Carla Bley, the pianist behind some of the most beloved compositions in the jazz canon, who recorded over two dozen albums between 1966 and 2019, died Tuesday. Her death was confirmed by her husband and longtime collaborator, bassist Steve Swallow; the cause given was complications from brain cancer. She was 87. Bley was a force in jazz even before she …
Five Jimmy Buffett Ballads you Shouldn’t Ignore
Like so many Florida kids, I came of age to a steady calypso-influenced soundtrack of “Boat Drinks” and “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes.” I was heartbroken to wake up on Saturday morning to the news that, after having battled skin cancer for the past four years, Jimmy Buffett has died. He was 76. Growing up here in Jacksonville, I …
Robbie Robertson, Guitarist for The Band and Bob Dylan, has Died at 80
Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist and the primary songwriter for Canadian rock luminaries The Band, has died at age 80. Family member Dawn Robertson confirmed the news to NPR. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s songwriting credits include several touchstone songs that would go on to establish the blueprint of Americana music, including “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” …
DJ Casper, Creator of the Iconic and Ubiquitous ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ has Died at 58
The musical mind behind the “Cha Cha Slide” — the ubiquitous turn-of-the-millennium dance hit played at celebrations and in gyms across the world — has died. DJ Casper died Monday after a long battle with cancer, his wife told ABC7 in Chicago. He was 58. Born Willie Perry Jr., the Chicago native originally recorded a version of the “Cha Cha …
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has Died at 56
Updated July 26, 2023 at 4:33 PM ET Sinéad O’Connor, the Irish singer known for her intense and beautiful voice, her political convictions and the personal tumult that overtook her later years, has died, according to a family statement released to the BBC. She was 56 years old. O’Connor’s recording of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was one of the biggest …
Tina Turner, Rock and Roll Icon, Dead at 83
Tina Turner, a soul and rock powerhouse known for her octave-defying voice and mesmerizing stage moves, has died at the age of 83. Her death was announced in a statement on her official Facebook page, but offered no details about the cause. In her 2018 memoir, Tina Turner: My Love Story, Turner detailed a litany of health issues she had …
Ahmad Jamal, measured maestro of the jazz piano, dies at 92
For most jazz performers, a song is part of a performance. For Ahmad Jamal, each song was a performance. Over the course of a remarkable eight-decade career, Jamal, who passed away Sunday at the age of 92, created stellar recordings both as an ambitious youth and a sagely veteran. Jamal’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Sumayah Jamal. He died …
Ryuichi Sakamoto, a godfather of electronic pop, has died
Ryuichi Sakamoto, a trailblazing composer and producer who was one of the first musicians to incorporate electronic production into popular songcraft, has died at the age of 71. Sakamoto died on March 28 after a multi-year battle with cancer, according to a statement published on his website Sunday. “We would like to share one of Sakamoto’s favorite quotes,” the statement …
Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Gary Rossington dies at 71
Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member who also helped to found the group, died Sunday at the age of 71. No cause of death was given. “It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. …
Wayne Shorter, sage of the saxophone, dies at 89
Updated March 2, 2023 at 1:58 PM ET Wayne Shorter, the 12-time Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer and the creator of one of the singular sounds in contemporary jazz over more than half a century, died on Thursday, March 2 in Los Angeles. Shorter was 89 years old. Cem Kurosman, a publicist at Blue Note Records, which released Shorter’s recent recordings, …
David Jolicoeur, De La Soul’s Trugoy the Dove, dies at 54
The most formative musical memory of my youth occurred 30,000 feet over central California in the summer of 1989. I was almost 17, flying on a school trip from LA to the Bay Area, and popped into my Walkman was an album I had just picked up from my local record store, Moby Disc: De La Soul’s 3 Feet High …
Tom Verlaine, guitarist and singer of influential rock band Television, dies at 73
Tom Verlaine, a founding father of American punk and a fixture of the 1970s New York rock scene, died Saturday in Manhattan as the result of a brief illness. He was 73. His death was confirmed to NPR in a press release from Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Verlaine collaborator Patti Smith, who also once dated the artist. “I …
Crosby, Stills & Nash co-founder David Crosby has died at 81
David Crosby, a prominent figure of the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon scene who helped bring folk-rock mainstream with both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at 81. His publicist confirmed the artist’s death to NPR; no cause of death was given at the time of this report. Crosby had long dealt with serious health problems, including multiple …
Terry Hall, singer with ska icons The Specials, dies at 63
LONDON — Musician Terry Hall, who helped create one of the defining sounds of post-punk Britain as lead singer of The Specials, has died. He was 63. The band announced late Monday that Hall had died after a brief illness. It called him “our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has …
Hamish Kilgour, founding member of New Zealand’s The Clean, has died at 65
Hamish Kilgour, co-founder of influential New Zealand indie-rock band The Clean, was found dead Tuesday in Christchurch after being reported missing on Nov. 27. Merge Records, which released and reissued much of The Clean’s catalog, confirmed the reports of Kilgour’s death in a public statement posted on social media, but no cause of death has been announced. He was 65. …
Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Christine McVie dies at 79
Updated November 30, 2022 at 3:58 PM ET NEW YORK — Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,” died Wednesday at age 79. Her death was announced on the band’s social media accounts. No cause of death or other …
Jacksonville Concert Promoter Tib Miller had an Insatiable Need to Share Music
Jacksonville’s creative community lost an integral, if not low-key, impresario this week. If you’ve been to a concert in Northeast Florida and seen a band that surprised you, or if you bought tickets to a show and thought, “Wow, I can’t believe this artist is coming to Jacksonville,” it’s likely that Tib Miller booked it. For nearly 25 years, working under …
Low’s Mimi Parker had a Voice that Let the Light In
Mimi Parker died Saturday, but her voice rings out in the present tense. It’s eternal, radiant. It’s a warm, fragile thing, that voice. It shimmers warmly but cuts through the din like a spotlight. It wavers but holds focus. For just one example across nearly three decades of music, listen to “The Plan,” from Low‘s 1996 album The Curtain Hits …
Pharoah Sanders, Giant of Spirit-Driven Jazz, Dies at 81
Pharoah Sanders, the revered and influential tenor saxophonist who explored and extended the boundaries of his instrument, notably alongside John Coltrane in the 1960s, died on Saturday morning in Los Angeles. His death was announced in a post on social media by the record label Luaka Bop, which had released his celebrated 2021 album Promises and confirmed by a publicist …
Jax Resident and Videographer Richard Borders Illuminated the ‘60s Rock Scene and Beyond
The world has grown a little darker with the recent passing of Richard Borders. For more than a half century, the Northeast Florida resident was a proud member (and storied survivor) of the mid-20th-century counterculture. A childhood fan of the phantasmagoric and horror films, Borders was a pioneering artist who worked in the nascent psychedelic light shows of the 1960s, …
Depeche Mode founding keyboardist Andy Fletcher dies at 60
LOS ANGELES — Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, the unassuming, bespectacled, red-headed keyboardist who for more than 40 years added his synth sounds to Depeche Mode hits like “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Personal Jesus,” has died at age 60. Depeche Mode announced the death of founding member Fletcher on its official social media pages. A person close to the band said …
Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees singer and voracious collaborator, dies at 57
Mark Lanegan, the versatile rock musician and Screaming Trees singer, died Tuesday of unspecified causes at his home in Killarney, Ireland. His death was announced in Facebook post from Lanegan’s official account: “A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician, he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley. No other information is available at this time. We ask: Please …
Ian McDonald, founding member of King Crimson and Foreigner, has died
The English multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald died Wednesday at age 75. He was a founding member of prog-rock titans King Crimson and the hugely popular Foreigner. His son Maxwell announced his death on social media, saying that his father had been battling cancer. McDonald first came to renown as an original member of King Crimson, which was founded in January 1969. …
Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes has died at age 78
Updated January 12, 2022 at 7:16 PM ET Singer Ronnie Spector, who founded the girl group The Ronettes in 1961, has died after a brief battle with cancer. She was 78. “Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today,” her family wrote on the singer’s website Wednesday. “She was with family and in the arms of her husband, …
Barry Harris, beloved jazz pianist devoted to bebop, dies at 91
Barry Harris, a pianist who carefully preserved the language of bebop throughout a seven-decade career as a brilliant performer and influential teacher, died Wednesday at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, N.J. He was 91 and lived in Weehawken, N.J. Harris had been hospitalized for the last two weeks and died of complications due to Covid, said Kira von Ostenfeld-Suske, …
Astro, a founding member of the reggae group UB40, has died at age 64
Terence Wilson, a founding member of UB40 who was known by fans of the pioneering reggae band as Astro, has died following a short illness. He was 64. Wilson’s death was confirmed Saturday on the official Twitter page for his group, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell & Astro. “We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken to have to tell you that …
Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts Dies At 80
Charlie Watts, the unshakeable drummer for The Rolling Stones, died this morning. According to a publicist, he died in a hospital in London, surrounded by family. No cause of death was given. He was 80 years old. Where most rock bands take their cues from the drummer, Watts was the type to hang back. He told NPR in 2012 that …
Don Everly, Half Of The Quintessential Harmonic Duo The Everly Brothers, Dies At 84
Don Everly, half of one of rock and roll’s pioneering groups, The Everly Brothers, has died. The musician, known for singing close harmonies with his brother, was 84. With hits like, “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love” and “Cathy’s Clown,” The Everly Brothers were a sensation in the late 1950s and early …