Music Obituaries: November 2017

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Earlier in the year it was the acting area of the entertainment industry that took a beating with the high-profile deaths. Now music seems to be making up for lost time. It would be hard to beat all of the major losses we suffered in music in the year 2016, but the final months of this year seems like it's trying to catch up! So, sadly, here are the music and music-related people who have performed for the last time. Billy Mize (died November 1, long illness, age 85): a staple in the Bakersfield country music scene as a singer, songwriter ("Who Will Buy the Wine"), musician, and producer. His life was the subject of a documentary film. Robert Knight (died November 5, short illness, age 72): an R&B singer who did the original version of the song "Everlasting Love" in 1969 (which later became a dance hit in 1974 when covered by Carl Carlton). Paul Buckmaster (died November 7, unknown cause, age 71): arranger for legendary albums by the likes of Elton John and David Bowie, he also won a Grammy for his arrangement of the Train hit "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)." Pentti "Whitey" Glan (died November 7, lung cancer, age 71): drummer who played on classic albums such as Lou Reed's Rock and Roll Animal, Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare, and Bette Midler's soundtrack to the film The Rose. Chuck Mosley (died November 9, heroin overdose, age 57): lead singer for the band Faith No More and his own project, Cement. Hans Vermeulen (died November 9, unknown cause, age 70): a member of the "Stars on 45" group of musicians who scored several hit singles in the 80s. Michael "Dik Mik" Davies (died November 16, unknown cause, age 73): keyboardist in the "space rock" band Hawkwind. Frank Scinta (died November 17, stroke, age 69): star in numerous Las Vegas theaters. Ben Riley (died November 18, long illness, age 84): jazz drummer who worked with Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, and the New York Jazz Quartet. Malcolm Young (died November 18, dementia, age 64): co-founder and rhythm guitarist for the Hall of Fame band AC/DC. This is the band's second loss in less than a month: on October 22, their first producer, and Malcolm and Angus' brother George, died. Warren "Pete" Moore (died November 19, unknown cause, age 78): bass singer in Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Della Reese (died November 19, natural causes, age 86): the Touched By an Angel star was also a singer, recording pop, jazz, and gospel albums and hitting the top three in 1959 with "Don't You Know?" Mel Tillis (died November 19, respiratory failure, age 85): Country Music Hall of Fame member who wrote classics such as "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Detroit City," had a long string of hits on his own, and even acted in a number of movies. David Cassidy (died November 21, multiple organ failure, age 67): 70s teen idol who was the lead singer of the Partridge Family (a TV family based on the Cowsills' success) and a solo singer. Wayne Cochran (died November 21, cancer, age 79): the rockabilly/blue-eyed soul singer with the notoriously big white-hair pompadour wrote the "teen tragedy" classic "Last Kiss" and had quite an influence on others before becoming a minister later in his life. Geore Avakian (died November 22, natural causes, age 98): an executive at Warner Brothers and Columbia Records who specialized in producing jazz. Some of his biggest accomplishments including working with Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong. Jon Hendricks (died November 22, natural causes, age 96): jazz singer who was part of Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. (See JJ's "Vinyl Madness Countdown" for today [12/5] for a sample.) Shawn Jones (died November 22, heart attack, age 32): a gospel singer from Florida, he suffered a fatal heart attack while performing onstage. Tommy Keene (died November 22, unknown cause, age 59): one of those "criminally underrated" singer/songwriters from the 1980s, he was a major cult figure in the power pop world of the southern US that produced others such as Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. Mitch Margo (died November 24, natural causes, age 70): a founding member of the 60s band the Tokens, best-known for their hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Robert Popwell (died November 27, illness, age 70): bass player for the Young Rascals (the 60s rock band that had hits like "Groovin'") and for the Jazz Crusaders. Jim Nabors (died November 30, long illness, age 87): best-known for his "country hick" character Gomer Pyle on TV shows The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle, USMC, Nabors also had a booming bass voice that saw him gain success as a recording artist. For 42 years he sang "Back Home Again in Indiana" (although he was from Alabama) to open the Indianapolis 500. Farewell, and thank you for the music. Here's one of the late Mel Tillis' best-known songwriting credits, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," performed by Kenny Rogers (yes, that is him under the hair on the bass) and the First Edition: