On October 9, 1978, Jacques Romain Georges Brel died aged 49. He was a Belgian singer, songwriter and actor, widely considered a master of the modern chanson. He recorded most of his songs in French and in Dutch, but he became a major influence on English speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Leonard Cohen, Marc Almond and Rod McKuen. The English translations of his songs were recorded by many famous performers including Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Scott Walker and Andy Williams. Having sold over 25 million records worldwide, Brel is the fourth best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.
Tag Archives: singer
Rick Wright
On September 15, 2008, Richard William “Rick” Wright died aged 65. He was musician (keyboards), composer, singer and songwriter, best known as founding member, keyboardist and vocalist of Pink Floyd. He recorded and performed on all Pink Floyd’s albums except on “The Final Cut”.
Cass Elliot
On July 29, 1974, Ellen Naomi Cohen aka Cass Elliot also known as Mama Cass, died aged 32. She was singer and actress, member of The Mugwumps, The Big 3, but she was best known as vocalist of The Mamas & the Papas.
Robin Gibb
On May 20, 2012, Robin Hugh Gibb died aged 62. He was singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of the Bee Gees. With more than 200 million albums sold worldwide, Bee Gees are one of the most successful groups of all time. From 2008 to 2011, Gibb was President of the “Heritage Foundation”, honouring figures in British culture.
Ali Farka Touré
On March 7, 2006, Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré died aged 66. He was multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, one of Africa’s internationally most renowned musicians. Magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked Touré at number 76 on its list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”,and magazine “Spin” ranked him at number 37 on its list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
Alvin Lee
On March 6, 2013, Graham Anthony Barnes aka Alvin Lee died aged 68. He was musician (guitar), singer and songwriter, best known as founding member, lead vocalist and lead guitarist of Ten Years After.
Dennis Wilson
On December 28, 1983, Dennis Carl Wilson died aged 39. He was musician (guitar, bass guitar, keyboards), singer and songwriter, best known as a co-founder and member of the Beach Boys. In 1977, Dennis released his only solo album “Pacific Ocean Blue”. In 1988, Carl Wilson was posthumously inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” as a member of the Beach Boys.
Bing Crosby
On October 14, 1977, Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby, Jr. died aged 74. Being singer and actor, Crosby is the best-selling recording artist of the 20th century. He has sold over one billion records, tapes, compact discs and digital downloads worldwide. Crosby is one of the 22 people to have three stars on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame” (a star for motion pictures, radio, and audio recording); in 1944, he won an “Academy Award for Best Actor” for his role as Father Chuck O’Malley in the movie “Going My Way” and he received the first “Grammy Global Achievement Award”.
Louis Armstrong
On July 4, 1971, Louis Armstrong died aged 69. He was musician (trumpet) and singer, brought various inventions in jazz music, including shifting the focus from collective improvisation to solo performance, bringing improvisation to singing (scat singing) and “reviving” the stage performance with charismatic and expressive stage presence. Armstrong became one of the first African-American artists that were popular among wide “white” audience. His influence extended far beyond jazz music and he is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the history of the 20th Century popular music.
