Hail and Farewell 2020

 

Clockwise from upper-left: Charlie Daniels, Bill Withers, Charley Pride,
Johnny Nash, Spencer Davis, Leslie West, Trini Lopez, Little Richard,
Center: Helen Reddy

[Note: Added Kenny Rogers on 3 January 2021.  He is in the correct place on the list, March 20.]

Once again, I find myself preparing one of these, like I have in past years, to remember those we lost.  We lost 37 in 2019, which isn’t bad.  In past years, I have done between 35 and 45 memorials on the Hail and Farewell list each year.  This year there is a shocking 79!  Why is this?  I can answer that in one word…

COVID-19.

In past years, I have done this as a single DJ show, playing one song by each artist as we wish them a final “Hail and Farewell.”  Occasionally, when the list has been larger, I have had to borrow an hour from the slot before me.  As I prepared this year’s list, I realized that it was going to well exceed four hours!  I made some decisions and did not include a few of the more obscure entries like I normally would.  I have managed to keep the combined set list to four hours and fifteen minutes.  I will present “Hail and Farewell” this year over two shows, each to go a few minutes over the two-hour norm.  The programming notes are at the bottom of the post.

In deciding who to include, I’ve followed the same formula as the past few years.  Again, these are the ones that I know about and I may very well have missed someone.  The second factor is that I must know about them musically.  I either know the person, their song(s) or their band.  They are not listed here unless I am familiar with at least one of those three things.  At the end of the day, I kind of hate to say this, but I stick to the ones that I have music for in my library.  After I had compiled the list this year, I cut out a few of the more obscure ones to make it manageable.

Here are a few notables on the list (the complete list follows)…

We lost two from the Left Banke this year.  On January 14^th, we lost Steve Martin Caro, who was their lead singer.  He was only 16 when he first joined the band and only 17 when they scored their first hit with Walk Away Renee.  He was originally from Madrid Spain and born “Carmelo Esteban Martin Caro.”  He used “Steve Martin” as a stage name until the comedian of the same name came on scene in the 1970s.  He then went by “Steve Martin Caro.”  We also lost his bandmate, Tom Finn, on June 27^th.  Finn would go on to become a club DJ in the ‘70s, including at the famous Studio 54.  The Left Banke’s sound was so unique, that the industry created a new genre just for them, “Baroque Rock.”  I wrote a blog post on the Left Bank back in 2011 and can be found here.

On February 7^th, we lost Steve Weber of the Fugs.  The Fugs were another band that the industry was forced to create a genre for, “Avant Rock,” because they didn’t fit into any existing classification.  They were definitely an underground band and the Doors were once quoted as describing the Fugs as the "most vulgar thing the human mind could possibly conceive.”  Weber was 76 years old.

On March 20th, we lost Kenny Rogers.  [Added Jan. 3 after missing him in the original post.]  He had his first hit with the psychedelic band, the First Edition, in 1968, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).”  It reached No. 5 on the charts.  He went on to an amazing solo career having both country and pop hits.  His list of awards is huge and includes three Grammys.  Rogers was 81.

We lost Julie Felix on March 22^nd.   She was an American born to a Native American mother and a Mexican father.  It was in the UK that she made a name for herself and was the first solo folk performer to land a major UK record deal when she signed with Decca Records.  While she recorded several albums, she was probably best known from European television and, in 1965, was the first folk performer to sell-out the Royal Albert Hall.  The Times hailed her as “Britain's First Lady of Folk.”  All of this and she remained unknown in her native United States.

Alan Merrill passed on March 29^th from COVID-19.  He was a singer and guitarist for a British band, the Arrows.  The Arrows were far more popular in the UK than in the States and even had their own TV show.  He was relatively obscure except for one thing.  He wrote, sang, and recorded a song with the Arrows in 1975, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, which became a rock anthem for Joan Jett eight years later.

The next day, March 30^th, we lost Bill Withers.  He had a big, number 1 hit with Lean on Me in 1972.  He passed as the pandemic was picking up speed rapidly and we began to hear his song.  The lyrics tell us that we all need to lean on someone and if we work together, we can get through anything.  The message couldn’t have been timelier, so much so that a group got together, including Bryan Adams, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Geddy Lee, Justin Beiber, Avril Lavigne and many more, to record a new version of the song to raise money to fight the pandemic.  Bill Withers parted this world leaving us a timely and much-needed message of hope.  We could get through this if we worked together. He was 81 years old.

I debated about including Terry Doran, but he was just such a big name on the British music scene in the 1960s, despite never writing a song, playing an instrument, or recording a record.  He was a luxury car dealer in London and owned Brydor Cars with Brian Epstein, manager for the Beatles.  They sold exotic sportscars to all the British rock stars.  In the Beatles song, She’s Leaving Home, there is a line, “Waiting to keep the appointment she made; greeting a man from the motor-trade,” which supposedly refers to Doran.  He became a close confidant of each of the four Beatles and eventually became an executive for Apple Corp. and Apple Records.  It was there he got to manage many musical acts of the day, including Mary Hopkins and Grapefruit.  He was 80 years old when he succumbed to COVID-19 on April 18^th.

What can I say about Little Richard that hasn’t already been said?  Born, “Richard Wayne Penniman” in 1932, he joined his first band in 1950, Buster Brown's Orchestra, at the age of 17, already a seasoned performer.  Little Richard would boast throughout his life that he invented “Rock and Roll,” like he did it singlehandedly.  Though maybe he does deserve some credit as he was undoubtedly one of the earliest pioneers and did more than his share of shaping the genre.  In 2013, he performed his last performance 66 years after his first, complete with his signature pencil mustache, pompadour, and eyeliner.  God bless Little Richard; he was 87 years old.

Peter Green, the founder of Fleetwood Mac, left this earth on July 25^th.  Fleetwood Mac started out, not as a rock band, but as a blues band.  Green formed the band in 1967 with former fellow Bluesbreaker drummer, Mick Fleetwood.  They wanted badly to get John McVie (nicknamed “Mac”), bassist for the Bluesbreakers to join them.  Green named his new band after his drummer and hopefully soon to be bassist, in hopes it would persuade Mac to join.  He did, but not until after Fleetwood Mac had recorded its first album.  Green also wrote a song for Fleetwood Mac that would later become a big hit for Santana, Black Magic Woman.  Peter Green was 73.

We lost Johnny Nash on October 6^th, just a few weeks before the announcement of a COVID vaccine.  He had a number 1 hit with I Can See Clearly Now, in 1972, the same year Bill Wither (mentioned earlier) had his.  While Withers’ song told us we could get through by helping one another, Nash’s song was one of hope being just ahead, and it was.  “Here is that rainbow I've been praying for, it’s gonna be a bright (bright), Bright (bright) sunshiny day…  Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies…”  His song implored us to just hang on a little longer and we did.  Nine weeks later, shots were going in arms and it is gonna be a bright sunshiny day.  Johnny Nash was 80 years old.

On October 19^th we lost the Professor, Spencer Davis, at age 81.  He was the frontman for the Spencer Davis Group and later became an executive for A&R Records, having a long career in the music industry.  He earned his moniker, the “Professor,” because of his love of languages.  Besides his native English, he was fluent in German, Spanish, and French.

Charley Pride passed away on December 12^th from COVID-19.  He began as a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues but left in the late ‘50s to pursue a music career.  He broke the color barrier in Country Music, a near-impossible feat at the time.  When he was done, he had 52 Top Ten hits on the Billboard Country Charts, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Charley was 86.

With less than 48 hours left in 2020, the Reaper struck again, claiming Alto Reed at age 72, on December 30^th.  He was a saxophone player, playing for many great names like Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad, Little Feat, Dave Mason, Spencer Davis (mentioned above), the Ventures, George Thorogood and Bob Seger, to just name a few.  Probably, his most famous saxophone piece is the solo in Old Time Rock and Roll for Bob Seger.  His stage name, “Alto Reed,” is obviously the combination of “Alto,” a kind of saxophone, and “Reed” the part of a sax that produces the sound.  His real name was, “Thomas Neal Cartmell.”

Here is the complete list of those we lost in 2020…

Marty Grebb, (died Jan. 1) keyboardist for the Buckinghams (1945-2020)

Neil Peart, (died Jan. 7) drummer for Rush (1952-2020)

Steve Martin Caro, (died Jan. 14) lead singer for the Left Banke (1948-2020)

Chris Darrow, (died Jan. 15) multi-instrumentalist for Kaleidoscope and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1944-2020)

Robert Parker, (died Jan. 19) singer/songwriter (1930-2020)

Bob Shane, (died Jan. 26) vocals, guitar and banjo for the Kingston Trio (1934-2020)

Steve Weber, (died Feb. 7) guitar and Vocals for the Fugs (1943-2020)

Paul English, (died Feb. 11) drummer for Willie Nelson (1932-2020)

Barbara Martin, (died Mar. 4) singer with the Supremes (1943-2020)

Phil Phillips, (died Mar. 14) singer/songwriter (1926-2020)

Kenny Rogers, (died Mar. 20) singer/songwriter  (1938-2020)

Julie Felix, (died Mar. 22) singer/songwriter (1938-2020)

Eric Weissberg, (died Mar. 22) singer/banjo player (1939-2020)

Neil Landon, (died Mar. 26) singer/songwriter/guitarist for Fat Mattress (1941-2020)

Alan Merrill, (died Mar. 29) singer/songwriter for the Arrows and Runner (1951-2020) COVID-19

Bill Withers, (died Mar. 30) singer/songwriter (1938-2020)

Adam Schlesinger, (died Apr. 1) singer/songwriter for Fountains of Wayne (1967-2020) COVID-19

Steve Farmer, (died Apr. 7) singer and guitarist for the Amboy Dukes (1948-2020)

John Prine, (died Apr. 7) singer/songwriter (1946-2020) COVID-19

Carl Dobkins Jr., (died Apr. 8) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Tim Brooke-Taylor OBE, (died Apr. 12) comedian/singer with the Goodies (1940-2020) COVID-19

Kenny Young, (died Apr. 14) songwriter (1941-2020)

Matthew Seligman, (died Apr. 17) bassist for numerous acts including the Thompson Twins and Thomas Dolby (1955-2020) COVID-19

Terry Doran, (died Apr.18) Manager/Publisher Mary Hopkins and Grapefruit (1939-2020) COVID-19

Ian Whitcomb, (died Apr. 19) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Derek Jones, (died Apr. 21) guitarist for Falling in Reverse (1984-2020)

Florian Schneider, (died Apr. 21) songwriter, multiple instruments for Kraftwerk (1947-2020)

Young Jessie, (died Apr. 27) singer/songwriter (1936-2020)

Bobby Lewis, (died Apr. 28) singer (1925-2020)

Cady Groves, (died May 2) singer/songwriter (1989-2020)

Dave Greenfield, (died May 3) keyboardist with the Stranglers (1949-2020) COVID-19

Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, (died May 5) percussionist for Professor Longhair (1943-2020)

Millie Small, (died May 5) singer/songwriter (1947-2020)

Little Richard, (died May 9) singer/songwriter (1932-2020)

Betty Wright, (died May 10) singer/songwriter (1953-2020)

Moon Martin, (died May 11) singer, songwriter and guitarist (1945-2020)

Phil May, (died May 15) lead singer for the Pretty Things (1944-2020)

Lucky Peterson, (died May 17) guitarist, keyboardist and singer (1964-2020)

Bucky Baxter, (died May 25) steel guitarist and singer with Steve Earle (1955-2020)

Steve Priest, (died Jun. 4) bassist for Sweet (1948-2020)

Bonnie Pointer, (died Jun. 8) singer for the Pointer Sisters and solo (1950-2020)

Pete Carr, (died Jun.27) studio guitarist (1950-2020)

Tom Finn, (died Jun. 27) singer and guitarist for the Left Banke (1948-2020)

Benny Mardones, (died Jun. 29) singer/songwriter (1946-2020)

Max Crook, (died Jul. 1) keyboardist for Del Shannon (1936-2020)

Charlie Daniels, (died Jul. 6) singer/songwriter (1936-2020)

Judy Dyble, (Died Jul. 12) lead singer for the Fairport Convention (1949-2020)

Jamie Oldaker, (died Jul. 16) drummer for Eric Clapton (1951-2020)

Emitt Rhodes, (died Jul. 19) singer/songwriter for the Merry-Go-Round (1950-2020)

Peter Green, (Jul. 25) singer, songwriter and guitarist for Fleetwood Mac (1946-2020)

Wayne Fontana, (died Aug. 6) frontman for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (1945-2020)

Trini Lopez, (died Aug. 11) singer/guitarist (1937-2020) COVID-19

Pete Way, (died Aug. 14) bassist for UFO (1951-2020)

Frankie Banali, (died Aug. 20) drummer for Quiet Riot (1951-2020)

Ronald Bell, (died Sep. 9) saxophonist for Kool & the Gang (1951-2020)

Edna Wright, (died Sep. 12) lead singer for Honey Cone (1945-2020)

Lee Kerslake, (died Sep. 19) drummer for Uriah Heep (1947-2020)

Tommy DeVito, (died Sep. 21) guitarist and vocalist for the Four Seasons (1928-2020) COVID-19

Roy Head, (died Sep. 21) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Jimmy Winston (died Sep. 26) keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist for the Small Faces (1945-2020)

Mac Davis, (died Sep. 29) singer/songwriter (1942-2020)

Rocco Prestia, (died Sep. 29) bassist for Tower of Power (1951-2020)

Helen Reddy, (died Sep. 29) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Johnny Nash, (died Oct. 6) singer/songwriter (1940-2020)

Brian Locking, (died Oct.8) bassist for the Shadows (1938-2020)

Gordon Haskell, (died Oct. 15) bassist for the Fleur de Lys and King Crimson (1946-2020)

Spencer Davis, (died Oct. 19) Singer and guitarist (1939-2020)

Tony Lewis, (died Oct. 19) lead singer and bassist for the Outfield (1957-2020)

Billy Joe Shaver, (died Oct. 28) singer/songwriter (1939-2020)

Ken Hensley, (died Nov. 4) singer/songwriter with Uriah Heep (1945-2020)

Len Barry, (died Nov. 5) singer/songwriter (1942-2020)

Jim Tucker, (died Nov. 12) guitarist for the Turtles (1946-2020)

Tony Hooper, (died Nov. 18) singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Strawbs (1939-2020)

Charley Pride, (died Dec. 12) singer and guitarist (1934-2020) COVID-19

Pelle Alsing, (died Dec. 19) drummer for Roxette (1960-2020)

Chad Stuart, (died Dec. 20) half of Chad & Jeremy (1941-2020)

Leslie West. (died Dec. 22) singer, songwriter and guitarist for Mountain (1945-2020)

Phyllis McGuire, (died Dec. 29) singer with the McGuire Sisters (1931-2020)

Alto Reed, (died Dec. 30) saxophone player for Bob Seger and many others (1948-2020)

Please join me on Sunday, January 3^rd, from 7:00 to 9:10 PM as we pay tribute to those lost from January through May 2020.

There will be a second show on Wednesday, January 6^th, from 7:00 to 9:10 PM, as we pay tribute to those lost from June through December 2020.

Please note: there is an extra ten minutes each night.

Join us both nights at a Woman’s Touch as we pay a final tribute to those we lost in 2020, and wish them a fond, Hail and Farewell.

"If there's a rock and roll heaven, well you know they've got a hell of a band."

                                                                                       The Righteous Brothers, 1973

Chad Stuart (left) of Chad & Jeremy passed away December 19th