“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” – Confucius
The start of the New Year gives us a moment to pause and look back to the events of 2014. Sadly, we are reminded of the loss of many wonderful artists who gave us pleasure by sharing their very special talents. As in years past, this list is in no way meant to be all-encompassing, but simply a quick snapshot of musician’s whose sound will live on.
Jack Bruce
May 14, 1943 – Oct. 25, 2014
A versatile and widely admired bass player, Bruce made up a third of the one of the early rock n roll super groups Cream. Bruce co-wrote most of Cream’s single releases with lyricist Pete Brown, including their biggest hits Sunshine of Your Love, White Room and I Feel Free. Prior to joining Cream, Bruce had his first commercial success as a member of Manfred Mann in 1966, including “Pretty Flamingo” which reached number one in the UK singles chart. Bruce found limited commercial success in his later career but, as Roger Waters said, Bruce probably was the most musically gifted bass player who’s ever been.
Paul Revere
Jan. 7, 1938 – Oct. 4, 2014
The frontman for Paul Revere & the Raiders, Revere lead a band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. With three gold records to their name in the mid-60s, the Raiders were Columbia Records top-selling rock group. Among their biggest hits were Kicks, Hungry, Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be? and their mega #1 hit single Indian Reservation. Born Paul Revere Dick, he led the band which often wore three-cornered hats and other American Revolution-era clothing during performances.
Paco de Lucia
Dec. 21, 1947 – Feb. 25, 2014,
Described as a “titanic” figure in the world of flamenco guitar by Eric Clapton and Richard Chapman, Paco de Lucia was a renowned guitarist, composer and producer. de Lucia was a trailblazer of the “New Flamenco” style, helping legitimize among the establishment in Spain. de Lucia was also one of the first to be successful in crossing into other styles music including jazz and classical.
Tommy Ramone
Jan. 29, 1949 – July 11, 2014
Tommy Ramone played drums for The Ramones from 1974 to 1978 before moving on to handle the bands management and co-producing, Road to Ruin. He then returned as producer for the eighth album, Too Tough to Die. Tommy Ramone wrote I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend and the majority of Blitzkrieg Bop (bassist Dee Dee suggested the title).Joined by Ed Stasium, he also played all the guitar solos on the albums he produced. Heavily influenced by 1970s hard-rock band the New York Dolls, Lou Reed and pop-art legend Andy Warhol Ramone said, “The scene that developed at CBGB wasn’t [for] a teenage or garage band; there was an intellectual element and that’s the way it was for The Ramones.
Johnny Winter
Feb. 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014
Born just up the road in Beaumont, Texas, John Dawson Winter III (aka Johnny Winter) was an Iconic blues guitarist who also performed on multi-instruments, sang and produced. While he was best known for his high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. After his time with Waters, Winter recorded several Grammy-nominated blues albums. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 63rd in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.
Gerry Goffin
Feb. 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014
He might not have performed them, but the songs he helped to write are a parade of number one smash hits. Writing at first with his wife Carole King, Goffen penned such classics as Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Take Good Care of My Baby, The Loco-Motion, Go Away Little Girl, I’m into Something Good, Don’t Bring Me Down, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and Pleasant Valley Sunday. After his divorce with King, Goffen went on to collobrate with Barry Goldberg and Michael Masser with whom he wrote Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) and Saving All My Love for You, which also topped the charts at No.1. Overall, Goffin penned over 50 US Top 40 hits, including eight chart-toppers, and 21 UK Top 40 hits.
Bobby Womack
March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014
Starting his career as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke’s backing guitarist, Womack’s career spanned more than 50 years landing him into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Able to perform a wide range of styles including soul, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, gospel, and country, he was known for such hits as Lookin’ For a Love, That’s The Way I Feel About Cha and If You Think You’re Lonely Now. Womack also wrote and recorded the Rolling Stones first UK No. 1 hit, It’s All Over Now.
Jessie Winchester
May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014
Primarily known as a songwriter due to his status as a draft resister and being unable to tour in the United States, Winchester wrote a slew of songs that were covered by the likes of George Strait, Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez, Jimmy Buffett and many others. Winchester received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2007.
Frankie Knuckles
Jan. 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014
Often referred to as “The Godfather of House Music” (a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s and continued to work as a remixer through the 1990s reworking tracks from Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Eternal and Toni Braxton. Knuckles took home the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical in 1997. His song Your Love appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Bob Casale
July 14, 1952 – February 17, 2014
A founding member of the band Devo, Casale was also known for his music engineering and production skills working for television and movies, including Four Rooms, Happy Gilmore, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and Rugrats Go Wild. But he will be best remembered for his playing lead/rhythm guitar and keyboards along with singing backup vocals for the band that took devolution to a new standard.
Pete Seeger
May 3, 1919 – Jan. 27, 2014
It would be impossible to list all of Pete Seeger’s accomplishments in this little blurb. His impact on the world of music and of the world may never be matched. Seeger had a slew of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers including Goodnight, Irene, which topped the charts in 1950 for 13 weeks. After being blacklisted in the late 50’s, Seeger returned as a prominent singer of protest music, supporting a variety of causes. His songs include Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, If I Had a Hammer,” and Turn! Turn! Turn! which were later recorded by many artists throughout the world. Seeger was also one of the folksingers responsible for popularizing We Shall Overcome” which became the acknowledged anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement.
Jimmy Ruffin
May 7, 1936 – Nov. 17, 2014
A soul singer and elder brother of David Ruffin of The Temptations, Ruffin had several hit records between the 1960s and 1980s. In a funny twist of fate, he heard a song about unanswered love written for The Spinners. Ruffin convinced the writers that he should record it himself and his recording of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted became a major success, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the rhytm and blues Chart. While unable to capture magic in a bottle twice, Ruffin was able to chart several more songs.
Phil Everly
Jan. 19, 1939 – Jan. 3, 2014
As one-half of the Everly Brothers, Phil Everly helped create a new sound that has influenced artists to this day. Catching the attention of Chet Atkins, The Everly Brothers went on to record such number one hits as Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to do is Dream and Bye-Bye Love (which charted number one on the country charts and number two on the pop charts). The duo was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Casey Kasem
April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014
The person who taught America to count to 40 backwards did not sing or play an instrument, yet his impact on the world of music cannot be overstated. Also known as the voice of Shaggy in the Scooby Doo cartoons, Kasem helped cofound the American Top 40 franchise which played hits based on the Billboard Top 100 hits chart and provided background information on the songs and artists played. The first #1 song? Three Dog Night’s Momma Told me not to Come back July 4, 1970.