Music Obituaries: July 2022

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Wow, has August been rough in the world of music losses. But this is not about this month; instead, it looks back at the month of July. For you newcomers, I do this every month to pay tribute to the great music we have in the world and to say goodbye to those who passed away in the previous month. Most of these people didn’t get “headline news” the way Elvis (who died 45 years ago today, if you can believe it) or Michael Jackson did. “Everybody’s got a song to sing,” as they sang in “Rock and Roll Heaven.” Here are the music and music-related individuals for whom the final curtain fell in July 2022: Richard Taruskin (July 1, esophageal cancer, age 77): musicologist whose contributions to documenting music’s history include the Oxford History of Western Music. Alan Blaikley (July 4, natural causes, age 82): songwriter whose compositions include the theme to the British TV series Miss Marple, Elvis’s song “Heart of Rome,” and the Honeycombs’ hit “Have I the Right.” Manny Charlton (July 5, unknown cause, age 80): co-founder and original lead guitarist for the band Nazareth, best known for their version of “Love Hurts.” Don Graham (July 7, stomach cancer, age 87): founder of the jazz label Blue Thumb Records after working at A&M Records for years as an A&R representative. Adam Wade (July 7, Parkinson’s disease, age 87): the first African-American game show host in US television history, the man who had the hit with “The Writing on the Wall” was the host of the short-lived 1975 music-themed game show Musical Chairs. Barbara Thompson (July 9, Parkinson’s disease, age 77): British session saxophonist who worked for years with Manfred Mann. David Dalton (July 11, cancer, age 80): an editor for Rolling Stone magazine and music author and journalist, he co-wrote Paul Anka’s book My Way. Monty Norman (July 11, short illness, age 94): despite a long career as a British singer, songwriter, and musical lyricist, his best-known legacy is the theme to the movie series James Bond. Mark Fleischman (July 13, assisted suicide, age 82): co-owner of the legendary New York disco Studio 54. Michael James Jackson (July 13, pneumonia/COVID-19, age 77): rock record producer whose works include albums by Pablo Cruise, L.A. Guns, and Kiss. William “Poogie” Hart (July 14, complications from surgery, age 77): co-founder, vocalist, and songwriter for the “Philly soul” band the Delfonics, with hits such as “La-La Means I Love You,” “Allie,” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time).” Paul Ryder (July 15, unknown cause, age 58): bassist for the British band Happy Mondays. Michael Henderson (July 19, unknown cause, age 71): bassist for Miles Davis who later released albums on his own. Shonka Dukureh (July 21, unknown cause, age 44): singer and actress who had just made her big-screen debut in the new Elvis movie, playing Big Mama Thornton (the original performer of “Hound Dog”). Bob Rafelson (July 23, lung cancer, age 89): movie and TV producer whose musical claim to fame was producing the TV series The Monkees. Bob Heathcote (July 24, injuries from car wreck, age 58): short-term bassist for the punk band Suicidal Tendencies in 1988-89. Paul Garon (July 26, unknown cause, age 80): founder of the premier blues magazine Living Blues. Jimmy Sohns (July 29, stroke, age 75): the lead singer for the American band The Shadows of Knight, best-known for their 1965 hit cover of the song “Gloria.” Farewell, and thank you for the music. Here’s Nazareth’s song “Shot Me Down,” written by and featuring the late Manny Charlton on guitar: