R.I.P. 2017

Hello, and best wishes for the New Year. Last December was the laziest I've ever been in terms of blogging, only 3 posts. It had to do with moving house, lack of access to my listening equipment and limited time on the laptop. I'll bounce back soon, I promise. For a start, a sobering subject after the festive days: A list of musicians that passed away last year. Some of them, like Chuck Berry & Fats Domino, had already passed to legend after having lived a long and full life. Others were still relatively young (I've marked the ages of those who died before turning 60). Especially poignant this year, the suicides of two friends and iconic hard rockers of the 90's and 00's, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington. Also, one which I almost missed: the passing of Dead Moon's Fred Cole went unreported on mainstream media end-of-the-year absence lists, and was barely mentioned on Mojo's "they also served" section of obituaries. He was an underground legend and a real rock'n'roll idol of mine, and I'll be sure to write a review/tribute on him in this blog when I can. It't be nice to do the same for each of the deceased, but alas there's too many of them. Let's at least take time to read their names and bid them a mental farewell: 

Thank you for the music,

Chuck Berry (Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer)
Fats Domino (R&B/Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer)
Tom Petty (Singer, also member of Traveling Wilburys)

Gregg Allman (Singer/Organist Allman Brothers)

Chris Cornell 52 (Singer, Soundgarden/Audioslave)

Chester Bennington 41 (Singer, Linkin Park)
Walter Becker (Bassist/Guitarist, Steely Dan)

Grant Hart 56 (Drummer/singer,Hüsker Dü)

J. Geils (Guitarist, J. Geils Band)

Malcolm Young (Guitarist, AC/DC)
George Young (Easybeats guitarist, AC/DC mentor/producer)

Johnny Hallyday (The ultimate French rock star)

John Wetton (Bassist, Asia/King Crimson/Roxy Music/Uriah Heep)
James Cotton (Chicago Blues Singer/harmonica player)
Chuck Mosley 57 (Singer, Faith No More/Bad Brains)

Jaki Liebezeit (Drummer for Kraut rockers Can)
Holger Czukay (Bass/Guitar, Can)
Al Jarreau (Soul Singer)

Charles Bradley (Soul Singer)

Lonnie Brooks (Blues Guitarist)

Pat DiNizio (Singer, The Smithereens)

Banner Thomas (Bassist, Molly Hatchet)
Dave Hlubek (Guitarist, Molly Hatchet)
Joni Sledge (Singer, disco act Sister Sledge)

Martin Eric Ain 50 (Bassist, metal band Celtic Frost)
Pentti Glan (Drummer, Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Gordon Downie 53 (Singer, Tragically Hip)

Glen Campbell (Country singer/guitarist)

Geoff Nicholls (Keyboards, Black Sabbath)
David Axelrod (Composer/arranger, Jazz/Soul/Psych)
Fred Cole (Singer/guitarist, Dead Moon/Lollipop Shoppe)
Larry Coryell (Jazz guitarist)

Butch Trucks (Drummer, Allman Brothers)

Maggie Roche (Singer, The Roches)

Mike Kellie (Drummer, Spooky Tooth/The Only Ones)

Don Williams (Country singer)

Sib Hashia (Drummer, AOR hitmakers Boston)
Rick Stevens (Singer, Tower of Power)

Pete Overend Watts (Bassist, Mott the Hoople)

Tommy Allsup (Guitarist for Buddy Holly & other acts)

David Peel (Folk singer, hippie activist)

Dave Rosser 50 (Guitarist, Afghan Whigs)
Scott Putesky aka Daisy Berkowitz 49 (Guitarist, Marilyn Manson)

Melissa Bell (Singer, Soul II Soul)
Goldy McJohn (Organist, Steppenwolf)
Steve Lang (Bassist, April Wine)
Deke Leonard (Guitar/Keyboards, Man)
Robert Dahlqvist 40 (Guitarist, The Hellacopters)
Larry Steinbachek 56 (80's pop band Bronski Beat)
Allan Holdsworth (Jazz/prog guitarist, Soft Machine/U.K.)
Earl "Wire" Lindo (keyboards, Bob Marley's Wailers)
Gil Ray (80's New Wave band Game Theory)
Toby Smith 46 (Keyboards, Jamiroquai)
Bobby Freeman (60's R&B singer)
Kevin Garcia 41 (Bassist, Grandaddy)
Dikmik (Electronics/Synths, Hawkwind)
Sonny Geraci (Singer, US 60's group The Outsiders)
"Skip" Prokop (Canadian rocker, Paupers/Lighthouse)
Robert Fisher 59 (Willard Grant Conspiracy)
Lionel Augustus "Saxa" Martin (Sax, The Beat)
Keni Richards (Drummer, 80's "hair metal" band Autograph)
David Cassidy (Actor/singer, Partridge Family)
Robert Lee "Pops" Popwell (Bassist, The Young Rascals/Crusaders)
Jimmy Copley (Drummer, Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
Iain Shedden (Drummer, Aussie punks The Saints)
John Lever (Drummer, The Chameleons UK)
Wayne Cochran (60's R&B singer)
Franz Jarnach (German rockers The Rattles)
Jimmy Nalls (Guitarist, Sea Level)
Joey Alves (Guitarist, Y&T)