Rock Star Death Notices - March 2020

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Madison's Jake Wheeler of Axiom and Mr. Fist - photo by Rise Up Lights

Madison's Jake Wheeler of Axiom and Mr. Fist
photo by Rise Up Lights

Mike Sommerville - D. 1-14-2020 - 71 - heart disease - guitarist and founding member of Head East - wrote “Never Been Any Reason”.

Buddy Cage - D. 2-4-2020 - 73, multiple myeloma - American pedal steel guitarist for New Riders of the Purple Sage, Great Speckled Bird.

Diego Farias - D. 2-6-2020 - 27 - American metal guitarist for Volumes.

Lynn Evans - D. 2-6-2020 - 95 - American singer for The Chordettes - known for the hit song “Mr. Sandman”.

Lyle Mays - D. 2-10-2010 - 66 - long battle with a recurring illness - American jazz pianist and composer for Pat Metheny Group.

Joseph Shabalala - D. 2-11-2020 - 78 - South African Singer - founder of Grammy winning choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the group was brought to western listeners by Paul Simon’s 1986 Graceland album.

Jakob “Jake” Wheeler - D. 2-12-2020 - 39 - heart attack - guitarist and vocalist for Madison bands Axiom and Mr. Fist.

Victor Olaiya - D. 2-12-2020 - 89 - Nigerian highlife trumpeter - known as “The Evil Genius of Highlife”.

Mike Lilly - D. 2-12-2012 - 70 - leukemia - American banjo player and singer.

Paul English - D. 2-12-2020 - 87 - pneumonia - American drummer for Willie Nelson.

Jacob Thiele - D. 2-13-2020 - 40 - American rock keyboardist for The Faint and Depressed Buttons.

Buzzy Linhart - D. 2-13-2020 -  76 - complications from a heart attack in May 2018 - American folk-rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - played with Jimi Hendrix and credited on Cry of Love and Electric Ladyland.

Cavan Grogan - 2-15-2020 -70 - Welsh rock and roll singer for Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers.

Ron Thompson - D. 2-15-2020 - 66 - American blues guitarist - played with John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton.

Lindsey Lagestee - D. 2-17-2020 - 25 - traffic collision - American country singer for country band Dixie Crush.

Robert Cobert - D. 2-19-2020 - 95 - pneumonia - composer of music for 60s TV series Dark Shadows.

Henry Gray - D. 2-17-2020 - 95 - American Hall of Fame blues pianist and singer - played with including Robert Lockwood Jr., Billy Boy Arnold, Morris Pejoe, the Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf.

Pop Smoke - D. 2-19-2020 - 20 - shot - Brooklyn drill rapper.

Kandy Burns “DJ Phoenix Camerah” - D. 2-25-2020 - 62 - died in sleep - former on-air personality at Max Ink Radio and most recently Surgery Records Radio - concert photographer - dedicated and selfless promoter of local music in Wisconsin and Southern Ontario.

Simon Posthuma - D. 2-28-2020 - 81 - member of Dutch psychedelic 60s band The Fool - designed clothes & album covers for the Beatles, the Hollies, Procal Harum, Cream, Incredible String Band to name a few.

Bill Hallmark - D. 2-??-2020 - bassist for Texas psychedelic band The Golden Dawn

Mike Bailey - D. 2-29-2020 - 50 - Madison - starting as an independent label owner, Star Star Stereo, and later worked in New York City for Blue Note, a blues label within EMI Music. He was a Grammy-voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and served on various advisory committees, including the Dane County Arts Commission, the Sunset Music Series in Madison and WVMO 98.7 FM community radio for the city of Monona.