We note with sadness the following contributors to rock and pop music of the 50s through the 80s – the BEST music ever made! – who passed on last month:
May 01
● Jojjie Wadenius / (Georg Wadenius) → Bassist and guitarist for Swedish Grammi Award-winning jazz-rock fusion Made in Sweden and a second group, Solar Plexus, in the late 60s until emigrating to America in 1972 and landing in a post-peak lineup of horn-rock Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Spinning Wheel” (#2, 1969) (“Spinning Wheel,” #2, 1969); joined the Saturday Night Live house band in 1979 for a six-year stint; followed with session work or as touring guitarist for Steely Dan, Diana Ross, Dr. John, David Sanborn and many other top American artists, as well as concurrent work with major Scandinavian acts up to 2007, and as frontman for his own bands through 2025; died in his sleep on the night of 5/1/2026, age 80.
May 03
● Lee Allen Zeno → Bassist and vocalist in Louisiana’s zydeco, blues, and R&B scenes; served for decades as the rhythm for Buckwheat Zydeco & Ils Sont Partis Band, including Grammy-winning albums Lay Your Burden Down (2009) and New Beginnings (2023); toured the world extensively, performing at the 1996 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies and backing major rock and roots icons including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, and Willie Nelson; as a first-call session musician, contributed to dozens of recordings by regional legends like Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers, and Bobby Rush; later co-founded the Blue Monday All-Stars to champion and raise healthcare funds for elder Gulf Coast musicians; inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2024; died from leukemia on 5/03/2026, age 71.
May 07
● Earljean McCree / (Earljean McCree Reavis) → Pop and R&B vocalist in 60s girl group The Cookies; provided the lower harmonies behind the classic hits “Chains” (#17, R&B #6, 1962) and “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)” (#7, R&B #3, 1963); left the group in 1965 and recorded briefly as a solo artist (credited simply as Earl-Jean), including the original recorded version of the Gerry Goffin and Carole King standard “I’m Into Something Good” (#38, 1964); following departure from the music industry in the later 60s, raised a family and dedicated over six decades to early childhood education, entrepreneurship, and the gospel ministry, forming the gospel group The Sisters of Faith and serving as a revered community leader (“Mother Reavis”) in North Carolina; died peacefully at home on 5/07/2026, age 83.
May 09
● Warren Tipton / (Warren Frederick Tipton) → R&B/soul vocalist, starting in 2005 with a latter lineup of soul group The Intruders (“Cowboys To Girls,” #6, R&B #1, 1968); left in 2018 to join legendary Chicago vocal harmony group The Chi-Lites as lead vocalist on tours and the oldies circuit with the crossover hit “Have You Seen Her” (#3, R&B #1, 1971) and the double-chart-topping “Oh Girl” (#1, R&B #1, 1972); died in his sleep in an assisted living facility on 5/09/2026, age 69.
May 11
● Jack Douglas / (John Anthony Douglas) → Janitor at New York’s Record Plant recording studios before rising to engineer and producer during the 70s and 80s; worked on The Who’s abortive concept album Lifehouse, John Lennon’s Imagine (#1, UK #1, 1971); and, as so-called “sixth member” of Aerosmith, their multi-platinum breakthrough streak of LPs from Get Your Wings (#74, 1974) to Toys in the Attic (#11, 1975) and Rocks (#3, 1976); later co-produced Lennon and Yoko Ono‘s Grammy-winning comeback album Double Fantasy (#1, UK #1, 1980), working with Lennon in the studio just hours before his murder on 12/8/1980;; also produced landmark albums by Patti Smith (Radio Ethiopia), Cheap Trick (Cheap Trick, Lap of Luxury), The New York Dolls, and Alice Cooper; continued to produce records well into the 20s and died from complications of lymphoma on 5/11/2026, age 80.
May 13
● Clarence Carter / (Clarence George Carter) → R&B/soul and blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who overcame blindness from birth to become a major voice in the Southern soul/Muscle Shoals sound; initially performed in the 60s with friend Calvin Scott as Clarence & Calvin (later the C & C Boys); launched a solo career at FAME Studios in Alabama with a string of gritty Top 40 hits including “Slip Away” (#6, R&B #2, 1968), “Too Weak to Fight” (#13, R&B #3, 1968), and the Grammy-winning signature song “Patches” (#4, R&B #2, 1970); as a composer wrote scores of songs, among them “Tell Daddy” (R&B #35, 1967), which inspired Etta James‘s iconic answer-record “Tell Mama” (#23, R&B #10, 1967), and co-authored the oft-sampled holiday favorite “Back Door Santa” (#4, 1968); had a six decade touring career and a brief renaissance in 1986 with the jukebox-only, mildly-explicit “Strokin'” (UK #82, 1986); inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2003 and died in hospice care from complications of pneumonia on 5/13/2026, age 90.
May 14
● Claudine Longet / (Claudine Georgette Longet) → French singer, actress, and prominent 60s/70s pop-culture figure after marrying MOR crooner Andy Williams in 1961; appeared frequently on his hit variety TV show; launched a moderately successful recording career with charting covers of pop and bossa nova standards including “Hello, Hello” (#91, AC #8, 1967) and “Love is Blue” (#71, AC #28, 1968); as an actress, co-starred opposite Peter Sellers in the cult classic comedy film The Party (1968) and appeared on major TV shows including McHale’s Navy and The F.B.I.; became the center of an international media frenzy in 1976 following the ”accidental” fatal shooting of her then boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, at their home in Aspen, Colorado — a highly publicized trial that concluded with a conviction for criminally negligent homicide and ending her performing career; subsequently withdrew completely from the public eye, remaining a reclusive Aspen resident until dying from natural causes on 5/14/2026, age 84.
May 16
● Dennis Locorriere / (Dennis Michael Locorriere) → Lead vocalist, bass guitarist, and co-founder of multi-platinum pop-rock Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (Dr. Hook after 1975); sang lead vocals on the group’s big hits, including “Sylvia’s Mother” (#5, UK #2, 1972), the satirical “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'” (#6, 1973), “Only Sixteen” (#6, 1975), and the disco-pop “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” (#6, UK #1, 1979); following the group’s 1985 dissolution, relocated to the United Kingdom and established a respected solo career, releasing acoustic albums like Out of the Dark (2000) and One of the Lucky Ones (2005); as a songwriter and session player, saw his compositions recorded by Bob Dylan, Crystal Gayle, and Helen Reddy, and frequently toured international oldies circuits keeping the Dr. Hook musical legacy alive; died from kidney failure on 5/17/2026, age 76.
● Ike Willis / (Isaac Willis) → Singer and rhythm guitarist best known as one of the longest-serving and most recognizable members of avant-garde composer and rock icon Frank Zappa’s various bands from 1978 to 1988; sang the baritone vocals and voiced the dialogue for Zappa’s concept album Joe’s Garage Acts I, II & III (#27, 1979) – portraying the titular character, Joe – as well as Tinsel Town Rebellion (#66, 1981) and Does Humor Belong In Music? (1986); following Zappa‘s 1993 death performed as a guest artist and co-frontman with major Zappa tribute ensembles including Project/Object, The Grandmothers, and the Ugly Radio Rebellion; fronted The Ike Willis Band, released two solo studio albums under his own name in the 80s and 90s, and was working on another album prior to his death from prostate cancer on 5/19/2026, age 70.
May 20
● Jimmy Hughes / (Jimmy J. Hughes) → Soul singer and cousin to soul icon Percy Sledge; his gospel-bred vocals helped launch the historic Muscle Shoals soul sound in the early 1960s; earned the distinction of recording the very first hit single for Rick Hall’s legendary FAME Studios with the emotional ballad “Steal Away” (#17, 1964), and followed with a string of gritty soul classics for the FAME and Atlantic labels, including the iconic “Neighbor, Neighbor” (#65, R&B #4, 1966) and “Why Not Tonight” (#90, R&B #5, 1967); became disillusioned with the music industry and retired completely in 1970; dedicated the next several decades of his life to a career building parts for nuclear power plants and singing exclusively in his local church choir in Alabama; died at home from cancer on 5/29/2026, age 88.
● Denyse LePage / (Denyse Savaria) → Singer, songwriter, and co-founder, in 1980 with then-husband Denis LePage, of the multi-platinum Montreal-based synth-pop duo Lime; issued six post-disco, Hi-NRG hits the early 1980s, among them “Your Love” (Dance #1, 1981), “Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight” (Dance #6, 1982) and “Unexpected Lovers” (Dance #6, 1985); continued record as a couple through the 90s and early 00s, but used stand-ins for tours and other live performances; split from Denis after he transitioned in 2010 but occasionally appeared with him as Lime in the late 10s; died following a stroke on 5/20/2026, age 75.
May 22
● Rob Base / (Robert Ginyard) → Hip-hop artist, songwriter, and architect of the late-80s “hip-house” movement, the blend of hip-hop and house music that helped bring both genres into the mainstream; co-wrote the hit “It Takes Two” (#36, Dance #3, 1988) and recorded it with since-childhood chum Rodney “Skip” Bryce as the pop-rap duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock; the song was sampled by dozens of artists and was featured in video game and film soundtracks; the duo followed with the Top 10 dance hits “Joy And Pain” (#58, Dance #9, 1988) and “Get On The Dance Floor” (Dance #1, R&B #11, 1988), helping their debut album It Takes Two achieve multi-platinum status; as a solo artist, had three charting singles, including “Turn It Out (Go Base)” (Dance 23, R&B #16, 1990) and frequently anchored hip hop revivals and the I Love the ’90s tours; died after a “private” battle with an unspecified form of cancer on 5/22/2026, age 59.
● Dick Parry / (Richard Parry) → English session saxophonist and boyhood friend of David Gilmour best known for his work on multiple Pink Floyd albums, most notably the sax solos on “Money” (#13, 1973) and “Us and Them” (#72, 1973) from the multi-platinum LP The Dark Side of the Moon (#1, UK#2, 1973); reprised his role on the landmark follow-up album Wish You Were Here (#1, UK #1, 1975), notably on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” and anchored the horn section on the band’s 1973–1975 world tours; spent the late 1970s and 1980s as a sought-after touring player, performing with The Who on their 1979–1980 tours, among other gigs; left the industry in the 80s for a quiet life as a farrier making and repairing horseshoes, but reunited with Pink Floyd for the 1994 Division Bell tour and the live album Pulse; joined Gilmour onstage for his 2001–2002 acoustic concerts and the 2006 On an Island tour; toured with Violent Femmes in 2009 and retired for good in the 10s; died from unspecified causes on 5/24/2026, age 83.
May 25
● Sonny Rollins / (Walter Theodore Rollins Jr.) → Virtuoso tenor saxophonist and composer widely revered as the “Saxophone Colossus” for his physical and musical stature, and renowned for his unparalleled command of thematic improvisation; one of the most influential, inventive, and prolific musicians in the history of jazz; emerged in the late 140s and pioneered the hard bop movement in collaborations with Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and others; wrote undisputed jazz standards including “St. Thomas,” “Oleo,” and “Doxy” and released nearly 50 studio albums from 1953 to 2006; famously took several self-imposed sabbaticals at the peak of his fame to perfect his craft—most notably practicing solo for hours at night from 1959 to 1961 on the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City; honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2010, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2011; died from pulmonary fibrosis on 5/26/2026, age 95.
May 27
● Walter Powers / (Walter Powers III) → Bass guitarist in three Boston-area rock bands in the mid-60s, including two with future Velvet Underground bandmembers Willie Alexander and Doug Yule; joined the Underground in 1970 and toured with the group in the US and Europe until being dismissed along with Alexander in late 1971; did session work and toured in Alexander’s backing band in the 80s; left the music industry and disappeared in the late 80s but is thought to have worked in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology libraries for a time; died from undisclosed causes on 6/27/2026, age 79.
May 30
● Ronald LaPread → Original bassist and sometime songwriter in multi-platinum Motown funk and soul The Commodores during the group’s peak years; provided the basslines underneath the group’s biggest hits, including “Machine Gun” (#22, R&B #7, 1974) and the chart-toppers “Easy” (#4, R&B #1, 1977), “Three Times a Lady” (#1, R&B #1, 1978) and “Nightshift” (#3, R&B #1,1986); also co-wrote several tracks for the group, most notably the groove-heavy “Fancy Dancer” (#39, R&B #9, 1977); left The Commodores in 1986, relocated to New Zealand and mentored local talent, performed with jazz-fusion ensembles, and ran his own recording studio; inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame as a member of the original Commodores in 1995; died from an unspecified “sudden medical event” on 5/28/2026, age 75.
● Foster Sylvers / (Foster Emerson Sylvers) → Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a hit at age eleven, the proto-disco “Misdemeanor” (#22, R&B #7, 1973), written by his brother Leon Sylvers III; the vibrant falsetto and crisp dance moves drew immediate comparisons to the young Michael Jackson; joined his eight sibling in soul-pop family group The Sylvers in 1974 and contributed to disco-pop crossover hits including “Boogie Fever” (#1, R&B #1, 1975) and “Hot Line” (#5, R&B #3, 1976); transitioned to production and songwriting behind the scenes in the 80s, working on projects for Evelyn “Champagne” King and Glenn Jones, among others; convicted and jailed for a sex offense in 1994 and largely dropped from sight thereafter; died from prostate cancer on 5/31/2026, age 64.
May 31
● Dexter Wansel / (Dexter Gilman Wansel) → Keyboardist, arranger, producer, and important figure in the development of the sophisticated Philly soul sound; signed to Gamble & Huff’s legendary Philadelphia International Records (PIR) in the late 70s and served as PIR‘s A&R Director and resident visionary through the 80s; produced and played on albums by The O’Jays, Lou Rawls, Patti LaBelle and many other sophisti-soul acts; as a solo artist, released a string of critically acclaimed, space-themed progressive funk albums, including Life On Mars (1976) and What The World Is Coming To (1977), which pushed the boundaries of early synthesizer technology; the drum beat intro in his “Theme from The Planets” (1975) is a foundational beat of hip-hop music has been sampled by dozens of artists and used in TV commercials and movies over the decades; battled colon cancer for 17 years until dying from the disease on 6/02/2026, age 75.
