Musicians who passed away in 2015

DECEMBER

1: LEONARDO FRANCO (age 73) was a guitarist and composer from Uruguay. He was one of the founders of the band Los Iracundos, a rock and roll band that rose to prominence in Latin America during the 1960s, at the peak of the Nueva ola music movement.

3: Ex-Stone Temple Pilots singer SCOTT WEILAND (age 48) died of a drug overdose in his tour bus, a few months after his bandmate Jeremy Brown. In 1992, STP released their first album, Core, spawning four hits, and two years later, Purple sold six million copies. On the late 90s, Weiland spent time in jail, in detox and in several music formations (The Magnificent Bastards, The Wondergirls) and played with The Doors remaining members in 2000. In 2002, he formed Velevt Revolver with former Guns N’ Roses members – guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum – and released two albums.

STP reunited for an album and a tour in 2008-2010 and disbanded again. Scott Weiland released a cover album and a Christmas album (!) before forming The Wildabout, with he recorded “Blaster” which came out a day after their guitarist died of an overdose.

3: GLADSTONE ANDERSON (age 81) was a Jamaican pianist, keyboard player, and singer, who played a major part in the island’s musical history, playing a key role in defining the ska sound and the rocksteady beat, and playing on hundreds of recordings as a session musician, a solo artist, and as leader of Gladdy’s All Stars.

5: Obscure but influencial heavy metal singer and drummer JOHN GARNER played for the band Sir Lord Baltimore. Their LP, Kingdom Come, would become a cornerstone of the fledgling heavy metal movement. John Garner’s athletic, flamboyant drumming was matched only by his unrestrained vocal histrionics. (Source UltimateClassicRock.com)

6: FRANZL LANG (age 84) was a yodeler from Bavaria, Germany. Lang also sang and played the guitar and the accordion and was the author of several books on yodeling. Lang was considered to be the best Alpine yodeler in the world.

8: MATTIWILDA DOBBS (age 90) was an African-American coloratura soprano and one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. She was the first black singer to perform at La Scala in Italy.

16: AAFJE HEYNIS (age 91) was a Dutch contralto. She sang Bach, Brahms, Mahler, Schubert, Vivaldi and Handel. In 1961, she was awarded the Harriet Cohen International Music Award. A tea rose was named after her.

16: RENÉ SAORGIN (age 87) was a French organist. In 1962 he founded, with Pierre Rochas, the Académie de St. Maximin. He has been president and founder of numerous organ associations, and a member of the high commission for historical monuments.

19: PETER BROGGS (age 61) was a Jamaican reggae musician, well known in the international reggae scenes. His biggest hits peaked in the 80s and 90s.

28: Paul Walden (age 51) was better known as GURU JOSH, a DJ active in the British post-acid house scene, who scored with his début single “Infinity”, which gained success in Europe in 1989.

28: Motörhead bassman and leader LEMMY KILMISTER (age 70) recorded 20 albums that sold 30 million units worldwide during his career. He started as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix before joining the band Hawkwind in 1971. He formed Motörhead (initially called Bastard) in 1975. Aside from his musical skills, Lemmy was well known for his hard living lifestyle and regular consumption of alcohol and amphetamines. He also claimed to have slept with more than a thousand women…

28: American tenor saxophonist JOE HOUSTON (age 89) played jazz and rhythm and blues in the mid 40s, in Kansas City and Chicago. After WWII, he returned to his native Texas and recorded with the pianist Amos Milburn and singer Big Joe Turner. He moved to LA in 1952 where he recorded a few singles and worked with many musicians and labels.

28: The Specials’ drummer JOHN BRADBURY (age 62) had joined the legendary ska band in 1979, when they had their first hit single, Gangsters. His drumming was a big part of the Specials’ signature sound.

30: ZJEF VANUYTSEL (age 70) was a Belgian folk singer and guitarist, one of the most important Flemish artists of the 70s.

31: Belgian pianist and music teacher JANINE REDING (age 95) was famous for her interpretation of piano played at four hands, in the reding-Piette duo.

31: NATALIE COLE (age 65) was the daughter of pop jazz crooner Nat King Cole. After a few hits in the 70s, she faded from the music scene, due to drug addiction. She re-emerged in the late 80s with hits Pink Cadillac (a Bruce Springsteen cover!) and a duet with her father which had passed away in 1965, when she was 15.

To all these unforgettable musicians, thank you and RIP.

Text from Wikipedia.

Réagissez à cet article / Comment this article

commentaires / comments