On May 19, 2018, Reginald Grant Lucas died aged 65. He was musician (guitar), songwriter and producer, started his career performing and recording with Billy Paul and Miles Davis. As producer, composer and sideman he worked with Madonna, Models, The Four Tops, Randy Crawford, Rebbie Jackson, Bunny DeBarge, John Adams, Elisa Fiorillo, The Weather Girls, Nick Scott, Stephanie Mills, Gary Bartz, The Spinners, Lou Rawls, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, James Mtume, Carlos Garnett, Norman Connors, Babatunde Olatunji, Flora Purim, Lonnie Liston Smith, Zbigniew Seifert, Masabumi Kikuchi and Shunzo Ohno. As leader Lucas released two albums.
Tag Archives: composer
Ronnie James Dio
On May 16, 2010, Ronald James Padavona aka Ronnie James Dio died aged 67. He was singer – songwriter and composer, member and singer of bands Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.
Luther Ingram
On March 2007, Luther Thomas Ingram died aged 69. He was singer and songwriter, best known for his song 1972 “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right”, and as composer of the Staple Singers classic “Respect Yourself”. Ingram released five albums.
Chick Corea
On February 9, 2020, Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea died aged 79. He was musician (piano, keyboards, percussion), composer and bandleader. He is regarded as one of the major piano players to emerge in jazz during the post-John Coltrane era. Recorded and performed with the most important Jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann, Stan Getz, Roy Haunes, Miroslav Vitous, Stanley Clarke, Richard Davis, Joe Farrell, Joe Henderson, Eric Kloss, Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Blue Mitchell, John Patitucci, Wayne Shorter, Cal Tjader, Sonny Stitt, Dave Pike, Armando Peraza, Marion Brown, Sadao Watanabe, Larry Coryell, John Surman, Elvin Jones, Rolf Kühn, Airto Moreira, Antony Braxton, Pete La Roca, Al Di Meola, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Gábor Szabó, Donald Byrd, Tete Montoliu, Chaka Khan, Eddie Gomez, Wallace Rooney, Herbie Hancock, Antonio Sanches, Gary Burton and Hiromi Uehara. Corea formed and lead Return to Forever, Circle, Chick Corea Elektric Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band and Five Peace Band. As leader he released 77 studio and 23 live albums. Corea won 23 “Grammy Awards”.
Leon Ndugu Chancler
On February 3, 2018, Leon “Ndugu” Chancler died aged 65. He was musician (drums, percussion), composer, music producer and university professor. He recorded and performed with numerous famous artists including Mile Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Harris, Patti LaBelle, John Lee Hooker, Donna Summer, George Benson, Robbie Robertson, Syreeta Wright, Hampton Hawes, Kenny Rogers, LeAnn Rimes, George Duke, Sheena Easton, Peabo Bryson, Joe Henderson, Lionel Richie, Cheryl Lynn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tina Turner, Patrice Rushen, Jennifer Holliday, Harold Land, Minnie Riperton, Azar Lawrence, Santana, Lalo Schifrin, Julian Priester, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock.
Junior Mance
On January 16, 2021, Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. aka Junior Mance died aged 92. He was musician (piano) and composer, one of the main figures of the Hard bop jazz scene. He recorded and performed with some of the biggest names of jazz, blues and soul music including Gene Amons, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Wynton Kelly, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Nat Adderley, Joe Gordon, Bennie Green, Al Grey, Ernie Andrews, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, Cliford Brown, Benny Carter, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Cleveland, Arnett Cobb, Red Holloway, Jose James, Ray Crawford, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Eddie Jefferson, Aretha Franklin, Etta Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Irene Kral, Jay Leonhart, Les McCann, Paul Gonsalves, Howard McGhee, The Metronomes, Virgil Gonsalves, James Moody, Wild Bill Moore, Barbara Morrison, Sandy Mosse, Leo Parker, Ken Peplowski, Billie Poole, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Alvin Queen, Jimmy Scott, Arnold Sterling, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Frank Vignola, Wilbur Ware, Ben Webster, Joe Williams, Marion Williams, and Leo Wright. As leader, Monce released 56 albums (live and studio). In 2007, Mance and his wife Gloria started their own record label “JunGlo”.
Glenn Miller
On December 15, 1944, Alton Glenn Miller died aged 40. He was musician (trombone), composer, arranger, and big-band leader, working in the swing era. Leading the best known big band, in the period 1939 – 1942, he was the best-selling recording artist, with 16 number-one records, and 69 top ten hits (more than Elvis Presley and the Beatles in their careers). Three of his compositions were inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” – in 1983 “In the Mood”, in 1996 “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, and in 1991 “Moonlight Serenade”.
Ahmet Ertegun
On December 14, 2006, Ahmet Ertegun died aged 83. He was businessman, philanthropist, composer, and music producer. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of “Atlantic Records” (with Herb Abramson), and discovered and supported the careers of many rhythm and blues and rock musicians, including Aretha Frankiln, Led Zeppelin, and Ray Charles. Ertegun was chairman of the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2017 was inducted in the “Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame”. He was regarded as “one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry”.
Gershon Kingsley
On December 10, 2019, Götz Gustav Ksinski aka Gershon Kingsley died aged 97. He was composer, a pioneer of the Moog synthesizer, and electronic music. He composed music for film and TV shows, classical chamber works, conducted and arranged the music for Broadway musicals (“The Entertainer”, “La Plume de Ma Tante”, “Vintage ’60”, “Josephine Baker”, “Cafe Crown”, “I’m Solomon”). He was part of the electronic duo Perrey and Kingsley, founded the “First Moog Quartet”, but got world recognition and fame with his 1969 track “Popcorn”. This track was covered by Hot Butter, Aphex Twin, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Jean Michelle Jarre, Marsheaux, Muse, Crazy Frog and The Muppets. Kingsley received “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the “Bob Moog Foundation”.
Harold Budd
On December 7, 2010, Harold Montgomory Budd died aged 84. He was musician (piano, keyboards, guitar), composer, professor, and poet, noted for his work in the avant-garde minimalist scene in the USA in the 60’. His work in avant-garde, jazz, minimalism, ambient, and neoclassical music brought him world recognition, especially through his collaboration with Brian Eno and Robin Guthrie. He also collaborated with Andy Partridge, John Foxx, Graham Haynes, Simon Raymonde, Elizabeth Fraser, Eralso Bernocchi, Bill Nelson, Clive Wright, Jaki Liebezeit, Ruben Garcia, Daniel Lentz, Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble.