In 2022,2023 and now for 2024, I publish my list of musicians and artists who passed away that year. As we age, many contemporary artists who we have enjoyed their artistry have died and many get overlooked by the masses. It is my hope that this monthly abbreviated obituary will bring back good memories of great times we enjoyed listening to these artists. Following the calendar:

JANUARY:

*Joyce Randolph (15) 99 years~ Played Trixie, Ed Norton’s wife on the Honeymooners

*May Weiss (19) 75 years Lead singer of the Shangri-Las, whose biggest hit was Leader of the Pack

*Melanie Safka (23) 76 years ~Huge in the 60’s and early 70’s. Was known simply as Melanie and her biggest hit were Brand new key and Lay Down (candles in the rain)

*Chita Rivera (30) 91 years~- actress and dancer, two-time Tony Award winner

FEBRUARY:

*Wayne Kramer (2) 75 years ~co-founder of MC5, a Punk rock band

Toby Keith (5) 62 years-country artist best know for Red Solo Cup and more than 20 top Country tunes. Never smoke weed with Willie again along with great patriotic tunes are part of his legacy.

*Mojo Nixon-(7) 66 years- Singer/Songwriter and Sirius XM DJ. Famous for “Elvis is everywhere“.

*Jimmy Van Eaton (9) 86 years. Drummer on early Sun Records, playing for Jerry Lee Lewis amongst others.

MARCH:

*Brit Turner (3) 57 years ~drummer for Blackberry Smoke

*Steve Lawrence (7) 88 years ~Pop crooner very popular in the 50s to the 70s. Married to singer Eydie Gorme.

*Eric Carmen (9) 74 years ~ lead singer of the Raspberries

*Byron Janis (14) 95 years ~classic pianist who toured Russia in the 1960s as part of a cultural exchange

*Steve Harley (17) 73 years ~lead singer of the 70s glam rock band, “Cockney Rebels”

APRIL:

Casey Benjamin (2) 45 years ~Jazz saxophonist

*Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry (7) 87 years ~R&B singer, famous for “Ain’t got no home’

*Ben Eldridge (14) 85 years ~Banjo player and founder of folk band Seldom Scene

*Dickey Betts (18) 80 years ~original Allman Bros. band guitarist and singer

*Mandisa Lynn Hundley (18) 47 years ~Grammy award winning Christian music artist

*Nick Daniels III (27) 68 years ~bass player with Dumpstafunk

*Duane Eddy (30) 86 year ~ Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, famous for the lead guitar on ‘Peter Gunn’

MAY:

*Jim Mills (3)57 years ~Banjo player with Ricky Skaggs and vintage instrument trader

*Steve Albini (7) 61 years ~producer for Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey. Front man for Big Black and Shellac

*Bill Walton (27) 71 years ~College Basketball (UCLA) and NBA Champion (Portland and Boston) and the world’s biggest Deadhead

JUNE:

*Kinky Freidman (27) 79 years ~Singer, songwriter and irreverent self-proclaimed Texas Jew boy

*Martin Mull (27) 80 years ~Comedian and actor

JULY:

*Joe Egan (6) 77 years ~member of Steelers Wheel, ‘Stuck in the middle with you’

*Joe Bonsall (7) 76 years ~Oak ridge Boys singer

*Bob Newhart (18) 94 years ~Comedian and actor

*John Mayall (22) 90 years ~English Blues legend and band leader

AUGUST:

*Shaun Martin (3) 45 years ~keyboards for Snarky Puppy

*Maurice Williams (6) 86 years ~singer of Stay and other Motown hits

*Greg Kihn (13) 75 years ~top 20 hit maker including the Breakup song and Our Loves in Jeopardy

*Gena Rowlands (14) 94 years ~Four time Emmy Award actress and two-time Golden Globe winner

*Peter Marshall (15) 98 years ~ Hollywood Squares TV game host

*Steve Silberman (29) 66 years ~studied under Alan Ginsberg, wrote for Wired magazine, inside access to the Grateful Dead and CSNY

SEPTEMBER:

*Sergio Mendes (5) 83 years ~leader of Brazil 64&66. Innovator of the Bossa Nova sound

*James Earl Jones (9) 93 years ~Actor and character voice in many movies

*Tito Jackson (16) 70 years ~brother and member of the Jackson 5

*John David ‘JD’ Souther (17) 78 years ~singer, songwriter and member of the Eagles

*Kris Kristofferson (28) 88 years ~Singer, songwriter, actor and Rhodes Scholar

OCTOBER:

*Johnny Neal (6) 78 years ~played keyboards and harmonica for the Allman Brothers and the Dickey Betts band

*Cissy Houston (7) 91 years ~2-time Grammy award winning gospel singer, mother of Whitney Houston

*Liam Payne (16) 31 years ~former member of One Direction

*Phil Lesh (25) 84 years ~Bassist for the Grateful Dead, the Dead, the Other Ones, Furthur, Phil and Friends and the Terrapin Family band

NOVEMBER:

*Quincy Jones (3) 91 years ~record producer and musical influencer

*Blake Rhea (6) 48 years ~ Bassist for Southern Avenue…murdered in a Memphis bar

*Lou Donaldson (9) 98 years ~Jazz and Bebop musician and innovator

DECEMBER:

*Zakir Hussain (15) 73 years ~Indian Tabla virtuoso, performed with Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum

Likely, I missed someone in the music and entertainment business this past year. Let me know who passed by under my radar in 2024 that touched your heart. My list is purely subjective.