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R.I.P. George Winston

(Read more Musicians who died in 2023)

R.I.P. George Winston

The rural folk/New Age instrumental pianist and principal performer on the Windham Hill Records label George Winston passed away on Sunday in Williamsport at the age of 74 of cancer, according to his publicist Jesse Cutler.

Winston lived in Santa Cruz, CA and had dealt with several forms of cancer for years while continuing to create and perform his music which required among other forms of care, a bone marrow transplant a decade ago.

George Winston III was born on Feb. 11, 1949, in Hart, MI to George (a geologist) and Mary (a secretary) Winston, growing in Mississippi, Florida and especially Montana, which triggered an early love for nature that would be reflected in his recordings.

He took piano lessons as a child, soon losing interest but upon hearing The Doors’ debut album with opening track “‘Break On Through (to the Other Side),” his musical re-awakening was quickly in full bloom.

Inspired by that band’s Ray Manzarek, Winston took up the organ, but soon switched to piano after discovering vintage Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson recordings and remained principally self-taught.

His first album, 1972’s “Piano Solos” (aka Ballads and Blues, on Takoma Records), was mostly ignored and after negotiating with producer William Ackerman, found himself on the fledgling Windham Hill Records label, breaking through on 1980’s “Autumn,” a series of seven piano solo tracks all inspired by nature.

Winston continued the calendar theme with two 1982 albums, the holiday-themed “December” (which went more than 3x Platinum) and “Winter Into Spring,” and again with 1991’s “Summer.” In 1994, “Forest,” won a Grammy Award for Best New Age album and he would be nominated four other times.

He broadened his interests, recording for children on 1984’s “The Velveteen Rabbit” (with Meryl Streep as narrator) and returned to his early inspiration on 2002’s “Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors”, but perhaps was better known for his interpretations of the music of Vince Guaraldi, the jazz pianist who composed the familiar themes for the animated “Peanuts” television episodes.

In later years, he even did an album of harmonica solos, and formed a label to record a niche genre he admired, Hawaiian slack-key guitar. He would perform and compose minimalist pieces while recovering from cancer, in the medical center’s auditorium, and released a 2014 benefit album which would donate its proceeds to Los Angeles’ City of Hope.

2019’s “Restless Wind” paid tribute to influences Sam Cooke, Stephen Stills, George and Ira Gershwin, Country Joe McDonald, and others, and his 20^th studio album “Night” was just released last month, featuring originals and interpretations of Leonard Cohen, Laura Nyro, Alan Toussaint songs, and more. George Winston is survived by his sister.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Astrud Gilberto

(Read more Musicians who died in 2023)

R.I.P. Astrud Gilberto

read more! Bebel Gilberto Brazilian Bebel Gilberto is touring the US, starting in Washington on November 23rd. Her latest album is called All in One and I just read is mostly in Portuguese…

Seemingly an ageless wonder, “The Girl from Ipanema” has passed on,

Astrud Gilberto, whose vocal performance on the first song she ever recorded, “The Girl From Ipanema,” helped bring the lasting wave of Brazilian bossa nova into the 1960’s mainstream, died on Monday at the age of 83.

Gilberto’s son Marcelo confirmed she had died and asked their family friend and musician Paul Ricci to post the news on Facebook.

Gilberto recorded that famous song while married to the father of Brazilian bossa nova, singer/guitarist João Gilberto in 1963. While rehearsing in NYC with jazz performer Stan Getz during the recording for the classic Getz/Gilberto album, she recorded the version of the song that would make her famous for the rest of her life, hitting #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and the album winning three Grammys, including Album of the Year.

Astrud Weinert was born on March 29, 1940, in Bahia, Brazil, to a German father, Fritz Weinert and Brazilian mother, Evangelina Weinert, both educators. Her parents would move the family to Rio and she became interested in music, meeting João Gilberto at age 19 and marrying him several months later.

Fellow musician Vinicius de Moraes actually wrote the original lyrics for “The Girl from Ipanema,” named after a beachside neighborhood in Rio where he and Antônio Carlos Jobim both watched a beautiful woman regularly walk by.

Gilberto would have increasing tensions within her marriage, resulting in an affair with Getz and an eventual divorce; but musically, she would sign as a solo performer with Verve Records with her first solo album from 1965, earning her a Grammy Award nomination. She would continue to record, ever popular in the US, but never as equally regarded with Brazilian critics.

Gilberto recorded eighteen studio albums, numerous compilations, and collaborations with the likes of Gil Evans, the James Last Orchestra, and a duet with George Michael on “Desafinado” for the AIDS-related benefit album, “Red Hot Rio”, effectively retiring after 2002’s final album, “Jungle”.

Astrud Gilberto is survived by her musician sons Marcelo Gilberto and Gregory Lasorsa, and two granddaughters.

 

Related, one of João Gilberto’s daughters from a following marriage, Bebel Gilberto, is a longtime bossa nova/jazz musician in her own right and plays the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis this August (though usually stops at the Dakota Jazz Club downtown).

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Tina Turner

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

R.I.P. TINA TURNER

The world lost a bonafide musical legend and singing icon as it was announced that Tina Turner had died on Wednesday at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich, at the age of 83, confirmed by her publicist Bernard Doherty.

Though no cause of death was disclosed, Turner was in declining heath in recent years, recovering from a stroke and known to be struggling with a kidney disease, among other late life maladies.

Anna Mae Bullock was born on Nov. 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tenn., near Memphis, spending her beginning years on the Poindexter farm in Nutbush, and singing in the choir of the Spring Hill Baptist Church. Her father, Floyd, oversaw the farm’s sharecroppers and was mentioned as having a "difficult" relationship with his wife, Zelma.

Young Anna would live with her grandmother after World War II and her parents separating, eventually re-locating to St. Louis to live with her mother and attend local public high school. While also still a teen, she first saw a young Ike Turner and his band perform at the local Manhattan Club, eventually gaining up the nerve to ask him if she could try singing during a performance intermission.

She eventually became a backup singer and was involved romantically with Ike, who christened her with a new stage name, inspired in part by character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. The Ike Turner Revue would score a Billboard #2 on the R&B charts with 1958’s “A Fool in Love”.

Ike and Tina would eventually marry in 1962, marking more musical success for the pair and band, but also a tumultuous and often violent fourteen-year period, before Tina would finally leave. Their fame increased with hits along the way, notably their version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary”- a song in her canon so much made her own definitive version, many people still don’t realize it is a cover. Ike Turner would have diminished musical and personal success post-Tina, eventually passing away in 2007 from a cocaine overdose.

The 1993 award-winning theatrical film (based on the book of the same name), "What’s Love Got to Do With It" chronicled much of that life and career-tipping period of time. The later 60s and into the 1970’s proved more challenging for Turner, whose 1966 Phil Spector-produced single “River Deep, Mountain High” was a musical milestone, but failed to sustain her popularity, more so in the U.S. than in the UK and overseas.

Meeting manager Roger Davies (who also managed Olivia Newton John) in the late 70s would eventually spark a return to her musical/stage essence and rejuvenate her career path to even bigger heights. Covers of “Ball of Confusion” and Al Green’’s “Let’s Stay Together", would pave the path for her May 1984 breakthrough album, Private Dancer which would go on to sell over 10 million copies, and win three main categories at the following year’s Grammy Awards.

She would set a Guinness World Records for attendance at a futbol stadium concert in Brazil and by 2000, would sell more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. We were lucky enough to see her live at Sandstone (now Azura) Amphitheater in Bonner Springs KS in 1997 for a memorable show that featured a towering staircase she and her backups would first appear on, sing from, and dramatically leave from. Her 2008 World Tour (which would be her last) was launched that October in Kansas City, with two dates at the (then) Sprint Center.

In theaters, she would appear as The Acid Queen in The Who’s film, “Tommy” and Aunty Entity in 1985’s “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” providing the theme song for the film’s soundtrack, which would become yet another mega-hit.

Among her numerous accolades, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with Ike in 1991, and again as a solo artist in 2021, received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2005, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2018.

Related, there was a recent critically acclaimed documentary on HBO simply called “Tina” and “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” the 12-time Tony Award-nominated stage musical based on her life opened in London in 2018, on Broadway in 2019. The show is currently touring, having recently run in Minneapolis in March and is scheduled in Kansas City for December 8, 2023.

She would eventually retire to Switzerland (also becoming a Swiss citizen) with her husband, German producer and music executive Erwin Bach, who survives her.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Remembering Andy Rourke

The Smiths: Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before (signed by Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce, and Johnny Marr) Official Statement ANDREW MICHAEL ROURKE “ANDY ROURKE” Passed away at age 59 January 17, 1964 - May 19, 2023 MAY 19, 2023 (New York, NY) -- It is with deep sadness that we announce that Andy Rourke has passed away in the early hours today at age 59 in New York City at Memorial Sloan Kettering after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. We request privacy at this sad time. Read More Andy Rourke First, this is indie dance club was celebrating its 14 Year Anniversary, and, second, guest DJ, Andy Rourke is the bassist of one of my favorite 80s band, The Smiths…. The Smiths Sad news earlier today as the world found out that Andy Rourke, former bassist for The Smiths, passed away at age 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center in New York. .…

The news of Andy Rourke’s death came to me suddenly on Friday. I had no idea the former The Smiths bassist was dying… but on retrospect, I should have seen it coming. Especially since I wrote about how Rourke and Johnny Marr came together to produce “Strong Forever” in Jan 2023. The two were friends since the age of 13, before joining The Smiths, and it was likely a dying man’s last request.

I’ve met Rourke before, at the first The Smiths Convention in Los Angeles in 1997. I have photos of Rourke and I, but this was before digital cameras, so the photos are in a photo album somewhere in my storage. I’ll have to dig for them at a later time and digitalize them for easier access.

What I can tell you is that they were nice when we met as fans, getting our albums and singles signed by them. I had them sign my “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before”, one of the last official releases in the UK and Japan (The Smiths’ singles were rarely released in America). I would later meet Johnny Marr and had them sign the same single. One day I hope to see Morrissey and have him sign the sleeve…

So, here’s a trivia, Rourke continued to work with Morrissey after the Smiths broke up. He wrote two of my favorite B-Sides, “Get Off the Stage” and “Girl Least Likely To”… but he also wrote my least favorite Morrissey song, “Yes I Am Blind” (and deaf too apparently after hearing that song). You can’t blame Rourke entirely, as with these collaborations, he would compose the music and then Morrissey would then add his lyrics to it.

The two biggest “bass” songs in The Smiths library are “This Charming Man” (New York Mix) and “Barbarism Begins At Home” (especially hearing a live version). The former is a rare remix. You see, DJ François Kevorkian remixed the song in 1983 for the nightclubbers and was pressed for NY club DJs. Morrissey hated the song, and had the song pulled out of circulation, according to the Peepholism book by Jo Slee.

The remix, which featured really heavy emphasis on Andy Rourke’s bassline, was lost to obscurity. I actually didn’t discover the remix until the 1992 re-issue of “This Charming Man” single… and it was a song unlike any Smiths song! Again, it’s a very bass-y mix, and it was almost laughable that it’s the bassist’s song of choice when he DJed, live in person, at the 14th Anniversary of Transmission in 2015.

It’s sad to see that with Rourke’s death, there will never, truly be a Smiths reunion. Everyone knew it would never happen, but now with one of the band member dead, perhaps it’s time for the remaining three to bury the hatchet.

In the meantime, we’ll always have The Smiths’ music… and go ahead and put on that New York remix of “This Charming Man”, in honor of the great Andy Rourke.

Note: Tomorrow, May 22, is Morrissey’s birthday... “I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday.”

Mike Joyce’s statement:

I don’t think Andy realised just how good a bass player he was. I don’t think Andy ever really embraced just how momentous his contribution towards music is. I don’t think he ever grasped that and realised that. He was such a self-effacing character, he never saw himself as a great bass player because it was so effortless for him and so easy for him. He just put the bass on and magic would happen.

Johnny Marr’s statement:

Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans.

Morrissey’s statement:

Sometimes one of the most radical things you can do is to speak clearly. When someone dies, out come the usual blandishments … as if their death is there to be used. I’m not prepared to do this with Andy. I just hope … wherever Andy has gone … that he’s OK. He will never die as long as his music is heard. He didn’t ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done. He was also very, very funny and very happy, and post-Smiths, he kept a steady identity - never any manufactured moves. I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Andy Rourke (The Smiths bassist)

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

R.I.P. ANDY ROURKE

Sad news earlier today as the world found out that Andy Rourke, former bassist for The Smiths, passed away at age 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center in New York.

As one-fourth of one of the most influential bands of the 1980’s, his bass lines were often very recognizable and along with drummer Mike Joyce provided the vital musical backbone to so many memorable hit songs. “He didn’t ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else,” Morrissey has posted in tribute on his own site.

Andrew Rourke was born in Manchester, England on Jan. 17, 1964, to an English father and Irish mother and would receive an acoustic guitar from his parents at age 7, that would help define the rest of his life. He would meet future guitarist and band mate Johnny Marr in school at age 11 to begin a life-long friendship that would first pay dividends after The Smiths formed in 1982 and Marr suggested his childhood friend after other bassists weren’t working out for the group.

The Smiths’ first Top 10 hit in the UK would be “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” and a meteoric rise to success, would follow soon after. But, as quick as the rise was, so was the fall, as Morrissey fired Rourke (famously via postcard), due to continuing drug use, but Rourke would soon rejoin until the group’s permanent disbanding in 1987.

Never paid as equal partners, Rourke and Joyce would soon after sue their former bandmates for a more favorable share of profits, with Rourke eventually settling out of court, while Joyce’s suit proceeded. Any bad feelings soon must have become bygones, as Rourke would guest on Morrissey solo tracks such as 1989’s “Interesting Drug” and “Last of the Famous International Playboys” from 1990.

Rourke would continue playing bass on albums from others, even touring with Badly Drawn Boy and co-forming Jetlag, which became D.A.R.K.,even calling the late Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries as a one-time member. After O'Riordan’s death, Rourke formed Blitz Vega with guitarist/vocalist Kav Sandhu to release a batch of singles including Nov. 2022's "Strong Forever" which featured (you guessed it), Johnny Marr as guest guitarist. He would also start a second career as a club DJ, which is when we saw him spin back in 2015 at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

“Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. We request privacy at this sad time.”, the issued statement regarding his death reads in part.

Andy Rourke with DJ Jake Rudh at First Avenue, Minneapolis MN 2015

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

R.I.P. GORDON LIGHTFOOT

Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian singer-songwriter whose many hits included “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “Sundown,” died Monday evening at the age of 84, of natural causes at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, spokesperson Victoria Lord said.

Just weeks ago, he had canceled all 2023 dates due to growing health concerns. In 2021, he postponed dates after suffering a fall at his home, which led to surgery, but was back a few months following, to re-open the renovated Massey Hall in Toronto. Prior to that, we caught him live in Minneapolis, shortly after returning to stages after a heart scare, so declining health had followed him for over the last decade.

Lightfoot was born in Orillia, Ontario on November 17, 1938, to parents who owned a local dry cleaning business. He first performed publicly in 4^th grade singing an Irish lullaby which was broadcast over his school's public address system. He would also sing in the choir of Orillia's St. Paul's United Church under the direction of choirmaster Ray Williams, who taught him how to sing with nuance and style and at the age of twelve, he won a singing competition and made his first of numerous appearances at Massey Hall.

His track and field and football skills as well as scholarly aptitude earned him scholarships at McGill's Schulich School of Music and the University of Toronto.

All the while, he pursued a musical career as well, eventually signing in the mid-60’s with Albert Grossman as a manager, who represented many name acts of the day, and would begin recording for United Artists.

Lightfoot would sign to Warner Bros/Reprise in 1970, which began his long string of hits, first breaking through with “If You Could Read My Mind” and going on to receive sixteen Juno Awards and nominated for five Grammy Awards, among numerous other accolades.

Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2012, Lightfoot was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Lightfoot wed for a third time in 2014 and his last studio release was 2020’s Solo.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Mark Sheehan (The Script)

Read More The Script "This tour is a thank you to our fans," The Script singer Danny O'Donoghue said on stage at the State Theatre in Minneapolis last night. It has been a long time since the Irish rockers were in town (as headliner) in support of #3, and for fans who couldn't ..…

Mark Sheehan, the guitarist and co-founder of The Script, has died at the age of 46, after a “brief illness”.

Sheehan, along with Danny O'Donoghue and Glen Power, founded The Script, in Dublin, in 2001. The band released six albums, with their self-titled debut album hitting #1 in the UK and Ireland.

The Script (05 June 2015)

We saw the band in Jun 2015 and Oct 2012, talking about Sheehan and his fear of height: “A couple of fun tidbits about this show, apparently guitarist Mark Sheehan had a massive fear of heights, and the director decided that the video shoot for "Man on a Wire" would require Sheehan to stand up way high on the side of a building (with nothing but some strings holding him up). He was in fear of his life, but at the end of it, he seemed really glad to have faced that fear. Obviously much happier to have his feet on the ground, playing guitars for us on a horizontal stage.”

Rest in peace, Mark Sheehan.

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

[14 Apr 2023] Mark Sheehan (Irish guitarist for The Script), 46 Mark Sheehan: The Script guitarist and co-founder dies at the age of 46 Sheehan co-founded the band in Dublin in 2001 with drummer Glen Power and lead singer Danny O'Donoghue. The band had six number one albums in Ireland, five of which also topped the UK album charts. … via sky

[12 Apr 2023] Jah Shaka (Jamaican dub and reggae sound system operator) Soundsystem legend Jah Shaka has died. The system pioneer was born in Jamaica, part of the post-Windrush wave of Caribbean immigration which so enriched this country … via clashmusic

[10 Apr 2023] Danny Schur (Canadian composer), 56, brain cancer An acclaimed Winnipeg composer and producer has died. Danny Schur, best known for a stage musical and feature film about the events of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, died Monday at the age of 56 after a short battle with brain cancer. … via globalnews

[09 Apr 2023] Karl Berger (German jazz pianist, composer, and educator), 88 German-born pianist, composer, vibraphonist, jazz instructor, and improviser Karl Berger died at the Albany Medical Center on April 9. He was 88. … via hudsonvalleyone

[09 Apr 2023] Valter Dešpalj (Croatian cellist), 75 Valter Dešpalj, one of the most prominent Croatian musicians of the second half of the 20th century, cellist, music pedagogue and former musical director of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, has died. They said goodbye to a great man from the Games... … via dulist

[09 Apr 2023] Chuck Morris (American percussionist for Lotus), 46 The bodies of a father and son who went missing while on a kayaking trip in Arkansas last month have been recovered, authorities said Sunday. The bodies of Chuck Morris, 46, and Charley Morris, 20, were recovered after 24 days of efforts, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said in an announcement … via abcnews

[08 Apr 2023] Rami Meir (Рами Меир) (Azerbaijani-born Israeli artist, poet, and singer), 60 Rami Meir, a well-known artist and songwriter from Baku, has died in Moscow at the age of 60. In his works, he described the culture and life of the Mountain Jews. … via vestikavkaza

[08 Apr 2023] Bob Heatlie (Scottish songwriter and record producer), 76 Éva Csepregi and her son, Dávid Heatlie, mourn. The singer lost her former love and her son's father, Bob Heatlie, recently. … via blikk

[07 Apr 2023] Ian Bairnson (Scottish musician for The Alan Parsons Project), 69 Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project and Kate Bush, dies aged 69 … via guitarworld

[07 Apr 2023] Kidd Jordan (American jazz saxophonist), 87 Edward 'Kidd' Jordan, New Orleans avant-jazz saxophonist, music educator, dies at 87 … via nola

[07 Apr 2023] Guy Bailey (British guitarist and songwriter for The Quireboys) Original THE QUIREBOYS guitarist Guy Bailey has died. The news of Guy's passing was broken by the band's singer Spike (a.k.a. Jonathan Gray),who took to his social media earlier today (Friday, April 7) to write: "I'm heartbroken to have to write this. … via blabbermouth

[07 Apr 2023] John Regan (American bass guitarist for Frehley's Comet), 71 Former FREHLEY'S COMET Bassist JOHN REGAN Dies At 71 … via blabbermouth

[07 Apr 2023] Lasse Wellander (Swedish guitarist for ABBA), 70 ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander has died at 70 years old, the musician's family announced. The Sweden native died on Friday, April 7 after a battle with cancer. … via etonline

[06 Apr 2023] Nora Forster (German music promoter for The Slits, Sex Pistols), 80, Alzheimer's disease John Lydon's wife Nora Forster dies after heartbreaking Alzheimer's battle John Lydon's wife Nora Forster has died after living with Alzheimer's for several years. … via mirror

[06 Apr 2023] Paul Cattermole (English singer for S Club 7), 46 S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole has died at the age of 46, weeks after the band announced a comeback tour. … via bbc

[05 Apr 2023] Duško Gojković (Serbian jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger), 91 Prominent world jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger Duško Gojković died last night in Munich at the age of 92, writes RTS. … via danas

[04 Apr 2023] Vivian Trimble (American musician for Luscious Jackson), 59, cancer Vivian Trimble, the keyboardist and co-founder of Luscious Jackson, has died. The band shared the news of Trimble’s death on Facebook, writing in a statement that Trimble had been battling cancer for several years and passed on Tuesday due to a complication she developed on Monday. Trimble was 59. … via stereogum

Read more Musicians who died in 2023.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Ryuichi Sakamoto

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

R.I.P. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO

Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan’s most prominent composers who scored films including “The Last Emperor,” and “The Revenant” and was a co-founder of the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra died on Tuesday at the age of 71, it was only recently reported.

Sakamoto had revealed in early 2021 that he had received a diagnosis of rectal cancer and was undergoing treatment. His recording company Avex posted the news in a statement to Twitter that thanked his medical teams and asked for fans to respect the privacy of his family.

“While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow him to. He lived with music until the very end,” the statement said, also noting a small private funeral had already taken place.

The tech-heavy pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra topped the Japanese charts in the late 1970s / early ’80s, producing synth driven hits like “Computer Game”.

Sakamoto was born in Tokyo on January 17, 1952, to a well-known literary editor father, and mother who designed women’s hats, beginning piano lessons as early as age six. His career as a musician and producer blossomed while in university in the early-mid ‘70s, helping co-found YMO in 1978. He would also release his first solo LP in 1978 and would branch his sound out from techno / pop, to eventually orchestral, soundtrack, and atmospheric works of great acclaim.

Sakamoto collaborated with a wide range of musicians across genres (notably David Sylvian) and received an Oscar (for 1988’s The Last Emperor soundtrack) a BAFTA, a Grammy and two Golden Globes over his distinguished career.

He also dabbled in acting, co-starring alongside David Bowie, in 1983’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” about life in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Sakamoto agreed to be in front of the camera, provided he could also score the soundtrack. He also provided the film scores for several other notable Bernardo Bertolucci works in the late ‘80s / early ‘90’s.

1987’s Neo Geo was a welcome return to pop, with world influences, and featured guest appearances from the likes of Iggy Pop, Bill Laswell, and Bootsy Collins.

In later years, Sakamoto’s music became sparser and more ambient and attuned in with the environment, something he became more of an activist about as well. His final solo record, 12, was released in January.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Lance Reddick

Read More Bosch Out of nowhere, I got notification that the new Season 7 of Bosch just dropped on Amazon Prime! I was so excited that I launched the pilot and after viewing the “Last Season on Bosch” recap… …

Actor and musician, Lance Reddick has died at the age of 60. According to Variety, “His rep at Portrait PR confirmed the news, saying he died of natural causes but not providing other details.”

Although Reddick is best known as an actor in roles such as Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020), and as Charon in the John Wick films… not many people know that he started studying music as a teenager at the Peabody Preparatory Institute. He actually earned a Bachelor of Music degree at University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music.

Lance Reddick (02 May 2015)

We saw Reddick at Wizard World Minneapolis in May 2015 and wrote, “One of the hardest working Hollywood actor, Lance Reddick spent his time at his panel answering questions about Lost, The Wire, and, of course, Fringe. Recently, Reddick is most recognizable from American Horror Story, and per a fan's request, he re-created his Papa Legba character and did a line in the Cajun voodoo accent.”

Rest in peace, Lance Reddick.

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

[17 Mar 2023] Lance Reddick (American actor and musician), 60 Lance Reddick was best known for playing Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020). As a teenager, he studied music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and studied classical music composition at University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. … via deadline

[17 Mar 2023] Fito Olivares ( Mexican cumbia musician), 75 The music ringing out at Fiesta next month will have a note of sadness as social media posts report that Mexican musician Fito Olivares has died. A Facebook post from San Antonio’s Tejano station KXTN on Friday, March 17 reported Olivares’ death … via mysanantonio

[16 Mar 2023] Tony Coe (English jazz musician), 88 Sad news. One of the understated greats of British jazz, saxophonist and clarinettist Tony Coe, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 88. … via londonjazznews

[15 Mar 2023] Théo de Barros (Brazilian composer), 80 Composer Theo de Barros, known for "Disparada", alongside Geraldo Vandré, and for his partnership with singer Elis Regina, died early this Wednesday (15th) in São Paulo. … via folha

[15 Mar 2023] Daniel Bourgue (French horn player), 86 The virtuoso horn player Daniel Bourgue, ‘surely be the last representative of the old school of French playing’ according to the IHS, has died at the age of 86. … via slippedisc

[14 Mar 2023] Bobby Caldwell (American singer and songwriter), 71 Singer Bobby Caldwell, known for his smooth blue-eyed soul voice, is dead after battling illness for several years ... TMZ has confirmed. Bobby, whose biggest hit is the classic "What You Won't Do for Love," died in his sleep Tuesday night at home in New Jersey, according to his rep. … via tmz

[14 Mar 2023] Dix Denney (American guitarist for The Weirdos, Thelonious Monster), 65 Dix Denney, guitarist and co-founder of pioneering LA punk band The Weirdos, has died. Along with his brother John, Dix Denney formed The Weirdos in Los Angeles in 1975. Although initially inspired by The Ramones, they soon became trailblazers … via louderthanwar

[13 Mar 2023] Canisso (Brazilian bassist for Raimundos), 57 Bassist José Henrique Campos Pereira, known as Canisso, died this Monday (13/3), aged 57. The information was confirmed by the band's manager, but the cause of death was not disclosed. The musician was part of the original formation of the Brasilian rock group Raimundos. … via metropoles

[13 Mar 2023] Jim Gordon (American convicted murderer and musician for Eric Clapton, Derek and the Dominos), 77 Jim Gordon, a top drummer for Eric Clapton, George Harrison and countless others who was diagnosed with schizophrenia after murdering his mother in 1983, has died. … via variety

Read more Musicians who died in 2023.

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R.I.P. Lewis Largent (MTV)

Read More MTV We ♥ Matt Pinfield. With over 25 years of experience as a radio DJ, television VJ, Pinfield is truly "The Rock and Roll Encyclopedia". …

Variety has reported that former MTV VJ Lewis Largent has died at the age of 58, after a “long illness” on February 20th.

If you live in Los Angeles, you probably heard him on KROQ, which he started in 1985 as an intern, and eventually became their music director in 1989.

Lewis Largent and PJ Harvey

Like many of the million of kids that grew up on MTV, I saw Largent as the host of 120 Minutes, which Largent took over for a time. He would also be seen hosting a variety of MTV programs, like Alternative Nation and as music news reporter. I’ll always remember that he was the guy with the long, long hair… and he always gave off that he was a closet metal-head.

I didn’t follow his career after MTV, but apparently he was the senior vice president of A&R at Island Def Jam Records… where he signed Sum 41 and Andrew WK, among others.

Fellow 120 Minutes host, Matt Pinfield wrote on Twitter:

I am completely gutted. I loved Lewis very much. I am at a loss for words.

Rest in peace, Lewis Largent.

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

[10 Mar 2023] Tongo (Peruvian singer and comedian), 65, kidney failure The singer José Abelardo Gutiérrez, better known as Tongo, died last Friday night after he had been hospitalized since last December. … via rpp.pe

[10 Mar 2023] Napoleon XIV (American singer), 84 Jerry Samuels, who as “Napoleon XIV” wrote and recorded one of pop music’s most unusual hit singles, 1966’s “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!,” died today (March 10, 2023). … via bestclassicbands.com

[09 Mar 2023] Robin Lumley (British jazz keyboardist for Brand X), 74, heart failure "It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Robin Lumley, songwriter, master keyboardist, friend, and founding member of Brand X." … via rockaxis.com

[08 Mar 2023] Josua Madsen (Danish drummer for Artillery), 45, traffic collision Longtime ARTILLERY drummer Josua Madsen, who played on the band's last four albums, has died at the age of 45. … via blabbermouth

[08 Mar 2023] Jim Durkin (American thrash metal guitarist for Dark Angel), 58 DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin has died at the age of 58. Jim's passing was confirmed by his wife Annie on his Facebook … via blabbermouth

[08 Mar 2023] Marcel Amont (French singer), 93 French singer Marcel Amont, a music-hall star known for hits such as "Bleu, blanc, blond", died on Wednesday at the age of 93, his family said. The whimsical showman, who had a 75-year career, died at his home in Saint-Cloud, on the outskirts of Paris, according to a statement from his family. … via barrons

[07 Mar 2023] Serghei Ciuhrii (Сергей Чухрий) (Moldovan conductor, composer and teacher), 84 The well-known conductor, composer and teacher Serghei Ciuhrii has passed away. He died today at the age of 84. The announcement was announced by his daughter-in-law, the singer Nătălița Munteanu, on social networks, writes MOLDPRES. … via realitatea.md

[06 Mar 2023] Eric Alan Livingston (American musician for Mamaleek), 38 Eric Alan Livingston, a member of the experimental metal group Mamaleek, has died, the band wrote on social media yesterday. The multi-instrumentalist had played with the group since 2015 and joined as a full-time member in 2019. The musician’s cause of death has not been announced. Livingston was 38 years old. … via realitatea.md

[05 Mar 2023] Mighty Ha (American rapper for Cru) We are sad to say Mighty Ha from the group Cru has passed away over the weekend. Everyone at Boom Bap Nation sends our deepest condolences to all of Mighty Ha’s family and friends. … via boombapnation.com

[05 Mar 2023] Sharifa Fadel (Egyptian singer and actress), 84 At the age of 85, the family of the Egyptian actress Sharifa Fadel said that she died today, Sunday, after a struggle with illness. … via al-ain.com

[05 Mar 2023] Gary Rossington (American Hall of Fame guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd), 71 Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Last Original Member, Dead at 71. The founding member and guitarist, who provided the seagull-like slide guitar leads to Skynyrd’s signature “Free Bird,” survived the band’s infamous 1977 plane crash … via rollingstone.com

Read more Musicians who died in 2023.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com