talit (Israeli record producer), 74

[08 Jun 2019] Tre Da Kid (American rapper), 32, shot

[07 Jun 2019] Zhanneta Metallidi (Russian composer and music educator), 85

[07 Jun 2019] Serguei (Brazilian rock singer-songwriter), 85, multiple organ failure

[06 Jun 2019] Dr. John (American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter), 77, heart attack

[05 Jun 2019] Brian Doherty (Canadian guitarist for Band Big Wreck), 51, cancer

[04 Jun 2019] Roger Covell (Australian musicologist), 88

[04 Jun 2019] Mikey Dees (American rock musician for Fitz of Depression)

[02 Jun 2019] Piet Botha (South African rock musician), 63, pancreatic cancer

[02 Jun 2019] Lawrence Leathers (American drummer for For One to Love), 37, strangled

[02 Jun 2019] Paulo P. A. Pagni (Brazilian drummer for RPM), 61

[01 Jun 2019] MC Reaça (Brazilian singer), 25, suicide by hanging

[01 Jun 2019] John Myers (British radio executive for GMG Radio, Radio Academy), 60, cancer

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Tony Glover (Koerner, Ray & Glover)

Koerner, Ray & Glover: The Return of Koerner, Ray & Glover Read More Koerner, Ray & Glover “Spider” John Koerner to open. Spider is best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover (with Dave Ray and Tony Glover). .…

Blues harmonicist Tony Glover passed away on May 29th at the age of 79 to natural causes, according to local Twin Cities newspaper citypages.com.

Tony “Little Sun” Glover was important to the West Bank folk scene in the ’60s, and later created the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover with “Spider” John Koerner and Dave Ray.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

June (2)

[02 Jun 2019] Paulo P. A. Pagni (Brazilian drummer for RPM), 61

[01 Jun 2019] John Myers (British radio executive for GMG Radio, Radio Academy), 60, cancer

May (46)

[31 May 2019] Roky Erickson (American singer-songwriter for The 13th Floor Elevators), 71

[31 May 2019] Paddy Fahey (Irish composer and fiddler), 102

[31 May 2019] Đelo Jusić (Croatian composer and guitarist), 80

[30 May 2019] Leon Redbone (Cypriot-American singer-songwriter and actor), 69, complications of dementia

[29 May 2019] Diego Jose Belmonte (Argentinian chess player and violinist), 71

[29 May 2019] Tony Glover (American blues harmonicist for Koerner, Ray & Glover), 79

[29 May 2019] Jeff Walls (American guitarist for Guadalcanal Diary), pulmonary venoocclusive disease

[28 May 2019] Willie Ford (American soul singer for The Dramatics), 68

[28 May 2019] Ralph Murphy (British-born Canadian country musician), 75, pneumonia

[28 May 2019] John Gary Williams (American R&B singer for The Mad Lads), 73

[27 May 2019] Gabriel Diniz (Brazilian singer and composer), 28, plane crash

[26 May 2019] Rémi Gazel (French video game composer for Rayman), 41, cancer

[24 May 2019] Jaroslav Erik Frič (Czech musician), 69, cancer

[22 May 2019] François-René Tranchefort (French musicologist), 86

[22 May 2019] Khalid Hossain (Bangladeshi Nazrul Geeti singer), 83

[21 May 2019] Jake Black (Scottish musician for Alabama 3), 59

[20 May 2019] Mira Zakai (Israeli opera singer), 76, complications from a stroke

[19 May 2019] Nilda Fernández (French chanson singer), 61, heart failure

[19 May 2019] Alfred Janson (Norwegian composer and pianist), 82

[18 May 2019] Melvin Edmonds (American R&B singer for After 7), 65

[17 May 2019] Eric Moore (Ohio singer for The Godz), 67, bladder cancer

[16 May 2019] Deane Cameron (Canadian music executive for EMI), 66

[16 May 2019] Mick Micheyl (French actress and singer), 97

[16 May 2019] Agustín Pereyra Lucena (Argentine guitarist and songwriter), 71

[16 May 2019] Sol Yaged (American jazz clarinetist), 96

[15 May 2019] Chuck Barksdale (American singer for The Dells), 84

[14 May 2019] Étienne Perruchon (French composer), 61

[14 May 2019] Leon Rausch (American singer), 91

[14 May 2019] Mike Wilhelm (American musician for The Charlatans (60s band)), 77, cancer

[14 May 2019] Grumpy Cat (aka Tardar Sauce) (Internet meme cat), 7, urinary tract infection

[13 May 2019] Doris Day (American actress and singer), 97, pneumonia

[13 May 2019] Behnam Safavi (Iranian pop music singer), 36, complications from brain surgery

[12 May 2019] Hiralal Yadav (Indian folk singer), 93

[10 May 2019] Malcolm Black (New Zealand musician for Netherworld Dancing Toys), 58, bowel cancer

[09 May 2019] Arif Malikov (Azerbaijani composer for People's Artist of the USSR), 85

[08 May 2019] Luther Jennings (American singer for Jackson Southernaires), 86

[08 May 2019] Yevgeny Krylatov (Russian film composer), 85, pneumonia

[08 May 2019] Segundo Bautista (Ecuadorian composer), 85

[07 May 2019] Georg Katzer (German composer), 84

[07 May 2019] Subir Nandi (Bangladeshi musician and playback singer for Shuvoda), 66, multiple organ failure

[06 May 2019] Pekka Airaksinen (Finnish composer and musician), 73

[04 May 2019] J. R. Cobb (American musician for Atlanta Rhythm Section), 75, heart attack

[03 May 2019] Mose Se Sengo (Congolese musician), 73

[02 May 2019] John Starling (American bluegrass musician for The Seldom Scene), 79, heart failure

[02 May 2019] Juan Vicente Torrealba (Venezuelan harpist and composer), 102

[01 May 2019] Vladimír Poštulka (Czech lyricist), 76, complications from a fall

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Doris Day

Doris Day: The Essential Doris Day Read More Doris Day My favorite track from the post-Pressure set is actually their cover of Doris Day's "Secret Love". Of course, The Selecter's version is a mixture of classic love song and two-tone ska, making for a unique twist. Apparently the song is taken from their new album String Theory. .…

I caught the news about the passing of actress and singer Doris Day a few days ago (May 13), but hadn’t had the time to organize my thoughts on her death.

Like many stars of the 50s and 60s, they were definitely a little before my time, but obviously I love her music, thanks to hearing other people’s cover and interpretations (such as Sinead O’Connor and Line Renaud).

She had a couple of #1 singles, “Sentimental Journey” and “My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time” with Les Brown & His Band of Renown, but her solo songs (from her movies) is probably better known: “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” and “Secret Love”.

She probably has a lot of other hit songs, but those are the only ones that I can think of at the moment.

Also in the news: The Dells singer Chuck Barksdale died at the age of 84, and I was shocked to see that someone (Mike Wilhelm) in The Charlatans died. Of course, on closer inspection, it’s the 60s band The Charlatans, not the UK Charlatans (Tim Burgess’s band).

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

May (20)

[15 May 2019] Chuck Barksdale (American singer for The Dells), 84

[14 May 2019] Étienne Perruchon (French composer), 61

[14 May 2019] Leon Rausch (American singer), 91

[14 May 2019] Mike Wilhelm (American musician for The Charlatans (60s band)), 77, cancer

[13 May 2019] Doris Day (American actress and singer), 97, pneumonia

[13 May 2019] Behnam Safavi (Iranian pop music singer), 36, complications from brain surgery

[12 May 2019] Hiralal Yadav (Indian folk singer), 93

[10 May 2019] Malcolm Black (New Zealand musician for Netherworld Dancing Toys), 58, bowel cancer

[09 May 2019] Arif Malikov (Azerbaijani composer for People's Artist of the USSR), 85

[08 May 2019] Luther Jennings (American singer for Jackson Southernaires), 86

[08 May 2019] Yevgeny Krylatov (Russian film composer), 85, pneumonia

[08 May 2019] Segundo Bautista (Ecuadorian composer), 85

[07 May 2019] Georg Katzer (German composer), 84

[07 May 2019] Subir Nandi (Bangladeshi musician and playback singer for Shuvoda), 66, multiple organ failure

[06 May 2019] Pekka Airaksinen (Finnish composer and musician), 73

[04 May 2019] J. R. Cobb (American musician for Atlanta Rhythm Section), 75, heart attack

[03 May 2019] Mose Se Sengo (Congolese musician), 73

[02 May 2019] John Starling (American bluegrass musician for The Seldom Scene), 79, heart failure

[02 May 2019] Juan Vicente Torrealba (Venezuelan harpist and composer), 102

[01 May 2019] Vladimír Poštulka (Czech lyricist), 76, complications from a fall

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Shawn Smith (Brad) and Les Reed

Tom Jones: It's Not Unusual Read More Pearl Jam Here's a band that needs no press or introduction - Pearl Jam. It's been a very long time since they were in town, but since they were already headlining Austin City Limits .…

It’s been a while since we mentioned a musician death. Although there are many deaths, there just didn’t seem to be any big names for the month of April.

If you’re a Pearl Jam fan, you might be sad to hear that American singer, songwriter and musician Shawn Smith of the supergroup Brad had passed away at the age of 53 to a torn aorta.

Personally speaking, the biggest name on the April death list, so far, is Les Reed, who co-wrote (with Gordon Mills) the song “It’s Not Unusual”. The song was originally offered to Sandie Shaw (one of Morrissey’s idols), but she turned down the song.

Of course, the song became a massive hit for then-unknown singer Welsh singer Tom Jones. Listening to the song, it did kind of have that nice Decca sound that was big in the mid-60s.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

April (44)

[24 Apr 2019] Dick Rivers (French rock and roll singer for Les Chats Sauvages), 74, cancer

[24 Apr 2019] Pedro de Saint Germain (Brazilian singer), 69

[23 Apr 2019] Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick (American soprano singer and presenter), 35

[22 Apr 2019] Jim Dunbar (American radio program director for KGO), 89

[22 Apr 2019] Dave Samuels (American percussionist for Spyro Gyra), 70

[21 Apr 2019] Yasmim Gabrielle (Brazilian singer), 17, suicide

[21 Apr 2019] Atli Heimir Sveinsson (Icelandic composer), 80

[20 Apr 2019] Amar Pal (Indian folk singer), 96, heart attack

[20 Apr 2019] Wu Yili (Chinese-Singaporean pianist), 88

[19 Apr 2019] Martin Böttcher (German composer, arranger and conductor), 91

[19 Apr 2019] MC Sapão (Brazilian singer), 40, pneumonia

[17 Apr 2019] Frederick Hemke (American saxophonist), 83

[16 Apr 2019] Jörg Demus (Austrian pianist), 90

[16 Apr 2019] Kent Harris (American songwriter and record producer), 88, cancer

[15 Apr 2019] Les Reed (English songwriter), 83

[15 Apr 2019] Joe Terry (American rock and roll singer for Danny & the Juniors), 78

[14 Apr 2019] Rakhal Chandra Mohanty (Indian music director and singer), 86

[13 Apr 2019] Paul Raymond (English keyboardist and guitarist for Plastic Penny), 73, heart attack

[13 Apr 2019] Hubert Wayaffe (French radio personality and disc jockey), 81

[12 Apr 2019] Dina (Portuguese singer), 62, pulmonary fibrosis

[12 Apr 2019] Johnny Hutchinson (English rock and roll drummer for The Big Three), 78

[12 Apr 2019] Gary Stewart (American music executive and archivist for Rhino Records), 62

[11 Apr 2019] Mus Mulyadi (Indonesian singer), 73

[11 Apr 2019] Ivan Ponomarenko (Ukrainian opera singer), 73

[10 Apr 2019] Earl Thomas Conley (American country music singer-songwriter), 77, cerebral atrophy

[10 Apr 2019] Greg Haymes, aka Sarge Blotto (American singer of Blotto)

[09 Apr 2019] Paul Severs (Belgian singer), 70

[07 Apr 2019] Gino Stefani (Italian jazz musician, musicologist and semiologist), 89

[06 Apr 2019] Jim Glaser (American country music artist), 82, heart attack

[05 Apr 2019] Ib Glindemann (Danish jazz composer and bandleader), 84

[05 Apr 2019] Pastor López (Venezuelan singer-songwriter), 74, stroke

[05 Apr 2019] Samuel Pilafian (American tuba player), 69, colon cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Shawn Smith (American singer, songwriter and musician for Brad), 53, torn aorta

[05 Apr 2019] Davey Williams (American avant-garde guitarist for Curlew), 66, cancer

[05 Apr 2019] Wowaka (Japanese Vocaloid producer and vocalist), 31, heart failure

[04 Apr 2019] Alberto Cortez (Argentine singer and songwriter), 79, gastric haemorrhage

[04 Apr 2019] Marilyn Mason (American concert organist), 93

[04 Apr 2019] Tiger Merritt (American singer and guitarist for Morning Teleportation), 31

[03 Apr 2019] Einar Iversen (Norwegian jazz pianist and composer), 88

[03 Apr 2019] Maurice Pon (French lyricist), 97

[02 Apr 2019] Rick Elias (American musician for A Ragamuffin Band), 64, brain cancer

[02 Apr 2019] Kim English (American house and gospel singer-songwriter), 48, kidney failure

[01 Apr 2019] Caravelli (French conductor and composer for And Satan Calls the Turns), 88

[01 Apr 2019] Armando Vega Gil (Mexican writer, composer, and bassist for Botellita de Jerez), 64, suicide

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Ranking Roger (The Beat)

The Beat: Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The Beat Read More English Beat Here's a tour teamup that can't be beat: English Beat with The Paul Collins Beat tour! The tagteam ends at the Mill Cit Nights in Minneapolis, but the English Beat continues on their tour in Missouri. .....

The Beat (known as English Beat to the USA to avoid confusion with the American band The Beat) singer, Ranking Roger (Roger Charlery) is dead at the age of 56. Roger also performed with members of the Specials and Dexys Midnight Runners.

His name was synominous with The English Beat, and when we saw them in Aug 2017, we had to look up the meaning behind the word "Ranking". It's basically a term used in UK sports to mean a hype man, trying to raise the band's rank.

For the full death list head over to Musicians who died in 2019.

March (55)

[26 Mar 2019] Ranking Roger (British singer for The Beat), 56, cancer

[23 Mar 2019] Victor Hochhauser (Slovak-born British music promoter), 95

[23 Mar 2019] Shahnaz Rahmatullah (Bangladeshi singer), 67, heart attack

[22 Mar 2019] Scott Walker (American-born British singer-songwriter for The Walker Brothers), 76

[22 Mar 2019] Valentina Dvoryaninova (Russian singer), 91

[21 Mar 2019] Arkadiy Aladyin (Russian drummer for Alexander Rosenbaum), 61

[21 Mar 2019] Nicola Sgrò (Italian composer and conductor), 81

[20 Mar 2019] Terje Nilsen (Norwegian singer-songwriter), 67

[19 Mar 2019] Gal Keidan (Israel singer), 19, terror attack

[18 Mar 2019] JD Sinclair (American musician for Mind Spin), 43, traffic accident

[17 Mar 2019] Wolfgang Meyer (German clarinetist), 64

[17 Mar 2019] Bernie Tormé (Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne, Gillan), 66, pneumonia

[17 Mar 2019] Yuya Uchida (Japanese singer for Flower Travellin' Band), 79, pneumonia

[17 Mar 2019] David White (American singer-songwriter for Danny & the Juniors), 79

[17 Mar 2019] Andre Williams (American R&B musician), 82, colon cancer

[17 Mar 2019] Dick Dale (American guitarist and surf music pioneer), 81

[17 Mar 2019] Enrico Riccardi (Italian composer and lyricist), 84

[16 Mar 2019] Justin Carter (American country singer), 35, accidental shooting

[16 Mar 2019] Yann-Fañch Kemener (French singer), 61

[16 Mar 2019] Yulia Nachalova (Russian singer, actress and television presenter), 38, cerebral edema

[13 Mar 2019] Areg Nazaryan (Armenian musician, composer and film director), 54

[13 Mar 2019] Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia (Ghanaian ethnomusicologist and composer), 97

[12 Mar 2019] Mirek Hoffmann (Czech country singer, composer and lyricist), 83

[12 Mar 2019] Leopold Kozłowski (Polish composer and pianist), 100

[12 Mar 2019] Věra Bílá (Czech singer), 64, diabetes

[12 Mar 2019] John Kilzer (American singer and songwriter), 62

[11 Mar 2019] Victor McElhaney (American Jazz music student), 21, robbery

[11 Mar 2019] Hal Blaine (American Hall of Fame drummer for The Wrecking Crew), 90

[11 Mar 2019] Demétrius (Brazilian singer), 76

[10 Mar 2019] Charlie Karp (American musician, songwriter), 65

[10 Mar 2019] Asa Brebner (American guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Modern Lovers), 65

[09 Mar 2019] Aťka Janoušková (Czech actress, voice actress and singer for Amadeus), 88

[08 Mar 2019] George Neikrug (American cellist), 100

[08 Mar 2019] Eddie Taylor Jr. (American blues singer and guitarist), 46, heart failure

[08 Mar 2019] Michael Gielen (Austrian conductor), 91

[06 Mar 2019] Carlitos Rolán (Argentine singer and band leader), 78, kidney failure

[06 Mar 2019] James Dapogny (American jazz musicologist and pianist), 78

[06 Mar 2019] Mike Grose (British bassist for Queen)

[06 Mar 2019] Oleg Kudryavtzev (Russian drummer), 42

[06 Mar 2019] Kayoko Moriyama (Japanese singer and actress), 78

[06 Mar 2019] Charlie Panigoniak (Canadian Inuktitut singer and guitarist), 72

[05 Mar 2019] Annie Brazil (Filipino jazz singer), 85, pneumonia

[05 Mar 2019] Jacques Loussier (French pianist and composer), 84

[05 Mar 2019] Doru Popovici (Romanian composer, musicologist, writer and concert manager), 87

[05 Mar 2019] Sara Romweber (American rock drummer for Let's Active), 55, brain tumor

[04 Mar 2019] Anthony Ríos (Dominican actor and singer-songwriter), 68

[04 Mar 2019] Keith Flint (English singer for The Prodigy), 49, suicide

[04 Mar 2019] Leo de Castro (New Zealand singer and guitarist), 70

[03 Mar 2019] Ger Cusack (Irish singer), 77

[03 Mar 2019] Peter Hurford (British organist and composer), 88, Alzheimer's disease

[03 Mar 2019] János Koós (Hungarian singer, parodist and actor), 81

[02 Mar 2019] Eduardo Vázquez (Argentine DJ and musician), 37, suicide

[02 Mar 2019] Janice Freeman (American singer for The Voice), 33, blood clot

[01 Mar 2019] Stephan Ellis (American rock bassist for Survivor), 69

[01 Mar 2019] Paul Williams (English singer for Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, Juicy Lucy), 78

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