This Week’s Theme: In Memoriam 2021 (Part Two)

Hundreds of musicians, songwriters, producers, and recording artists died in 2021. Some of them were legends while others were best known from the work of others. There is no way to include all of these artists in one Faux Show, but I can at least go with a two-part Faux Show that includes as many as possible. The popularity of the artist was not taken into account when creating these shows, and this second part includes many of the lesser-known artists.

In Memoriam

Gerry Marsden died on January 3, 2021. Marsden was the founder and lead singer of Gerry & The Pacemakers, one of the first British pop groups associated with the British Invasion of the mid-60s. Like The Beatles, they were from Liverpool, managed by Brian Epstein, and produced by George Martin. They were the first British group to hit Number One with their first three singles and at the time of their peak success they rivaled The Beatles as the most popular band in England. Their Merseybeat sound was important in setting the stage for the rest of the British pop groups to come. Song selection: Gerry & The Pacemakers “Ferry Cross The Mersey”

Phil Spector died on January 16, 2021. Spector was one of the most influential pop music producers of the 20th century. His “wall of sound” production technique influenced countless artists, most notably Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. Artists who list him as in influence include The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, The Velvet Underground, and Brian Eno. He revolutionized the girl group sound of the early ’60s. The eclectic list of artists he recorded includes The Ronettes, The Crystals, Ike and Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, The Ramones, and hundreds more. He is arguably the most important producer of all time. Unfortunately, it is difficult to separate the musical genius from the man he became in his later years. During the last fifteen years of his life, he was convicted of a 2003 murder (in 2009) and went on to spend the next ten-plus years in prison up until his death, during which time he occasionally made public statements that all portrayed him as a not-very-endearing person. He possibly suffered from bipolar disorder, most likely untreated for many years, and is now referenced as the butt of jokes as much as the musical genius he was in his earlier years. Song selection: The Top Notes “Twist and Shout” (the original version and one of Spector’s first producer credits)

Sammy Nestico died on January 17, 2021. Nestico was a composer and arranger who is best known for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1967 until Basie’s death in 1984. He won four Grammy Awards for his work with Basie. Prior to working with Basie, Nestico arranged music for the US Air Force band from 1950-1963 and then worked as director and arranger of the US Marine Band until 1967. Throughout his career he worked with a who’s who of popular artists, including Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Michael Bublé. He played trombone for several famous bands, including those of Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, and Gene Krupa. He worked as orchestrator for over sixty television shows, including Mission: Impossible, M.A.S.H., The Mod Squad, and Charlie’s Angels. He composed commercial jingles for dozens of companies including Anheiser-Busch, Zenith, Ford, and Mattel, helped arrange and re-record 630 big band songs of the ’30s and ’40s which became 63 Time-Life record collections, and wrote hundreds of compositions for high school band and jazz programs after his retirement. Wow! Song Selection: Count Basie & His Orchestra “Basie – Straight Ahead”

Perry Botkin, Jr. died on January 18, 2021. Botkin was a composer, producer, arranger, and musician who created some of the most well-known music of the ’60s and ’70s. He collaborated with Barry De Vorzon on several songs including “Love is Blue” in 1969, “Bless The Beasts And Children,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971, and “Nadia’s Theme (The Young and The Restless),” which won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in 1977. He worked on music for several tv shows, including The Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy. Most famously, he produced the album Bongo Rock by Incredible Bongo Band in 1973. This album, especially the song “Apache,” is one of the most sampled recordings in rap history. Along with “Amen, Brother” by The Winstons, “Apache” laid the foundation for break beats and sampling that led to the creation of rap music in the late ’70s. Song selection: Incredible Bongo Band “Apache”

Jimmie Rodgers died on January 18, 2021. Rodgers was one of the biggest rock and roll artists of the late ’50s, charting eleven Top Forty hits in a two-year period at the end of the decade. His song “Honeycomb” is a rock and roll classic. Although he continued to perform sporadically from the late-60s on, his career was tragically derailed in 1967 when he suffered severe head trauma, possibly from a police beating after a routine traffic stop, although the details have never been verified and a lawsuit was settled out of court. Song selection: Jimmie Rodgers “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”

James Purify died on January 22, 2021. Purify was one half of the soul duo James and Bobby Purify, a minor group who had several hits in the ’60s and ’70s. There biggest hit was “I’m Your Puppet” in 1966. James Purify continued recording as a solo artist and a member of James and Bobby Purify even after the original Bobby Purify (who was actually a cousin named Robert Dickey) left the group. The new duo charted a new version of “I’m Your Puppet” in England in 1976. Song selection: James and Bobby Purify “I’m Your Puppet” (1966 version)

Jonas Gwangwa died on January 23, 2021. Gwangwa was a South African jazz musician whose political stance against Apartheid resulted in his exile in the ’70s. He was an important musical figure in the anti-apartheid movement. He was the leader of Amandla, the cultural ensemble of the African National Congress, from 1980-90, and he organized an international tour of the anti-apartheid musical Amandla The Musical using exiled South Africans. He was also the composer of the score for the anti-apartheid David Attenborough film Cry Freedom. Song selection: Jonas Gwangwa “Emaxhoseni”

Grady Gaines died on January 29, 2021. Gaines was a saxophonist during the formative years of rock and roll. He started out playing on records for the Peacock Label in the ’50s with artists such as Big Walter Price and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, but in 1955 he was made the leader of Little Richard’s new band The Upsetters. In this role, he performed on the songs “Keep a Knockin'” and “Ooh My Soul.” After Richards stopped recording in 1957, The Upsetters toured with other artists, including a young James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Joe Tex. This was followed by Gaines leading Sam Cooke’s backing band until Cooke’s death, and then touring with Millie Jackson and Curtis Mayfield until he retired in 1980. He came out of retirement five years later and spent the rest of his life as the leader of his own band, The Texas Upsetters. Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield – that is foundational. Song selection: Little Richard “Ooh My Soul”

Hilton Valentine died on January 29, 2021. Valentine was the original guitarist for The Animals. Along with The Rolling Stones, Them, and Pretty Things, The Animals were the most blues-based of the British Invasion bands. Although they didn’t last as long as their contemporaries and they were not as popular in the end, The Animals were an important part of the British Invasion. Song selection: The Animals “Baby Let Me Take You Home”

Jim Weatherly died on February 3, 2021. Weatherly was a songwriter and recording artist who had multiple hits, including songs featured in several movies and tv shows. These songs include “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” and “Where Peaceful Waters Flow.” Dozens of artists have recorded his songs and had hits with them. He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Musician’s Hall of Fame, and The Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also important as the winner of Weatherly versus Universal Music Publishing Group, a case that set future legal precedent for artists who have been screwed out of royalty payments by music publishing companies. All of those accomplishments aside, there is one song that makes Weatherly one of the greatest songwriters in pop music history. He wrote “Midnight Train To Georgia,” one of the greatest soul songs, arguably greatest song of any genre, ever written. Song selection: Gladys Knight & The Pips “Midnight Train To Georgia”

Nolan Porter died on February 4, 2021. Porter was an R&B singer who found minor success in the early ’70s. His most well-known song is “Keep On Keepin’ On” from his second and last album, Nolan, released in 1972. His first album, No Apologies, was released in 1970, features covers of songs by Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, and Randy Newman, and includes a band consisting of former members of The Mothers of Invention. Both albums are worth discovery by anyone who likes soul music from this period. Song selection: Nolan Porter “Keep On Keepin’ On”

Mary Wilson died on February 8, 2021. Wilson was a founding member of The Supremes, along with Diana Ross, Barbara Martin, and Florence Ballard. The Supremes were the most successful Motown act of the ’60s and had more hits than any other female group. Wilson sang backing vocals on almost all of the band’s hits and stayed with the group throughout the ’70s after all of the other members left. She was also a best-selling author and activist for recording artists’ rights. Song selection: The Supremes “Run, Run, Run”

Richie Albright died on February 9, 2021. Albright was the drummer and band-mate of Waylon Jennings starting with his early rockabilly recordings with his band The Waylors and for decades after. If you know a song by Waylon Jennings then you have heard Albright play the drums. Albright is often called “The Father of Country Drumming” and is arguably the most influential drummer in country music history. He was as much responsible for country’s Outlaw movement as Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings, and his rock and roll drumming style revolutionized country music in the ’60s and ’70s. Song selection: Waylon Jennings “Sally Was A Good Old Girl”

Louis Clark died on February 13, 2021. Clark was an arranger and keyboard player who was most famous for his work as conductor and arranger for ELO. He arranged the strings for all ELO albums from Eldorado through Xanadu. Clark also conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the recordings that became the Hooked on Classics series. Song selection: ELO “Eldorado Overture”

Johnny Pacheco died on February 15, 2021. Pacheco was one of the most influential artists in the history of Latin music. He was one of the leading performers of both pachanga and salsa music throughout the world from the ’50s until his death. He started Fania Records in 1963, and was responsible for the success of the careers of dozens of Latin musicians in the ’60s and ’70s. His group The Fania All-Stars showcased the best Latin musicians for decades. Song selection: Johnny Pacheco “Quimbara” (with the “Queen of Salsa,” Celia Cruz)

Gene Summers died on February 17, 2021. Summers was a rockabilly artist most popular in the late ’50s. Although he was never as popular as Carl Perkins or Jerry Lee Lewis, he was able to maintain a performing and recording career for over fifty years, well into the 21st century. Song selection: Gene Summers “Alabama Shake”

Prince Markie Dee died on February 18, 2021. Markie Dee was a member of the influential early rap group Fat Boys. The band was one of the first to release a full-length rap album. Along with Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Kurtis Blow, they brought rap to an entire generation of teenagers who then went on to listen to Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Ice-T while in college, thus solidifying rap as a viable commercial art form. My best memory of Fat Boys is watching them on the big screen along with Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Kurtis Blow in the 1985 hip hop classic film Krush Groove. Song selection: Fat Boys “Fat Boys Are Back”

Chris Barber died on March 2, 2021. Barber was a bandleader and jazz trombonist who is often overlooked as an important figure in the success of the British Invasion of the ’60s. After finding success in jazz clubs during the early ’50s, Barber joined Lonnie Donegan and formed The Chris Barber Band in 1954. The group combined dixieland with ragtime, swing, and R&B to produce a new style of music that became known as skiffle. The first skiffle hit was the band’s version of “Rock Island Line” in 1954, featuring Lonnie Donegan on banjo and vocals. The skiffle craze of the ’50s was influential in producing the British pop groups of the ’60s, such as The Beatles. In addition, Barber arranged the first UK tour of blues artists Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Muddy Waters. His organization of this tour put him in contact with Alexis Korner and John Mayall, and the end result was the popularity of blues exploding into the London club scene, starting the careers of Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), Eric Clapton, all members of The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds, Them (Van Morrison), and many more. Barber enjoyed a career in jazz for almost seventy years, and his big band was an international favorite from the ’60s until his retirement in 2019. Song selection: The Chris Barber Band (featuring Lonnie Donegan) “Rock Island Line”

Paul Jackson died on March 18, 2021. Jackson was a jazz fusion bassist who was a founding member of Herbie Hancock’s band The Headhunters. The band’s 1973 album Head Hunters was the first jazz album to sell over a million copies and is a classic of jazz fusion. Jackson co-wrote the album opener, “Chameleon,” which is now a jazz standard. Song selection: Herbie Hancock “Watermelon Man”

Mike Mitchell died on April 16, 2021. Mitchell was the co-founder and lead guitarist for The Kingsmen, one of the first garage rock bands and the band that recorded “Louie Louie.” For this reason, Mitchell is one of the most-listened-to guitarists in the history of rock and roll and will live forever. Song selection: The Kingsmen “Louie Louie”

Jim Steinman died on April 19, 2021. Steinman was a pop music composer and producer whose signature style of bombastic, over-the-top composition and production was responsible for the sale of millions of records in the ’70s and ’80s. He composed and produced Meat Loaf’s album Bat Out of Hell, which sold over fifteen million copies, as well as hit songs for Bonnie Tyler, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Air Supply, “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,” and dozens of other artists. Among all of the artists he produced, Meat Loaf is by far the most connected to Steinman. After Steinman’s death Meat Loaf provided a fantastic quote to describe his old friend – We didn’t know each other, we were each other. Song selection: Air Supply “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”

Christa Ludwig died on April 24, 2021. Ludwig was one of the most talented opera singers from 1946 to 1994. She performed all over the world, including hundreds of performances at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and the London Royal Opera House. Song selection: Christa Ludwig “Iphigenie in Aulis, Wq. 40, Leb Wohl! Lass dein Herz treu bewahren”

Milva died on April 24, 2021. Milva was an Italian singer, actress, and tv personality who was one of the most famous pop stars in Italy during the ’60s. She was famous throughout Europe for over fifty years, and during that time she worked with dozens of the most famous composers and producers in Europe. She was one of the most prolific recording artists of any genre, and was awarded the highest artistic honors possible by Italy, Germany, and France. She was the epitome of the term diva. Song selection: Milva “Tango Italiano”

Pervis Staples died on May 6, 2021. Staples was a member of the family group The Staple Singers. They began as a gospel group and by the late ’60s they were a crossover soul act who recorded hits such as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” Mavis Staples is now the only surviving member of this highly influential R&B act. Song selection: The Staple Singers “The Weight”

Gift of Gab died on June 18, 2021. Gift of Gab was the rapper for the group Blackalicious. The duo started out as an underground rap act in the early ’90s, but the hypersonic rapping of Gift of Gab was too great for the major labels to pass up. By the 21st century, they were a major label rap act and working with a variety of stars such as Gil Scott-Heron and Questlove. Most importantly, they placed a song in pop culture history with their 1997 classic “Alphabet Aerobics.” At first an underground hit, the song is now known by millions of people due to “Harry Potter” Daniel Radcliffe performing it on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Since then, it is customary for people to attempt to recite the song at real-time speed. Some succeed, but none do it with the grace and style of the original Gift of Gab. Song selection: Blackalicious “Chemical Calisthenics”

Byron Berline died on July 10, 2021. Berline was an award-winning fiddle player who recorded with dozens of artists and enjoyed a solo career for decades. Most famously, he is the fiddler on the Rolling Stones song “Country Honk.” Song selection: The Rolling Stones “Country Honk” (Stones drummer Charlie Watts also died in 2021 and is included in part one of this two-part Faux Show.)

Willie Winfield died on July 27, 2021. Winfield was lead vocalist for the doo-wop group The Harptones. Although they never had a Top 40 hit, the lead vocals of Winfield and arrangements of pianist Raoul Cita were influential on the sound of early doo-wop. They were all but forgotten when their song “Life Is But A Dream” was included on the Good Fellas soundtrack in 1990. The Harptones were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. Song selection: The Harptones “Life Is But A Dream”

Larry Harlow died on August 20, 2021. Harlow was an American salsa artist and is a member of the Latin Music Hall of Fame. He and Ray Barretto formed Larry Harlow’s Latin Legends of FANIA Band in the 21st century, and they used the band to educate young musicians about the Latin music of the 20th century. He was one of the first artists signed to the Fania label in the early ’70s. Song selection: Larry Harlow, Frankie Dante, and Orquestra Flamboyan “Presidente Dante”

Don Everly died on August 21, 2021. Everly was one half of the early rock and roll duo The Everly Brothers. They are rock and roll pioneers who fused country and R&B into a unique style. Their “close harmony” vocals were a major influence on The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, and their music influenced scores of ’60s artists. Don was also a legendary writer of guitar riffs, one of the most important and often overlooked talents for rock guitarists. It is impossible to quantify the influence of The Everly Brothers on every artist who came after them. If you’ve never listened to them then check out any of their hits collections – you will not be disappointed. Song selection: The Everly Brothers “All I Have To Do Is Dream”

Adalberto Álvarez died on September 1, 2021. Álvarez was a Cuban pianist, musical director, and composer who performed in the style called Son. Son is a form of music developed in Cuba and taught and performed by Álvarez for fifty years. His bands Son 14 and Adalberto Álvarez y su Son were both influential in creating music in this style. Song selection: Son 14 “Aqua que cae del cielo”

Mikis Theodorakis died on September 2, 2021. Theodorakis was a Greek composer with over one thousand song credits. He composed the scores for dozens of films, including Zorba The Greek and Serpico. He was a national treasure in the history of 20th century Greece. In addition to his musical legacy, his political legacy was arguably more important, and often the two collided. He composed “The Ballad of Mauthausen,” often called the most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust. His political views were to the far left, and his association with the Communist Party of Greece resulted in him being awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Russian government. He was a beloved politician who helped establish a coalition among conservatives, socialists, and leftists, worked in the fight against drugs and terrorism, and fought for progressive views on culture, education, and Greece/Turkey relations. He was the most famous musician in Greece up until his death. Song selection: Mikis Theodorakis “Suite Number One (From Electra)”

Bob Moore died on September 22, 2021. Moore was a session musician extraordinaire. He was a member of the Nashville A-Team, a group of musicians who perfected the “Nashville Sound” of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, and worked with every popular country artist during that period. He performed on over 17,000 recordings (!) for artists including Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Julie Andrews, Connie Francis, Quincy Jones, and hundreds more. Life magazine named him the Number One Country Bassist of All Time in 1994 and he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2007. Song selection: Patsy Cline “I Fall To Pieces”

Philip Margo died on November 13, 2021. Margo was a member of The Tokens. After most of the original members of the band, including a young Neil Sedaka, left the group, nineteen-year old Phil and his thirteen-year old brother Mitch joined. They recorded the most famous version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a Number One hit in 1961. After this success, the band created their own production company and produced songs for artists such as The Chiffons and Randy & The Rainbows. Song selection: The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

Vicente Fernández died on December 12, 2021. Fernández was The King of Ranchero Music and one of the most successful and popular artists in the history of Mexican music. Fernández won three Grammy Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards, and fourteen Lo Nuestro Awards. During his fifty-plus year career he recorded over fifty albums and thirty film scores and sold over 65 million records. He starred in many films for which he wrote the score and produced the film, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His political life was filled with controversy, spanning from conservative social views to a verbal attack against Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries. He was a legend. Song selection: Vicente Fernandez “El Rey”

Carlos Marín died on December 19, 2021. Marín began his career as a performer in musicals, and then co-founded the international vocal quartet Il Divo in 2003. Il Divo sold over twenty-eight millions records in their less than twenty-year career. Song selection: Il Divo “Aleluya”

Highlights from this week’s selections

If you read the Faux Show then you know how much I love session musicians. I am a fan of anyone who works behind the scenes to create the music we love, whether as a musician, songwriter, or producer. This show’s list includes many of these behind-the-scenes talents: Richie Albright, Byron Berline, Perry Botkin Jr., Louis Clark, Grady Gaines, Paul Jackson, Bob Moore, Sammy Nestico, Phil Spector, Jim Steinman, and Jim Weatherly. Never forget the little people who make stars of those who otherwise would never record a song worth listening to.

Artist of the Week: All of Them

Anyone who dies deserves to be Artist of the Week.

Thanks for listening (and reading)!

Track List

Track	Artist	Song Title
1	ELO	Eldorado Overture
2	Air Supply	Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
3	The Staple Singers	The Weight
4	Gerry & The Pacemakers	Ferry Cross The Mersey
5	The Rolling Stones	Country Honk
6	The Animals	Baby Let Me Take You Home
7	Waylon Jennings	Sally Was A Good Old Girl
8	Gene Summers	Alabama Shake
9	The Top Notes	Twist and Shout
10	Jimmie Rodgers	Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
11	Son 14	Aqua que cae del cielo
12	Johnny Pacheco (with Celia Cruz)	Quimbara
13	Larry Harlow, Frankie Dante, and Orquestra Flamboyan	Presidente Dante
14	Herbie Hancock	Watermelon Man
15	Jonas Gwangwa	Emaxhoseni
16	Count Basie & His Orchestra	Basie – Straight Ahead
17	Il Divo	Aleluya
18	Mikis Theodorakis	Suite Number One (From Electra)
19	Milva	Tango Italiano
20	Vicente Fernandez	El Rey
21	Christa Ludwig	Iphigenie in Aulis, Wq. 40, Leb Wohl! Lass dein Herz treu bewahren
22	Incredible Bongo Band	Apache
23	Fat Boys	Fat Boys Are Back
24	Blackalicious	Chemical Calisthenics
25	Little Richard	Ooh My Soul
26	The Harptones	Life Is But A Dream
27	The Everly Brothers	All I Have To Do Is Dream
28	Patsy Cline	I Fall To Pieces
29	The Tokens	The Lion Sleeps Tonight
30	The Chris Barber Band (featuring Lonnie Donegan)	Rock Island Line
31	The Kingsmen	Louie Louie
32	The Supremes	Run, Run, Run
33	James and Bobby Purify	I’m Your Puppet
34	Nolan Porter	Keep On Keepin’ On
35	Gladys Knight & The Pips	Midnight Train to Georgia

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