February 6, 1950 - December 31, 2015
Natalie Cole, the daughter of singer Nat King Cole, has died at the age of 65.
Her breakout hit was 1975's "This Will Be," but she may be best remembered for the 1991 album "Unforgettable... With Love."
The album included her recording of the song "Unforgettable," which was a posthumous duet with her late father.
Cole, a nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer, died of congestive heart failure at a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
| 12/28/2015 | 70 | Lemmy | Motörhead, vocals | Heart Failure | Los Angeles, California
|
Lemmy
December 24, 2015 - December 28, 2015
Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister was the singer and songwriter who founded the heavy metal band Motörhead.
| 12/24/2015 | 74 | William Guest | Gladys Knight and the Pips, vocals | Heart Failure | Detroit, Michigan |
William Guest
July 2, 1941 - December 24, 2015
William Guest, a member of Gladys Knight and the Pips, has died. He was 74.
| 12/6/2015 | 69 | Holly Woodlawn | Andy Warhol associate | Cancer | Los Angeles, California |
Holly Woodlawn
October 26, 1946 - December 6, 2015
Born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl, Holly Woodlawn was a transgender pioneer and associate of Andy Warhol, appearing in several of his films.
As a drag queen, she acted in underground films such as Trash (1970), Twin Falls Idaho (1999) and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998). She also appeared in
various roles in cabaret and theatre.
The first verse of Lou Reed's song "Walk on the Wild Side" documents Woodlawn at age 16 when she left Miami for the streets of New York:
Holly came from Miami, F-L-A
Hitchhiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, "Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side."
Holly Woodlawn died from brain and liver cancer on December 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
| 12/3/2015 | 48 | Scott Weiland | Stone Temple Pilots / Velvet Revolver, vocals | Heart Failure | Bloomington, Minnesota |
Scott Weiland
October 27, 1967 - December 3, 2015
Scott Weiland, lead singer of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver has died at age 48. He
passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts.
Just a few months earlier, The Wildabouts guitarist, Jeremy Brown, passed away.
Weilands career was overshadowed by his long battle with drug addiction.
| 12/1/2015 | 75 | Alex Cooley | Concert Promoter | | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
Alex Cooley
1939 - December 1, 2015
Alex Cooley was an Atlanta area concert promoter. He helped organize the huge Atlanta International Pop Festival in 1969, bringing Janis Joplin to Atlanta for her first show in the Southeast and a
second Atlanta International Pop Festival in 1970 featuring Jimi Hendrix as a headliner. This event was held on July 4, 1970 in Byron, Georgia in a field adjacent to the Middle Georgia Raceway.
He helped to put on the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival held in Puerto Rico on April 1-3, 1972. This event was not considered successful as it was marred by several accidental deaths and a murder.
An arrest warrant was issued Alex Cooley, who managed to avoid being arrested by leaving the island before the festival was over.
Between 1974 and 1979, he ran Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom, a downtown Atlanta venue that brought acts such as Bruce Springsteen, the Ramones, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, and Rush to the city.
| 11/23/2015 | 71 | Cynthia Robinson | Sly and the Family Stone, trumpeter | Cancer | Carmichael, California |
Cynthia Robinson
January 12, 1946 - November 23, 2015
Cynthia Robinson, trumpeter for Sly and the Family Stone has died at the age of 71.
Her trumpet work and vocals can be heard on songs like "Dance to the Music" and "I Want to Take You Higher."
David VanLanding
October 6, 1964 - November 17, 2015
David VanLanding, vocalist for the The Michael Schenker Group from 1997 until 1999 and again in the 2011 and 2012 tours, died in a car crash after colliding with a garbage truck in Clearwater, Florida.
VanLanding had planned to rejoin Schenker on the Axes & Anchors Cruise in January, 2016.
| 11/15/2015 | 70 | P.F. Sloan | songwriter | Pancreatic Cancer | Los Angeles, California |
P.F. Sloan
September 18, 1945 - November 15, 2015
P.F. Sloan wrote songs that became hits for The Turtles, The Grass Roots, and many others. Notable songs he wrote or co-wrote include
"Secret Agent Man" (Johnny Rivers), "Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire), "A Must to Avoid" (Herman's Hermit's) and many others.
Allen Toussaint
January 14, 1938 - November 10, 2015
Allen Toussaint, whose work as a songwriter, producer, and performer helped define the sound of soul and R&B in New Orleans and beyond, died following a performance in Madrid, Spain. He was 77.
Many musicians recorded Toussaint's compositions, including "Java", "Mother-in-Law", "I Like It Like That", "Fortune Teller", "Ride Your Pony", "Get Out of My Life, Woman", "Working in the Coal Mine", "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky", "Here Come the Girls", "Yes We Can Can" and "Play Something Sweet."
"Southern Nights" a song written by Allen Toussaint, reached number 1 when recorded by Glen Campbell in 1977. He was also a producer for hundreds of recordings, among the best known of which are "Right Place, Wrong Time" by Dr. John and "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle.
Most of Toussaint's possessions, including his home and recording studio, Sea Saint, were lost during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2013 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
| 11/9/2015 | 85 | Andy White | Beatles, drummer | Stroke | Caldwell, New Jersey |
Andy White
July 27, 1930 - November 9, 2015
Andy White, drummer on 'Love Me Do' and considered a 'fifth Beatle,' has died after suffering from a stroke.
Mr. White played drums on the Beatles U.S. version of "Love Me Do" in 1962, while Ringo Starr played tambourine on the track.
"Love Me Do" was the Beatles first single, released in the United States in 1964. The song went to No. 1. The B side was "P.S. I Love You."
Before moving to the United States, White often worked a session drummer for EMI at the Abbey Road Studios in London, appearing on many tracks. He reportedly was the drummer on Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual."
Others considered "The Fifth Beatle" include Pete Best, George Martin, Jimmie Nicol, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Billy Preston.
| 11/7/2015 | 71 | Eddie Hoh | drummer | | Westmont, Illinois |
Eddie Hoh
October 16, 1944 - November 7, 2015
Eddie Hoh was rock session drummer active in the 1960s. Often uncredited, he played the drums on several well-known rock songs and albums, including those by Donovan and the Monkees.
He also performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival as a member of the Mamas and the Papas touring band. In 1968, he participated in the recording of
Super Session, the highly successful
Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper/Stephen Stills collaboration album.
After completing an album with Harvey Mandel (Games Guitars Play, released in 1970), Eddie Hoh apparently stopped recording and performing. He remained out of the public eye until his death.
He died at a nursing home in Westmont, Illinois on November 7, 2015, aged 71, from undisclosed causes.
| 11/3/2015 | 61 | Raul Rekow | Santana, percussion | Cancer | San Francisco, California |
Raul Rekow
June 10, 1954 - November 3, 2015
Raul Rekow, who played percussion with the Santana Band from 1976 until 2013, has died. Rekow also played on recordings by Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Whitney Houston, while releasing solo music and doing instructional film work.
| 10/20/2015 | 74 | Cory Wells | Three Dog Night, vocalist | | Dunkirk, New York |
Cory Wells
February 2, 1941 - October 20, 2015
Cory Wells, an original member and one of the three vocalists of Three Dog Night, died in his sleep at home in Dunkirk, New York at the age of 74.
Earlier in 2015, another member of Three Dog Night, Jimmy Greenspoon, died of cancer in North Potomac, Maryland, at the age of 67.
Billy Joe Royal
April 3, 1942 - October 6, 2015
Billy Joe Royal was an American pop and country singer. His most successful record was 1976's "Down in the Boondocks" written by his friend Joe South.
Royal died in his sleep on October 6, 2015 in Morehead City, North Carolina.
| 9/13/2015 | 65 | Gary Richrath | REO Speedwagon, guitarist | | Bloomington, Illinois |
Gary Richrath
October 18, 1949 - September 13, 2015
Gary Dean Richrath was the lead guitarist and a songwriter for REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989. In 1992, Richrath released a solo album,
Only the Strong Survive.
Richrath joined his former REO Speedwagon bandmates for a 2013 benefit concert in Bloomington, Illinois, to raise money for tornado victims.
| 9/5/2015 | 66 | Dennis Greene | Sha Na Na, singer | Esophageal Cancer | Dayton, Ohio |
Dennis Greene
January 11, 1949 - September 5, 2015
Frederick "Dennis" Greene was a member of Sha Na Na, the vocal group who were formed in 1969 at New York's Columbia University.
Greene choreographed most of the moves for the Sha Na Na television show which aired from 1978 to 1981. Denny was portrayed in the show as the most intelligent member of Sha Na Na.
He sang lead in the song "Tears on My Pillow" when he appeared with Sha Na Na in the 1978 movie
Grease.
Denny performed at Woodstock with Sha Na Na - the band was on stage just before Jimi Hendrix.
Greene left the group in 1984, furthered his education with a master's degree at Harvard and a law degree at Yale, and became a Columbia Pictures executive and then a law professor.
Greene taught at Florida A&M, the University of Oregon and, from 2001 until his death, the University of Dayton where he taught classes on torts, entertainment law and constitutional law.
Greene died in a Dayton, Ohio hospital after a brief battle with esophageal cancer.
| 7/30/2015 | 67 | Lynn Anderson | country singer | Heart Failure | Nashville, Tennessee |
Lynn Anderson
September 26, 1947 - July 30, 2015
Lynn Anderson, whose version of Joe South's song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" was one of the biggest country hits of the 1970s, has died. She was 67.
Buddy Emmons
January 27, 1937 - July 29, 2015
Buddy Emmons, regarded as one of the world's finest pedal steel guitarists, has died at age 78.
At the age of 18, Buddy joined "Little" Jimmy Dickens' band. He penned two instrumentals while in Jimmy's band ("Raising the Dickens" and "Buddie's Boogie") that have become pedal steel standards.
Later Buddy Emmons played with two of the most legendary backing bands in country music: Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours, and Ray Prices' Cherokee Cowboys.
Emmons recorded with country music greats and toured as the bass player in Roger Miller's band. He also worked with a wide variety of other musicians including Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers,
John Hartford, Ray Price, Judy Collins, and Lenny Breau.
Emmons never officially retired, and continued to play at steel guitar shows and other functions, and was known to frequent NPR's A Prairie Home Companion.
Daron Norwood
September 30, 1965 - July 22, 2015
Norwood recorded two albums for Giant records (1993's Daron Norwood and 1995's Ready, Willing and Able) before he quit his career as a country singer because of his addiction to alcohol.
Norwood's debut single, "If It Wasn't for Her, I Wouldn't Have You," came in 1993, with the follow-up, "Cowboys Don't Cry," the next year. Both reached country music's Top 30 chart.
In 1997, Norwood founded "Keep It Straight," a program to help warn kids about the perils of drugs and alcohol abuse and violence.
Wayne Carson
May 31, 1943 - July 20, 2015
Wayne Carson, a Nashville musician and songwriter who penned hits such as the Willie Nelson classic "Always On My Mind," and The Box Tops' "The Letter," has died. He was 72.
Carson's first No. 1 hit was the 1966 recording of his song "Somebody Like Me," performed by Eddy Arnold. The Box Tops had a Number 1 hit with "The Letter;" the song was also covered by Joe Cocker and Leon Russell.
| 6/27/2015 | | Chris Squire | YES, bassist | Acute erythroid leukemia | Phoenix, Arizona |
Chris Squire
March 4, 1948- June 27, 2015
Chris Squire was a founding member and bassist of the progressive Rock band, YES. He died June 27, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ornette Coleman
March 9, 1930 (?) - June 11, 2015
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, a term he invented with the name of a 1961 album.
Ronnie Gilbert
September 7, 1926 - June 6, 2015
Singer Ronnie Gilbert, a member of the influential 1950s folk group The Weavers, died at her home in California. She was 88.
The Weavers were known for singing American folk standards, including "This Land Is Your Land", "If I Had a Hammer", "On Top of Old Smoky" and "Goodnight, Irene." They also popularized songs from other cultures, including "Wimoweh" from Africa. This
work laid the groundwork for the folk music boom, paving the way for the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary and later, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Phil Ochs.
Other original members of the Weavers quartet included Pete Seeger (died 2014), Lee Hays (died 1981), and Fred Hellerman (died 2016).
Jean Ritchie
December 8, 1922 - June 1, 2015
Jean Ritchie was an influential American folk music singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player.
Dennis Sheehan
Longtime U2 tour manager Dennis Sheehan died Wednesday, May 27, 2015 in a West Hollywood motel room. He had been with U2 for more than 30 years.
Louis Johnson
April 13, 1955 - May 21, 2015
Louis Johnson was the bassist and founding member of The Brothers Johnson, a band he formed with his brother George. They scored several Funk hits in the 1970s including songs
"Strawberry Letter 23", "I'll Be Good to You" and "Stomp!".
George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston's band and wrote selections for his albums Music Is My Life and The Kids & Me before leaving his group in 1973.
Louis also did much bass guitar session work, notably on Michael Jackson's top-selling album, Thriller.
Louis Johnson was found dead at his home in Las Vegas, May 21, 2015. The cause of death was gastrointestinal bleeding of the esophagus.
| 5/14/2015 | 89 | B. B. King | blues great | | Las Vegas, Nevada |
B. B. King
September 15, 1925 - May 14, 2015
Johnny Gimble
May 30, 1926 - May 9, 2015
Fiddler Johnny Gimble, who gained fame for his backup work with country stars from Merle Haggard to Carrie Underwood, has died.
Gimble played on albums by Conway Twitty, Connie Smith, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, and Chet Atkins. He also released 10 solo albums and toured with Willie Nelson from 1979 to 1981.
| 5/6/2015 | 71 | Errol Brown | Hot Chocolate, vocalist | Liver Cancer | The Bahamas |
Errol Brown
November 12, 1943 - May 6, 2015
Errol Brown, the singer for Hot Chocolate on their 1970s hits such as "You Sexy Thing" and "Every 1's a Winner," has died of liver cancer at age 71.
Brown later went on to a successful solo career and was appointed a Member of the British Empire in 2003.
Brown also co-wrote "Brother Louie," a song about an interracial romance, which was covered by the U.S. band Stories in 1973. Stories' version hit No. 1.
| 5/4/2015 | 28 | Travis Hill | jazz trumpeter | Sepsis-induced Cardiomyopathy | Tokyo, Japan |
Travis 'Trumpet Black' Hill
Travis 'Trumpet Black' Hill, a New Orleans trumpeter, grandson of New Orleans R&B great Jessie "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" Hill and cousin of Trombone Shorty, has died at 28. An infection rose after a minor dental procedure to cap an abscessed tooth, causing him to be rushed to a Tokyo hospital.
The infection then spread to his heart, killing him.
Travis Hill had performed with the Trombone Shorty Brass Band and with groups including the New Birth and Lil Rascals brass bands before spending nearly nine years in prison for armed robbery. He got out in 2011 and was soon working again as a musician. He played with a number of groups including his own band, Trumpet Black and the Heart Attacks.
His silver trumpet was stolen during his funeral service. His brother, Leroy Hill, is offering a $3500 reward for the return of the instrument.
Guy Carawan
July 27, 1927 - May 2, 2015
Folk singer Guy Carawan, who introduced the song "We Shall Overcome" to the 1960s civil rights movement, has died after a lengthy illness. He was 87.
| 5/1/2015 | | John Tout | Renaissance, keyboardist | Lung Failure | London, England |
John Tout
John Tout, former keyboardist for British prog-rock band Renaissance, died of May 1, 2015 at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London.
Ben E. King
September 28, 1938 - April 30, 2015
Singer Ben E. King, whose hit "Stand by Me" became a classic wedding song of love and devotion, has died.
Stand by Me was written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and later featured in the movie of the same name.
King was one of the principal singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters. He sang on many of the Drifters biggest songs, including "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears."
King died at the Hackensack University Medical Center on April 30, 2015 at the age of 76. He had been suffering from coronary problems.
| 4/27/2015 | 71 | Jack Ely | Kingsmen, singer | | Redmond, Oregon |
Jack Ely
September 11, 1943 - April 27, 2015
Jack Ely was the singer for Ely and his Kingsmen when they recorded their version of "Louie Louie" in 1963.
Suzanne J. Crough
March 5, 1963 - April 27, 2015
Suzanne Crough was an American child actress best known for her role as Tracy Partridge on The Partridge Family. On the TV show, Tracy was the youngest member of the family band. She sang background vocals and played tambourine.
After The Partridge Family, she made several TV movies and made many guest appearances on television shows. She later operated a bookstore and was a manager at an OfficeMax in Bullhead City, Arizona.
Crough died suddenly at her home in Laughlin, Nevada, on April 27, 2015, at the age of 52. David Cassidy, who played the role of Keith Partridge, died in 2017
and Dave Madden, who played manager Reuben Kincaid, died in January 2014.
| 4/16/2015 | 54 | Johnny Kemp | R&B singer | Drowned | Montego Bay, Jamaica |
Johnny Kemp
August 2, 1959 - April 16, 2015
Singer Johnny Kemp, best known for the 1988 party anthem "Just Got Paid," has drowned in Jamaica.
"Just Got Paid" was a No. 1 hit on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and earned Kemp a Grammy nomination.
| 4/14/2015 | 64 | Percy Sledge | singer | Liver Cancer | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
Percy Sledge
November 25, 1940 - April 14, 2015
Percy Sledge, R&B singer, was best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 in 1966.
| 4/3/2015 | 64 | Bob Burns | Lynyrd Skynyrd, drummer | Car Crash | Georgia |
Bob Burns
November 24, 1950 - April 3, 2015
Robert Louis "Bob" Burns, the founding drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died of injuries from a car crash near Cartersville, Georgia. Burns, 64, was the original drummer for the band from its
1964 roots in Jacksonville, Florida until 1974. He played on the band's first two albums
Pronounced 'Leh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd and
Second Helping.
Burns died in a single car crash after his 1995 Buick Roadmaster left the road and hit a mailbox and tree on a sharp curve in Bartow County, Georgia. Police at the scene indicated that Burns was not wearing his seatbelt.
Cynthia Lennon
September 10, 1939 - April 1, 2015
Cynthia Lennon, wife of Beatle John Lennon from 1962 until 1968, has died at age 75.
John and Cynthia met at an art school calligraphy class, where Cynthia studied to be an illustrator and John practiced painting, but seemed more interested in making music with a band that would become the Beatles.
Together, the couple had 1 child, Julian Lennon, born April 8, 1963.
Jeremy Brown
Jeremy Brown, lead guitarist for Scott Weiland's band the Wildabouts, passed away a day before the band was set to release their debut album, Blaster.
| 3/26/2015 | 70 | John Renbourn | Pentangle, folksinger | Heart Attack | Hawick, Scotland |
John Renbourn
August 8, 1944 - March 26, 2015
John Renbourn was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch and his work with the folk group Pentangle (1967-1973).
He also had a successful solo career as a guitarist and songwriter.
Gabriela Luján Maumus
Argentine musician Gabriela Luján Maumus, bassist for the shoegaze band Asalto Al Parque Zoologico, was among the 150 who died in a Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps.
| 3/20/2015 | 55 | A. J. Pero | Twisted Sister, drummer | Heart Attack | |
A. J. Pero
October 14, 1959 - March 20, 2015
Anthony Jude Pero was the drummer for heavy metal bands Twisted Sister and Adrenaline Mob.
Pero died March 20, 2015 after he was found unresponsive on the Adrenaline Mob's tour bus while the band was traveling from Baltimore to Poughkeepsie. Pero was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead from an apparent heart attack.
Michael Brown
April 25, 1949 - March 18, 2015
Michael Brown (born Michael David Lookofsky) was best known as the principal songwriter for the 1960s pop group The Left Banke and for writing their two hits "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina".
Brown left the band after their first album and went on to record with the bands Montage, Stories and The Beckies. He died of heart failure at the age of 65.
Bruce Crump
July 17, 1957 - March 16, 2015
Bruce Crump was the original drummer with the rock band Molly Hatchet.
He also played in the Canadian band Steelheart, Hatchet spin-off Gator Country, and the Jacksonville, Florida-based band White Rhino.
| 3/16/2015 | 62 | Andy Fraser | Free, bassist | | Temecula, California |
Andy Fraser
July 3, 1952 - March 16, 2015
Andy Fraser, founding member and bassist of the rock band Free, has died in California at the age of 62.
Free formed in 1968 when Andy was but 15 years old. With Paul Rodgers, he co-wrote Free's rock anthem "All Right Now."
Fraser was found dead in his car near his home in Temecula, California. Though no official cause of death has been announced, the bassist had been living with HIV since the '90s.
| 3/15/2015 | 59 | Mike Porcaro | Toto, bassist | ALS | Los Angeles, California |
Mike Porcaro
May 29, 1955 - March 15, 2015
Mike Porcaro, longtime bassist for the rock band Toto, has died at age 59 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS / Lou Gehrig's disease).
Porcaro became an official member of Toto following the departure of the band's original bass player David Hungate.
Mike's brother Steve is the keyboardist for Toto, and his late brother, Jeff Porcaro, was a former drummer for the band.
Daevid Allen
January 13, 1938 - March 13, 2015
Daevid Allen, a founding member of the influential 1960s psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong, died on Friday the 13th following a battle with cancer. He was 77.
| 3/11/2015 | 67 | Jimmy Greenspoon | Three Dog Night, keyboardist | Melanoma | North Potomac, Maryland |
Jimmy Greenspoon
February 7, 1948 - March 11, 2015
Jimmy Greenspoon, the keyboardist for rock band Three Dog Night, has died of cancer at age 67.
Greenspoon also performed with artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and the Beach Boys.
Greenspoon joined Three Dog Night in 1968 and worked with them until he took a medical leave of absence to pursue treatment for metastatic melanoma.
He published his autobiography in 1991, titled
One Is The Loneliest Number - On The Road And Behind The Scenes With Legendary Rock Band Three Dog Night.
Albert Maysles
November 26, 1926 - March 5, 2015
Albert Maysles, filmmaker who collaborated with his late brother David in a documentary film career, died at age 88.
His films included the 1970 concert film "Gimme Shelter" which documented the tragic Rolling Stones show at Altamont Speedway.
| 2/27/2015 | 68 | Leonard Nimoy | actor / singer | COPD | Los Angeles, California |
Leonard Nimoy
March 26, 1931 - February 25, 2015
Leonard Nimoy, the actor best known for his role of Spock in the Star Trek TV/Movie series, but lesser known as a singer, has died at the age of 83.
Nimoy had an early aptitude for singing and acting, which he developed while a member of his synagogue's choir and in a children's neighborhood theater. He sang at his bar mitzvah at age 13 and was so good he was asked to repeat his performance the following week at another synagogue.
Early acting credits include playing the title role in the 1952 film Kid Monk Baroni, an army sergeant in the 1954 science fiction thriller Them! and a professor in the 1958 science fiction movie The Brain Eaters.
His TV roles before Star Trek included appearances in the Sea Hunt series from 1958 to 1960 and a minor role in the 1961 The Twilight Zone episode "A Quality of Mercy".
Nimoy appeared in Bonanza (1960), The Rebel (1960), Two Faces West (1961), Rawhide (1961), The Untouchables (1962), The Eleventh Hour (1962), Perry Mason (1963; playing murderer Pete Chennery in "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe", episode 13 of season 6), Combat! (1963, 1965), Daniel Boone, The Outer Limits (1964), The Virginian (1963-1965; first working with Star Trek co-star DeForest Kelley in "Man of Violence", episode 14 of season 2, in 1963), and Get Smart (1966). He appeared again in the 1995 Outer Limits series. He appeared in Gunsmoke in 1962 as Arnie and in 1966 as John Walking Fox.
In addition to his acting and voice-over work, Nimoy released five albums of musical recordings on Dot Records. On his first album, Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space, and half of his second album Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy, science fiction-themed songs are featured where Nimoy sings as Spock.
On his final three albums, he sings popular and folk songs, such as "Proud Mary" and Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line".
Nimoy's voice is sampled on the Information Society's 1988 hit single "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)". Nimoy (as Spock) can be heard saying "Pure Energy", a sound sample taken from the 1967 "Errand of Mercy" episode of the Star Trek TV series.
Nimoy died of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83, in his Bel Air home.
Chris Rainbow
November 18, 1946 - February 25, 2015
Scottish singer Chris Rainbow contributed vocals to several albums by The Alan Parsons Project, starting on their 1979 album
Eve through to their 1987 album Gaudi. He also sang on a side project by Eric Woolfson - the 1990 album Freudiana.
As a solo artist, Chris had hit songs, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" in the 1970s. He also recorded and toured with Camel.
Born Christopher James Harley he changed his name to Chris Rainbow as to avoid confusion with singer Steve Harley.
| 2/21/2015 | 94 | Clark Terry | jazz trumpeter | Diabetes | Pine Bluff, Arkansas |
Clark Terry
December 14, 1920 - February 21, 2015
Clark Virgil Terry Jr. was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, composer, educator, and NEA Jazz Masters inductee.
He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948-51), Duke Ellington (1951-59), Quincy Jones (1960), and Oscar Peterson (1964-96). He was also with The Tonight Show Band from 1962 to 1972.
| 2/16/2015 | 68 | Lesley Gore | singer/songwriter | Lung Cancer | New York, New York |
Lesley Gore
May 2, 1946 - February 16, 2015
Singer Lesley Gore found fame in 1963 with her #1 hit song "It's My Party." She was only 16 when she recorded the song.
Follow up hits included "Judy's Turn to Cry," and the feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me."
Gore composed songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film
Fame, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for the song "Out Here on My Own", written with her brother Michael Gore.
Gore also worked as an actress. Gore performed on two episodes of the classic Batman television series (January 19 and 25, 1967), in which she guest-starred as Pussycat, one of Catwoman's minions.
Beginning in 2004, Gore hosted the PBS television series In the Life, which focused on LGBT issues.
According to her partner of 33 years, Lois Sasson, Gore died on February 16, 2015, at the NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, New York City, of lung cancer.
| 2/12/2015 | 73 | Sam Andrew | Big Brother and the Holding Company | Heart Failure | San Rafael, California |
Sam Andrew
December 18, 1941 - February 12, 2015
Sam Andrew was a founding member and guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company, the San Francisco area band who rose to great fame after Chet Helms recruited singer Janis Joplin joined them.
Sam Andrew died on February 12, 2015, following complications from open-heart surgery due to a heart attack suffered ten weeks earlier. His death follows those of Janis Joplin, who tragically
died from a heroin overdose during her prime in 1970, and James Gurley, the other guitarist for Big Brother, who died of a heart attack in 2009.
| 2/7/2015 | 74 | Joe B. Mauldin | Buddy Holly and the Crickets | Cancer | Nashville, Tennessee |
Joe B. Mauldin
July 8, 1940 - February 7, 2015
Joe B. Mauldin, bassist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, died of cancer at 74 years of age.
After Buddy Holly's death in 1959, the Crickets continued as a band, joining up with vocalist Earl Sinks and lead guitarist Sonny Curtis. In 1960,
they released "In Style with the Crickets." That album included the first recording of "I Fought the Law," which later became a smash hit for the Bobby Fuller Four.
The Crickets remained active for the next 5 decades, releasing albums that included guests such as vocalist Bobby Vee.
Maudlin and the members of the Crickets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Danny McCulloch
July 18, 1945 - January 29, 2015
Danny McCulloch, who played bass for the Animals during their late '60s psychedelic period, has died of heart failure.
| 1/20/2015 | 70 | Edgar Froese | Tangerine Dream | Pulmonary embolism | Vienna, Austria |
Edgar Froese
June 6, 1944 - January 20, 2015
Edgar Froese, founding member of Tangerine Dream, has died. He was 70.
Tangerine Dream were also known for being incredibly prolific, having released more than 100 albums in their history, scoring movies like 'Risky Business' and 'Three O'Clock High' and the video game 'Grand Theft Auto V.'
In addition to recording with Tangerine Dream, Froese released many albums under his own name beginning with 1974's 'Aqua.'
Dallas Taylor
April 7, 1948 - January 17, 2015
Dallas Taylor was a session drummer on Crosby, Stills and Nash's 1969 debut album, Crosby, Stills & Nash and on their 1970 follow-up with Neil Young, Déjŕ Vu. He also played with the band at Woodstock.
His work appears on Stephen Stills' 1970 solo album and with Stills' group Manassas in 1972 and 1973. He also played with Van Morrison at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival.
In 1970, Dallas sat in with The Doors accompanying John Densmore on drums. Jim Morrison acknowledges him on The Doors Live at Felt Forum Second Show CD.
In the mid-1970s he toured with Paul Butterfield, but later left the music business to become an alcohol and drug interventionist and consultant.
Taylor died January 17, 2015 of complications from viral pneumonia and kidney disease, aged 66.
| 1/15/2015 | 75 | Kim Fowley | music producer and manager | Bladder Cancer | Los Angeles, California |
Kim Fowley
July 21, 1939 - January 15, 2015
Kim Fowley, the "Bad Boy of Rock 'n' Roll" best known for discovering the 1970s all-girl punk rock band the Runaways, has died. He was 75.
The Runaways, which featured Joan Jett, released four albums in the late 1970s before breaking up. One of their hit songs was "Cherry Bomb."
As a music producer and manager, Fowley, known for his eccentric charisma and dress, was often promoting his latest project.
| 1/8/2015 | 72 | Andrae Crouch | gospel singer | Heart Failure | Los Angeles, California |
Andrae Crouch
July 1, 1942 - January 8, 2015
Gospel music legend Andrae Crouch has died after suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 72.
Crouch worked with Michael Jackson and Madonna and in movies such as "The Lion King" and "The Color Purple."
Crouch wrote dozens of gospel songs, including favorites such as "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power," "My Tribute (To God Be the Glory)" and "Soon and Very Soon," which was sung at a public memorial for Michael Jackson.
His influence also was felt in pop music. Elvis Presley and Paul Simon performed his songs. He helped arrange the Jackson song "Man in the Mirror," and his arrangement for the film "The Color Purple" earned an Oscar nomination.
He won seven Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998, and, in 2004, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
King Sporty
September 19, 1943 - January 5, 2015
Noel George Williams, better known as King Sporty, a Jamaican reggae musician and record producer best known for co-writing the song "Buffalo Soldier" made famous by Bob Marley, has died. He was 71.
Sporty was married to the American soul and rhythm and blues singer, Betty Wright.
In 2013 Sporty's song "Self Destruct" was sampled by Justin Timberlake for his song "That Girl" on his 20/20 Experience album.
Little Jimmy Dickens
December 19, 1920 - January 2, 2015
Country music star Little Jimmy Dickens, a fixture at the Grand Ole Opry for decades, died of cardiac arrest after having a stroke on Christmas day 2014. He was 94.
In the 1940s, Roy Acuff discovered Dickens playing at a Cincinnati radio show and Acuff invited Dickens to sing a song in his show. This led to appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, where Dickens'
keen sense of humor, colorful rhinestone jackets and diminutive stature led to fame.
In 1949, he became the first person on the Opry to wear a suit designed by Los Angeles-based tailor, Nudie Cohn. In the early 1950s, Cohn adorned some Dickens suits with rhinestones, and Dickens became the first Opry star to glitter.
Dickens had several novelty hits, including: "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," "Out Behind the Barn," "Take An Old Cold Tater (And Wait)" and "I'm Little, But I'm Loud."
The Hank Williams song "Hey Good Lookin'" was written specifically for Dickens while the two were together on a Grand Ole Opry tour bus. A week later Williams cut the song himself, jokingly telling Dickens, "That song's too good for you!"
The 4-foot-11-inch artist was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983. He is survived by his wife, Mona Dickens, and two daughters.
| 1/1/2015 | 59 | Jeff Golub | Billy Squier / Rod Stewart, guitarist | | |
Jeff Golub
April 15, 1955 - January 1, 2015
Jeff Golub, a jazz, blues and rock guitarist, has died at the age of 59 following a lengthy illness.
In 1980, Golub joined the band of rock singer Billy Squier, with whom he toured and recorded extensively. He toured with Rod Stewart from 1988 until 1995 and also worked
extensively as a sideman for names including Ashford and Simpson, Alphonse Mouzon, Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair, Everette Harp, Peter Wolf, John Waite, Vanessa Williams, Gato Barbieri, Bill Evans, Rick Braun, Tina Turner, Dar Williams, Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Henry Butler, Jon Cleary, Marc Cohn, Richard Elliot, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, Jeff Lorber and Peter White.
Golub lost his eyesight in June 2011 due to the collapse of an optic nerve. In 2012, he fell onto New York City subway tracks and was dragged by a train, but was rescued by onlookers and escaped unscathed.
He was later diagnosed with a rare and incurable brain disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
Golub released his first solo recording, Unspoken Words, for Gaia Records in 1988.
Golub's final album, made with keyboardist Brian Auger, was Train Kept A Rolling, a title inspired by Golub's subway incident.
2014