December 31, 2016 - Ramblin' with Roger

Sir Neville Marriner died in 2016. Initially, I was going to get representative tracks from ALL the musicians who died this year, but that became too onerous. The list includes:

Pierre Boulez, the famed French composer, and conductor, died Jan. 5 at 90.
Otis Clay, soul singer and Blues Music Hall of Famer best known for 1967’s “That’s How It Is (When You’re In Love),” died Jan. 8 at 73.
David Bowie died Jan. 10, two days after his 69th birthday, after an 18-month secret battle with cancer.
René Angélil, musical producer, singer. Manager (1981–2014) and husband (from 1994) of singer Celine Dion, died Jan. 14, two days shy of his 74th birthday, of throat cancer.
Glenn Frey, The Eagles guitarist, and co-founder, died at 67 on Jan. 18.
Paul Kantner, Jefferson Airplane co-founder, and guitarist, died at 74 on Jan. 28.
Signe Anderson, the original Jefferson Airplane singer who was replaced by Grace Slick, died at 74 also on Jan. 28.
Maurice White, a founding member of the disco-funk group Earth, Wind & Fire, died Feb. 3 at 74.
Dan Hicks, who led ’60s band Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, died Feb. 6 at 74.
Vanity, an ’80s singer-actress and Prince protege also known as Denise Katrina Matthews, died Feb. 15 at 57.
Sonny James, the country singer behind hits like “Young Love,” died Feb. 22 at age 87.
Lennie Baker, the voice of Sha Na Na’s doo-wop hit “Blue Moon,” died Feb. 24 at age 69.

George Martin, the “Fifth Beatle” best known as a producer for The Beatles, died March 8 at 90. 10 Hours that Changed EVERYTHING.
Keith Emerson, founder, and keyboardist of the progressive-rock band Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, died March 11 at 71. Suicide.
Frank Sinatra Jr., singer, and son of Ol’ Blue Eyes, died March 16 of cardiac arrest at 72.
Lee Andrews, ’50s doo-wop singer, and father of The Roots drummer Questlove, died March 16 at age 79.
Daryl Coley, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer, died the week of March 16 at age 60.

Gato Barbieri, Grammy-winning Latin jazz musician and “Last Tango in Paris” composer, died April 2 at 83.
Merle Haggard, the country music legend who had more than 30 No. 1 hits, died April 6 on his 79th birthday.
Les Waas, songwriter for nearly 1,000 jingles include the Mister Softee ice cream truck song, died April 19 at 94.
Prince, music legend, died April 21 at 57. Tribute at Coverville 1123
Lonnie Mack, blues guitar great, died April 21 at 74.
Billy Paul, a Grammy-winning jazz and soul singer best known for the 1972 hit “Me and Mrs. Jones,” died April 24 at 80.

Madeleine LeBeau, best known for singing “La Marseillaise” as Yvonne in the 1942 film “Casablanca,” died May 1 at 92.
Julius La Rosa, a pop singer famously fired on the Arthur Godfrey show in 1953, died May 12 at 86.
Bill Backer, the real-life Don Draper who came up with Coca-Cola’s iconic “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” ad, died May 13 at 89.
Jane Little, Atlanta Symphony bassist who held the Guinness World Record for the longest professional tenure with a single orchestra, died May 15 at 87 after collapsing on stage during a performance.
Guy Clark, Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter, died May 17 at 74.

Christina Grimmie, a former contestant on The Voice TV show, died on June 10 at 22. Shot and murdered by a “fan.”
P.M. Dawn’s Prince Be, singer-rapper born Attrel Cordes and best known for the 1991 hit “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss,” died June 17 at 46 from complications of diabetes and renal kidney disease.
Ralph Stanley, bluegrass music legend and “O Brother Where Art Thou” singer, died June 23 at 89.
Bernie Worrell, the masterful Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist, died June 24 at his home at age 72. I saw him when he played with the Talking Heads.
Scotty Moore, the pioneering rock guitarist for Elvis Presley, died June 28 at his home. He was 84.

Bonnie Brown, of Country Music Hall of Fame trio The Browns died July 16 at 77.
Alan Vega, Suicide singer, and punk rock pioneer, died July 16 at 78.
Marni Nixon, ‘The Sound of Music’ singer best known dubbing vocals for Hollywood stars in ‘The King and I,’ ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘West Side Story,’ died July 24 at 86.

Ricci Martin, singer and youngest son of Dean Martin, died Aug. 3 at 62.
Glenn Yarbrough, a founding member of folk trio The Limeliters, died Aug. 11 at 86.
Ruby Wilson, blues, soul and gospel singer known as “The Queen of Beale Street,” died Aug. 12 at 68.

Bobby Hutcherson, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, died Aug. 15 at 75.
Lou Pearlman, the creator of Backstreet Boys and NSync, died in prison Aug. 19 at age 62.
Toots Thielemans, a jazz harmonica legend heard on ‘Sesame Street’ theme, died Aug. 22 at 94.

Kacey Jones, singer-comedienne best known for “I’m the One Mama Warned You About,” “Donald Trump’s Hair,” and an appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” died Sept. 2 at 66.
Charmian Carr, who played Liesl von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music,’ died Sept. 17 at 73.
Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr., Buckwheat Zydeco leader and Louisiana accordionist, died Sept. 24 at 68
Jean Shepard, Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member, died Sept. 25 at 82.
Rod Temperton, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ songwriter and Heatwave member, died in September at 66. On rereleases of Off the Wall and Thriller CDs, he describes the writing process of some of the songs.

Neville Marriner, British conductor behind Oscar-winning “Amadeus” soundtrack, died Oct. 2 at 92.
Joan Marie Johnson, The Dixie Cups singer known for ‘Chapel of Love’ and ‘Iko Iko,’ died Oct. 3 at 72.
Bobby Vee, ’60s teen idol who replaced Buddy Holly and helped Bob Dylan get his start, died Oct. 24 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease at 73.

Kay Starr, bluesy singer of swing, pop, and country songs on Nov. 3 at age 94.
Leonard Cohen, the singer-songwriter behind ‘Hallelujah,’ died Nov. 7 at 82. Tribute at Coverville 1148.
Leon Russell, influential singer-songwriter and all-star collaborator, died Nov. 13 at 74.
Buck Malen, bassist with the early-’80s rock band French Letter, and many other bands died Nov. 13 at 66.
David Mancuso, DJ and New York nightlife pioneer who popularized breaking new music in clubs via a “record pool,” died Nov. 14 at 72.
Mose Allison, the great jazz pianist, died Nov. 15 at 89.
Sharon Jones, the Grammy-nominated soul singer with The Dap-Kings, died Nov. 18 at 60 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Cliff Barrows, who directed music for Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades, died Nov. 24 at 93. “Cliff Barrows has led more people in singing than any other man in the world,” Graham said in 1992.

Greg Lake, King Crimson singer-bassist and ELP co-founder, died Dec. 8 of cancer at 69.
Joe Ligon, the lead singer for the Grammy-winning gospel group Mighty Clouds of Joy, died Dec 11 at 80.
Alan Thicke, composer of the original themes for Wheel of Fortune, Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Wizard of Odds, and Diff’rent Strokes, the latter of which he also sang, died Dec. 13 at 69 after a heart attack.
George Michael, the pop singer who was half of the duo Wham! before superstar solo career, died Dec 25 at 53 from heart failure. AmeriNZ remembers.
Alphonse Mouzon, the legendary drummer, died Dec. 26 at 68 of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer.
Debbie Reynolds, singer – Tammy was a gold record which went to #1 in 1957 – and actress (Singin’ in the Rain) died Dec. 28 at 84 after a stroke.
Allan Williams, the Beatles’ first manager, died Dec. 30 at 86