Music World Lost Many Voices In 1999

Published December 27, 1999 12:20 AM
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By Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner /

Mel Torme, Dusty Springfield, Charles Brown, Boxcar Willie, Milt Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Grover Washington Jr., and Hoyt Axton were among the best-known members of the musical community to die in 1999. But death claimed many others who made contributions, big and small, to all styles of music.

Among the music world's other notable deaths in 1999 were (by month):

January 1999

  • Michel Petruciani, 26 (jazz pianist)
  • Jimmy Domengeaux, 44 (guitarist/Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys)
  • Frank Rodrigo, 47 (house music pioneer)
  • Jimmy Day, 65 (steel guitarist pioneer)
  • Marion Ryan, 67 ('50s U.K. singer)
  • T.D. Bell, 76 (blues singer/guitarist)
  • Charles Brown, 76 (blues vocalist/pianist)
  • Robert Shaw, 82 (Atlanta Symphony conductor)

    February

  • Musician Magazine, 21
  • David McComb, 37 (leader of the Triffids/Blackeyed Susans)
  • Gwen Guthrie, 42 (r&b singer/songwriter)
  • Buddy Wayne Knox, 54 (50's rockabilly singer)
  • Julius Wechter, 63 (marimba player/Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass)
  • Horace Tapscott, 64 (jazz pianist)
  • Gerald ''Bounce'' Gregory, 66 (bass vocalist/Spaniels)
  • Jaki Byard, 76 (jazz pianist/saxophonist)
  • Bobby Troup, 80 (songwriter)
  • Betty Roche, 81 (singer/Duke Ellington Orchestra)
  • Doug Weston, 72 (owner of the Troubadour Club in L.A.)

    March

  • Raymond ''Freaky Tah'' Rogers, 27 (vocalist with hip hop group The Lost Boyz)
  • Dusty Springfield, 59 (pop vocalist)
  • Joseph ''Mighty Joe'' Young, 71 (blues singer/guitarist)
  • Brother John Sellars, 74 (blues/jazz/gospel singer)
  • Lowell Fulson, 77 (blues vocalist/guitarist)
  • Brock Speer, 78 (gospel singer with the Speer Family; sometime backup vocalist to Chet Atkins and Elvis Presley)
  • Joe Williams, 80 (jazz vocalist)
  • Lord Yehudi Menuhin, 82 (classical violinist)
  • Eddie Dean, 91 (country musician)

    April

  • Roger Troutman, 47 (Zapp)
  • Darrell Sweet, 51 (Nazareth drummer)
  • Skip Spence, 52 (Jefferson Airplane drummer, Moby Grape drummer/founder)
  • Larry Troutman, 54 (Zapp)
  • Al Hirt, 76 (jazz trumpeter)
  • Anthony Newley, 67 (pop vocalist)
  • Boxcar Willie (aka Lecil Travis Martin), 67 (country singer)
  • Red Norvo, 91 (jazz vibraphonist)
  • Jesse Stone, 97 (songwriter)

    May

  • E. William Tucker, 38 (guitarist/songwriter/producer)
  • Augusto Pablo, 46 (reggae producer/keyboardist)
  • Bruce Fairbairn, 49 (rock record producer/Aerosmith, Bon Jovi)
  • Kemistry, 49 (UK DJ)
  • Leon Thomas, 61 (jazz vocalist)
  • Shel Silverstein, 68 (pop songwriter)

    June

  • Eddie Kurdziel, 38 (Redd Kross guitarist)
  • Hillary Stagg, 41 (new age harpist)
  • Phil Kramer, 47 (Iron Butterfly bassist)
  • Junior Braithwaite, 50 (vocalist/founding member of The Wailers)
  • Screaming Lord Such, 58 (vocalist/The Savages)
  • Mel Torme, 73 (jazz vocalist)
  • Grace Brim, 75 (first female blues drummer in Chicago blues)
  • Ernie Wilkins, 76 (jazz saxophonist)
  • Newell ''Spiegle'' Wilcox, 96 (jazz valve trombonist)
  • James Eugene ''Rosy'' McHarque, 97 (jazz clarinetist)

    July

  • Dennis Brown, 42 (reggae vocalist)
  • Harden Shamsher, 33 (co-founder of Joi)
  • Gar Samuelson, 41 (Megadeth drummer)
  • Kevin Wilkinson, 41 (Waterboys drummer)
  • Johnny Ellis, 44 (jazz composer/drummer)
  • Mark Sandman, 46 (Morphine singer/bassist/leader)
  • Katie ''Swamp Boogie Queen'' Webster, 63 (blues vocalist/keyboardist)
  • Anita Carter, 66 (The Carter Family vocalist/bassist)
  • Leroy Vinegar, 71 (jazz bassist)
  • Guy Mitchell, 72 (pop vocalist)
  • Helen Forrest, 82 (jazz vocalist)
  • Harry ''Sweets'' Edison, 83 (jazz trumpeter/Count Basie Orchestra)
  • Roberta Sherwood, 86 (torch singer)

    August

  • Bobby Sheehan, 31 (Blues Traveler bassist)
  • Rob Fisher, 39 (Naked Eyes/Climie Fisher keyboardist-singer)
  • Dick Latvala, 56 (Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks)
  • Bob Herbert, 57 (Spice Girls manager)
  • Edward Cobb, 61 (vocalist/Four Preps)
  • Guy Durosier, 68 (Haitian singer)
  • Brewer Phillips, 69 (blues guitarist)
  • Tommy Ridgley, 73 (blues vocalist)
  • George ''Dude Brown'' Henderson, 79 (jazz drummer)
  • Carlos Cachaca, 97 (Brazilian songwriter)

    September

  • Beau Jocque (aka Adrus Espre), 45 (Zydeco vocalist/accordionist)
  • Laito Suredo, 85 (cuban singer/Estanis Lao Sureda Hernandez)
  • Frankie Vaughan, 71 (aka Frank Abelson) (50's pop vocalist)
  • Sal Salvador, 73 (Bebop guitarist)
  • Moondog (aka Louis Hardin), 83 (jazz composer/street performer)
  • Alfredo Gil, 84 (world music guitarist/Los Panchos)

    October

  • Wes Berggren, 28 (guitarist/Tripping Daisy )
  • Danny Mayo, 49 (country songwriter)
  • Hoyt Axton, 61 (country singer/songwriter)
  • Frank Frost, 63 (delta blues harmonica player)
  • A.L. ''Doodle'' Owens, 68 (country songwriter)
  • Art Farmer, 71 (jazz trumpet/fluegelhornist)
  • Glen Payne, 72 (gospel vocalist/The Cathedrals)
  • Ella Mae Morton, 75 (vocalist, had major influence on Elvis Preley)
  • Milt Jackson, 76 (jazz vibraphonist)
  • Akio Morita, 78 (sony walkman/co-founder Sony)
  • Thomas Durden, 79 (songwriter)
  • Amalia Rodriguez, 79 (Portugese folk singer)
  • George Tintner, 82 (classical conductor)
  • Terry Gilkyson, 83 (singer/songwriter)

    November

  • R.J. Vealey, 37 (Atlanta Rhythm Section drummer)
  • Patrick Moten, 42 (r&b keyboardist/producer)
  • Lester Bowie, 58 (jazz trumpeter/composer, Art Ensemble of Chicago)
  • Dough Sahm, 58 (Sir Douglas Quintet/Texas Tornadoes)
  • Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua, 71 (Motown songwriter)
  • Herb Abramson, 82 (co-founder of Atlantic Records)
  • Donald Mills, 84 (jazz vocalist, last of the Mills Brothers)

    December

  • Grover Washington, Jr. [ tickets ], 56 (jazz saxophonist)
  • Rick Danko, 56 (bassist,vocalist/The Band)
  • Charles Earland, 58 (soul-jazz organist)
  • Joe Higgs, 59 (reggae singer)
  • Don ''Sugarcaine'' Harris, 61 (jazz r&b singer-violinist/Mothers of Invention/John Mayall Group)
  • Charlie Byrd, 74 (jazz guitarist)
  • Rex Allen, Sr., 78 (country singer)
  • Hank Snow, 85 (country singer/guitarist)
  • Walt Levinsky, 70 (jazz pianist)
  • Curtis Mayfield, 57 (r&b singer, songwriter, musician, producer)

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