2001

John Phillips, (John Edmund Andrew Phillips) 8/30/45 - 3/18-01. Born in Paris Island, South Carolina, John was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known as Papa John of the Mama's and the Papa's. He also sang and played guitar with the Journeyman. John suffered from alcoholism and had a liver transplant in the 90's. He died of heart failure at the age of 65.

The Mama's and the Papa's filled the airwaves when I was a kid listening to AM radio. I loved this song that John wrote, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair". I started to learn guitar when I was 12 and this was one of the first songs I tired to learn. His personal life reads a lot like a soap opera but he will (hopefully) be remembered for the many great songs he wrote.

The Mamas And The Papas - Monday, Monday
via FoxyTunes

Joey Ramone, (Jeffrey Hyman) 5/19/51 – 4/15/01. Born in Forest Hills, New York, Joey was the lead singer and a founding member of The Ramones. He co-produced for the band was a catalyst in getting the punk rock movement started. Joey died of Lymphoma cancer. He was 49.

The Ramones. They were more than a band, they were a movement and Joey's "image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon." How many times have you heard one of the great musicians of our time cite The Ramones as one of their main influences? There was something special about Joey - he did a lot in his lifetime and is sadly missed. (BTW, its commonly thought that the many members of this band were brothers....no, they all adopted the last name "Ramone" to be in the band. Does anyone know how many members they had in total over the years?)





George Harrison, (George Harold Harrison) 2/24/43 – 11/29/01. Born in Liverpool, England he was a guitarist, singer/songwriter. Best known for being one of The Beatles, George went on to have a successful solo career and also formed member of the The Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. He died of lung cancer. George was 58.

My sister is the one who told me George had passed away, she was crying. I have fond memories of him dating back to my earliest childhood years. George was one of the first musicians to use his fame to bring attention to the poverty and starvation in a third world country, I still have my vinyl copy of "The Concert for Bangla Desh". So many excellent songs written by George. I am glad that he was able to have such a long and succesful career as a solo artist, we may not have been fortunate enough to have all his great music if they had stayed together.

The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun
via FoxyTunes

2002

Dave Van Ronk, 6/30/36 - 2/10/02. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Dave was a well known singer/songwriter and guitarist and personality in the early folk scene in New York. Although he wrote few of his own songs he was re-wrote songs by others such as of Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs and Joni Mitchell. Dave died of heart failure after a surgery for colon-cancer. He was 65.

I am not familiar with Dave or his music, I hope someone that knows a bit about him can add there thoughts in the comments. I'll share a quote here, "Van Ronk has been described as an irreverent and incomparable guitar artist and interpreter of black blues and folk, with an uncannily precise ability at improvisation. Joni Mitchell often said that his rendition of her song Both Sides Now (which he called Clouds) was the finest ever."



Mick Tucker, (Michael Thomas Tucker) 7/17/49 – 2/14/02. Born in London, England Mick was a member of several glam rock bands, best known for being the drummer of Sweet. He died of Leukemia. Mick was 55.

Sweet bandmate and friend, Steve Priest, said that Mick was the best drummer London ever produced. He added that even though Mick had been diagnosed five years earlier, his death was still a surprise because they believed he was in remission after a bone marrow transplant from his brother. Its a reminder - sometimes our blood, or our bone marrow, can save a life. I am sorry we had to lose Mick. He's gone, but like the others here, not forgotten, especially by his family and friends.



Layne Staley, 8/22/67 – 4/05/02. Born in Kirkland, Washington, Layne began playing drums at the age of twelve. He was in several glam bands in his early teens, but aspired to be a singer. In 1987 he became the singer for Alice in Chains died of a heroin/cocaine overdose. Layne was 34.

Tears. I know a lot of fans cried when Layne's death was announced. As I type this I am listening to U2 singing about how we are all One, we need to carry each other, we need to love each other. I don't know what that has to do with Layne Staley but I felt compelled to share it then opened Wiki to read more about Layne. Here is what he said about his parent's divorce (he was 7 years old when they split) "My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got a call saying that my dad had died, but my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years."In that same interview he also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return." Another victim of drug abuse/addiction. Like father like son? Layne, so sorry you missed your dad so much, I know what that can do to a boy, knowing his father is out there but doesn't give a shit about him, I see it when I look into my son's eyes. Here's an interview with the band and some clips of them performing.

Alice In Chains - Down In A Hole
via FoxyTunes

Dee Dee Ramone, (Douglas Glenn Colvin), 9/18/52 – 6/5/02. Born in Fort Lee, Virginia, Dee Dee was a bassist, singer/songwriter for The Ramones. He also wrote two books, “Chelsea Horror Hotel” and “Lobotomy: Surviving The Ramones”. Dee died of an accidental heroin overdose. He was 50.

Another one. I don't even know what to say.

Dee Dee Ramone - I Wanna Be Sedated
via FoxyTunes

Robbin Crosby, (Robbinson Lance Crosby), 8/4/60 – 6/6/02. Born in La Jolla, California Robbin was co-lead guitarist along with Warren diMartini for the glam rock band Ratt. Robbin contacted AIDS and died of a heart attack that was associated with the disease. He was 42.

Okay, this one hurts. I met Robbin years ago up in LA (The Whiskey or The Wiltern? can't remember for sure) when RATT was just getting a name for themselves. He was so tall, so handsome, so sweet....seriously, he was a nice guy and he seemed almost shy to me. It was before the fame, glamor and heroin. So even though Ratt never impressed me musically I closely watched Robbin because of that night when we shared a few drinks, a bit of conversation and a kiss. Damn. His story is a sad one. I don't even want to talk about it. Here is a quote from Robbin, it comforts me, "When I die, nobody cry at my funeral, in fact let's all have a party; I've lived the life of ten men. I lived all my dreams and more". Sorry, Robbin, I didn't go to the funeral but I cried.

Ratt - Round and Round
via FoxyTunes



John Entwistle, (John Alec Entwistle), 10/9/44 – 6/27/02. John was born in London, England and is best known for being The Who’s bassist. He also worked with several other bands over the years including Ringo Starr, Govt. Mule and The Faces. John died of a cocaine induced heart attack. He was 58.

John was a great bass player and a-typical for that role in a band, he didn't like to stand in the background and go unnoticed, who can forget his skeleton outfit? It was sad when The Who replaced Keith but the band was still young and wanted to continue. I was a bit disappointed at how easily and quickly they replaced John. Once again drugs ruled the day and cause the death of a talented music. He lived a lot longer than many of his colleagues.

The Who - The Song Is Over
via FoxyTunes



Michael "Mikey" Hauser, 1/6/62 - 8/10/2. Mikey was born in Boone, North Carolina and was a founding member and guitarist for Widespread Panic. He was considered to be a "silent genius" and wrote many of the songs biggest hits. Mikey was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2002 and died only months later. He was 40.

I learned several interesting facts about Mikey just now: Panic" was his nickname for years because of panic attacks - and that's how the band chose their name. "Mike taught himself to play the guitar while sitting on the arm of a couch. At the first Widespread Panic show, he played an acoustic guitar while sitting on a small metal chair with his right foot on the volume pedal. Many consider him a master of the volume pedal for his skilled incorporation of its use in conjunction with the other members of Panic." He sounds like a special person, sad that he died so young. RIP, Mikey.




Joe Strummer, (John Graham Mellor), 8/21/52 -12/22/02. Born in Ankara, Turkey Joe was a co-founder, lead singer and guitarist for The Clash. He was loved by many and also dedicated a lot of time to environmental causes. He died of a congenital heart defect. Joe was 50.

"He was loved by many". I am tempted to leave it at that because it says so much. I remember watching this tribute to him and bawling my eyes out. You can see it in their faces, especailly in Bruce's eyes. It hurts to lose the really great ones...the ones that were passionate, courageous and never compromised.

The Clash - Rock The Casbah
via FoxyTunes

2004

Ray Charles, (Ray Charles Robinson), 9/23/23 – 6/10/04. Born in Albany, Georgia, Ray Charles was a singer, bandleader and pianist known for bringing rhythm and blues into the mainstream. He died of liver cancer. Ray was 73.

Ray Charles is one of those names everyone knows. His career was long and legendary. He had the music in him and let nothing - including the loss of his site as a young boy - get in his way. Here is a video of him performing once of his best known songs.

Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind
via FoxyTunes



Rick James, (James Johnson Jr.), 2/1/48 – 8/6/04. Born in Buffalo, New York, Rick was known as the “King of Punk Funk”. He had a controversial lifestyle and is often remembered for his hit song “Super Freak”. Rick died of “natural causes” but many illegal drugs were found in his system at his time of death. He was 56.

Rick's career was sometimes overshadowed by his personal life which included illegal activity, drug abuse and prison time. He admitted to having a $7,000 a week crack cocaine habit at one point. Not sure what else to say.

Rick James - Superfreak
via FoxyTunes

Laura Branigan, 7/3/57 – 8/26/04. Born in Brewster, New York, Laura had a career as a singer with working with musicians such as Leonard Cohen. She portrayed Janis Joplin in the musical, Love, Janis. Laura died of a brain aneurysm. She was 47.

A beautiful woman with a beautiful voice. She was also an actress who appeared on several TV shows and movies. I don't know much about her but do remember her song "Gloria". I read that she was having headaches prior to her death - a symptom most of us ignore. Very sad she died so suddenly.

Laura Branigan - Gloria 2004
via FoxyTunes



Johnny Ramone, (John Cummings), 10/8/48 – 9/15/04. Born in Long Island, New York, Johnny was a founding member and guitarist for The Ramones. He died of prostate cancer. Johnny was 55.

Johnny had a reputation for being an excellent rhythm guitar player but also is credited for "initiating one of the major sources of stress for the band when he started dating Hyman's (Joey Ramone's) ex-girlfriend, whom he later married." He and Joey both died of cancer. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) wrote a song about Johnny while driving home from his funeral, its called "Life Wasted". Eddie considered Johnny to be his best friend.




"Dimebag Darrell" (Darrel Lance Abbot), 8/ /66 – 12/8/04. Born in Arlington, Texas Darrel was best known as the lead guitar player for heavy metal band Pantera. He was shot and killed onstage while performing with. He was 38.

This has to be one of the most shocking deaths in all of rock and roll history. Not only was Darrel shot and killed but three other people (trying to help him ) were also killed by the gunman (who was justifiably shot when the cops arrived). I saw a reenactment of this horrific scene on a tv show and two things stood out to me, that the shooter was absolutely ruthless and was there to kill not only Darrel, but anyone else that got in the way and that others risked their lives to help Darrel and died along with him, that is so brave and honorable. It said that Darrel was loved for his great rapport with his fans and known for his unique "groove metal" guitar style. I can't imagine what the people in the audience went through that night and continue to go through seeing someone shot down in front of their eyes. A very tragic death.

Pantera - Cemetary Gates
via FoxyTunes