R.I.P. Butch Trucks
It’s been a bad week for drummers. First Jaki Liebezeit of Can and now Butch Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band has passed away. Trucks, who helped form the band in 1969, was 69 years old. No cause of death has been given. The Allman Brothers Band finally called it quits in 2014. Butch’s nephew, […]
R.I.P. Jaki Liebezeit
Jaki Liebezeit, legendary timekeeper for Can has died, age 78, from a case of sudden pneumonia. Jaki formed Can alongside Michael Karoli, Irmin Schmidt, and Holger Czukay in 1968. His bandmembers described him as “half man, half machine”.
R.I.P. Pete “Overend” Watts
According to Ian Hunter’s website, Mott The Hoople bass player extraordinaire Pete Overend Watts has died of throat cancer. Overend was an amazing musician a great showman and a really nice guy. He will be missed.
R.I.P. Peter Sarstedt
Singer Peter Sarstedt has died, age 75. The British singer-songwriter was best known for his 1969 hit Where Do You Go You My Lovely.
RIP Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner, founding member of Jefferson Airplane, and later, Jefferson Starship, has passed away at the age of 74. Kantner was one of the most important musical personalities to emerge from the San Francisco scene of the 1960s. He, along with Marty Balin formed the Airplane in 1965, originally as a folk-rock band. With Grace […]
RIP Glenn Frey
Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey has passed away at age 67. Let’s face it folks, this has been a traumatic year for anyone who loves music. The 13th Floor was fortunate enough to speak to Glenn Frey a few years ago when he was promoting his solo show at thew Vector Arena. You can listen to […]
RIP Dale Griffin (aka Buffin)
Dale Griffin, who, known as Buffin, was the drummer for Mott The Hoople, passed away at the age of 67. Buffin was a member of Mott from the beginning (1969) and played on their best-known tunes including All The Young Dudes. When the band reformed in 2009 for a series of gigs in London, Buffin […]
R.I.P. David Bowie
I can’t believe this is real. I just heard that David Bowie has passed away at age 69 from cancer. First Lemmy and now this. Words cannot describe in impact David Bowie’s music has had on mine, and millions of others’ lives. I am stunned. All I can say is thank you to The Star […]
RIP Lemmy
Just days after his 70th birthday, Motorhead frontman and bassist Lemmy has passed away. His impact on rock and roll is immeasurable. We are sad to see him go. Read more about Lemmy’s life and death here. Watch Lemmy’s final performance with Motorhead, recorded just a couple of weeks ago in Berlin, here:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M123gRMtBBM] Save
R.I.P. Allen Toussaint
The great Allen Toussaint has passed away at age 77. Toussaint was one of the finest musicians, songwriters and producers New Orleans had to offer. Among his compositions are Southern Nights, Working In A Coal Mine, Mother-In-Law, Brickyard Blues, Fortune Teller, A Certain Girl and hundreds of others. He also produced sessions for The Meters, […]
RIP: Chris Squire
Chris Squire, the long-standing bass player for prog-rock band Yes has passed away at the age of 67. Squire formed the influential band with vocalist Jon Anderson in 1968. Amid the multiple personnal changes the band went through over the years, Squire was the only one to remain a constant member. He appeared with Yes […]
RIP: Ornette Coleman
Jazz great Ornette Colemnan has passed away at the age of 85. His contribution to music was immeaasurable. For more information, read this obituary from The New York Times. Click here to listen to Ornette Coleman’s recording of Lonely Woman from the 1959 album The Shape Of Jazz To Come:
RIP: B. B. King
Another musical King has died. Two weeks ago it was Ben E. King, now B.B. King has passed away at the age of 89. King had been touring relentlessly until late last year. He had been unwell for several weeks has died in his sleep in Las Vegas. Click here to read more about BB […]
RIP: Ben E King
Ben E King, one of pop music’s finest vocalists and songwriters, has passed away at the age of 76. In addition to singing lead for The Drifters on hits like There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me, King also recorded solo hits Spanish Harlem and Stand By Me working with Leiber […]
RIP: Percy Sledge
Soul man Percy Sledge has passed away at the age of 74. Percy’s best-known recording was his 1966 hit When A Man Loves A Woman. But Percy was much more than a one-hit wonder. He recorded a slew of under-appreciated deep-soul classics over the intervening years. Check out his 1969 single, True Love Travels On […]
RIP: Michael Brown of The Left Banke
Michael Brown, songwriter and keyboard player for 1960’s baroque-pop band The Left Banke has passed away at the age of 65. Brown’s tenure with the band was short, creative and combative but it yeided two of the most perfectly formed pop songs of the 1960s, Walk Away Renee and Pretty Ballerina, both penned by Brown. […]
RIP: Kim Fowley
KIm Fowley has passed away at the age of 75. Kim, who has been involved in music as a songwriter, artist , producer, label head and just about anything else, was a true rock & roll original. Kim began producing records in the late 1950s. His first big hit was Alley Oop by The Hollywood […]
RIP: Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker has died at the age of 70. The singer passed away due to lung cancer. Hailing from Sheffield, England, the gravelly-voice vocalist was one of the highlights of 1969’s Woodstock Music Festival thanks to his bluesy version of The Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends. His Mad Dogs And Englishmen tour […]
RIP Ian McLagan
Another veteran rocker has passed away. Former Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan has died in Austin, Texas after suffering a stroke. The 69-year-old began his musical career with The Small Faces in the mid-1960s and played on hits Itchycoo Park and Tin Soldier and then went on to The Faces with Rod Stewart. Recently, McLagan […]
RIP: Bobby Keys
We are sad to learn of the death of rock & roll sax man Bobby Keys. Keys, who was 70 years old, was best known for his work with The Rolling Stones. He had been their sax player on and off since 1969. But his career extended way beyond Brown Sugar. He played on hundreds […]