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:
September 02
● James Darren / (James William Ercolani) → Teen heartthrob pop-rock singer, film and TV actor, starred in the quintessential surfing film Gidget (1959) and its sequels, later in The Guns Of Navarone (1961) and others, charted 14 singles over 20 years, including his biggest, “Goodbye Cruel World” (#3, 1961), moved to TV in the late 60s and starred in The Time Tunnel (1966-67), T. J. Hooker (1982-86) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998-1999), directed TV programs and issued two albums of jazz vocal standards in 1999 and 2001, died from congestive heart failure on 9/2/2024, age 88.
September 05
● Sergio Mendes / (Sérgio Santos Mendes) → Brazilian bossa nova, jazz and funk keyboardist and bandleader with 35 albums and multiple Grammy awards from 1961 to 2020, brought Latin smooth jazz-pop to a worldwide audience through his widely-influential group Brasil ’66 and later variations, scored multiple hits in the US with “Mas Que Nada” (#47, EZ #4, 1966) and a Beatles cover “Fool On The Hill” (#6, EZ #1, 1968), later recorded updated versions of his 60s hits with current artists in the 00s and 10s, including “Mas Que Nada” with Black Eyed Peas (UK #6, 2006), died in a Los Angeles hospital from complications of long-term COVID on 9/5/2024, age 83.
● Herbie Flowers / (Brian Keith Flowers) → Legendary session bass guitarist and founding member of 70s Brit prop-rock Blue Mink and six UK Top 20 hits, including “The Banner Man” (UK #3, 1970), despite the band’s success continued to work sessions and played on over 500 rock and pop recordings by a litany of top artists in the 70s, including the bass line on Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” (#16, UK #10, 1972), played in the final line-up of glam-rock T. Rex in the late 70s and formed instrumental jazz-fusion Sky in 1979, continued session work and numerous music projects, mostly in jazz and fusion, through to his death from undisclosed causes on 9/5/2024, age 86.
● Screamin’ Scott Simon / (Scott Jared Simon) → Joined 50s retro-rock ‘n’ roll Sha Na Na in 1970 as pianist and vocalist after the their first album in 1969, played on all the group’s 15 subsequent albums and performed in every show through to their finale in 2020, contributed immensely to the band’s spiced-up doo wop and rock revival theatrics and wrote the lyrics to “Sandy,” which the group performed in the 1978 film Grease, managed the group’s financial affairs for decades until retiring in 2020, died from sinus cancer on 9/5/2024, age 75.
September 06
● Johnny Thunder / (Leroy “Gilbert” Hamilton) → Session singer and backing vocalist for The Drifters, The Ink Spots and others in the late 50s, then enjoyed a brief solo career and the one hit wonder novelty R&B/soul single “Loop De Loop” (#4, R&B #6, 1963), continued to record through the 60s with no further success, toured on the oldies circuit into the 00s, died from undisclosed causes on 9/6/2024, age 93.
● Will Jennings / (Wilbur Herschel Jennings) → Junior college and university-level English professor turned renowned, award-winning lyrist with songwriting co-credits for dozens of hits, including “My Heart Will Go On” (worldwide #1, 1997) for Celine Deion, Higher Love” (#1, 1986) with Steve Winwood, “Up Where We Belong” (#1, 1982) for Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, and “Tears In Heaven” (#2, UK #5, 1992) with Eric Clapton, plus Oscar-awarded movie soundtracks and all or substantially all of the songs on multiple albums by top artists B. B. King, The Crusaders, Jimmy Buffett and others, died following a period of declining health on 9/6/2024, age 80.
September 08
● Jimmy Gilmer / (James Axley Gilmer) → Frontman and lead singer for early rock & roll/surf pioneers The Fireballs and “Sugar Shack” (#1, R&B #1, 1963), the band released ten other charting singles – two of them Top 20 hits – and served as the house band at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, following break-up in 1969 enjoyed a successful career in Nashville as a music publisher and manager, returned to perform in occasional Fireballs reunions, the last in 2022, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 9/8/2024, age 83.
● Zoot Money / (George Bruno Money) → English vocalist and bandleader, formed bluesy Big Roll Band in 1961, the group became one of many influential blues-rock groups during the mid-60s Brit R&B boom, continued to perform in various rock groups into the 90s and acted in several films in the 80s, became a record producer and songwriter in the 00s, died after a long illness on 9/8/2024, age 82.
September 10
● Frankie Beverly / (Howard Stanley Beverly) → Founder and frontman in upbeat R&B/soul Maze, which started in 1970 at Raw Soul and placed 29 singles on the R&B charts through 2001, but just seven crossed over to the Billboard pop chart, earning him the moniker “biggest R&B star you never heard of,” announced his retirement from performing in early 2024 and died from undisclosed causes on 9/10/24, age 77.
September 13
● Tommy Cash → Younger brother of legendary Johnny Cash, scored twelve County Top 40 hits in the late 60s and early 70s, including “Six White Horses” (#79, Country #4, 1970), a tribute to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., continued to record and perform into the 10s while enjoying a career in real estate sales in and around Nashville, appeared in the movie The River Thief (230216), died from undisclosed causes on 9/13/2024, age 84.
September 15
● Kenny Hyslop / (Kenneth John Hyslop) → Scottish journeyman drummer with bar band Salvation in Glasgow in the early 70s, then power pop Zones and glam-rock Slik in the late 70s, punk rock The Skids in 1980, synth-pop Simple Minds (“Promised You A Miracle,” Dance #85, UK #13, 1982) in 1981 and 1982, formed and fronted Set The Tone in 1982 and One O’Clock Gang in 1985, gigged and toured with several bands in the 90s and 00s, taught music at a Glasgow studio in the 10s, died from prostate cancer on 9/15/2024, age 73.
● Tito Jackson / (Toriano Adaryll Jackson) → Vocals and lead guitarist in R&B/pop-soul sibling act The Jackson 5 (after 1975, The Jacksons) one of the most successful groups of the 60s and 70s with 21 Pop or R&B Top 10 hits, including “I Want You Back” (#1, R&B #1, 1969) and “ABC” (#1, R&B #1, 1970), continued to perform session work and produce music through the decades, issued a solo album in 2016 with the charting single “Get It Baby,” making him the ninth Jackson sibling to have a solo single on the Billboard charts, died following a heart attack on 9/15/2024, age 70.
September 16
● Billy Edd Wheeler / (Billy Edward Wheeler) → Country-folk songwriter with over 200 songs covered by other top artists, best known for co-penning (with Jerry Leiber) the Grammy-winning “Jackson” for Johnny and June Carter Cash (Country #2, 1967) and Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (#14, EZ #39, 1967), published several books, wrote stage plays and scored musical operas, mostly about life in Appalachia, died at home from undisclosed cause on 9/16/2024, age 91.
September 17
● J. D. Souther / (John David Souther) → Country-rock singer-songwriter and key figure in the Southern California rock scene of the 70s, wrote several songs for Linda Ronstadt and co-produced her album Don’t Cry Now, co-wrote hits for the Eagles, including “New Kid In Town” (#1, 1977), member of supergroup Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (“Fallin’ In Love,” #27, 1974), scored the solo hit single “You’re Only Lonely” (#7, AC #1, 1979) and a duet with James Taylor, “Her Town Too” (#11, AC #5, 1981), issued four solo albums between 1972 and 1984 before dropping out of the music industry for nearly 25 years, acted in several movies and TV series, including a recurring role on “Nashville” in 2012 and 2017, returned to recording and performing in 2008 with five solo albums of jazz-pop, was scheduled to perform with Karla Bonoff in October 2024 and as a solo act in 2025 but died from undisclosed causes on 9/17/2024, age 78.
September 18
● Nick Gravenites / (Nicholas George Gravenites) → Venerable Chicago-raised blues, rock and folk guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer, relocated to San Francisco in the 60s and notably worked with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Janice Joplin‘s Kozmic Blues Band before joining blues-rock The Butterfield Blues Band and founding blues-rock fusion Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield, wrote the score to the film The Trip (1967) and produced the music to the film Steelyard Blues (1973), inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003, died in an assisted living facility suffering from dementia and diabetes on 9/18/2024, age 85.
● Dick Diamonde / (Dingeman Ariaan Henry van der Sluijs) → Dutch-born bassist with four other ex-pat Europeans in Australia’s top pop-rock act in the 60s, The Easybeats, the band charted fifteen AUS Top 40 singles, including the worldwide hit “Friday On My Mind” (#16, AUS #1, UK #6, 1967) before disbanding in 1970, continued to perform in clubs in eastern Australia for a time and in a 1986 Easybeats reunion before retiring from music, died from undisclosed causes on 9/18/2024, age 76.
September 22
● Roger Palm → Swedish drummer in several rock and dance bands in the 60s and 70s, then joined Euro-pop ABBA’s backing band and drummed for seven years during the group’s meteoric rise to superstardom, played on four of their first five albums before returning to freelance work for several decades, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on 9/22/2024, age 75.
September 28
● Kris Kristofferson → Nashville studio janitor turned Grammy-winning “outlaw country” singer/songwriter with hundreds of songs covered by others, most notably “Me & Bobby McGee” (Janis Joplin, #1, 1971) and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (Johnny Cash, #46, Country #1, 1970), charted ten singles as a solo artist, including “Why Me” (#16, Country #1, 1973), turned to acting in the early-70s and appeared in more than 50 films over four decades, including A Star Is Born (1976) opposite Barbra Streisand, and the neo-western Lone Star (1996), husband of folkie Rita Coolidge from 1973 to 1980, retired from performing in 2021 and died at home in Hawaii on 9/28/2024, age 88.
September 29
● Martin Lee / (Martin Barnes) → English singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist in the second line-up of MOR-pop Brotherhood Of Man, co-wrote and sang lead on the group’s first big hit, “Save Your Kisses For Me” (#27, UK #1, 1976) and two other UK Top 10 hits, released 16 albums with the group and continued to tour for four decades – with a two-year hiatus in 1983 – until a final performance in 2020, died from heart failure after a short illness on 9/29/2024, age 77.
