Rock Star Death Notices - January 2016

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Madison legend Charlie Brooks - photo by Sweet Music Chica

Madison legend Charlie Brooks
photo by Sweet Music Chica

John Garner - Died 12-5-2015 - Liver failure (Metal) Drummer and singer - Was a member of Sir Lord Baltimore (They did, “Master Heartache” and “Caesar LXXI”)  and The Lizards (They did, “Grip Of Love” and “The Rats And Us”).

Gary Marker (aka Magic Marker) - Died 12-8-2015 - Stroke (Rock - Jazz - Psychedelic) Born 5-23-1943 - Bassist and recording engineer - Was a member of The Rising Sons (with Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal) and Fusion - Worked with The Jazz Folk, Juicy Groove, The New World Jazz Company (with John Locke, Randy California and Ed Cassidy) and Captain Beefheart.

Bonnie Lou (Mary Joan Okum) (Born Mary Joan Kath) (aka Sally Carson and Mary Jo The Yodeling Sweetheart) - Died 12-8-2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. (Country - Rock - Rockabilly) Born 10-27-1924 in Towanda, Illinois, U.S. - Singer and guitarist - (She did, “Seven Lonely Days” “Daddy-O”) - Was a member of The Rhythm Rangers - Worked with The Girls Of The Golden West and Rusty York (They did, “La Dee Dah” and “I Let The School Bell Ding-a-Ling”) - Rockabilly Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Rusty Jones (Isham Russell Jones II) - Died 12-9-2015 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (Jazz) Born 4-13-1942 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. - Drummer - Worked with George Shearing’s Trio, Marian McPartland, Stephane Grappelli,  Flip Phillips, Morgan King, Red Holloway, Eddie Higgins, Ike Cole, Clifford Jordan, Franz Jackson, Bobby Enriquez, Monty Alexander, Catherine Whitney, Adam Makowicz, Buddy DeFranco, Art Van Damme, Kai Winding, Larry Novak, Frank D’Rone, Patricia Barber, Ira Sullivan, Curtis Fuller, Lee Konitz, Wild Bill Davison, Anita O’Day, Mark Murphy, Art Hodes and J.R. Monterose.

Rainer Bloss - Died 12-10-2015 (Electronic Music) Born 1946 in Saxony, Germany - (He did, “Drive Me Funky” and “Lovely Hitchhiker”) - Collaborated with Klaus Schulze.

Adam Roth - Died 12-16-2015 - Bile duct cancer (Rock) He was 57 years old - Guitarist - Was a member of The Del Fuegos - Worked with Denis Leary, Jim Carroll, David Johansen, Evan Dando, John Giorno, Hoy Boy And The Doys, The Enablers and The Liza Colby Sound.

Gareth Mortimer - Died 12-17-2015 in Rhondda, Wales, UK - Cancer (Pop) He was 66 years old - Singer - Was a member of The Racing Cars (They did, “‘They Shoot Horses Don’t They” and “Bring On The Night”) - Worked with The Beach Boys and Bryan Adams.

Mick Lynch - Died 12-17-2015 - (Experimental Punk) Singer - Was a member of Stump (They did, “Buffalo” and “Charlton Heston”).

Selma Reis - Died 12-19-2015 - Brain cancer - Born 8-24-1960 in Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro - Singer and actress - (She did, Espuma y Arena” and “Mi Amor Fugaz”).

Peter Broggs (Henry James) - Died 12-19-2015 (Reggae) Born 1954 in Hanover Parish, Jamaica - (He did, “Jah Golden Throne”) - Worked with The Wailers, Roots Radics and Jah Warrior.

Peter Lundblad (Gustaf Peter Lundblad) - Died 12-22-2015 - Prostate cancer (Pop - Rock) Born 8-26-1950 in Sodermanland, Sweden - Singer - (He did, “Ta mig till havet” and “Ge apan i dig en chans”) - Worked with The most Remarkable Nailband and Duga.

Carson Van Osten - Died 12-22-2015 in Thousand Oaks, CA, U.S. (Rock) Born 9-24-1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - Bassist and singer - Was a member of Woody’s Truck Stop and The Nazz (They did, “Open My Eyes” and “Hello It’s Me”).

Zemya Hamilton (Zemya Sylveta Larsson Auna) - Died 12-24-2015 - Multiple sclerosis (Pop) Born 12-8-1965 in Hedvig Eleonora forsamling, Stockholm, Sweden - Singer - (She did, “Min arm omkring din hals”) - Worked with Clubland (They did, “Hold On (Tighter To Love)”).

William Guest (William Franklin Guest) - Died 12-24-2015 in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - Congestive heart failure (R&B) Born 7-2-1941 in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. - Singer - Was a member of Gladys Knight & The Pips (They did, “Midnight Train To Georgia” and “Neither One Of Us”) -  Cousin of Gladys Knight - Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Ove Johansson (Karl Ove Gunnar) - Died 12-24-2015 (Jazz) Born 12-2-1936 in Alingsas, Sweden - Saxophonist - Worked with Mwendo Dawa, Natural Artefacts and Susanna Lindeborg.

Takeharu Kunimoto - Died 12-24-2015 (Traditional Japanese - Bluegrass - Rock) Born 11-1-1960 in Chiba, Japan - Sang and played shamisen and mandolin - (He did, “Makura”) - Was a member of The Last Frontier (They did, “Alcatraz Island Blues” and “Chinese Caravan”).

Tore Andersen (Tore Sonnik Branaes Andersen)- Died 12-25-2015 - Illness (Country) Born 3-22-1960 in Sorkedalen, Oslo - Singer, mandolinist, keyboardist and guitarist - (He did, “Hard Water” and “Goodbye Blues”) - Was a member of Trondersk Talent.

Geraldo Roca - Died 12-25-2015 in Campo Grande, Chacara Cachoeira, Sul-mato-grossense - Shot - Born 6-9-1954 in Rio de Janeiro - Guitarist - (He did, “Trem do Pantanal” and “Mochileira”).

Manuel Agujetas (Manuel de los Santos Pastor) (aka El Agujetas and El Agujeta) - Died 12-25-2015 (Flamenco)Born 5-17-1939 in Rota, Spain - Singer - Son of singer, Agujetas el Viejo.

Elvin Ordubadli (Elvin Ramazan oglu Quliyev) - Died 12-25-2015 in Ordubad, Nakhitsjevan, Den aserbajdsjanske, Baku - Jumped from a building - Born 11-1-1989 - Singer (He did, “Divlerin yalnizligi”).

Stevie Wright (Stephen Carlton Wright) (aka Little Stevie) - Died 12-27-2015 (Rock) Born 12-20-1947 in Leeds, England - Singer - (He did, “Evie”) - Was a member of The Outlaws, Chris Langdon & The Langdells and The Easybeats (They did, “Friday On My Mind” and “She’s So Fine”) - Led The Stevie Wright Band and Stevie Wright & The Allstars - Worked with Black Tank and Rachette - Produced Bootleg - ARIA Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Andy M. Stewart - Illness - Died 12-27-2015 (Folk) He was 63 years old - Sang and played banjo and tin whistle - Was a member of Puddock’s Well and Silly Wizard (They did, “Valley Of Strathmore” and “The Queen Of Argyll”) - Scots Trad Music Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Lemmy Kilmister (Ian Fraser Kilmister) (Born Ian Fraser Willis) - Died 12-28-2015 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. - Cancer (Rock - Metal - Space Rock) Born 12-24-1945 in Burslem, Staffordshire, England - Singer, bassist and guitarist - Was a member of The Sundowners, The Rainmakers, The Motown Sect, The Rockin’ Vickers (“It’s Alright”), Sam Gopal (“Horse”), Opal Butterfly, Hawkwind (They did, “Silver Machine” and “Urban Guerrilla”) and Bastard which became Motorhead (They did, “Ace Of Spades” and “Snaggletooth”) - Worked with The Damned, Robert Calvert (“Ejection"and “Lord Of The Hornets”), Slash and Wendy O. Williams (“Stand By Your Man”) - Wrote songs for The Ramones and Ozzy Osbourne.

John Bradbury (aka Brad) - Died 12-28-2015 (Ska - Soul) Born 2-16-1953 in Coventry, England - Percussionist, keyboardist and singer - Was a member of The Specials (They did, “The Selecter” and “Gangsters”), The Special AKA and JB’s Allstars.

Ron Ford (aka The Prophet) - Died 12-28-2015 (Funk) He was 67 years old - Singer and songwriter - Worked with Parliament Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Parlet, The Brides Of Funkenstein and The P-Funk All-Stars.

Rusty Paul (Russ Les Paul Jr.) - Died 12-31-2015 in New Jersey, U.S. - Complications related to diabetes - Born 1941 - Guitarist - Promoted the legacy of his father guitarist, Les Paul.

Natalie Cole (Natalie Maria Cole) - Died 12-31-2015 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. - Congestive heart failure (R&B - Pop) Born 2-6-1950 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. - Singer and pianist - (She did, “This Will Be” and “Inseparable”) - Worked with Andrea Bocelli - She had been married to singer, Marvin Yancy and drummer, Andre Fischer - Sister of actress and music producer, Carole Cole and daughter of singers, Nat King Cole and Maria Hawkins Ellington.

Charlie Brooks (Emanuel Charlie Brooks) - Died 1/2/2016 in Madison, WI - cancer - singer - born 11-7-1945 - worked with Charlie Brooks and the Way It Is, Freddie and the Freeloaders, Sorcery Band, Blume, Harvey Scales, The Esquires, Ray Charles, The Supremes, Clyde Stubblefield Band, The Temptations, Percy Sledge, Kenny Walker, Chicago, Sly and the Family Stone, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award for music from Big City Blues Magazine.

Long John Hunter - Died 1/4/2016 in Phoenix at 84 - died in sleep (Texas Blues Legend) guitar - born 7-13-1931 - His signature Texas blues were fueled by his single-note solos and melodic, drawling vocals. The Los Angeles Times called him “a top notch singer, guitarist and unbridled wildman performer…a raw, feral talent bursting with energy.” During a 60-year career, he recorded seven solo albums and a number of 45s.