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ISA • Songwriter Obituaries
 
Songwriter Obituaries 2021
Pam Belford
(70), songwriter and Nashville City librarian, who penned George Strait's 'If I Know Me' and 'Holding My Own', along with the Connie Francis hit 'Don’t Tell Me Not To Cry', Leon Everette's 'Sad State Of Affairs', and songs recorded by Doug Stone, Blackcreek, Rich McCready, Renee Wahl, and her occasional collaborator Dean Dillon.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Glenn Tubb
(85), singer-songwriter, who in 1968 penned the classic Henson Cargill #1 'Skip A Rope' and lived to to see it back on the charts 53 years later (in 2021) by Marty Stuart.
'Skip A Rope', which was nominated for a Grammy, was also recorded by Jimmy Dean, B.J. Thomas, Conway Twitty, Autry Inman, Lynn Anderson, Gene Vincent, George Jones, Joe Tex, Patti Page, Rex Allen, The Jordanaires, Bobby Bare, The Brothers Four and The Kentucky Head Hunters.
Glenn Tubb also penned 'Two Story House' and 'Together Again', two chart-topping duets for George Jones & Tammy Wynette, 'Home Of The Blues' a hit for Johnny Cash, and 'I Talk To Jesus Every Day' (recorded by both Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan), along with songs for Dwight Yoakam, Kitty Wells, Hank Williams Jr., Sonny James, Charley Pride, Bob Dylan, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Gene Watson, Billy Walker, Anne Murray and Ernest Tubb.
One of his lesser-known collaborations was a posthumous one with Hank Williams. Williams, had who died in 1953, had left an unfinished lyric titled 'Heartbroken, Forsaken and Alone' which his widow asked Glenn Tubb to finish. The song was finally recorded in 2009 by Jennifer Brantley.
A recording artist in his own right, Glenn Tubb (mainly under the name Glenn Douglas) recorded for the Dot, Decca, Mercury and MGM labels, while touring with such heavyweights as Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Marty Robbins. Married to country star Dottie Snow Tubb, who like Tubb was a minister of religion, they both presided over 'The Kitchen Tabernacle' which was broadcast every Sunday worldwide, and as a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry and The Ozark Jubilee, Glenn - who was the nephew of Country Music Hall Of Fame member Ernest Tubb and cousin of Opry star Justin Tubb - performed up until his death at the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Michael Julien
(93), songwriter and Harley Street hypnotherapist who was involved in penning two Eurovision-winning songs.
Michael Julien, who qualified initially as a solicitor but never practised deciding instead to train as a hypnotherapist, started his career in show business in 1954 by penning 'Impossible' for Norman Wisdom. Later hits included Shirley Bassey's 'Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me' which spent 17 weeks on the UK charts in 1958 even though it had been denounced by the Archbishop of York as 'musical pornography', along with 'Constantly' an international hit in 1964 for Cliff Richard.
Using money from his 1950's hits, Michael Julien opened and managed the Club d'Azur at 47 Frith Street, London, which attracted such celebrities as Anita Ekberg, Jayne Mansfield, Brigitte Bardot and Dean Martin, before selling the building in 1965 to Ronnie Scott, who wanted to move his jazz club in Gerrard Street to a larger premises.
In 1967, he penned 'Let's Live For Today' which was recorded by the American rock band the Grass Roots, and their version quickly became 'the unofficial anthem' of the American troops on the ground in Vietnam. The song sold more than three million copies in the USA alone, was featured in several movies, and was covered by more than 50 acts.
In 1968, Michael Julien was approached to pen English lyrics for Spain's winning Eurovision entry 'La La La' and the following year, his song 'Boom-Bang-A-Bang', performed for the UK by Lulu, won the Eurovision held in Madrid.
Other successes included 'Love Is A Gamble' for Jackie Lee, 'Nine Times Out Of Ten' for Muriel Day, and 'Teach Me' for David Hughes as well as recordings by The Kaye Sisters, The Rokes, The Living Daylights, Lesley Gore, Jerry Vale, James Last, Ray McVay, Lena Zavaroni, The Lords Of The New Church, Billie Davis, Amanda Lear, Matt Monro, Judith Durham, and Jane McDonald.
Having retired as a psychotherapist, Michael Julien continued to write songs, and in 2015, cut his first recording - singing one of his own compositions, 'You're So Loveable', This was followed by a sell-out concert in London featuring Rhiannon Davis and Richard Beavis performing his material, including some new songs which he had just written for a planned West End musical.
In London, UK, having contracted Covid 19 while recuperating in hospital following surgery
DeWayne Blackwell
(84) songwriter whose hits include such classics as 'Mr Blue' (The Fleetwoods, Bobby Vee, Johnny Crawford, Bobby Vinton, Pat Boone, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Garth Brooks and Bob Dylan), '(I've Got) Friends In Low Places' (Garth Brooks), 'I’m Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home' (David Frizell) and 'Honkytonk Man' (Marty Robbins).
A teenage member of the family group The Blackwells (his brother Ron penned the Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs hit 'Lil’ Red Riding Hood' but died in a car crash the week before the song reached ~1), Blackwell wrote 'Mr Blue' in 1959 which earned him his first million seller, going on to pen Top 10 hits for a slew of pop stars including Billy Fury ('Love Or Money'), The Everly Brothers ('The Ferris Wheel'), Bobby Vee ('Hickory, Dick And Dock') and Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs ('Oh That’s Bad - No That’s Good') along with other charting songs for Roy Orbison, The Four Preps, Peggy March, Little Richard and The Ventures.
In 1969, he turned his attention to country music, scoring with 'Mama Come’n Get Your Baby Boy' recorded by Johnny Darrell, followed by such hits as 'Saturday Night Special' by Conway Twitty, David Frizzell's 'I’m Gonna Hire A Wino' which was nominated for a songwriting Grammy Award, 'Honkytonk Man' by Marty Robbins (the title song of a Clint Eastwood movie), Garth Brooks' iconic hit 'Friends In Low Places' (named Single of the Year by both the CMA and the ACM and which was nominated for a Grammy and was named ASCAP’s Country Song of the Year in 1991), 'Cowboy In A Three-Piece Business Suit' (Rex Allen Jr), 'Turn The Pencil Over' (Porter Wagoner), 'Tulsa Ballroom' (Dottie West), 'A Million Light Beers Ago' (David Frizzell), 'Make My Day' (T.G. Sheppard & Clint Eastwood), 'Still Pickin’ Up After You' (The Kendalls), 'When Karen Comes Around' (Mason Dixon), 'Nobody Gets Off In This Town' (Garth Brooks) and 'Yard Sale' (Sammy Kershaw).
At the peak of his career, DeWayne Blackwell suddenly left Nashville to live in the Mexican city of Ajijic on the shores of Lake Chapala, where he opened a restaurant named Senor Azul - Spanish for his first-ever hit 'Mr Blue' and where he frequently performed.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Baja California, Mexico, of heart failure
Patsy Bruce
(81), songwriter and entrepreneur who with her husband country singer Ed Bruce, penned 'Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys' which was a hit for both Ed Bruce and the later pairing of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings whose recording won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group. She also penned 'Texas When I Die' which reached Number 1 for Tanya Tucker as well as 'Girls, Women and Ladies', '(When You Fall In Love) Everything's A Waltz', 'After All' and 'Ever, Never Lovin' You', all recorded by Ed Bruce.
She became President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International in the late 1970s and also acted as manager for her husband's career, setting up the Ed Bruce Talent Agency in Nashville. She was later appointed casting director for the TV series remake 'Maverick' and the movie 'Urban Cowboy' and following her divorce, she set up the event management company 'Events Unlimited'.
A supporter of the Democratic Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen, she served for ten years on the Tennessee State Board of Probation and Parole. In recent years, she went into business with her son, the songwriter Trey Bruce whose hit songs have been recorded by Randy Travis, Faith Hill, Leann Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. Together, they opened Songbird Tours in 2017, a luxury purpose-built bus which circles the major songwriting attractions in Music City, while Nashville songwriters perform for the occupants and which quickly emerged as one of the top visitor attractions in Music City.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Marcel Stellman
(96), Belgian-born songwriter, record producer, journalist (for 'Cashbox'), BBC producer and later BBC radio presenter, whose songs (penned under more than 20 different pen-names) were recorded by such acts as Max Bygraves ('Tulips From Amsterdam'), Lance Fortune ('Be Mine'), Jess Conrad ('The Pullover'), Kathy Kirby ('Dance On'), Françoise Hardy ('Find Me A Boy'), Tony Bennett ('I Will Live My Life For You'), Engelbert Humperdinck ('How Near Is My Love'), Bing Crosby ('A Little Love And Understanding'), Cilla Black ('There I Go'), Dean Martin ('Cha Cha Cha d'Amour'), Charles Aznavour (whom he persuaded to record for the first time in English), Louis Prima, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Nina Simone, Jimmy Young, Maureen Evans, Craig Douglas, Benny Hill, Marianne Faithfull, Los Bravos, Vikki Carr, Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Noel Harrison, Julie Andrews, Peters & Lee, Stephane Grappelli, The Shadows, The Bachelors, Slim Whitman, Mantovani, Dave Berry, Edith Piaf, Nana Mouskouri, Dana, Shirley Bassey, Gilbert Becaud, and The George Martin Orchestra,
As a producer mainly with Decca Records (UK), he worked with Dirk Bogarde ('Lyrics For Lovers'), Edmundo Ros (for whom her produced twenty albums), Eric Sykes & Hattie Jacques, Ted Heath, The Tornados, Unit 4 + 2, Caterina Valente, Anita Harris, Noel Harrison, Manuela, Honor Blackman, The Goons, Papa Abraham & The Smurfs, and Dusty Springfield.
While on a visit to Cannes, Marcel Stellman licensed the French TV quiz show 'Des Chiffres Et Des Lettres', bringing it to UK audiences under the name 'Countdown' which was the first programme broadcast by Channel 4, and was still running 7,000 editions later.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Freeman Of The City Of London.
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
In London, UK, of natural causes
Lloyd Price
(88), singer-songwriter whose Top 20 hits include 'Personality' (covered in the UK by Anthony Newley), 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy' (covered by Elvis Presley), 'Stagger Lee' (covered by Tommy Roe), 'Lady Luck', 'Question', 'Misty', 'Amen' and 'I'm Gonna Get Married', and who went on to found Double L Records (which recorded Wilson Pickett) and the Broadway night-club Birdland.
A shrewd businessman, Lloyd Price invested heavily in real estate, owning two construction firms which built homes in the Bronx and Staten Island, as well as the food company Global Icon Brands, and became involved with Don King in the 'Rumble In The Jungle' boxing fixture between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire.
In spite of his many business activities, Lloyd Price continued to perform live up until his death, to work with Phil Ramone on the Broadway musical 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy' and to manage his various music publishing and recording firms.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In New Rochelle, New York, USA from complications linked to diabetes
Tommy West
(78), singer-songwriter and record producer, who founded The Criterions ('I Remain Truly Yours'), before moving into radio at WRLB in New Jersey. From there he joined ABC Records in New York where he teamed up with songwriters Terry Cashman and Gene Pistilli to form the trio Cashman, Pistilli & West which released a series of well-received albums while the trio simultaneously recorded under the name of The Buchanan Brothers ('Medicine Man').
West moonlighted as a backup vocalist on singles by Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Sammy Davis, Jr., Connie Francis, and Mitch Ryder and in 1970, wrote a series of songs for the emerging Partridge Family ('She'd Rather Have The Rain', 'Only A Moment Ago', 'Every Song Is You', 'One Day At A Time', 'Come On Love', 'Sunshine Eyes', 'It Sounds Like You're Saying Hello', and 'It's Time That I Knew You Better'), before the trio scored their first hit with 'American City Suite'.
As this was entering the charts, they were producing an album for the folk duo Jim & Ingrid Croce, eventually signing Croce to a solo contract at ABC-Dunhill, leading to a series of gold and platinum albums including 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim', 'Life And Times', and 'I Got A Name', and such hit singles as 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown', 'I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song', 'Workin' At The Car Wash Blues','Operator' and 'Time In A Bottle'. Sadly, at the height of their success, Jim Croce died in an air-crash in Louisiana in 1973.
West and Cashman moved on to set up Lifesong Records, scoring hits with Henry Gross ('Shannon') and Dion's comeback album 'The Return Of The Wanderer', followed by a series of country albums for Ed Bruce, achieving such # 1 country hits as 'You're The Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had' with Ed Bruce (MCA Nashville) and 'Until I Met You' with Judy Rodman (one of two number ones for MTM Mary Tyler Moore Records). Teaming up with Anne Murray, West also produced the double-platinum album 'What A Wonderful Christmas' followed in 2002, by 'Country Croonin' which went gold.
In Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, from complications associated with Parkinson’s disease
Charlie Black
(71), songwriter whose hits include such country classics as Anne Murray’s 'A Little Good News', Reba McEntire’s 'You Lie' and Jennifer Warnes’ 'I Know A Heartache When I See One', but who started out as a singer whose career came to a halt when his first song was covered by Tommy Overstreet, leading to his being asked to pen a series of hits for that singer including I Don’t Know You Anymore' (1971), 'Send Me No Roses' (1973), 'I’ll Never Break These Chains' (1973), 'Jeannie Marie You Were A Lady' (1974) and 'If I Miss You Again Tonight' (1974).
Putting his own performing career on hold, Charlie Black emerged over the next 35 years as one of the most successful songwriters in the history of country music, scoring such hits as Anne Murray’s 'Shadows In The Moonlight', as well as her hits 'Lucky Me', 'Blessed Are The Believers' and 'Another Sleepless Night'. These hits were followed by 'Do You Love As Good As You Look,' (The Bellamy Brothers'), 'Be There For Me Baby' (Johnny Lee), 'Sounds Like Love' (Johnny Lee), 'Slow Burn' (T.G. Sheppard), 'Another Motel Memory' (Shelly West), 'Honor Bound' (Earl Thomas Conley) and 'Strong Heart' (T.G. Sheppard).
Twenty years after his first successes, Black scored with a succession of Number 1 country acts, including the Gary Morris hit '100% Chance Of Rain', Lee Greenwood's 'Someone', 'Timeless And True Love' for The McCarters, a song later covered by Jeannie Kendall & Alan Jackson in 2003.
K.T. Oslin's 'Come Next Monday' followed, along with Reba McEntire’s chart-topping 'You Lie', the BlackHawk hit 'Goodbye Says It All', Collin Raye’s 'Little Red Rodeo', Alan Jackson’s 'Right On The Money' and Vassar’s singles 'Carlene' , 'Six Pack Summer' and 'Don’t Miss Your Life' (2012).
Although these were his biggest hits, stars who queued up to record his material included Kenny Rogers, Lynn Anderson, John Conlee, Crystal Gayle, George Strait, Andy Williams, Juice Newton, Charlie Rich, Jerry Reed, The Osmond Brothers, Bobby Bare, Don Williams and Joe Nichols.
Charlie Black married songwriter Dana Hunt who penned several George Strait hits including 'Check Yes Or No' - the 1995 CMA Single of the Year, and 'Write This Down'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
In Port Saint Joe, Florida, USA, of heart failure
Jim Steinman
(73), songwriter, record producer, performer and playwright, described as 'the greatest ever composer of symphonic rock' whose hits include such classics as Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart', Air Supply's 'Making Love Out Of Nothing At All', Meat Loaf's 'I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)', the Sisters of Mercy's 'This Corrosion', Barry Manilow's 'Read 'Em And Weep', Celine Dion's 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' and Boyzone's 'No Matter What' as well as penning the music for Meat Loaf’s 'Bat Out Of Hell',which sold 14 million copies in the US alone.
In the field of musical theatre, Jim Steinman also scored with 'Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical', 'Whistle Down The Wind', and 'Tanz der Vampire - Dance Of The Vampires'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Winner.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA, of kidney failure
Barry Mason
(85), songwriter whose hit songs include such classics as 'Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)', 'The Last Waltz', 'I Pretend', 'Here It Comes Again', 'There Goes My First Love', 'A Man Without Love', 'Winter World Of Love' 'Now That You Are Gone', 'Rowbottom Square', 'Delilah', 'Love Is All', 'I Pretend', 'Les Bicyclettes De Belsize' and 'You Just Might See Me Cry'.
Over a sixty year career, his songs were recorded by Tom Jones, P. J. Proby, David Essex, The Drifters, Rod Stewart, Petula Clark, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Fortunes, Charles Aznavour, Tony Christie, Connie Francis, Mireille Mathieu, Barbra Streisand, The Dave Clark Five, Demis Roussos, Malcolm Roberts, Our Kid and Ashley Maclaine.
In addition, he also penned 'Marching On Together' (also known as 'Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!'), the anthem of Leeds United FC.
Born in Wigan, UK but brought uip in the entertainment city of Blackpool, in his early years Les wanted to be an actor, and ended up as understudy to Albert Finney at the Royal Court Theatre, after which he appeared in the Finney movie 'Saturday Night And Sunday Morning', singing the Adam Faith hit 'What Do You Want?'.
Later he had a short-lived spell in pop management having discovered Tommy Bruce and producing that singer's UK Number 1 'Ain't Misbehaving'. Unable to find a follow-up tune, Barry decided to try and pen one himself and soon discovered that he had a talent for songwriting, going on to pen hundreds of songs which sold more than 50 million copies, many in collabration with such songwriters as Les Reed, Peter Lee Stirling, Roger Greenaway and Tony MacAulay.
Although a predominantly pop songwriter, he also penned two country Number 1 songs, for Tom Jones and Joe Stampley, became involved in musical theatre writing several musicals including 'Miranda' and also emerged as a singer with the album 'Rowbottom Square' which was a big hit in Germany.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Five-time Ivor Novello Award Winner
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
In London, UK, of natural causes
Rusty Young
(75), singer-songwrter and co-founder of Poco, whose hits include 'You Better Think Twice', 'Keep On Tryin', 'Rose of Cimarron', 'Indian Summer','Crazy Love', 'Heart Of The Night', 'Under the Gun', 'Shoot For The Moon"' 'Call It Love' and 'Nothin' to Hide'.
In Davisville, Missouri, USA, following a heart attack
Bill Owens
(85), songwriter, musician, environmentalist, and uncle to Dolly Parton, and whose songs have been recorded by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Ricky Skaggs, Kris Kristofferson and others.
As well as playing guitar behind Dolly Parton in her early days, he was also noted environmental activist who partnered with Dollywood, The American Chestnut Foundation, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and The American Eagle Foundation to bring the native chestnut tree back to the Great Smoky Mountains area. He and his wife, Sandy, also planted 70,000 trees across the park property.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
DMX
(50), songwriter, rapper and actor, whose hits include 'Get At Me Dog', 'How's It Goin' Down', 'What's My Name?', 'What These Bitches Want', 'Party Up (Up In Here)', 'X Gon' Give It To Ya' and 'Lord Give Me A Sign'. In total, he sold 25 million albums and is regarded as the fifth best-selling rap or hip-hop artist of all time.
DMX, whose real name was Earl Simmons, also acted in wighteen movies, including 'Belly', 'Romeo Must Die', 'Exit Wounds', 'Cradle 2' and 'Last Hour' and penned an autobiograhpy 'E.A.R.L - The Autobiography of DMX'.
Three-time Grammy Award Nominee.
In New York City, USA, following a heart attack
Shay Healy
(78), songwriter, author and broadcaster who penned Johnny Logan's 1980 Eurovision Song Contest winner "What's Another Year", as well as songs for Billy Connolly ('The Orient Express', 'The Shitkickers Waltz' and 'The Country & Western Supersong'), along with 'Edge Of The Universe', performed by Linda Martin, which won the 1983 Castlebar Song Contest.
'What's Another Year', arranged by Bill Whelan, went on to sell over a million copies, spending two weeks at Number 1 in the UK, as well as going Top 10 in almost every European country and earning him the 2020 equivalent of more than £1 million.
He had been working for RTE Television when he wrote the song, and between 1988 and 1992 also hosted the TV chat show 'Nighthawks', one of whose interviews resulted in the resignation of the Irish Prime Minister Charles J Haughey when a former Justice Minister alleged that members of the government were aware of an order to illegally tap the phones of a number of journalists.
He had also been involved in musical theatre, collaborating with Niall Toibin on 'The King' (a tribute to Elvis Presley, and later writing 'The Wiremen' which ran for six weeks at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre.
A prolific journalist, for many years he penned a weekly column for The Daily Mail and published two novels ('The Stunt' and 'Green Card Blues') as well as a partial autobiography 'On The Road'.
In Dublin, Ireland, having suffered for many years with Parkinson's Disease
Connie Bradley
(75), ASCAP Senior Vice President and Nashville Head, who worked with such stars as Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Rodney Crowell, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and George Strait. Connie Bradley was married to Jerry Bradley and was a member of the CMA Board of Directors from 1983 to 2012, having been elected both President and Chairperson.
In Fort Myers, Florida, USA, of undiscolosed causes
Scott Whitehead
(61), singer-songwriter, music executive, and one half of the country duo Hometown News, whose hits include 'Minivan' and 'Wheels'. In recent years, he acted as business manager for GrassRoots Promotion whose clients include such stars as Alabama, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, and Randy Travis.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of undisclosed causes
Michael Stanley
(72), singer-songwriter, broadcaster, and founder member of Silk, and later the Michael Stanley Band (also known as MSB), whose hits included 'He Can’t Love You' and 'Falling In Love Again', and who later hosted WJW Channel 8's 'PM Magazine', winning 11 local Emmy Awards, while spending more than 30 years on the radio at Cleveland’s classic rock station WNCX, handling the afternoon shift as well as Saturday mornings.
In Cleveland, Ohio, USA, of lung cancer
Prince Markie Dee
(52), songwriter, producer, radio host and member of The Fat Boys, whose hits include such rap classics as 'Typical Reasons (Swing My Way)' and 'Love Daddy'. After the group split, Dee produced hits for Mary Jo Blige ('Real Love'), Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Craig Mack and Marc Anthony while building up a major reputation as a radio DJ in Miami, Florida.
In Miami, Florida, USA, folowing a heart attack
Chick Corea
(79), jazz pianist and composer whose classic compositions included such pieces as 'La Fiesta', 'Armando's Rhumba' and 'Spain', and who worked with such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, Cab Calloway and Sarah Vaughan.
Twenty-one time Grammy Award Winner.
Sixty-three time Grammy Award Nominee.
In Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, of cancer
Jim Weatherly
(77), singer-songwriter, whose hits include 'The Need To Be' and 'I'll Still Love You' and whose songs recorded by other acts include 'Midnight Train To Georgia' by Gladys Knight & The Pips which went to Number 1 on the pop and R&B charts, and won a Grammy Award. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999, and chosen by the National Endowment For The Arts as No. 29 of the 365 Songs of the Century.
Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi in 1943, Weatherly started writing songs at the age of 13, before going on to play football for the University of Mississippi. However, following graduation, he turned down a professional football career in favour of music. Moving to Beverly Hills, he recorded initially as Jim Weatherly & The Vegas on 20th Century Fox Records before forming The Gordian Knot on Verve and RCA, working alongside such folk-rock acts as The Byrds, Johnny Rivers and Barry McGuire.
Subsequently he signed a solo contract with Buddah Records, scoring such hits as 'Loving You Is Just an Old Habit' and 'The Need to Be' (both pop hits), before switching to country with chart entries like 'It Must Have Been The Rain', 'All That Keeps Me Going', 'Smooth Sailing', 'Gift From Missouri' and 'Safe In the Arms Of Love (Cold In The Streets)'.
Simultaneously, he penned more than fifty tracks for Ray Price including his hits 'Storms Of Troubled Times', 'Like A First Time Thing', 'Like Old Times Again', 'Roses And Love Songs', 'Farthest Thing From My Mind' and 'If You Ever Change Your Mind', along with twelve for Gladys Knight & The Pips, including the hit songs 'Neither One Of Us', 'Where Peaceful Waters Flow', and 'Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me'.
Over a fifty-year career, Jim Weatherly penned songs for Dionne Warwick, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, Mac Davis, Marie Osmond, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams, Eddy Arnold, Lynn Anderson, Joan Osborne, Neil Diamond, The Temptations, Trisha Yearwood, The Oak Ridge Boys, Hall & Oates, The Detroit Spinners, Reba McEntire, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Johnny Lee, Peter Cetera, Lee Greenwood, Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wariner, Kenny Chesney, Julie Andrews, Dottie West, Bobby Goldsboro, Garth Brooks, The Indigo Girls, Bob Luman, Ed Bruce, Johnny Mathis, Dan Seals, Reverend James Cleveland, Peggy Lee and Widespread Panic. In recent years, he penned songs for such acts as Kenny Rogers, Delbert McClinton, Jeff Carson, Etta James and The Manhattans
In 2002, Jim Weatherly filed a lawsuit claiming that he had been underpaid royalties for 'Midnight Train To Georgia'. The defendants argued that Weatherly could not proceed on his action because the one-year contractual limitation (common in most contracts) had passed. The courts disagreed saying that 'A defendant cannot hinder the plaintiff's discovery through misrepresentation, and then fault the plaintiff for failing to investigate'. This decision which still stands has enabled other artists fight claims of failure to pay royalties due.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Winner.
Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee.
In Brentwood, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Hugh X Lewis
(90), singer-songwriter and radio/TV host, whose compositions include Stonewall Jackson's Number One hit 'BJ The DJ' as well as 'Angry Words' and 'Ship In The Bottle' (also for Jackson), 'Take My Ring Off Your Finger' (Carl Smith), 'Just Thought I’d Let You Know' (Carl Butler & Pearl), along with hits for Kitty Wells, Ray Pillow, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy C. Newman, George Morgan, Charley Pride, Jimmy Dickens, Lynn Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, Del Reeves and Bobby Goldsboro.
As a singer, he scored chart entries with 'What I Need Most', 'Out Where The Ocean Meets The Sky', 'I’d Better Call The Law On Me', 'You’re So Cold (I’m Turning Blue)', 'Evolution And The Bible' and 'All Heaven Broke Loose'.
As a presenter, he hosted the 'Hugh X. Lewis Country Club', a syndicated weekly TV show produced from his own nightclub in Printer’s Alley, Nashville, and also appeared in the movies 'Forty Acre Feud' (1966), 'Gold Guitar '(1967) and 'Cotton Pickin’ Chicken Pickers' (1967).
In 1984, he retired but returned to the music business in 1998, this time with such gospel albums as 'God, Home & Country' and 'Stand Up And Be Counted' and started hosting a weekly gospel radio show 'The Christian Country Store' on WSGS and WKIC in Hazard, Kentucky along with daily features on the Gospel Radio Network.
In Hazard, Kentucky, USA, of heart failure
Jimmie Rodgers
(87), singer-songwriter and one of the only acts who managed to achieve hit singles on the pop, country, rhythm & blues, folk and adult contemporary charts.
Born in Washintom State, Jimmie Rodgers moved to Nashville after service during the Korean War, and in 1957, reached Number 1 with his version of 'Honeycomb', quickly followed by such hits as 'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine', 'Oh-Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again', 'Secretly', and 'Are You Really Mine'. Other hits include 'Bo Diddley', 'Bimbombey', 'Because You're Young', 'Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario', 'Tucumcari', 'Tender Love And Care (T.L.C)', 'Make Me A Miracle', 'I'm Never Gonna Tell' and a version of 'Waltzing Matilda' which was featured in the movie 'On The Beach'. A regular on American television, he also charted with 'English Country Garden', along with the opening theme song of the film 'The Long, Hot Summer' starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Orson Welles.
Further hits incuded 'It's Over' (penned by Rodgers and later recorded by Eddy Arnold, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Mason Williams, and Sonny James), 'Child Of Clay', 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee', 'The Wreck Of The John B', 'Woman From Liberia', 'No One Will Ever Know', 'Face In A Crowd', 'Two-Ten, Six-Eighteen', 'The World I Used To Know', 'The Windmills Of Your Mind', 'A Good Woman Likes To Drink With The Boys', 'Everytime I Sing A Love Song' and 'Easy To Love'.
Rodgers also appeared in a number of films, including 'The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come' opposite Neil Hamilton, and 'Back Door To Hell', which he helped finance.
In 1967 at the height of his popularity, disaster struck when his car was stopped by off-duty policemen outside Los Angeles. When a friend found him later, he was semi-conscious, and claimed he had been beaten by a number of police officers, something which the officers denied, saying that he had fallen and struck his head. However they were subsequently disciplined for leaving the injured Rodgers alone in his car and Rodgers eventually accepted a $200,000 settlement from the Los Angeles City Council.
Recovery from his injuries was slow, and Rodgers rarely appeared on stage during the 1970's, although he continued to have Adult Contemporary and Country chart entries on a number of labels including Dot and A&M. However, ill health continued to plague him, and he retired from public performance in 2008 to write his autobiography 'Dancing On The Moon' although he returned to perform live in 2011.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
In Camas, Washington, USA, of heart failure
Jamie O'Hara
(70), singer-songwriter and one-half of the country duo The O'Kanes, whose seven hits included "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You" which reached Number 1 and was a Grammy Award Nominee.
A prolific songwriter for other acts, Jamie O'Hara scored with hits by The Judds ("Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)" which reached Number 1 and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, Ronnie McDowell ("Older Women" and "Wandering Eyes"), as well as chart entries for Shelby Lynne, Gary Allan, Tim McGraw, George Jones, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood.
In addition to his work with The O'Kanes, Jamie O'Hara released several solo albums on RCA, scoring such hit singles as "What's A Good Ol' Boy To Do", "The Cold Hard Truth", "It Ain't Over (Til Your Heart Says It's Over)" and "50,000 Names".
Grammy Award Winner.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of cancer
Phil Spector
(81), record producer, musician, songwriter. and creator of the much-imitated 'Wall Of Sound', whose classic hits include 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (The Righteous Brothers), 'The Long and Winding Road' (The Beatles), and 'My Sweet Lord' (George Harrison), and who while penning numerous hit songs, also worked with such songwriting teams as Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Regarded as one of the most influential figures in popular music, he scored more than 50 hit singles (including the most-broadcast single of the 20th Century), and produced more than 25 hit albums in a career which extended from 1958 to 2006.
Born in New York, Phil Spector first came to fame in Los Angeles as a singer, songwriter and guitarist with The Teddy Bears, whose hit 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' was inspired by the inscription on the grave of his father who had committed suicide nine years earlier. The single went to Number 1 in 1958. Moving to New York the following year, he went to work for Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as a trainee producer, co-writing the Ben E King classic 'Spanish Harlem' while producing several other hits including Ray Peterson's 'Corinne Corinna' and Curtis Lee's 'Pretty Little Angel Eyes' as well as 'Every Breath I Take' (Gene Pitney), 'I Love How You Love Me' (The Paris Sisters), 'I Could Have Loved You So Well' (Ray Peterson) and 'Second Hand Love' (Connie Francis). He also played guitar on a number of records, including the Drifters' hit 'On Broadway'.
Having returned to Los Angeles and forming Philles Records with Lester Sill in 1960, Spector developed his Wall Of Sound production technique, utilising such session players as Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, Steve Douglas, Carol Kaye, Roy Caton, Glen Campbell, and Leon Russell, going on to produce a string of hits for The Crystals ('There's No Other Like My Baby', 'Uptown', 'He's A Rebel', 'He's Sure the Boy I Love', 'Then He Kissed Me', and 'Da Doo Ron Ron'), Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans ('Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah', 'Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart', and 'Not Too Young To Get Married'), Darlene Love ('Wait 'til My Bobby Gets Home', 'A Fine, Fine Boy' and 'Christmas Baby, Please Come Home'), The Ronettes ('Be My Baby', 'Baby, I Love You', 'The Best Part Of Breakin' Up', 'Do I Love You?' and 'Walking in the Rain'), The Righteous Brothers ('You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', 'Just Once In My Life', 'Unchained Melody', 'Hung On You' and 'Ebb Tide'), Ike & Tina Turner ('River Deep Mountain High'), along with the multi-million selling Christmas album 'A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records'.
In 1970, after a two year sabattical during which he married Veronica Bennett, later known as Ronnie Spector and the former lead singer of The Ronettes, Spector returned to the Top 10 with 'Black Pearl' and 'Proud Mary' both by Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, before moving to London to work with The Beatles.
This sojourn produced John Lennon's 'Instant Karma', along with the Beatles album 'Let It Be' which gave them a number one single 'The Long & Winding Road', the remix of which irritated the song's composer Paul McCartney who was unhappy with the end result.
He next turned his attention to George Harrison, producing two hit singles 'My Sweet Lord' and 'What Is Life' along with the album 'All Things Must Pass', before delivering John Lennon's 'Imagine' and 'Power To The People'. In 1972, he won a Grammy for the triple album 'The Concert For Bangladesh'.
Soon after, Spector has involved in a near-fatal car crash in Hollywood, which caused severe head injuries and necessitated 800 stitches, and again withdrew from the music industry. However, in 1977 he co-wrote and produced Leonard Cphen's 'Death Of A Ladies' Man' LP, which on one track 'Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On' involved both Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg on background vocals. He then worked with the Ramones, producing their classic hits 'Rock 'n' Roll High School', 'Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?' and their cover of the Ronettes song, 'Baby, I Love You'. His final major productions included Yoko Ono's 'Season Of Glass' and Starsailor's 'Silence Is Easy'.
That same year, Spector was arrested and charged with the second-degree murder by shooting of actress Lana Clarkson at his home in Hollywood. Before the trial, Spector said in a deposition that he had been treated for bi-polar disorder, adding "No sleep, depression, mood changes, mood swings, hard to live with, hard to concentrate, just hard - a hard time getting through life, I've been called a genius and I think a genius is not there all the time and has borderline insanity."
Two trials followed, during which Spector claimed that Lana Clarkson's death was an 'accidental suicide', but in 2009, Soector was found guilty and sentenced to 19 years to life in the California state prison system.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Winner.
At the California Prison Health Care Facility in Stockton, California, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Ed Bruce
(81), songwriter, singer and actor, whose hit compositions recorded by other artists include 'Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys' (Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings), 'Texas When I Die' (Tanya Tucker), 'Then Man That Turned My Mama On' (Tanya Tucker), 'See The Big Man Cry' (Charlie Louvin), 'Restless' (Crystal Gayle) and 'Save Your Kisses' (Tommy Roe).
As a singer, Ed Bruce scored 38 US Hot Country hits, including his own version of 'Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys', 'Last Train To Clarksville', 'Diane', 'The Last Cowboy Song', 'When You Fall In Love (Everything's A Waltz)', 'Evil Angel', 'Love's Found You And Me', 'You're The Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had', 'You Turn Me On Like A Radio', 'Nights', 'Everybody Wants To Get To Heaven', 'Song For Jenny'. and 'Quietly Crazy'.
In his early years, Ed Bruce recorded dozens of national TV and radio commercials including United Airlines, McDonalds, Kawasaki, John Deere, Dodge Trucks and the Armed Services Campaign 'It's a Great Place To Start' and so in 1988, he turned his talents to acting, playing non-musical roles in more than twenty movies, including 'Bret Maverick' with James Garner, 'Fire Down Below' with Steven Seagal, 'Kingfish: A Story of Huey P Long' with John Goodman, 'Public Enemies', 'Country Strong' (with Gwyneth Paltrow), 'The Last Days Of Frank And Jesse James' (with Kris Kristofferson), 'Finding Harmony', 'The Pardon' and 'American Honey' as well as hosting several TV shows, including 'Truckin' USA' and 'American Sports Cavalcade'.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Clarksville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Gerry Marsden
(78), singer-songwriter with Gerry & The Pacemakers, whose first three releases 'How Do You Do It', 'I Like It' and 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' reached number one in 1963 and who penned 'Ferry Cross The Mersey', described by John Lennon as 'the one song I would loved to have written'.
Part of the Liverpool wave and managed by Brian Epstein, Gerry & The Pacemakers toured the world, scoring a dozen US hits, including 'I'm The One', 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying', 'It's Gonna Be All Right' (all penned by Marsden), and 'I'll Be There'.
The band broke up in 1967 and Gerry commenced a new career on children's TV while also starring in the West End musical 'Charlie Girl' alongside Derek Nimmo and Anna Neagle. In 1972, he put together a new lineup of the Pacemakers, which over the next forty years would embark on several world and North American tours.
By now, 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' had become the anthem of Liverpool FC, and during the 1980's, he re-recorded several of his hits releasing them as charity singles in support of various causes including the Bradford Football Club stadium tragedy in which 56 were killed, and the Hillsborough football disaster, which with 96 fatalities and 766 injuries, became the worst disaster in British sporting history. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he released a version of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', in tribute to the National Health Service.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
At Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside, after being diagnosed with a blood infection in his heart
Liam Reilly
(65), singer-songwriter and keyboardist with Bagatelle, whose hit singles include 'Summer In Dublin', 'Second Violin' (which became a hit across South America) and 'Leeson Street Lady', and who also competed for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990, performing the song 'Somewhere In Europe' which was placed placed 2nd that year. He went on to pen Ireland’s 1991 entry 'Could It Be That I’m in Love', performed by the singer Kim Jackson, which finished 10th in Europe.
Widely respected on the Irish rock scene (Bono once stated that Bagatelle were a big influece on the early U2), Liam also penned songs for other acts, including the Number 1 hit 'Streets Of New York' (the Wolfetones), 'Flight Of The Earls' and 'Boston Rose'.
In Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland, of undisclosed causes
Songwriter Obituaries 2020
Geoff Stephens
(88), songwriter and record producer, whose songs were recorded by almost every major recording star including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, Bobby Darin, Gene Pitney, Connie Francis and Tom Jones.
While teaching, Geoff Stephens started producing satirical sketches for the BBC, but soon turned his attention to pop music, penning such early hits as 'Tell Me When' (The Applejacks), and 'The Crying Game', (Dave Berry, Brenda Lee and later Boy George), and producing Donovan's first album which included the hit 'Catch The Wind', before going on to form the New Vaudeville Band in 1966, whose hits include 'Winchester Cathedral' (later covered by Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Sinatra), 'Peek A Boo', 'Finchley Central' and 'Green Street Green'.
He then penned 'Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James' (Manfred Mann), 'There's a Kind of Hush' (Herman's Hermits and later The Carpenters), as well as hits for The Hollies ('Sorry Suzanne'), Ken Dodd ('Tears Won’t Wash Away These Heartaches'), Cliff Richard ('Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha'), Tom Jones ('Daughter Of Darkness'), Mary Hopkin ('Knock, Knock Who's There?'), Scott Walker ('Lights Of Cincinnati'), Dana ('It's Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas'), The Drifters ('Like Sister And Brother'), Crystal Gayle ('It's Like We Never Said Goodbye'), Hot Chocolate ('I'll Put You Together Again'), Sue and Sunny and also Carol Douglas ('Doctor's Orders'), David Soul ('Silver Lady'), The New Seekers ('You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me'), Lulu ('Boy'), Hermans Hermits ('Sunshine Girl'), the Hollies ('Sorry Suzanne'), Herman's Hermits ('My Sentimental Friend') as well as a multi-million-seller for Wayne Newton ('Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast') which has been covered by more than fifty acts.
Other successes include 'Heart Of Rome' and 'Sylvia' (both for Elvis Presley), 'Smile A Little Smile For Me' (The Flying Machine), 'Stay Awhile' (Jerry Vale), 'Daughter Of Darkness' (Tom Jones), 'Baby I Won't Let You Down' (Pickettywitch), 'Leeds United' (Leeds United FC), 'I Get A Little Sentimental Over You' (The New Seekers), 'Drive Safely Darlin' (Tony Christie), ''Man To Man' (Hot Chocolate), 'It Sure Brings Out the Love In Your Eyes (David Soul), and 'I'll Put You Together Again' (Hot Chocolate - from his musical 'Dear Anyone').
In 1983, Geoff Stephens turned his attention to the stage, composing the hit West End musical 'Dear Anyone' with Don Black, followed by 'The Magic Castle' and in 2005, Stephens collaborated with Peter Callander and David Cosgrove on the musical 'Bonnie & Clyde'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Winner.
In London, UK, from pneumonia
K T Oslin
(78), singer-songwriter and actress whose 20 hit singles include '80's Ladies', 'Do Ya', 'I'll Always Come Back', 'Money', 'Hey Bobby', 'This Woman', and 'Come Next Monday'.
A former New York theatre performer who appeared in such Broadway shows as 'West Side Story', 'Promises, Promises' and 'Hello Dolly', she moved to Nashville in 1980 to become a songwriter, quickly scoring covers by Gail Davies, The Judds, and Dottie West, before emerging as a country star herself in 1987 at the age of 45.
In 1993, she she took a break from music to appear in the movies 'Murder So Sweet' and 'The Thing Called Love' as well as several TV sitcoms including 'The Carol Burnett Show', 'The Fabulous Fraizer Girls' and the award-winning 'Evening Shade', before returning to country music in 1996 with her hit album 'My Roots Are Showing'.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Chad Stuart
(79), singer-songwriter, actor, and one half of the UK sixties pop-folk act Chad & Jeremy, whose hits (mainly in the USA) include 'Yesterdays Gone', 'Willow Weep For Me', 'If I Loved You', 'I Don't Want To Lose You Baby', 'Before And After', 'Distant Shores' and 'A Summer Song'.
In Hailey, Idaho, USA, of pneumonia following a fall
Bill Pursell
(94), composer, songwriter, pianist and professor at Belmont University, whose pop successes include 'Our Winter Love' (also a hit for the Lettermen), 'Loved' and 'Stranger', along with a number of piano sonatas, overtures, symphonies, preludes, concertos, tone poems and operas.
A successful session musician, he played on more than 100 hit recordings by such stars as Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, Joan Baez, Marty Robbins, Dan Fogelberg, Johnny Paycheck and more. As a professor, his students over the years incuded Brad Paisley and Trisha Yearwood while Belmont premiered his opera, 'Crooked River City', in 2016.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Bryan Wayne Galentine
(53), singer-songwriter whose hits include 'What If She’s An Angel' for Tommy Shane Steiner, 'Country By The Grace Of God' (Chris Cagle) and 'Kick My Ass' for Big & Rich, as well as chart entries for Clay Walker, Rodney Carrington, Jason Blaine, Emerson Drive and more.
In Lebanon, Tennessee, USA, of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
Doug Supernaw
(60), singer-songwriter whose hits include 'Reno', 'I Don’t Call Him Daddy', 'Not Enough Hours In The Night', 'Red and Rio Grande', 'State Fair', 'You Never Even Called Me By My Name' along with his 1996 collaboration with The Beach Boys on the humorous novelty 'Long Tall Texan'.
Texas Country Music Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Livingston, Texas, USA, of cancer
Hal Ketchum
(67), singer-songwriter, actor and artist, whose self-penned hits include 'Hearts Are Gonna Roll', 'I Know Where Love Lives', 'She Is', 'Someplace Far Away (Careful What You're Dreaming)', 'Stay Forever', 'Sure Love', 'That's What I Get For Losin' You', 'Tonight We Just Might Fall In Love Again' and 'The Trouble With Love', but who also scored Top 5 hits with songs written by Mick Hanly ('Past The Point Of Rescue') which earned him his first Gold Disk, and Hank Alger ('Small Town Saturday Night').
Hal Ketchum appeared in a number of movies, including 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Maverick', while as an artist, he exhibited widely, most notably in Santa Fe's Pena Gallery.
Grand Ole Opry Member.
In Fischer, Texas, USA, from complications linked to dementia
Billy Joe Shaver
(81), singer, songwriter and actor, immortalised in Bob Dylan's line 'I’m hearing Billy Joe Shaver. And I’m reading James Joyce', whose songs were recorded by such stars as Willie Nelson, Bobbie Bare, Kris Kristofferson. Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. An early exponent of the outlaw genre, he penned all ten songs on Waylon Jennings' landmark 1973 album 'Honky Tonk Heroes', and even acted opposite Robert Duvall in the 1997 movie 'The Apostle'.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Waco, Texas, from complications following a stroke
(78), singer, songwriter, record producer and novelist who founded and sang lead with the Dovells, a Philadelphia vocal group whose Top 10 hits include "Bristol Stomp", "Hully Gully Baby", "Bristol Twisting Annie', "The New Continental" and "You Can't Sit Down". Soon after leaving the group to pursue a solo career, Barry scored with "1-2-3' (which earned him a second RIAA gold disc and a Grammy Award nomination), "Like A Baby", "Lip Sync", 'The Moving Finger Writes', "It's That Time Of The Year" "Somewhere" and "I Struck It Rich".
Fascinated by Native American culture, he also penned and produced the instrumental "Keem-O-Sabe" which earned a gold disc in 1969 for The Electric Indian, while as a producer for WMOT Productions, he wrote several hit singles including "Zoom" for Fat Larry's Band and "Love Town" for Booker Newberry III. In 2009, he emerged as a promising writer with the best-selling novel 'Black Like Me'.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, of cancer of the bone marrow
Troy Jones
(64), singer and songwriter who penned Billy Currington's Number 1 'People Are Crazy' which was also nominated for a Grammy, as well as such hits as Currington's follow-up chart-topper 'Pretty Good At Drinking Beer' along with hits for George Strait, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and The Oak Ridge Boys.
In Sylacauga, Alabama, USA, by electrocution when a live electrical current touched his boat dock
Ray Pennington
(86), singer, songwriter, and record producer, who penned amd first recorded the country classic 'I'm A Ramblin' Man', before going on to found the independent Step One Records label which signed such acts as Ray Price and Clinton Gregory.
His first hit as a writer was Rpy Drusky's million-seller 'Three Hearts In A Triangle', during which period he was becoming involved in producing such acts as Hawkshaw Hawkins, Tex Williams, Kenny Price and The Stanley Brothers. When Waylon Jennings covered 'I'm a Ramblin' Man' and took it to number 1, Pennington continued to work as a producer for RCA artists such as Billy Walker and Norma Jean.
In Hendersonville, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, following a house fire
Jerry Jeff Walker
(79), singer-songwriter best known for penning the classic 'Mr Bojangles', later a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and which went on to become one of the most-covered country songs of all time, being recorded by such acts as Chet Atkins, Harry Belafonte, Garth Brooks, Dennis Brown, George Burns, JJ Cale, David Campbell, Bobby Cole, Edwyn Collins, Jim Croce, Jamie Cullum, King Curtis, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Bobbie Gentry, Arlo Guthrie, Tom T. Hall, John Holt, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Dave Jarvis, Sammy Davis Jr, Frankie Laine, Lulu, Rod McKuen, Don McLean, Harry Nilsson, Dolly Parton, Johnny Paycheck, Esther Phillips, Nina Simone, Cat Stevens, Jim Stafford, Jud Strunk, Robbie Williams, and Paul Winter.
Jerry Jeff Walker went on to become an early stalwart of the 'outlaw country' movement, working with such people as Michael Martin Murphey, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt, even being name-checked in Jennings' and Nelson's 1977 hit song 'Luckenbach, Texas'.
In Austin, Texas, USA, from cancer
Spencer Davis
(81), singer-songwriter whose Spencer Davis Group scored such international hits as 'Keep On Running' and 'Somebody Help Me' before he disbanded the band to embark on a solo career. During this period, he also acted as an A&R executive at Island Records, working with Bob Marley, Robert Palmer, Eddie And The Hot Rods and Steve Winwood.
In 1995, he formed the World Classic Rockers with former Eagles bassist Randy Meisner, singer Bobby Kimball and guitarist Denny Laine, but in later years, toured again as the Spencer Davis Group.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of pneumonia
Roy Head
(79), singer and songwriter whose hits include the US #1 'Treat Her Right' (later covered by Barbara Mandrell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy 'Crash' Craddock, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Mae West, Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Otis Redding, George Thorogood, The Box Tops, Doug Sahm, Sandy Nelson, Joe Stampley and Los Straightjackets).
After switching to country music, Roy Head scored a further 31 hits including 'Apple Of My Eye', 'Baby’s Not Home', 'The Most Wanted Woman In Town', 'Come To Me', 'Now You See ‘Em Now You Don’t', 'Tonight’s The Night' and 'Your Mama Don’t Dance', He was also the father of Jason 'Sundance' Head who was a finalist on American Idol in 2006, then won on The Voice in 2016.
Rockabilly Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Porter, Texas, USA, following a heart attack
Herbert Kretzmer
(95), journalist and lyricist whose work includes 'Les Misérables', (currently in 2020 the longest-running West End musical), as well as the hit songs 'In The Summer Of His Years' (Millicent Martin), 'Goodness Gracious Me' (Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren) for which he won an Ivor Novello Award, 'Yesterday When I Was Young' (Roy Clark) and 'She' (Charles Aznavour). Kretzmer also wrote the book and lyrics of the West End musical 'Our Man Crichton'.
As a journalist in both his native South Africa and later the UK, he interviewed John Steinbeck, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Sugar Ray Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Henry Miller, Cary Grant and Duke Ellington.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Nominee.
Oscar Award Nominee.
Chevalier of the Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres.
In London, UK, from comoplications linked to Parkinson's Disease
Johnny Nash
(80), singer-songwriter, actor and record producer whose hits include 'A Very Special Love', 'Let's Move And Groove Together.', 'Hold Me Tight', 'Stir It Up', 'I Can See Clearly Now', 'There Are More Questions Than Answers', 'Wonderful World' and 'Let's Go Dancing'.
His movie credits include the lead role as Spencer Scott in 'Take a Giant Step' and as 'Apple' alongside Dennis Hopper in the crime drama 'Key Witness'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of heart failure
Paddy Brennan
impressario, author, broadcaster, DJ and founder of the Limerick Rock & Roll Club which brought to Ireland such international artists as The Crickets, The Searchers, Craig Douglas, Love Affair, Freddie & The Dreamers, Peter Sarstedt, Mike Berry & The Outlaws, The Fourmost, Sherry Holly and many more.
A prolific writer, Paddy's books include 'The Golden Era Of Irish Showbands' and the internationally-acclaimed 'Limerick Music Throughout The Decades' while he also acted as editor of the magazine 'Be Bop Mail'.
An accomplished record producer, he released a number of albums, including 'Limerick On Record', 'Reform - The Complete Recordings' and 'Story Of David - The Recordings Of Granny's Intentions' and also broadcast for many years on several radio stations including Big L and LCCR.
Limerick Person Of The Month.
In Limerick City, Ireland, after a short illness
Helen Reddy
(78), singer, songwriter, author and actress, whose many American hit singles include her own composition 'I Am Woman' which helped make her a feminist icon, 'I Can't Say Goodbye To You', 'You're My World', 'I Don't Know How To Love Him', 'Crazy Love', 'Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)', 'Delta Dawn', 'Peaceful', 'You And Me Against The World' and 'Angie Baby'.
Her work as an actress in both movie and stage productions include roles in Walt Disney's 'Pete's Dragon', 'Airport', 'Disorderlies', 'The Perfect Host', 'Anything Goes', 'Call Me Madam', 'The Mystery Of Edwin Drood', and (both on Broadway and the West End) 'Blood Brothers'. She also appeared in the one-woman show 'Shirley Valentine'.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of complications from dementia and Addison's disease
Mac Davis
(78), singer, songwriter, and actor, whose classic songs recorded by Elvis Presley include 'Memories', 'In The Ghetto' (originally intended for Sammy Davis), 'Don't Cry Daddy' and 'A Little Less Conversation', but who went on to develop a solo career, scoring such hits as 'Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me', 'One Hell Of A Woman', 'Naughty Girl', 'Baby Spread Your Love On Me', 'Stop And Smell The Roses', 'Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)', 'Oh Lord It's Hard To Be Humble' and 'Burnin' Thing'.
Although Mac Davis developed a significant solo career, he continued to pen hits for other singers, including 'Watching Scotty Grow' for Bobby Goldsboro, 'Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife' for O C Smith and 'It's Such A Lonely Time Of Year' for Nancy Sinatra, as well as his signature tune 'I Believe In Music' which was recorded by Marian Love, B.J. Thomas, Louis Jordan, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and Gallery along with songs for Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
As an actor, he appeared in such movies as 'The Sting 11', 'North Dallas Forty' and 'Cheaper To Keep Her', and featured in a number of sitcoms, most notably as Rodney Carrington's father-in-law in 'Rodney'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, while undergoing heart surgery
Georgia Dobbins
(78), singer, songwriter and founding member of The Marvelettes, who penned the group's hit 'Please Mr Postman' which became the first Number 1 for Tamle Motown Records and was later recorded by dozens of acts including The Beatles and The Carpenters.
In Inkster, Michigan, USA, of cardiac arrest
Tommy DeVito
(92), singer, songwriter and founder member of the 4 Seasons, one of the most successful vocal groups in musical history, whose hits include 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'Walk Like A Man', 'December 63 (Oh What A Night)' and almost fifty more US chart entries, spawning the successful musical 'Jersey Boys'.
In Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Ronald Bell
(68), singer-songwriter, musician and co-founder of Kool & The Gang, whose hits include "Celebration", "Cherish", "Jungle Boogie", "Summer Madness", and "Open Sesame".
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee.
At his home in the US Virgin Islands, following a heart attack
Justin Townes Earle
(38), singer-songwriter and son of country legend Steve Earle, and whose own work includes the 2011 Song Of The Year 'Harlem River Blues'.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of a drug overdose
Jack Sherman
(64), songwriter and guitarist mainly known for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and for co-writing much of their second album 'Freaky Styley' before going on to work with Bob Dylan, George Clinton, Feargal Sharkey, and Peter Case.
In Miami, Florida, USA, of undisclosed causes
Edward 'Felix' McTeigue
(48), Grammy-nominated songwriter and music producer whose hits include Florida Georgia Line’s 'Anything Goes' and Lori McKenna’s 'Wreck You', as well as Dallas Smith’s chart-topping single 'Jumped Right In'.
In New York City, USA, of complications during surgery
Billy Goldenberg
(81), composer and songwriter whose television work includes the themes for 'Kojak', 'Columbo', 'Alias Smith And Jones', 'Banacek', 'Rhoda' and 'Our House' and whose work was featured in such movies as 'Fear No Evil', 'Ritual Of Evil', 'The Grasshopper', 'Red Sky At Morning', 'Up The Sandbox', 'The Last Of Sheila', 'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark', 'Double Indemnity', 'Busting', 'Reflections Of Murder', 'The Legend Of Lizzie Borden', 'James Dean', 'One Of My Wives Is Missing', 'The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case', 'Helter Skelter', 'The Domino Principle', 'Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night', 'The Cracker Factory', 'Scavenger Hunt' 'This House Possessed', 'The Best Little Girl In the World', 'Reuben, Reuben', 'Kane & Abel', 'Good To Go', '18 Again!', 'Around The World In 80 Days' and 'Chernobyl: The Final Warning'.
Billy Goldenberg also served as Musical Director for Elvis Presley's 'Comeback Special', 'The Ann-Margret Show', Brabra Striesand's 'My Name Is Barbra', and 'An Evening with Diana Ross'.
Two-time Emmy Award Winner.
23-Time Emmy Award Nominee.
In New York City, USA, of heart failure
Trini Lopez
(83), singer-songwriter and movie actor whose hits include 'If I Had A Hammer', 'La Bamba', 'Sally Was A Good Old Girl', 'Kansas City', 'Michael', 'Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now', 'The Bramble Bush' and 'Lemon Tree' and whose charted comppsitions include 'I'm Comin' Home Cindy', and 'You Can't Say Good-Bye'.
At Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Jim Delehant
(80), A&R director at Atlantic Records and former music journalist who interviewed such stars as Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon, Nina Simone, B.B. King, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, John Coltrane, Taj Mahal, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Cream and Simon & Garfunkel among many others.
While serving as Vice President and Director of A&R at Atlantic/ATCO Records from 1968-81, he worked with ABBA, AC/DC, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Foreigner, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Mike Oldfield, Jimmy Page, the Persuaders, Rose Tattoo, Sister Sledge and Ringo Starr.
In 1981, he joined Atlantic executive Jerry Greenberg at Mirage Music Entertainment as A&R Producer, with responsibility for such acts as Gary Moore, Shannon, The System and Whitesnake.
In Kingston, New York, USA, following a stroke
Bill Mack
(91), singer, disk jockey and Grammy winning songwriter, whose all-night broadcasts of 'The Bill Mack Trucking Show' from Fort Worth, Texas over WBAP ran alongside his own performing career, recording for such labels as Starday, United Artists, Hickory, MGM and Phillips and scoring hits like 'Kitty Cat', 'Ladonna' and 'The Cat Just Got Into Town'.
As a siongwriter, Bill Mack had hits with George Jones, Ray Price, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dean Martin, Waylon Jennings, Boxcar Willie, Hank Thompson, Don Gibson, Jim Ed Brown and Johnny Cash, although his biggest hit 'Blue', which won him a Grammy, was intended for Patsy Cline who died before recording it. After her death, Bill Mack refused to offer the song to anybody else, but thirty years later, was persuaded to give the tune to an unknown singer Lee Ann Rimes, and her version sold more than four million copies. In addition, his gospel tune 'Clinging To A Saving Hand' has been recorded by Rimes, Connie Smith, Conway Twitty, Bill Monroe, The Chuck Wagon Gang, George Hamilton IV, John Conlee, Dale Ann Bradley and others, while 'Drinking Champagne' has been a chart-topper twice, first for Cal Smith and later for George Strait.
After thirty-five years presenting 'The Bill Mack Trucking Show', Bill Mack left WBAP in 2001 and joined Sirius/XM satellite radio, leaving them ten years later in 2011 to start a new show on KSNZ in his hometown, Shamrock, Texas which aired up until his death.
In addition to his live radio work, Mack also ran the nationally syndicated 'Country Crossroads' programme which went out on more than 800 stations while he also worked on television, hosting such hits as 'The Buck Owens Show', 'The Bob Wills Show' and 'Cowtown Jamboree'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Winner.
In Shamrock, Texas, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Peter Green
(73), singer-singwriter, guitarist and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, whose compositions include such classics as 'Albatross', 'Black Magic Woman', 'Oh Well', 'The Green Manalishi' and 'Man Of The World'.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Canvey Island, Essex, England, of natural causes
Annie Ross
(89), jazz singer, actress, night-club owner and songwriter, whose hits include several of her own compositions including 'Twisted' (also recorded by Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler), but who is probably best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.
Her movies include roles in 'Straight On Till Morning', 'Alfie Darling', 'Funny Money', 'Superman III', 'Throw Momma From The Train', 'Witchery', 'Pump Up The Volume', 'Short Cuts' and 'Blue Sky', while she also appeared as Granny Ruth in the horror films 'Basket Case 2' and 'Basket Case 3: The Progeny' as wll as Robert Altman's 'The Player'.
In New York City, USA, of emphysema and heart failure
Craig J Martin
(52), singer-songwriter whose hits include Tim McGraw's signature ballad 'Don't Take The Girl', co-written with long-time friend Larry Johnson, who had died just yhree weeks beforehand. As a staff writer with Dennis Morgan Music, he also wrote with Hank Cochran, Billy Don Burns, Marty Haggard and Kent Blazy, penning songs for George Jones, Southern Comfort, Creed Fisher, Rod Stewart, Gerald Smith, The Backstreet Boys, Coly Preston and Clinton Gregory.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, following a heart attack
Charlie Daniels
(83), singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who led the Charlie Daniels Band, which scored 31 US county hits, including the crossover self-composed classic 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia', as well as 'The South's Gonna Do It Again', 'Long Haired Country Boy', 'In America', 'The Legend Of Wooley Swamp' and 'Still In Saigon'.
Grand Ole Opry Member
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of a hemorrhagic stroke
Judy Dyble
(71), singer-songwriter and a founding member of Fairport Convention and Trader Horne, who worked with such acts as Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, Humble Pie, Yes, Genesis, and Pink Floyd.
In London, UK, of lung cancer
Ennio Morricone
(91), composer who penned more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as over 100 classical works and whose themes for such films as 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly', 'The Mission', 'Cinema Paradiso', 'A Fistful Of Dollars', 'The Battle Of Algiers', 'Animal Trilogy', '1900', 'Exorcist II', 'Days Of Heaven', 'La Cage Aux Folles', 'Le Professionnel, 'Once Upon A Time In The West', 'The Thing', 'Once Upon A Time In America', 'The Untouchables', 'Mission To Mars', 'Bugsy', 'Disclosure', 'In The Line Of Fire', 'Bulworth', 'Ripley's Game' and 'The Hateful Eight' frequently achieved more attention than the movies themseles.
His music has been recorded by such stars as Paul Anka and Andrea Bocelli, and has been used in 'The Simpsons' and 'The Sopranos', and in many films, including 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Django Unchained'. As a recording artist, his albums have sold more than 75 million copies, while in 2016, he became the oldest person ever to win a competitive Oscar for his score to Quentin Tarantino's film 'The Hateful Eight'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Six-time Oscar Award Nominee
Oscar Award Winner
Seven-time Grammy Award Nominee
Three-time Grammy Award Winner.
In Rome, Italy, from complications following a fall
Benny Mardones
(73), singer-songwriter whose biggest hit 'Into The Night' hit the American Top 100 on three different occasions (1980, 1989 and 2019), but who also penned songs fpr Brenda Lee, Chubby Checker and Three Dog Night. Although 'Into The Night' was his only hit as a singer, it earned more than 8 million radio plays, enabling him to sell out tours well into his sixties.
In Menifee, California, USA, from complications of Parkinson's Disease
Johnny Mandel
(94), composer and arranger whose hit compositions include 'Suicide Is Painless' (the theme from 'M.A.S.H', written with the then fourteen-year old lyricist Michael Altman), 'Close Enough For Love' (from the movie 'Agatha'), recorded by Peggy Lee, Andy Williams. and Tony Bennett, 'Emily' (recorded by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, and Bill Evans), and 'The Shadow Of Your Smile' from the film 'The Sandpiper' which was recorded by more than 100 acts, including Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Engelbert Humperdinck, Nancy Sinatra, The Delfonics, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mathis and Barbra Streisand.
Although best known for his movie work, Johnny Mandel started his career as a jazz composer, penning such standards as 'Not Really The Blues' (Woody Herman), 'Hershey Bar' and 'Pot Luck' (Stan Getz), 'Straight Life' and 'Low Life' (Count Basie), as well as 'Tommyhawk' (Chet Baker), while he also played trumpet and trombone for bands led by Jimmy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Count Basie and Zoot Sims.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Seventeen-time Grammy Award Nominee.
Five-time Grammy Award Winner.
In Ojai, California, USA, from heart failure
Larry Johnson
(69), songwriter whose hits include Tim McGraw’s Double Platinum signature ballad 'Don’t Take The Girl' as well as Ray Price's hit 'If You Think You’re Lonely'.
In Ashland City, Tennessee, USA, following an aortic aneurysm
Bonnie Pointer
(69), singer-songwriter and former member of the Pointer Sisters, whose hits both as a group member and soloist include 'Fairytale', 'Yes We Can Can', 'How Long (Betcha' Got A Chick On The Side)', 'I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)', 'YMCA' and Heaven Must Have Sent You'.
Grammy Award Winner.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, from cardiac arrest
Glenn Ray
(82), songwriter whose songs include the John Anderson Number 1 'I Just Came Home To Count The Memories', which was also a hit for Bobby Wright, Cal Smith and Jack Scott, 'Hold Me' (Barbara Mandrell), 'Til A Better Memory Comes Along' (Shelby Lynne, Mark Chesnutt and Gene Watson) and 'Yesterday Will Come Again Tonight' (Leroy Van Dyke and Loretta Lynn).
In Newton Grove, North Carolina, USA, of heart failure
Kenny Young
(79), singer-songwriter, musician, producer and environmentalist, whose 25 charted songs include such classics as 'Under The Boardwalk' (the Drifters, Tom Tom Club, Billy Joe Royal and Bruce Willis), 'Captain Of Your Ship' (Reparata & The Delrons). 'Arizona' (Mark Lindsay), 'Just A Little Bit Better' (Herman's Hermits), 'A Little Bit Of Heaven' (Ronnie Dove), 'Highway Song' (Nancy Sinatra), 'Biljo', 'Come Back And Shake Me' and 'Goodnight Midnight' (all for Clodagh Rodgers), 'Only You Can' and 'S-S-S Single Bed' (both for his own band Foxx), 'Just One More Night' (for another of his bands Yellow Dog) and 'Ai No Corrida' (Quincy Jones).
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
United Nations Global 500 Award Recipient
In Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, from cancer
Ricky Valance
(84), ainger and songwriter, whose hit 'Tell Laura I Love Her' made him the first Welsh male singer to reach Number One on the UK charts. He went on to front the Irish showband The Chessmen, later recording in Nashville, before moving to Torrevieja, Spain, where he hosted his own television chat show.
In Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK, while undergoing treatment for dementia
Rupert Hine
(72), songwriter and record producer who produced hit albums for such artists as Rush, Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, Formula and Eleanor McEvoy. He also recorded eleven albums either under his own name or as Quantum Jump and Thinkman.
In London, UK, of cancer
Steve Priest
(72), singer-songwriter mainly with glam-rock band The Sweet, and whose compositions include 'Action', 'Bring On The Flame', 'Fox On Th Run', 'Own Up Take A Look At Yourself', 'Solid Gold Brass', 'Someone Else Will' and 'Sweet FA'.
In La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA, of heart failure
Brian Howe
(66), singer-songwriter with several bands, most notably Bad Company and Ted Nugent, and whose hit songs include 'How About That', 'If You Needed Somebody', 'No Smoke Without A Fire', 'Shake It Up', 'This Love' and 'Walk Through Fire'.
In Florida, USA, of cardiac arrest, while enroute to hospital by ambulance
Mory Kanté
(70), whose hits include 'Yéké Yéké' which became the first-ever African single to sell over one million copies outside of Africa.
United Nations FAO Goodwill Ambassador.
In Conakry, Guinea, West Africa, following a heart attack
Moon Martin
(74) singer-songwriter whose hit songs include 'Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)', made famous by Robert Palmer, and "Cadillac Walk", a hit for Willy DeVille, and who worked with such acts as Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt and Jimi Hendrix.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of cancer
Fuzzy Owen
(91), songwriter who co-founded Bakersfield's first recording studio, performed in key bands as a steel guitarist, co-owned Tally Records, managed Merle Haggard for decades and helped to launch Buck Owens, Ferlin Husky, Jean Shepard and Bonnie Owens, as well as Haggard.
Owen's songs included several country number ones, including 'Apartment No. 9' (Tammy Wynette) and 'The Same Old Me' (Ray Price).
In Bakersfield, California, USA, of heart failure
Phil May
(75), singer-songwriter with the Pretty Things, and whose songs for the band were also covered by such acts as DMZ, Marianne Faithfull, the Lightning Seeds and Styxx.
In King's Lynn, UK, from complications following hip surgery after a cycling accident
Ian Whitcomb
(78), singer-songwriter, record producer, writer, broadcaster and actor, whose 1965 song "You Turn Me On", recorded in Dublin with Irish band Bluesville, sold a million copies amd became the first Irish-produced record to reach the US charts. Other hits included "This Sporting Life", "N-E-R-V-O-U-S!" and "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday On Saturday Night?", and he went on to record more than 60 albums over the next 50 years.
His history of pop music 'After The Ball' published in 1972 was a best-seller and he later presented BBC's 'The Grey Whistle Test'. He also wrote 'Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle Of The Sixties' described by The New York Times as the best personal account of 1960's music scene, along with another 25 books about the music industry,
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, from complications of a stroke
Gary McSpadden
(77), singer-songwriter and minister of religion, who recorded and performed with such acts as The Statesmen Quartet, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Imperials, the Bill Gaither Trio and the Gaither Vocal Band, and whose songs included 'Jesus Lord To Me',' 'Hallelujah Praise The Lamb' and 'No Other Name But Jesus'.
Gary McSpadden was also the pastor of the Faith & Wisdom Church in Branson, Missouri.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, of pancreatic cancer
Little Richard
(87), singer-songwriter and musician, whose hits include such classics as 'Tutti Frutti', 'Long Tall Sally', 'Good Golly Miss Molly', 'Rip It Up', 'Jenny, Jenny', 'Keep A Knocking', 'Lucille', 'Babyface', 'The Girl Can't Help It', 'Bama Lama Bama Loo', 'Kansas City' and 'Great Gosh A'Mighty'. Although raised in gospel music, his songwriting was so commercial that his white contemporaries such as Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran all recorded his songs,
In 1957, while in Australia, he announced that we was retiring from popular music to study theology in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (he would later be ordained minister), and after graduation, he recorded and performed only gospel material, altgough he still managed to score pop hits with religious songs such as 'He's Not Just a Soldier' and 'He Got What He Wanted'.
In 1962, he returned to secular music, headlining a tour with the Beatles during which he taught Paul McCartney how to perform his trademark falsetto, and in 1963, headlined a US tour with The Rolling Stones, The Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley. Although the hits dried up in the early 70's, he remained in great demand and toured regularly well into his eighties.
His ebullient personality also ensured roles for him in such movies as 'Don't Knock The Rock', 'Mister Rock And Roll', 'The Girl Can't Help It' and 'Down And Out In Beverly Hills' and he made frequent TV appearances in shows like 'Columbo' and 'Baywatch'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner.
Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of bone cancer
Millie Small
(72), singer-songwriter whose hit 'My Boy Lollipop' sold more than four million copies and brougbt Ska music to the attention of the world.
Following such hits as "Sweet William" and "Bloodshot Eyes"m she went on to tour with Otis Redding and Charlie Foxx.
Jamaican Order Of Distinction Award Winner
In London, UK, following a stroke
Cady Groves
(30), singer-songwriter whose hits include 'This Little Girl', 'Oh Darlin'', 'Forget You', and 'Love Actually'.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of undisclosed causes
Dave Greenfield
(71), keyboardist and songwriter with The Stranglers who penned their million-selling hit "Golden Brown" amongst others.
Ivor Novello Award Winner.
In London, UK, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Scott Taylor
(58), songwriter and guitarist with Then Jerico whose hits include 'Muscle Deep', 'Let Her Fall', 'Prairie Rose', 'The Motive (Living Without You)', 'Big Area', 'What Does It Take' (featuring Belinda Carlisle) and 'Sugar Box',
In London, UK, of a brain tumour
Alan Merrill
(69), vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, actor and model, whose songs include 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' which was a multi-million selling single for Joan Jett and who became the first western singer to have a successful singing career in Japan in the 1970's. In 1974, her moved to London to found the Arrows, who had several UK hits, including the original version of the above hit.
Returning to the USA, he recorded three albums with Rick Derringer, going on to work with Meatloaf, Steve Winwood, Mick Taylor and Dallas Taylor.
In Manhattan, New York City, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Harold Reid
(80), singer, songwriter and humourist with the Statler Brothers, who penned most of their big hits including 'Do You Remember These' (1972), the Grammy Award-winning 'Class of ‘57' (1972), 'Carry Me Back' (1973), 'Whatever Happened To Randolph Scott' (1973), 'Some I Wrote' (1978), 'Do You Know You Are My Sunshine' (1978), 'The Official Historian On Shirley Jean Burrell' (1978), 'How to Be a Country Star' (1979), 'Better Than I Did Then' (1980), 'Don’t Wait On Me' (1981), 'Whatever' (1982), 'Guilty' (1983), 'Sweeter And Sweeter' (1986) and 'Let’s Get Started If We’re Gonna Break My Heart' (1988).
The group which started in gospel music were disvovered by Johnny Cash who made the Statlers part of his roadshow and also featured them on his national television series.
Grammy Award Winner.
In Nashville, Tennesee, USA, of kidney failure
Jimmy Jay
(84), singer-songwriter whose songs include 'Neon Row', recorded by by Eddy Raven and George Strait, 'Why Not Tonight' (Neal McCoy) and 'You Put It There' (Conway Twitty), and who as a vocalist charted such singles as 'You’re Still With Me', 'I Might As Well Go Home', 'Bayou Girl' and 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man' for a variety of labels including Phillips, Starday and Hickory.
In Naples, Florida, USA, of cancer
Lesley Anne Liddane
(39), former membership director at International Songwriters Association and owner of Limerick music venue, Chez LeFab.
In Limerick City, Ireland, of undisclosed causes
Alex Harvey
(79), singer, songwriter, author, actor, and broadcaster, who released 16 solo albums, and whose hundreds of published compositions include the million-sellers "Reuben James" recorded by Kenny Rogers (for whom he wrote a total of 18 songs), Conway Twitty, Wanda Jackson and Jerry Lee Lewis, 'Rings' recorded by Cymarron, Tompall & The Glaser Brothers, Lobo, Lonnie Mack, Reuben Howell and Twiggy, and "Delta Dawn" recorded by Tanya Tucker, Helen Reddy, Bette Midler, Loretta Lynn, Charlie McCoy, Kitty Wells, Waylon Jennings, Dottie West, Teresa Brewer and The Statler Brothers.
He also penned songs for Anne Murray, Dusty Springfield, Andy Williams, Eydie Gorme, Merle Haggard, Ferlin Husky, Shirley Bassey, Percy Faith, George Hamilton IV, Leo Kottke, Roy Drusky, Arthur Prysock, Jim Ed Brown, Ed Bruce, Vikki Carr, Peggy Lee, Alan Jackson, Three Dog Night, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmy Buffett, Henry Mancini and Sammy Davis Jr, and his songs are reputed to have sold three hundred million copies in total.
As an actor, he appeared in such TV series as 'Dallas', 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' and 'Walker Texas Ranger', as well as such movies as 'The Blue And The Gray', 'The Sky Is No Limit', 'The Dollmaker', 'Parent Trap II' 'Fire Down Below', 'Adam', 'Houston Knights' and 'Country' as well as hosting a number of syndicated radio and televisions shows, and penning the best-selling book 'Texas 101, What Every Non-Native Needs To Know!'.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Grammy Award Nominee.
In Highland Lakes, Texas, USA, of heart failure
Hal Willner
(64), songwriter and music producer, who wrote musical sketches for 'Saturday Night Live' over a 40-year period, while producing albums for such acts as Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, Steven Bernstein, William S. Burroughs, Gavin Friday, Lucinda Williams, Laurie Anderson and Allen Ginsberg.
In Manhattan, New York City, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Jan Howard
(91), singer-songwriter and author who scored 30 hits as a solo vocalist, including 'I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again'. What Makes A Man Wander', 'Evil On Your Mind', 'Bad Seed', 'Roll Over And Play Dead', 'Any Old Way You Do', 'Someday We'll Be Together', 'Dis-Satisfied' and 'Count Your Blessings Woman', as well as having a US Number 1 as a duettist with Bill Anderson ('For Loving You').
Married to songwriter Harlan Howard, in her early says she recorded many of his compositions as demos for other singers like Patsy Cline ('I Fall To Pieces') and later penned hits herself for Kitty Wells, Bill Anderson and Tammy Wynette. A frequent performer on the Grand Ole Opry, she toured with Johnny Cash, Bill Anderson, June Carter, Skeeter Davis, George Jones, Buck Owens and Faron Young.
In Gallatin, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Buzzy Linhart
(76), musician and composer who wrote such hits as Bette Midler's theme tune 'You Got To Have Friends'.
In Berkeley, California, USA, following a heart attack
Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa
(31), singer, songwriter, producer and musician who scored numerous hits in his native Zmibabwe, before going on to tour the USA and UK.
In Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, of lung cancer
Steve Farmer
(71), guitarist with the Amboy Dukes who penned such hits as 'Journey To The Center Of The Mind' along with 22 compositions on the band's first three albums.
In Redford, Michigan, USA, following a heart attack
Helin Bolek
(28), singer-songwriter and pianist with the folk band Grup Yorum, whose songs of protest have drawn support from such stars as Joan Baez who performed with the band.
In Istanbul, Turkey, on hunger strike protesting against the government of President Erdogan
John Prine
(73), singer-songwriter widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, whose songs include such classics as 'Illegal Smile', 'Sam Stone,', 'Angel From Montgomery', 'The Great Compromise', 'Dear Abby', 'Grandpa Was A Carpenter', 'Christmas In Prison', 'Paradise', 'The 20th Century Is Almost Over' (recorded by the Highwaymen), and who was greatly admired by hundreds of songwriters, including Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
Eleven-time Grammy Award Nominee.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Phil Phillips
(94), singer-songwriter and later radio DJ who wrote and recorded the 1959 million-seller 'Sea Of Love' which sold over a million copies, although he received less than $7,000 for his efforts.
In later years, his song went on to be a hit for both Del Shannon and the Honeydrippers, while Phillips' original version was featured prominently in the 1989 film 'Sea Of Love'.
In Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA, of heart failure
Bill Withers
(81), singer-songwriter of such hits as 'Lean On Me', 'Ain't No Sunshine', 'Just The Two Of Us', 'Lovely Day' and 'Use Me' but who retired from the music industry at the height of his success aged only 46.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Three-time Granmy Award Winner.
Four-time Grammy Award Nominee.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductee.
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award Winner.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of complications brought on by heart disease.
Joe Diffie
(61), singer-songwriter who scored 35 US Country hits, including such Number Ones as 'Home', 'If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)', 'Third Rock From The Sun', 'Pickup Man' and 'Bigger Than The Beatles'. In addition, he wrote hits for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, Ricky Van Shelton, Billy Dean, Alabama, The Forester Sisters and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded hit duets with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart. In recent years, he also broadcast a country show on KXBL, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Grammy Award Nominee.
Grammy Award Winner.
Cash Box Male Vocalist Of the Year Award.
Academy of Country Music Vocal Event Of The Year Award.
Country Radio Broadcasters Humanitarian Award.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Adam Schlesinger
(52), singer-songwriter, record producer, and guitarist with the groups Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy and Tinted Windows, and who pened such million-selling hits as 'Stacy's Mom' as well as songs performed by The Monkees, The Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, Toby Keith, Elvis Costello and America.
As a record producer, he worked with The Monkees, Fever High, Dashboard Confessional, Swirl, Tahiti, Verve Pipe, Robert Plant, America, The Sounds, They Might Be Giants and Fastball as well as producing albums for Fountains of Wayne and Ivy.
Three-time Emmy Award Winner.
Grammy Award Winner.
ASCAP Pop Music Award Winner.
Oscar Award Nominee.
In Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Bill Martin
(81), songwriter, music publisher and former professional footballer, who having started his writing career in 1962 in partnership with Tommy Scott, had his earliest songs recorded by The Bachelors, Twinkle, The Dubliners, Van Morrison and Tommy Quickly. In 1965, he teamed up with Phil Coulter, and over the next ten years scored hits with Ken Dodd, Geno Washington, Los Bravos, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Troggs, Mireille Mathieu, Dick Emery, Tony Blackburn, Billy Connolly, Cilla Black, The Foundations, Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw, and Elvis Presley.
He achieved four UK Number 1 hits, 'Puppet On A String' (Sandy Shaw), 'Congratulations' (Cliff Richard), 'Back Home' (The 1970 England World Cup Squad) and 'Forever and Ever' (Silk). He also penned million-selling songs for the Bay City Rollers and Kenny, before writing a number of American country hits for acts like Bill Anderson.
With Phil Coulter, he founded Martin-Coulter Music, and signed such songwriters as Van Morrison, Billy Connolly, Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Eric Bogle, Sky, Midge Ure and B. A. Robertson.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Three-time Ivor Novello Award Winner.
Three-time ASCAP Award Winner.
Freeman Of The City Of London.
Freeman Of The City Of Glasgow.
In London, UK, of heart failure
Ramsey Kearney
(86), singer-songwriter who penned songs for Carl Perkins, Ricky Nelson, Eddy Arnold, Warner Mack and Mel Tillis, including such hits as 'Emotions' (Brenda Lee), 'Nine Little Teardrops' (Sue Thompson), 'Lonely People' (Eddy Arnold) and 'Big Flicking Baby' (Moe Bandy). Ramsey Kearney also pursued a recording career on a number of labels including his own Safari Records, charting with 'King Of Oak Street', 'One Time Thing', 'Love Me Strong', 'Bud’s Wiser Now' and 'Driving Me To Drinking' while simultaneously operating one of Nashville's most successful songwriter demo studios.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Manu Dibango
(86), saxophonist and composer whose hits include 'Soul Makossa', 'Big Blow' and 'Reggae Makossa', releasing more than onw hundred albums worldwide. In 2009, he filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson claiming that the singer had copied parts of 'Wanna Be Startin’ Something' from one of Dibango's hits. Jackson subsequently settled out of court.
Two-time Grammy Award Nominee.
UNESCO Artist For Peace.
In Paris, France from an illness linked to Covid-19
Kenny Rogers
(81), singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and writer, who scored more than 120 hits - 23 of them Number Ones - and sold over 100 million records, including such classics as 'Lucille', 'The Gambler', 'Lady', 'Daytime Friends', 'Tomb Of The Unknown Love', 'Make No Mistake, She's Mine', 'She Believes In Me', 'You Decorated My Life', 'I Don't Need You', 'We've Got Tonight', 'Morning Desire', and 'Islands In The Stream'.
A previous member of The New Christy Minstrels and The First Edition, Kenny Rogers wrote several chart-toppers for himself, including 'If You Want To Find Love', 'Love Or Something Like It', 'Love Will Turn You Around', 'Crazy' and 'Sweet Music Man'. as well as tunes recorded by acts such as 'A Stranger In My Place' (Anne Murray) and 'What About Me?' (Kim Carnes, Kenny Rogers and James Ingram).
As an actor, he appeared in more than twenty movies including 'The Gambler', 'The Legend Continues', 'Wild Horses', 'Six Pack', 'Coward Of The County', 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman', 'Rio Diablo' and 'Sage Of Sonora'.
He also penned a numnber of books, including an autobiography ('Luck Or Something Like It'), several photographic works inckuding 'Kenny Rogers' America' and 'Your Friends And Mine', and a novel 'What Are the Chances'.
Three-time Grammy Award Winner.
Country Music Hall Of Fame Inductee.
ASCAP Golden Note Award Winnner.
In Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA, of complications brought on by cancer
Ivan Kral
(71), co-founder of Blondie, and member of both the Patti Smith Band and the Iggy Pop Band, and whose later work includes film soundtracks and movie scores along with songs recorded by U2, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and John Waite.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, of cancer
Dan Andrei Aldea
(69), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his work with the band Sfinx and his compositions for such movies as 'Nunta De Piatr' as well as working with acts like Mircea Vintila, Vali Sterian, Anda Calugareanu and Dida Dragan.
In Bucharest, Roumania, of heart failure
Francie Brolly
(82), songwriter, musician and former Sinn Fein member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, whose hit recordings, many recorded with his wife Ann, include 'The H-Block Song'.
In Dungiven, Co Derry, Northern Ireland, following a heart attack
Ljiljana Petrovic
(81), singer and songwriter who represented Yugoslavia in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Neke Davne Zvezde' penned by Joze Privsek and Miroslav Antic.
In Novi Sad, Serbia, of heart failure
Pearl Carr
(98), singer and occasional songwriter who with husband Teddy Johnson came second with the Syd Cordell & Stan Butcher song 'Sing Little Birdie' at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest held in Cannes, France. The daughter of music hall singer Lily Palmer, Pearl Carr sang with Cyril Stapleton & His Orchestra before becoming lead singer with The Keynotes vocal group, who released several records including the 1946 hit 'There’s a Harvest Moon Tonight' and who, with Dave King, later scored such Top 10 hits as "Memories Are Made Of This" and "You Can't Be True To Two".
In 1956, she married the vocalist and drummer Teddy Johnson, and they decided to form a duo, appearing as Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson on BBC TV, as well as hosting shows for Radio Luxembourg billed as 'Mr & Mrs Music'. Following their Eurovision success, they scored such hits as "How Wonderful To Know", while appearing live on stage with stars like Bing Crosby, The Beatles and Morecambe & Wise. In 1990, they appeared in the West End revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical 'Follies', playing the roles of Wally and Emily Whitman and performing the song "Rain On The Roof". After this stage success (which had run for 18 months), they announced their retirement on Johnson's 70th birthday.
In Twickenham, London, UK of heart failure
Lyle Mays
(66), composer and keyboardist with the Pat Metheny Group which won numerous jazz performance Grammys, and who also composed music for such movies as 'The Falcon And The Snowman'. In addition, he featured on recordings by stars ranging from Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones to Earth, Wind & Fire.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of cancer
Steve Cagan
(77), songwriter, musician and conductor, who penned songs for such stars as Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler and Diahann Carroll, while composing television and radio jingles for Chevrolet, Ford, State Farm Insurance and Coppertone, Steve Cagan also acted as musical director on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and frequently guest conducted the Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Honolulu Symphony Orchestras, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra and the Houston Pops.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of COPD
Paul English
(87), drummer for Willie Nelson from 1965 to a few weeks before his death, whose life inspired three hit songs 'Me & Paul', 'I Still Can’t Believe That You’re Gone' and 'Devil In A Sleeping Bag' and who was once described as being 'the road boss of Willie’s travelling company, drummer, tour accountant, protector, collector, and enforcer'.
In Dallas, Texas, USA, of pneumonia
Andy Gill
(64), songwriter, producer and guitarist for the Gang Of Four, whose hits included 'At Home He's A Tourist', 'Damaged Goods', 'Anthrax', 'What We All Want' and 'I Love A Man In A Uniform', and who also produced such acts as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Stranglers, Michael Hutchence, Killing Joke, Therapy?, the Jesus Lizard and the Futureheads.
In London, UK, of pneumonia
Eddie Setser
(77), songwriter whose songs include 'Seven Spanish Angels' (Willie Nelson & Ray Charles'), 'I've Got A Rock 'n' Roll Heart' (Eric Clapton), 'Anything Goes' (Gary Morris), 'Beyond Those Years' (The Oak Ridge Boys), 'Country Girls' (John Schneider), 'Forget About Me' (The Bellamy Brothers), 'Let The Music Lift You Up' (Reba McEntire) and 'Why Lady Why' (Gary Morris)
In addition, he also wrote hits for Brenda Lee, Joe Diffie, The Four Tops, Don Williams, Conway Twitty, Aretha Franklin, Rita Coolidge, Isaac Hayes, Delbert McClinton, Dobie Gray, James Brown, Tompall Glaser & The Glaser Brothers, Etta James, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Randy Travis, Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Johnny Cash, John Anderson, Faith Hill and Daniel O'Donnell.
In Corbin, Kentucky, USA, of heart failure
Bob Shane
(85), singer-songwriter and founder of the Kingston Trio, whose hits include 'Tom Dooley', 'MTA', 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone', 'A Worried Man', 'Greenback Dollar' and 'Reverend Mr Black', while Shane's own compositions have been recorded by such stars as Glenn Yarbrough, The Chordettes, The Shadows and The Searchers.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
In Phoenix, Arizona, USA, of cancer
Chris Darrow
(75), songwriter, photographer and member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who worked with such stars as Leonard Cohen, Fairport Convention, the Jeff Beck Group, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of complications following a stroke
Jimmy Heath
(90), saxophonist and composer who worked with such stars as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Milt Jackson and Gil Evans, and who performed with felow-saxophonist President Bill Clinton at the White House.
National Endowment For The Arts Jazz Master Award Winner.
Two-time Grammy Award Nominee.
In Loganville, Georgia, USA, of heart failure
Robert Parker
(89), singer, songwriter and saxaphonist who rose to fame through his 1965 hit recording of 'Barefooting', and went on to work with such names as Jimmy Clanton, Ernie K-Doe, Fats Domino, Frankie Ford, Irma Thomas and Huey 'Piano' Smith.
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Inductee.
In Roseland, Louisiana, USA, of heart failure
Thérèse Dion
(92), songwriter and television presenter, whose songs include 'Ce N’était Qu’un Rêve', the first hit recorded by her daughter Celine Dion.
In Quebec, Canada, of heart failure
David Olney
(71), singer-songwriter who recorded 30 solo albums as well as penning songs for such stars as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, Del McCoury, and Laurie Lewis.
In Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. USA, from a heart attack, while on stage performing at the 30A Songwriter Festival
Marty Grebb
(74), songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist. record producer, and a member of The Buckinghams who scored several US Top Ten hits including 'Kind of a Drag', 'Don't You Care', 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy', 'Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)' and 'Susan',
Subsequently, he went on to work with such names as Leon Russell, Elton John, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt (he was as a member of her band for 25 years) and Eric Clapton (for whom he wrote ‘Breaking Point’), as well as becoming a touring member of Chicago. Before his death, Marty Grebb had been playing and recording with The Band and its offshoot The Weight.
In Chigago, Illinois, USA, while suffering from cancer
Harry Hains
(27), singer, songwriter, actor, and son of singer-actress Jane Badler, who produced music under the pseudonym AntiBoy, while also appearing in such TV series as 'American Horror Story' and 'Sneaky Pete'.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, possibly as a consequence of idiopathic insomnia
Neil Peart
(67), songwriter, author, and drummer with the band Rush, whose songs include 'The Fountain of Lamneth', '2112', 'Limelight', 'Afterimage', 'Open Secrets', 'Ghost Of A Chance', 'Speed Of Love', 'Cold Fire' and 'Alien Shore'.
Neil Peart's books include 'The Masked Rider: Cycling In West Africa', 'Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road', 'Traveling Music: Playing Back The Soundtrack To My Life And Times', 'Far And Away: A Prize Every Time' and 'Clockwork Lives'.
Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductee.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Santa Monica, California, USA, of glioblastoma
Nancy Falkow
(49), singer-songwriter who rose to prominence on the Philadelhpia music scene in the 1990's working with such names as Steve Forbert, Ron Sexsmith, John Prine, Los Lobos, Liz Phair, Richie Havens, Patty Griffin, Donovan, Sarah McLaughlin, the Indigo Girls, Astrud Gilberto and Missy Elliott, before moving with her husband Frankie McBride to Ireland in 2004. Here she formed Sunflow with singer-songwriter Fran King, which went on to release the critically-acclaimed Duncan Maitland-produced album 'Under The Stars'.
In Dublin, Ireland, of ovarian cancer
Lexii Alijai
(21), singer-songwriter whose work includes collaborations with Rocky Diamonds, Shaun Sloan, Elle Varner and Kehlani, and songs such as 'Jealous', 'Telephone' and 'Joseph's Coat'.
Lexii Alijai was the grand-daughter of singer-songwriter Roger Troutman, who founded the band Zapp.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and alcohol
Joe Diffie
(61), singer-songwriter who scored 35 US Country hits, including such Number Ones as 'Home', 'If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)', 'Third Rock From The Sun', 'Pickup Man' and 'Bigger Than The Beatles'. In addition, he wrote hits for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, Ricky Van Shelton, Billy Dean, Alabama, The Forester Sisters and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded hit duets with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart. In recent years, he also broadcast a country show on KXBL, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Grammy Award Nominee.
Grammy Award Winner.
Cash Box Male Vocalist Of the Year Award.
Academy of Country Music Vocal Event Of The Year Award.
Country Radio Broadcasters Humanitarian Award.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Adam Schlesinger
(52), singer-songwriter, record producer, and guitarist with the groups Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy and Tinted Windows, and who pened such million-selling hits as 'Stacy's Mom' as well as songs performed by The Monkees, The Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, Toby Keith, Elvis Costello and America.
As a record producer, he worked with The Monkees, Fever High, Dashboard Confessional, Swirl, Tahiti, Verve Pipe, Robert Plant, America, The Sounds, They Might Be Giants and Fastball as well as producing albums for Fountains of Wayne and Ivy.
Three-time Emmy Award Winner.
Grammy Award Winner.
ASCAP Pop Music Award Winner.
Oscar Award Nominee.
In Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, from an illness linked to Covid-19
Bill Martin
(81), songwriter, music publisher and former professional footballer, who having started his writing career in 1962 in partnership with Tommy Scott, had his earliest songs recorded by The Bachelors, Twinkle, The Dubliners, Van Morrison and Tommy Quickly. In 1965, he teamed up with Phil Coulter, and over the next ten years scored hits with Ken Dodd, Geno Washington, Los Bravos, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Troggs, Mireille Mathieu, Dick Emery, Tony Blackburn, Billy Connolly, Cilla Black, The Foundations, Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw, and Elvis Presley.
He achieved four UK Number 1 hits, 'Puppet On A String' (Sandy Shaw), 'Congratulations' (Cliff Richard), 'Back Home' (The 1970 England World Cup Squad) and 'Forever and Ever' (Silk). He also penned million-selling songs for the Bay City Rollers and Kenny, before writing a number of American country hits for acts like Bill Anderson.
With Phil Coulter, he founded Martin-Coulter Music, and signed such songwriters as Van Morrison, Billy Connolly, Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Eric Bogle, Sky, Midge Ure and B. A. Robertson.
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame Member.
Three-time Ivor Novello Award Winner.
Three-time ASCAP Award Winner.
Freeman Of The City Of London.
Freeman Of The City Of Glasgow.
In London, UK, of heart failure
Ramsey Kearney
(86), singer-songwriter who penned songs for Carl Perkins, Ricky Nelson, Eddy Arnold, Warner Mack and Mel Tillis, including such hits as 'Emotions' (Brenda Lee), 'Nine Little Teardrops' (Sue Thompson), 'Lonely People' (Eddy Arnold) and 'Big Flicking Baby' (Moe Bandy). Ramsey Kearney also pursued a recording career on a number of labels including his own Safari Records, charting with 'King Of Oak Street', 'One Time Thing', 'Love Me Strong', 'Bud’s Wiser Now' and 'Driving Me To Drinking' while simultaneously operating one of Nashville's most successful songwriter demo studios.
In Nashville, Tennessee, USA, of heart failure
Manu Dibango
(86), saxophonist and composer whose hits include 'Soul Makossa', 'Big Blow' and 'Reggae Makossa', releasing more than onw hundred albums worldwide. In 2009, he filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson claiming that the singer had copied parts of 'Wanna Be Startin’ Something' from one of Dibango's hits. Jackson subsequently settled out of court.
Two-time Grammy Award Nominee.
UNESCO Artist For Peace.
In Paris, France from an illness linked to Covid-19
Kenny Rogers
(81), singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and writer, who scored more than 120 hits - 23 of them Number Ones - and sold over 100 million records, including such classics as 'Lucille', 'The Gambler', 'Lady', 'Daytime Friends', 'Tomb Of The Unknown Love', 'Make No Mistake, She's Mine', 'She Believes In Me', 'You Decorated My Life', 'I Don't Need You', 'We've Got Tonight', 'Morning Desire', and 'Islands In The Stream'.
A previous member of The New Christy Minstrels and The First Edition, Kenny Rogers wrote several chart-toppers for himself, including 'If You Want To Find Love', 'Love Or Something Like It', 'Love Will Turn You Around', 'Crazy' and 'Sweet Music Man'. as well as tunes recorded by acts such as 'A Stranger In My Place' (Anne Murray) and 'What About Me?' (Kim Carnes, Kenny Rogers and James Ingram).
As an actor, he appeared in more than twenty movies including 'The Gambler', 'The Legend Continues', 'Wild Horses', 'Six Pack', 'Coward Of The County', 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman', 'Rio Diablo' and 'Sage Of Sonora'.
He also penned a numnber of books, including an autobiography ('Luck Or Something Like It'), several photographic works inckuding 'Kenny Rogers' America' and 'Your Friends And Mine', and a novel 'What Are the Chances'.
Three-time Grammy Award Winner.
Country Music Hall Of Fame Inductee.
ASCAP Golden Note Award Winnner.
In Sandy Springs, Georgia, USA, of complications brought on by cancer
Ivan Kral
(71), co-founder of Blondie, and member of both the Patti Smith Band and the Iggy Pop Band, and whose later work includes film soundtracks and movie scores along with songs recorded by U2, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and John Waite.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, of cancer
Dan Andrei Aldea
(69), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his work with the band Sfinx and his compositions for such movies as 'Nunta De Piatr' as well as working with acts like Mircea Vintila, Vali Sterian, Anda Calugareanu and Dida Dragan.
In Bucharest, Roumania, of heart failure
Francie Brolly
(82), songwriter, musician and former Sinn Fein member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, whose hit recordings, many recorded with his wife Ann, include 'The H-Block Song'.
In Dungiven, Co Derry, Northern Ireland, following a heart attack
Ljiljana Petrovic
(81), singer and songwriter who represented Yugoslavia in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Neke Davne Zvezde' penned by Joze Privsek and Miroslav Antic.
In Novi Sad, Serbia, of heart failure
Pearl Carr
(98), singer and occasional songwriter who with husband Teddy Johnson came second with the Syd Cordell & Stan Butcher song 'Sing Little Birdie' at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest held in Cannes, France. The daughter of music hall singer Lily Palmer, Pearl Carr sang with Cyril Stapleton & His Orchestra before becoming lead singer with The Keynotes vocal group, who released several records including the 1946 hit 'There’s a Harvest Moon Tonight' and who, with Dave King, later scored such Top 10 hits as "Memories Are Made Of This" and "You Can't Be True To Two".
In 1956, she married the vocalist and drummer Teddy Johnson, and they decided to form a duo, appearing as Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson on BBC TV, as well as hosting shows for Radio Luxembourg billed as 'Mr & Mrs Music'. Following their Eurovision success, they scored such hits as "How Wonderful To Know", while appearing live on stage with stars like Bing Crosby, The Beatles and Morecambe & Wise. In 1990, they appeared in the West End revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical 'Follies', playing the roles of Wally and Emily Whitman and performing the song "Rain On The Roof". After this stage success (which had run for 18 months), they announced their retirement on Johnson's 70th birthday.
In Twickenham, London, UK of heart failure
Lyle Mays
(66), composer and keyboardist with the Pat Metheny Group which won numerous jazz performance Grammys, and who also composed music for such movies as 'The Falcon And The Snowman'. In addition, he featured on recordings by stars ranging from Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones to Earth, Wind & Fire.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of cancer
Steve Cagan
(77), songwriter, musician and conductor, who penned songs for such stars as Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler and Diahann Carroll, while composing television and radio jingles for Chevrolet, Ford, State Farm Insurance and Coppertone, Steve Cagan also acted as musical director on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and frequently guest conducted the Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Honolulu Symphony Orchestras, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra and the Houston Pops.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of COPD
Paul English
(87), drummer for Willie Nelson from 1965 to a few weeks before his death, whose life inspired three hit songs 'Me & Paul', 'I Still Can’t Believe That You’re Gone' and 'Devil In A Sleeping Bag' and who was once described as being 'the road boss of Willie’s travelling company, drummer, tour accountant, protector, collector, and enforcer'.
In Dallas, Texas, USA, of pneumonia
Andy Gill
(64), songwriter, producer and guitarist for the Gang Of Four, whose hits included 'At Home He's A Tourist', 'Damaged Goods', 'Anthrax', 'What We All Want' and 'I Love A Man In A Uniform', and who also produced such acts as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Stranglers, Michael Hutchence, Killing Joke, Therapy?, the Jesus Lizard and the Futureheads.
In London, UK, of pneumonia
Eddie Setser
(77), songwriter whose songs include 'Seven Spanish Angels' (Willie Nelson & Ray Charles'), 'I've Got A Rock 'n' Roll Heart' (Eric Clapton), 'Anything Goes' (Gary Morris), 'Beyond Those Years' (The Oak Ridge Boys), 'Country Girls' (John Schneider), 'Forget About Me' (The Bellamy Brothers), 'Let The Music Lift You Up' (Reba McEntire) and 'Why Lady Why' (Gary Morris)
In addition, he also wrote hits for Brenda Lee, Joe Diffie, The Four Tops, Don Williams, Conway Twitty, Aretha Franklin, Rita Coolidge, Isaac Hayes, Delbert McClinton, Dobie Gray, James Brown, Tompall Glaser & The Glaser Brothers, Etta James, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Randy Travis, Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Johnny Cash, John Anderson, Faith Hill and Daniel O'Donnell.
In Corbin, Kentucky, USA, of heart failure
Bob Shane
(85), singer-songwriter and founder of the Kingston Trio, whose hits include 'Tom Dooley', 'MTA', 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone', 'A Worried Man', 'Greenback Dollar' and 'Reverend Mr Black', while Shane's own compositions have been recorded by such stars as Glenn Yarbrough, The Chordettes, The Shadows and The Searchers.
Two-time Grammy Award Winner.
In Phoenix, Arizona, USA, of cancer
Chris Darrow
(75), songwriter, photographer and member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who worked with such stars as Leonard Cohen, Fairport Convention, the Jeff Beck Group, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, of complications following a stroke
Jimmy Heath
(90), saxophonist and composer who worked with such stars as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Milt Jackson and Gil Evans, and who performed with felow-saxophonist President Bill Clinton at the White House.
National Endowment For The Arts Jazz Master Award Winner.
Two-time Grammy Award Nominee.
In Loganville, Georgia, USA, of heart failure
Robert Parker
(89), singer, songwriter and saxaphonist who rose to fame through his 1965 hit recording of 'Barefooting', and went on to work with such names as Jimmy Clanton, Ernie K-Doe, Fats Domino, Frankie Ford, Irma Thomas and Huey 'Piano' Smith.
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Inductee.
In Roseland, Louisiana, USA, of heart failure
Thérèse Dion
(92), songwriter and television presenter, whose songs include 'Ce N’était Qu’un Rêve', the first hit recorded by her daughter Celine Dion.
In Quebec, Canada, of heart failure
David Olney
(71), singer-songwriter who recorded 30 solo albums as well as penning songs for such stars as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, Del McCoury, and Laurie Lewis.
In Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. USA, from a heart attack, while on stage performing at the 30A Songwriter Festival
Marty Grebb
(74), songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist. record producer, and a member of The Buckinghams who scored several US Top Ten hits including 'Kind of a Drag', 'Don't You Care', 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy', 'Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)' and 'Susan',
Subsequently, he went on to work with such names as Leon Russell, Elton John, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt (he was as a member of her band for 25 years) and Eric Clapton (for whom he wrote ‘Breaking Point’), as well as becoming a touring member of Chicago. Before his death, Marty Grebb had been playing and recording with The Band and its offshoot The Weight.
In Chigago, Illinois, USA, while suffering from cancer
Harry Hains
(27), singer, songwriter, actor, and son of singer-actress Jane Badler, who produced music under the pseudonym AntiBoy, while also appearing in such TV series as 'American Horror Story' and 'Sneaky Pete'.
In Los Angeles, California, USA, possibly as a consequence of idiopathic insomnia
Neil Peart
(67), songwriter, author, and drummer with the band Rush, whose songs include 'The Fountain of Lamneth', '2112', 'Limelight', 'Afterimage', 'Open Secrets', 'Ghost Of A Chance', 'Speed Of Love', 'Cold Fire' and 'Alien Shore'.
Neil Peart's books include 'The Masked Rider: Cycling In West Africa', 'Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road', 'Traveling Music: Playing Back The Soundtrack To My Life And Times', 'Far And Away: A Prize Every Time' and 'Clockwork Lives'.
Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductee.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.
In Santa Monica, California, USA, of glioblastoma
Nancy Falkow
(49), singer-songwriter who rose to prominence on the Philadelhpia music scene in the 1990's working with such names as Steve Forbert, Ron Sexsmith, John Prine, Los Lobos, Liz Phair, Richie Havens, Patty Griffin, Donovan, Sarah McLaughlin, the Indigo Girls, Astrud Gilberto and Missy Elliott, before moving with her husband Frankie McBride to Ireland in 2004. Here she formed Sunflow with singer-songwriter Fran King, which went on to release the critically-acclaimed Duncan Maitland-produced album 'Under The Stars'.
In Dublin, Ireland, of ovarian cancer
Lexii Alijai
(21), singer-songwriter whose work includes collaborations with Rocky Diamonds, Shaun Sloan, Elle Varner and Kehlani, and songs such as 'Jealous', 'Telephone' and 'Joseph's Coat'.
Lexii Alijai was the grand-daughter of singer-songwriter Roger Troutman, who founded the band Zapp.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and alcohol
Songwriter Obituaries prior to 2020
ISA • International Songwriters Association (1967) Ltd
PO Box 46 • Limerick City • Ireland • Tel 061-228837 • Fax 061-2288379
ISA Website http://www.songwriter.co.uk • Editorial E-Mail internationalsongwriters@gmail.com
International Songwriters Association Limited
Registered In Dublin, Ireland • Company Number 38917
Registered Address • High Chaperal, Raheen Heights, Limerick City, Ireland
Postal Address • PO Box 46, Limerick City, Ireland
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