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I was thinking about “MAGA”—Make America Great Again. There’s a lot in those four little words. “Make”—to compel, to force. “America”—the nation being compelled. “Great”—worthy, estimable. “Again”—repeating the past. Force the nation to be worthy again by repeating the past. It’s why Kamala Harris’s “We’re Not Going Back” is such a perfect response in frame and tone.
Whenever I hear “Make America Great Again” I always think, “when was America great before?” 2014, before gays could marry? 1973, when women couldn’t get credit cards or checking accounts? 1966, before interracial marriage was legal? I know some celebrity recently (Brian Cranston?) had some video up in a similar vein. Just keep going back as you push that Price is Right range finder on the timeline of civil rights progress.
I worship the late George Carlin and can only imagine the bump-stocked rapid fire monologue he’d deliver on the riff “when was America great before?” So, to fulfill my imagination, I built a table to be able to generate an appropriate Carlinesque response, cataloguing advances in racial, gender, LGBT, Native, disability, and Labor equity chronologically, to generate an aggregate response to any given year a MAGA might select. You just pin them down to a year and read the column on the right until you reach their year. Example follows…
“I see your hat says Make America Great Again. Can you tell me when was America great before?The fifties, you say? Like, what, 1950? Okay, so, America was great back in 1950 when gay marriage was illegal; women couldn’t serve in combat; gays couldn’t openly serve in the military; it was easier for businesses to illegally underpay women; gender/orientation/disability attacks were punished less; gay sex was illegal; states could ban protections for gays; rape and sexual assault got less law enforcement; businesses ignored parents of newborns; the military asked recruits and rejected them if they are gay; public accommodations ignored disabled people; businesses could discriminate against pregnant women; women couldn’t get bank accounts or credit cards; women couldn’t get abortions (oh, wait, scratch that one); homosexuality was deemed a mental illness; schools could discriminate against women athletes; race/religion/ethnicity attacks were punished less; businesses could discriminate by gender in job ads; businesses could discriminate against older workers; interracial marriage was illegal; racially discriminatory voting practices were legal; public accommodations were racially segregated; businesses could pay women less; buses, trains, and planes were segregated; government workers couldn’t unionize; women didn’t have birth control pills; gay (not indecent) media was banned from the mail; schools were racially segregated; and gays were officially banned from government jobs? Is that really when America was great for everybody or just for straight white businessmen. Straight white businessmen.”
Man, I miss George Carlin.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, June 14th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week, our headliner is someone you’ve never heard of who wrote hits you’ve definitely heard of, Mark James. We’ll take you to the Amphitheater for some experimental music from India and Germany. We’ve got some Texas pop-punk and California stoner rock in the Mosh Pit. We dedicate a new stage for Opera, featuring tenors from Peru and Czech Republic. We’ll open up the Country Bunker for some traditional Irish fiddle. We’ve got traditional French chant and French torch song in Le Cabaret. We’ll close up shop this week at the Festival Stage in Brazil.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[07 Jun 2024] Rose-Marie, 68, Northern Irish singer and television personality.Rose-Marie Kane passed away on June 7th. She was a beloved television personality in Northern Ireland who released nineteen albums in the UK. She was once judged the Most Popular Singer at the International Music Awards and had numerous sellout concerts at the London Palladium. Here is Rose-Marie singing “The Answer to Everything.”
Rose-Marie – The Answer to EverythingHeadliner:[08 Jun 2024] Mark James, 83, American songwriter (“Hooked on a Feeling“, “Suspicious Minds“, “Always on My Mind“).This week’s headliner joined the great beyond on June 8th. Mark James began performing his songs in the late 50s but was drafted to serve in Vietnam in 1963. When he returned, he moved to Memphis and worked as a staff songwriter for a company that produced records for his friend, B.J. Thomas, who took this song written by James to #5 in 1969. Five years later, James’ song hit #1 when Blue Swede added a distinctive introduction.
Blue Swede – Hooked on a FeelingAmphitheater:[11 Jun 2024] Rajeev Taranath, 91, Indian classical musician.We open the Amphitheater with an Indian musician who trained as a child, went on to earn his Ph.D. in Literature, then leave his academic career to return to music. Rajeev Taranath, who left us on June 11th, played the sarod and learned under some of India’s best musicians, including Ravi Shankar. Here he is a bit of an experimental composition entitled “Moon Rise (Earth mix)”.
Rajeev Taranath – Moon Rise (Earth mix)[07 Jun 2024] Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, 90, German composer.Next, we have German composer Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, who joined the hereafter on June 7th. Stiebler was an experimental composer dedicated to minimalism and repetition. This is a piece for piano performed with Peter Roggenkamp called “Labile Aktion.”
Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, Peter Roggenkamp – Labile AktionMosh Pit:[11 Jun 2024] Adam Lewis, 45, American bassist (Fenix TX), pancreatic cancer.Adam Lewis was the bassist for the Houston pop punk band that was originally called Riverfenix (with an f) until a cease and desist order from the estate of actor River Phoenix convinced them to change the name to Fenix TX (with an f). The band performed from 1995 to 2002 and in various incarnations since then except between 2010 and 2012. Lewis died from pancreatic cancer at age 45 on June 11th. Here is Fenix TX with a song about another actor, “Phoebe Cates.”
Fenix TX – Phoebe Cates[05 Jun 2024] Ranch Sironi, 32, American bassist (Nebula).Our youngest performer on the Reaper’s Rotation this week is another bassist, this time from the Los Angeles stoner rock group Nebula. Ranch Sironi joined the band late; they formed in 1997 and he didn’t join until 2019. Sironi died on June 5th at only 32 years old; he was just five when Nebula formed. Here he is performing on the track “Man’s Best Friend.”
Nebula – Man’s Best FriendOpera:[27 May 2024] Francesco Petrozzi, 62, Peruvian lyric tenor and politician, MP (2016–2019).Welcome to our newest stage, where we’ve gathered all the Opera singers from the Amphitheater. We begin with Francesco Petrozzi, a Peruvian lyric tenor who passed away on May 27th. Petruzzi was also a politician, serving as a member of Congress from 2016 to 2019 and as the minister of culture in Peru in 2019. Here he is among a large cast performing “Arie di stile antico, Vol. 1, No. 5, Amor s’apprende.”
Francesco Petrozzi et al – Arie di stile antico, Vol. 1, No. 5, Amor s’apprende[20 Apr 2024] Miroslav Švejda [cs], 84, Czech operatic tenor, Thalia Award for Lifetime Achievement in Opera recipient.Next, we head to the Czech Republic to meet Miroslav Švejda, a Thalia Award for Lifetime Achievement in Opera recipient, who joined the choir invisible on April 20th. Here he is performing “Les Noces, Part I, Scene 3: The Bride’s Departure [Stravinsky].”
Miroslav Švejda – Les Noces, Part I, Scene 3: The Bride’s Departure [Stravinsky]Country Bunker:[08 Jun 2024] Mark James, 83, American songwriter (“Hooked on a Feeling“, “Suspicious Minds“, “Always on My Mind“).Let’s welcome our Headliner, Mark James, to the Country Bunker, to recognize his two Grammy Awards for writing this next song. It has been recorded over 300 times, first by country singers Brenda Lee and Gwen McCrae, who had competing versions out in 1972. Elvis Presley took it to #16 on the country charts later that year. Oddly, the highest charting version was a new wave cover that went to #4 on the Hot 100 in 1987 by the Pet Shop Boys. But it was this version in 1982 by Willie Nelson that won Mark James his Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Country Song. This is “Always on My Mind.”
Willie Nelson – Always on My Mind[08 Jun 2024] Charlie Lennon, 85, Irish traditional fiddler and composer.Off to Ireland now for some traditional fiddle music performed by a nuclear physicist. Charlie Lennon grew up playing fiddle and piano in teenage bands before he earned his degree at the University of Liverpool. His five decade career has earned him numerous awards for the arts in Ireland. Here he is performing with Frankie Gavin and Paul Brock on “Cooley’s / The Wise Maid.”
Frankie Gavin, Paul Brock, Charlie Lennon – Cooley’s / The Wise MaidLe Cabaret:[11 Jun 2024] Marcel Guilloux, 93, French singer and storyteller.We have a very particular form of French folk for you today in Le Cabaret. Marcel Guilloux hailed from the Brittany region and spoke Breton, the only surviving Celtic language in use on the European mainland. Guilloux, our oldest performer who died at age 93 on June 11th, was a pivotal player in the revival of the traditional Breton music and dance post World War II. Here he is with Jean-Francios Quemener and Anne Auffret singing “Mab er brigant, Le fils du brigand.”
Jean-Francios Quemener, Anne Auffret, Marcel Guilloux – Mab er brigant, Le fils du brigand[11 Jun 2024] Françoise Hardy, 80, French singer-songwriter (“Tous les garçons et les filles“, “All Over the World“) and actress (Grand Prix), laryngeal cancer.One of France’s most beloved singer-songwriter-actors has departed on June 11th. Françoise Hardy was a French pop icon who recorded over 30 albums and appeared in a dozen French movies and a cameo appearance in 1965’s “What’s New Pussycat?” Later, she had a successful career as a professional astrologer and an author of fiction and non-fiction works. Here she is singing “Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles,” or “All the Boys and Girls.”
Françoise Hardy – Tous Les Garçons Et Les FillesFestival Stage:[13 Jun 2024] Nahim [pt], 71, Brazilian singer, fall.This week we have two Brazilians on the Festival Stage who left us on the same day, June 13th. First up, Nahim, the mononymous singer and guitarist who rose to musical fame in the 1980s and then later television fame in the 2000s as a reality show judge. This is one of Nahim’s first hits from 1981, entitled “Dá Coração”.
Nahim – Dá Coração[13 Jun 2024] Skowa, 68, Brazilian singer-songwriter (Trio Mocotó), cardiac arrest.The other Brazilian reaching the Festival Stage on June 13th is the monomyous singer-songwriter Skowa. He began his career in 1975 playing rock, joined a new wave band in the 80s, formed a soul band for the 90s, then joined the samba rock group Trio Mocotó in 2003, with which he performed until his death. This is Trio Mocotó with “Águas De Março.”
Trio Mocotó – Águas De MarçoEncore:[08 Jun 2024] Mark James, 83, American songwriter (“Hooked on a Feeling“, “Suspicious Minds“, “Always on My Mind“).Mark James returns to the stage as a songwriter whose work was often recorded by the King of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley. We mentioned earlier “Always on My Mind”, and Elvis also recorded “Raised on Rock”, “It’s Only Love”, and “Moody Blue”, the title track to Elvis’s last album. But it was in 1968 as Elvis was looking for a hit single to propel his comeback that Mark James landed this #1 smash, “Suspicious Minds”.
Elvis Presley – Suspicious MindsClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, June 14th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, June 7th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
The Grim Reaper is taking us all over the planet this week—especially Sweden—for an hour featuring our headliner, one of Frank Zappa’s incredible percussionists, Ed Mann. We’ve got pop-rock from Holland, Serbia, and Britain. We’ve got a rap pioneer from Miami along with a young rapper from Sweden. We’ll bring you Festival music from Uruguay and Brazil. We’ll go fully International with artists from Indonesia and Malaysia. We’ll head to the Amphitheater for a pair of pianists from Poland and Japan by way of Sweden, then wind things up in the Jazz Cellar once again in Sweden and then New Zealand.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[01 Jun 2024] Harry van Hoof, 81, Dutch conductor (“Ding-a-dong“, “I See a Star“), composer (“How Do You Do“) and music arranger.Dutch composer Harry van Hoof was born in 1943 while the Nazis occupied The Netherlands and died on June 1st under Dutch democracy. He was the conductor for the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest fifteen times between 1972 and 1994. But Harry van Hoof made his indelible mark on pop music history in 1971 as the composer of this #1 smash in Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, and New Zealand that also went to #2 in Canada and #8 in the U.S., “How Do You Do” by Holland’s Mouth and MacNeal.
Mouth & MacNeal – How Do You DoHeadliner:[31 May 2024] Ed Mann, 69, American drummer and keyboardist (Frank Zappa).One of the greatest mallet percussionists in all of rock music has died on May 31st. Ed Mann was summoned by the late great Frank Zappa to join his ensemble in 1977, and remained with the group through 1988, appearing on 30 live and studio albums, including Sheikh Yerbouti, Joe’s Garage, and Jazz from Hell. Mann also had an extensive solo career and worked with other groups. Here is Ed Mann, rockin’ the glockenspiel on Frank Zappa’s “Dancin’ Fool.”
Frank Zappa – Dancin’ FoolMain Stage:[22 May 2024] Toni Montano, 62, Serbian rock musician.Serbian rock musician Tonny Montano, who died on May 22nd, began his career under his real name, Velibor Miljković, with the punk rock band Radost Evrope. In 1986, he assumed his Scarface-inspired stage name and merged punk with the emerging rockabilly sound popularized by bands like The Stray Cats. He continued recording through the 80s and 90s. Here is Tonny Montano with “10 Godina.”
Tonny Montano – 10 Godina[02 Jun 2024] Colin Gibb, 70, British musician (Black Lace).We lost British musician Colin Gibb on June 2nd. Gibb joined the band Black Lace in 1976, which went on to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 7th with a song called “Mary Ann.” It was in 1984 when Gibb and the band achieved their greatest success with this novelty song that shot all the way to #2 on the UK charts then but has now reached the top of many critics’ lists of most annoying songs. Judge for yourself, this is “Agadoo.”
Black Lace – AgadooStreets:[03 Jun 2024] Brother Marquis, 58, American rapper (2 Live Crew), heart attack.This week we pour one out for Brother Marquis, who along with Mr. Mixx, Fresh Kid Ice, and Luke Skyywalker comprised the groundbreaking Miami booty bass rap group, 2 Live Crew. Marquis was an LA battle-rap legend when Mixx brought him into the group just prior to their explosion onto the rap scene and into the courthouse when their nasty-as-they-wanna-be lyrics brought First Amendment controversy. Here’s the cleanest track I give you from Brother Marquis, who departed on June 3rd, this is “Me So Horny.”
2 Live Crew – Me So Horny (clean)[04 Jun 2024] C.Gambino, 26, Swedish rapper, shot.America has actor Donald Glover, who also raps under the name Childish Gambino. Sweden had a rapper who went by C.Gambino, who was unfortunately shot to death on June 4th at just 26 years old, our youngest performer this week. Gambino had only been recording since 2019 and already landed a #1 and #2 Swedish album, a #1 Swedish EP, and numerous Swedish top 40 singles, including this #2 hit, “G63.”
C.Gambino – G63Festival Stage:[21 May 2024] Carlos Paravís, 56, Uruguayan physician and folk singer, esophageal cancer.Carlos Ernesto Paravís Martínez was a physician in Uruguay who had also dedicated his life to the preservation of Uruguayan folk music, a devotion he inherited from his father. He passed away from esophageal cancer on May 21st. Here is Carlos Paravís performing “Al Tubiano Ni Tocarlo.”
Carlos Paravís – Al Tubiano Ni Tocarlo[09 May 2024] Andrés Vega Delfín [es], 93, Mexican folk guitarist.Now we move north to Mexico, where traditional folk musician Andrés Vega Delfín has departed on May 9th. He is considered one of the most influential musicians of his genre, such that his home Mexican state of Veracruz has created the annual Andrés Vega Delfín Award to recognize excellence in traditional music of the region. Here is some of that music, entitled “El Zapateado.”
Andrés Vega Delfín – El ZapateadoInternational Stage:[10 May 2024] Jhonny Iskandar [id], 64, Indonesian singer.Jhonny Iskandar was a popular singer in Indonesia in the 1980s and 90s, both as a solo artist and as the leader of a popular novelty act whose name translates as “the Moral Orchestra for the Introduction to Drinking Poison.” Here is one of his biggest hits, “Bukan Pengemis Cinta,” or “Not a Beggar of Love.”
Jhonny Iskandar – Bukan Pengemis Cinta[03 Apr 2024] Jaafar Onn [ms], 72, Malaysian actor, singer and television presenter.Now to Malaysia, where we meet Jafaar Onn in the hereafter on April 3rd. Onn began his career as a television chef in 1972. In the 80s, he branched out into acting and by the 1990s, he was recording as a singer. He continued his career, singing and acting in movies and TV until his sudden heart attack this Spring. Here is Jaafar Onn singing “Pungguk Rindukan Bulan,” or “Missing the Moon.”
Jafaar Onn – Pungguk Rindukan BulanAmphitheater:[27 May 2024] Stefan Wojtas [pl], 80, Polish pianist.In the Amphitheater of the Afterlife on May 27th we welcomed Poland’s Stefan Wojtas, a classical pianist who overcame crippling anxiety to win numerous competitions, teach and judge piano prodigies, and win several national medals in the arts. Here he is performing “Chopin’s Mazurka No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 50, No. 2.”
Stefan Wojtas – Chopin’s Mazurka No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 50, No. 2[21 Apr 2024] Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming, 92, Swedish classical pianist.On April 21st the Amphitheater welcomed Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming, born in Berlin as the daughter of a Japanese mother and a Swedish father. She was raised in Japan as a piano prodigy, performing her first concert at seventeen. International tours, recordings, and accolades came her way. Then, at the height of her career, a fever claimed her hearing. She was totally deaf for two years and only regained 40% of her hearing in one ear after lengthy medical procedures. I’d tell you the name of this piece, but I cannot read Japanese characters.
Robert Schumann, Fujiko HemmingJazz Cellar:[18 May 2024] Palle Danielsson, 77, Swedish jazz double bassist.Off to Sweden again, where double bassist Palle Danielsson joins us in the Jazz Cellar. A prolific artist, Danielsson shared the stage with many notable jazz acts, including five years in the mid-70s as a member of the Keith Jarrett Quartet. Here he is from his work in the 90s with Peter Erskine and John Taylor, performing “Touch Her Soft Lips and Part.”
Peter Erskine, Palle Danielsson, John Taylor – Touch Her Soft Lips and Part[27 May 2024] Rodger Fox, 71, New Zealand jazz trombonist, educator (Massey University) and bandleader.Rodger Fox was the son of big band musicians and a huge fan of Woody Herman’s music who went on to become one of the greatest proponents and educators of New Zealand’s jazz scene. He formed the Rodger Fox Big Band that became the first kiwi act to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival and imported numerous American jazz musicians to perform with his band in New Zealand. Here he is leading the New Zealand School of Music Band in “Deed I Do.”
The New Zealand School of Music Band – Deed I DoClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, June 7th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 31st, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
Thanks for joining us for this week’s Reaper’s Rotation, featuring our headliner, the man whose song gave us one of the longest drum solos in rock history, Doug Ingle. We’ve got one half of the songwriting duo who penned beloved movie songs from the 1960s and two men who were pioneers in American punk and Brazilian rock, respectively. We’ll jet set to Italy to visit Locale Musicale, then to the Country Bunker with artists from Canada and Ireland. In the House of Blues, you’ll meet two Americans who were each a part of longtime collaborations, then to our newest stage, Samförstånd, for the unexpected arrival of a formerly married Finnish couple. We’ll conclude at Utendaji for some music from Senegal and Algeria.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[25 May 2024] Richard M. Sherman, 95, American film songwriter (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Oscar winner (1965).Opening the show today is one-half of a pair of brothers who were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Richard M. Sherman, who died on May 25th and is our oldest performer this week at age 95, is joining his brother Robert, who passed a dozen years ago. Together, they wrote music that appeared in The Parent Trap, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Aristocats, Snoopy, Come Home, Charlotte’s Web, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and more. But their best known composition is one that’s considered the most publicly-performed song in the world, “It’s a Small World.”
The Disneyland Children’s Chorus – It’s a Small WorldHeadliner:[24 May 2024] Doug Ingle, 78, American musician (Iron Butterfly) and songwriter (“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida“).The last surviving original member of the psychedelic late-60s rock band Iron Butterfly has gone. Doug Ingle, who left us on May 24th, was the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and organist of the group that formed in San Diego in 1966. It was the title track for their sophomore album in 1968 that shot them to the top 40, a song Ingle wrote while drunk on a gallon of wine. Ingle was so drunk that when he sang the song for drummer to write down the lyrics, “In the Garden of Eden” was slurred to become forever known as “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”
Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (single version)Main Stage:[30 May 2024] Doug Dagger, 56, American punk rock singer (The Generators).On May 30th, Doug Dagger, lead singer for the Los Angeles punk band The Generators, joined us in the great beyond. Formed in 1997, the band performed and recorded through 2019 with some changes in the lineup backing Dagger. In 2022, the original lineup reunited and played together for the next two years, until Dagger’s battle with cancer forced him to the sidelines. Here are The Generators with “Somewhere in the Rain.”
The Generators – Somewhere in the Rain[28 May 2024] Gustavo Mullem, 72, Brazilian guitarist (Camisa de Vênus, Raul Seixas), complications from lung cancer.Our next artists started as the founding drummer for one of Brazil’s biggest rock bands, then later switched to lead guitar. Gustavo Mullem, who departed on May 28th, formed his band in 1982 and named it Camisa de Vênus, after a Portuguese slang for condom. The band was quite risqué for Brazil in the 80s, touching on sensitive topics, such as this track, “Eu Não Matei Joana d’Arc,” or “I Didn’t Kill Joan of Arc,” which alludes to free love and lesbianism.
Camisa de Vênus – Eu Não Matei Joana d’ArcLocale Musicale:[27 May 2024] Ghigo Agosti, 87, Italian singer-songwriter.Setting the stage at Locale Musicale this week is Ghigo Agosti, and Italian singer-songwriter who passed away on May 27th. Agosti was active from the 50s to the 90s, known for his Italian covers of James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave, Procol Harum, Wilson Pickett, and Ray Charles. Here we feature Agosti with an original tune from 1960 about a ladybug, or in Italian, “Coccinella.”
Ghigo Agosti – Coccinella[13 May 2024] Enrico Musiani [it], 86, Italian singer.One of Agosti’s contemporaries also graces Locale Musicale this week. Just one year younger, Enrico Musiani passed away on May 13th. His discography is huge, with over 1,500 recorded songs. This is “Sarà Perché Ti Amo,” or “It must be because I love you.”
Enrico Musiani – Sarà Perché Ti AmoCountry Bunker:[29 May 2024] Cayouche, 75, Canadian singer-songwriter, cancer.Country music has spread worldwide, and nobody exemplifies that better than Canadian singer-songwriter Cayouche, who expired on May 29th. Cayouche is credited with creating Acadian French country music, a dialect of French spoken by one particular Atlantic maritime region northeast of New Brunswick. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and backpacker, and still the only Acadian French country star to sell over 100,000 records. Here’s one of his most popular ballads, “La châine de mon tracteur,” of “the chain of my tractor.”
Cayouche – La châine de mon tracteur[04 May 2024] Ron Kavana, 73, Irish singer-songwriter.Now to Ireland, where our next artists could be at home on many different stages and genres. Ron Kavana joined the hereafter on May 4th, following a career that began in the R&B band The Wizards, evolved through touring with blues acts like Frogman Henry, Dr. John, Gatemouth Brown, and Memphis Slim, and culminated in work with Elvis Costello, The Pogues, and Shane MacGowan. Here he is performing a cover of the Harry Belafonte classic, “Man Smart, Woman Smarter.”
Ron Kavana – Man Smart, Woman SmarterHouse of Blues:[18 May 2024] John Koerner, 85, American songwriter and guitarist (Koerner, Ray & Glover), bile duct cancer.Our next artist was the last surviving member of a folk blues trio that David Bowie said “showed how [folk vocalizations] should be done. John “Spider” Koerner died on May 18th and was one-third of Koerner, Ray & Glover, whose first album John Lennon called one of his favorites. Koerner was the first musician Bob Dylan met in Minneapolis and became a huge influence of his. Here’s Koerner, Ray & Glover singing “Linin’ Track.”
Koerner, Ray & Glover – Linin’ Track[07 May 2024] Phil Wiggins, 69, American blues musician (Cephas & Wiggins), cancer.Next, we have harmonica player Phil Wiggins, who was part of an acoustic blues duo with guitarist John Cephas that performed internationally in the 90s under the sponsorship of the US State Department. Both members of Cephas & Wiggins were honored by the National Endowment for the Arts for their contributions to folk and blues music. Cephas, 24 years Wiggins’ senior, passed in 2009, and Wiggins died on May 7th. Here they are performing “No Ice in my Bourbon.”
Cephas & Wiggins – No Ice In My BourbonSamförstånd:[25 Apr 2024] Kaisa Korhonen, 82, Finnish theatre director, actress, and singer.Our newest stage to inaugurate this week is Samförstånd, from the Swedish word for “concert.” It’s a double-shot from Finland for our Scandinavian stage, with Kaisa Korhonen joining us on April 25th. She was a theater actor, director, and singer whose career spanned five decades. She was a symbol of leftist politics in the 60s and 70s, earning her praise from some and condemnation from others. Here she is singing “Uralin pihlaja,” or “Rowan of the Urals.”
Kaisa Korhonen – Uralin pihlaja[20 Apr 2024] Kaj Chydenius, 84, Finnish musician and composer.I think this may be the first time on the program we’ve had former spouses share the stage. Finland’s Kaj Chydenius was a musician and composer who died on April 20th, just five days before his ex-wife Kaisa Korhonen. Together they formed KOM-teatteri, or “Commie Theater,” which was the center for the Finnish left-wing musical production in the 1970s. Here he is with the track “Ole Rohkea, Sydän,” or “Be Brave, Heart.”
Kaj Chydenius – Ole Rohkea, SydänUtendaji:[29 May 2024] Mansour Seck, 69, Senegalese singer and musician.Back to Africa for the second week in a row. This time to the West African country of Senegal, where the blind singer and musician Mansour Seck has gone beyond on May 29th, leaving behind his lifelong friend and musical collaborator, Baaba Maal. The two of them performed together from 1982 until this year. Here they are performing “Salminanam.”
Baaba Maal, Mansour Sack – Salminanam[01 May 2024] Hasna El-Bacharia, 74, Algerian musician.Now to Algeria in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where singer and musician Hasna El-Bacharia expired on May 1st. She was born in 1950 and had a career spanning three decades, performing on the electric guitar, lute, banjo, and sinter. Here she is with her rendition of “Koul chi al Oualadine” or “Say something to Al-Din.”
Hasna El-Bacharia – Koul chi al OualadineEncore:It seems almost sacrilegious to salute Doug Ingle, the composer of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” with the short radio edit of the song, so now, here’s as much of the long version as I can fit into the end of the show.
Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 31st, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
The post RIP 2024-05-31 Doug Ingle; Richard M. Sherman; Cayouche appeared first on RadicalRuss.com.
Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 24th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week, The Reaper has claimed a couple of names you don’t know from a couple of bands you do know, one of whom is our headliner, drummer Charlie Colin from the band Train. Our Main Stage features an Australian crooner and an American Idol vocal coach, and our Festival Stage features artists from Brazil and Peru. We visit the French-speaking countries of Belgium and Canada in Le Cabaret, then we introduce our two newest stages, featuring music from Eastern Europe in Solidarność, and music from Africa in Utendaji.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[18 May 2024] Jon Wysocki, 53, American rock drummer (Staind).On May 18th, we lost one of the four founding members of the Massachusetts hard rock band Staind, drummer Jon Wysocki. From 1995 to his departure in 2011, Wysocki recorded on the band’s first seven studio albums. The band hit their stride in 2001 with the album Break the Cycle, which featured their #5 Billboard Hot 100 hit, “It’s Been Awhile.”
Staind – It’s Been Awhile (radio edit)Headliner:[22 May 2024] Charlie Colin, 58, American bassist and guitarist (Train, The Side Deal), fall.Our headliner this week comes to us from the San Francisco band Train. Charlie Colin, the bassist who died on May 22nd from a fall in the shower, was a founding member of the band in 1994. It was in 1999 that they released their first eponymous album, and their first single to make the Billboard Hot 100, this #20 hit from 2001 called “Meet Virginia.”
Train – Meet VirginiaMain Stage:[18 May 2024] Frank Ifield, 86, Australian singer (“I Remember You“, “Lovesick Blues“, “The Wayward Wind“).One of Australia’s most beloved country artists was passed on May 18th. Frank Ifield began teaching himself guitar in 1949 to the music of Hank Snow. He was a famous child artist Down Under in the 50s before moving to the UK in the 60s, where he had four #1 singles on the UK charts between 1962 and 63. Here’s the one that also went #1 in Australia and #5 in the USA, a cover of the 1941 Jimmy Dorsey tune, “I Remember You.”
Frank Ifield – I Remember You[19 May 2024] Peggi Blu, 77, American singer and vocal coach.Before there was American Idol, there was Star Search, and our next artist had a part in both. Peggi Blu, who died on May 19th, was the 1986 Female Vocalist Champion of Star Search. She went on to do session vocals on recordings for Stephanie Mills, The Weather Girls, Bob Dylan, Brian Setzer, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Tracy Chapman, Kylie Minogue, Laura Branigan, Melissa Manchester, and Young MC—quite the eclectic list. That variety led to her being a longtime vocal coach on American Idol. Here’s a track she recorded in 2010 with the duo Cool Million called “When We Loved.”
Peggi Blu & Cool Million – When We LovedFestival Stage:[17 May 2024] Missinho, 64, Brazilian singer (Chiclete com Banana), multiple organ failure.Off to Brazil we go where Missinho, singer for the popular band Chiclete com Banana, has departed on May 17th. The band is named after a popular song, which means “chewing gum with banana.” They’ve recorded over two dozen albums from 1983 to 2005 and are one of the fixtures of the Carnival parade in Bahia, with hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered around their sound truck. Here you can hear them performing live the song “100% Vocé.”
Chiclete com Banana – 100% Vocé[03 Apr 2024] Muñequita Milly, 23, Peruvian folk singer, complications from surgery.Our youngest performer this week joins us from Peru. Muñequita Milly was born in late 2000 and by age five was already performing in local talent shows. By age 12 she began recording albums, producing 14 of them by the time of her death at the age of 23, brought about, sadly, by complications following liposuction surgery. Here is Muñequita Milly performing “Curvecita Mia.”
Muñequita Milly – Curvecita MiaLe Cabaret:[14 May 2024] Mélanie Renaud [fr], 42, Canadian singer, ovarian cancer.Bon jour, it’s time again to visit the French speaking countries in Le Cabaret. First up, we head to Quebec, Canada, where Mélanie Renaud has met her maker on May 14th. Born in Haiti, at age 8 she was adopted by her parents in Quebec. She hit it big with this next track that won the Felix Prize, from the album Ma Liberté, which won French speaking album of the year in Canada for 2002, this is “J’m’en veux” or “I Blame Myself.”
Mélanie Renaud – J’m’en veux[06 May 2024] Christiane Stefanski, 74, Belgian singer.Now to Belgium, where francophone singer Christiane Stefanki takes the stage. Born of Polish parents in 1949, Stefanski sang with folk groups in the 1970s before pursuing her own music direction in the 1980s. She recorded her final album in 2008. Here she is singing “Chanson d’amours” or “Love Song.”
Christine Stefanski – Chanson d’amoursSolidarność:[22 Apr 2024] Dušan Grúň [sk], 81, Slovak singer, pneumonia.Solidarność, Polish for Solidarity, is the name of our new stage featuring the music of Eastern Europe. We christen the stage with one of Slovakia’s best-known singers, Dušan Grúň, who left this plane on April 22nd. Grúň only recorded 3 albums but packed 53 songs onto them. His radio performances greatly outnumbered his recordings, having performed for six decades. Here he is with “Nalej mi vina, Malvína” or “Pour me some wine, Malvina.”
Dušan Grúň – Nalej mi vina, Malvína[20 Apr 2024] Josef Laufer [cs], 84, Czech singer and actor (Starci na chmelu, Cirkus Humberto, The Last Butterfly), cardiac arrest.Now to the other half of the former Czechoslovakia, where famed Czech singer and actor Josef Laufer has perished on April 20th. In addition to singing and acting, he translated fluently in English, Spanish, and German, and worked as a television screenwriter and director. Tragically, Laufer had been in a coma for the past four years following a cardiac arrest during a heart valve operation in 2020. Here he is singing “Sbohem, Lásko, Já Jedu Dál” or “Goodbye, Love, I’m Moving On.”
Josef Laufer – Sbohem, Lásko, Já Jedu DálUtendaji:[15 May 2024] Ahmed Piro, 92, Moroccan singer.Our next new stage this week is called Utendaji, from the Swahili word for “performance.” We’ll begin in North Africa, where Ahmed Piro is our oldest performer of the week, passing on at the age of 92 on May 15th. Piro sang Andalusi classical music in Morocco, winning the Wissam Arida award for notable cultural personalities in the kingdom. Here he is with Amina Alaoui performing “Li Ayyi Sabab” or “I Have No Reason.”
Amina Alaoui, Ahmed Piro – Li Ayyi Sabab[05 May 2024] Belgaçem Bouguenna, 61, Tunisian singer and teacher.Now to the North African country of Tunisia, southwest of Italy across the Mediterranean Sea. We don’t have much information on Belgaçem Bouguenna, besides that he was a singer and teacher in Tunis who died at the age of 61. Here he is singing “El Ghorba.”
Belgaçem Bouguenna – El GhorbaEncore:[22 May 2024] Charlie Colin, 58, American bassist and guitarist (Train, The Side Deal), fall.We welcome back Train’s Charlie Colin for an encore. With their second album, Train shot to superstardom on the strength of the album’s title cut, which hit #5 on the Hot 100 in 2001. That led to national tours opening for Hootie & the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, and Barenaked Ladies. Alas, problems with substance abuse resulted in Train firing Colin in 2003. Here’s that megahit to close the show, “Drops of Jupiter.”
Train – Drops of JupiterClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 24th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 17th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week we feature two recording artists who played on just about every record with everybody, starring our headliner, saxophonist David Sanborn. We head back to the islands with two Jamaican Brits at the Beach Party. Then we go full English with an early rockabilly act and a new wave act in the British Invasion. We debut our new stage for playback and all Indian subcontinent music in Bollywood. Then it’s back to the Jazz Cellar for some European artists before we close Down Under with some rockers in the Mosh Pit.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[08 May 2024] John Barbata, 79, American rock drummer (The Turtles, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship).You’d think you’d know the name of a drummer who played on hits for Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Johnny Rivers, John Sebastian, The Everly Brothers, and The Byrds. But like many a session musician, John Barbata, who passed on May 8th, made music you love in relative obscurity. He first hit the charts in 1963 on the West Coast in a surf band called The Sentinels, but it was in 1967 that he made it to #1 on the charts with The Turtles, playing that distinctive snare drum on “Happy Together.”
The Turtles – Happy TogetherHeadliner:[12 May 2024] David Sanborn, 78, American alto saxophonist (Young Americans) and television host (Night Music), six-time Grammy winner, prostate cancer.While most session musicians toil in obscurity, a few break out to become popular ambassadors for their instrument, and none so exemplifies that label as alto saxophonist and six-time Grammy winner David Sanborn, who left us on May 12th. Listing Sanborn’s recording credits would take us the rest of this program, so I’m going to stop talking and just play for you one of his most iconic recordings with one of the legends whose death inspired this program, Mr. David Bowie, this is David Sanborn on sax with “Young Americans.”
David Bowie – Young AmericansBeach Party:[14 May 2024] Jimmy James, 83, Jamaican-British singer (“Now Is the Time“, “I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me“).Opening up the Beach Party this week we have Jimmy James, a Jamaican-British singer who joined the hereafter on May 14th. James and his band, an evolving lineup of over four dozen musicians called the Vagabonds, played as support for the Who, Sonny & Cher, Rod Stewart, and the Rolling Stones. It was in 1976 when they had their greatest success, reaching #5 on the UK charts with this hit, “Now is the Time.”
Jimmy & the Vagabonds – Now is the Time[08 May 2024] Conrad Kelly, 65, Jamaican-born British drummer (Steel Pulse).Steel Pulse is a band out of England that had as one of its drummers our next artist, Jamaican-born Conrad Kelly, who joined the gig eternal on May 8th. Kelly played with the band from 1994 to 2006, appearing on two albums and four singles. He also performed as a percussionist for UB40, filling in for their percussionist when he was too ill to tour. Here is Kelly performing on the Steel Pulse 1996 cover of the Van Morrison classic, “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Steel Pulse – Brown Eyed GirlBritish Invasion:[15 May 2024] John Hawken, 84, English keyboardist (The Nashville Teens, Renaissance, Strawbs), melanoma.Like many of the English youth of the 1950s, our next artist, keyboardist John Hawken was a big fan of early American rock’n’roll and its roots, Black blues music. He formed a band in 1960 called the Cruisers Rock Combo that in 1962 was renamed The Nashville Teens. They took a blues tune written and recorded in 1960 by North Carolina bluesman John D. Loudermilk and in 1964 turned it into this #6 UK and #14 US Chart hit called “Tobacco Road.”
The Nashville Teens – Tobacco Road[25 Mar 2024] Chris Cross, 71, English musician (Ultravox, Tiger Lily) and songwriter (“Vienna“).There’s Christopher Cross, the ‘80s yacht rock crooner, there’s Kriss Kross, the backward-dressing ‘90s teen rappers, and then there’s our next artist, Chris Cross, the bass guitarist for the ‘80s new wave band Ultravox, who expired on March 25th. Cross also dabbled in music video directing and then left music altogether in 1989 to become a psychotherapist, until reviving Ultravox in 2009. Here’s their 1981 track that spent four weeks at #2 on the UK Charts, this is the Cross-written single “Vienna.”
Ultravox – ViennaBollywood:[01 May 2024] Uma Ramanan, 69, Indian playback singer.We inaugurate our Bollywood stage with a playback singer who was active from 1976 to 2005, performing in over 6,000 live concerts and dozens of films, Uma Ramanan, who departed on May 1st, was heard in two or more Bollywood films every year from 1980 to 1995. Here she is performing one of her hits with Deepak Chakarvarthy called “Poongathave Thaal.”
Deepak Chakarvarthy, Uma Ramanan – Poongathave Thaal[07 Apr 2024] Antonette Mendes, 79, Indian singer, actress (Amchem Noxib, Nirmon, Mohabbat Zindagi Hai), and playwright.Next, we have an actress, theater director, and playwright who also made her mark as a singer until her death on April 7th. Antonette Mendes was born in Mumbai back when it was Bombay in British India, making her stage debut at age 15. She was well known for her work in Indian musical theater, winning a Lifetime Contribution Award in 2009. Here is Antonette Mendes with Joseph Rodrigues performing “Kaido.”
Joseph Rodrigues, Antonette Mendes – KaidoJazz Cellar:[13 May 2024] Christian Escoudé, 76, French Gypsy jazz guitarist.Christian Escoudé, Francis Lockwood – Gypsy SwingOff to France we go where we find a jazz guitarist of Romani descent named Christian Escoudé, who reached the Pearly Gates on May 13th. Escoudé was taught guitar by his father, who counted Django Reinhardt as his influence. Escoudé would later go on to win the Prix Django Reinhardt award from l’Académie du Jazz in 1976. Here he is performing with Francis Lockwood on “Gypsy Swing.”
[07 May 2024] Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, 88, Polish jazz musician, composer and arranger.Now we feature a Polish tenor and baritone saxophonist who had been the host of Europe’s longest-running jazz radio program since 1970. Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski is credited with over two dozen albums recorded from 1956 to 2014, and was also a successful composer and arranger. Here, he appears as a featured artist with the group Eabs on a tune called “A Farewell to Mother Earth.”
Eabs – A Farewell To Mother Earth (Feat. Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski)Mosh Pit:[09 May 2024] Fred Noonan, Australian drummer (Six Ft Hick), cancer.We’ve got a double shot from Down Under for this week’s Mosh Pit, starting with Fred Noonan, drummer for the mid-90s swamp-punk band Six Ft Hick. Before that, Noonan’s earliest band was the 80s outfit Public Execution, which supported the Dead Kennedy’s tour of Australia. Noonan died from cancer on May 9th. Here is Six Ft Hick with “White Light, Wet Heat.”
Six Ft Hick – White Light, Wet Heat[16 Apr 2024] Gavin Webb, 77, Australian rock bassist (The Master’s Apprentices), cancer.We rewind a couple of decades to a mid-60s pop band that evolved into an early-70s prog band. Gavin Webb was the bassist for the group, The Master’s Apprentices, who passed away on April 16th. Webb played in the early pop incarnation from 1964–68, then joined the revival act from 2014 through his death. Here’s The Master’s Apprentices from 1967 with their #9 Australia Chart hit, “Living in a Child’s Dream.”
The Master’s Apprentices – Living in a Child’s DreamEncore:[08 May 2024] John Barbata, 79, American rock drummer (The Turtles, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship).We welcome back our opener, session drummer John Barbata to the stage. After hitting #1 with The Turtles in 1967, Barbata made it to #14 with Crosby Stills Nash & Young on their protest song, “Ohio,” and again hit #14 with Stephen Stills in early 1971 on “Love the One You’re With.” But his longest work was from 1972 to 1978 with Jefferson Airplane, then Jefferson Starship, when he appeared on their highest charting single, the #3 hit, “Miracles.”
Jefferson Starship – Miracles (single version)[12 May 2024] David Sanborn, 78, American alto saxophonist (Young Americans) and television host (Night Music), six-time Grammy winner, prostate cancer.And finally, a return to the stage from our Headliner, David Sanborn, who just may be the only Grammy winning saxophonist to host a late night talk show, the two seasons of Night Music sponsored by Michelob beer that ran from 1988 to 1990. Again, there are so many artists Sanborn provided iconic sax solos to that we could have programmed an entire tribute show with them. Here’s one of my favorites on James Taylor’s cover of “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You).”
James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 17th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 10th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week, the Reaper and I premiere some new changes for the show. Our Headliner, Steve Albini, becomes the first producer to make our stage. We’ll open with a track from the last surviving member of a rock group that’s being inducted to the Hall of Fame this October. We’ve got double-shots all the way down, heading Down Under for our Main Stage, then debuting our Beach Party stage in Jamaica, followed by a trip to our Festival Stage in Brazil, back home to America for the Country Bunker and Jazz Cellar, then to Italy for our other new stage, Locale Musicale.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[08 May 2024] Dennis Thompson, 75, American Hall of Fame drummer (MC5), complications from a heart attack.Earlier this year we lost lead singer Wayne Kramer from the Detroit proto-punk band MC5. That makes our next artist, drummer Dennis Thompson, who died on May 8th, as the final member of the group to cross over. Thompson was still in the hospital recovering from a heart attack when he got word last month that MC5 would finally be inducted this October into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here’s MC5 with “Looking at You.”
MC5 – Looking at YouHeadliner:[07 May 2024] Steve Albini, 61, American musician (Big Black, Shellac) and record producer (In Utero), heart attack.This week’s headliner, Steve Albini, was a post-hardcore musician with the bands Big Black, Rapeman, and Shellac. But he’s best known for producing thousands of records, most notably, Nirvana’s In Utero album. And probably second-best known for his disses of the recording industry, digital music, and certain prog rock bands. I mean, he once called Steely Dan a “SNL warm-up band.” He was also a very successful professional poker player who never used drugs and alcohol. Steve Albini died of a heart attack on May 7th. Here’s his original mix of Nirvana’s “All Apologies.”
Nirvana – All Apologies (Original Steve Albini 1993 Mix)Main Stage:[05 May 2024] Willie Hona, 70, New Zealand Hall of Fame musician (Herbs), pancreatic cancer.This week, our Main Stage takes us Down Under. First up, we have Willie Hona, a singer for the New Zealand band Herbs in the mid-1980s. Hona was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2012. Sadly, he passed on May 5th after a battle with pancreatic cancer. This is Herbs, featuring Willie Hona on vocals, with “Slice of Heaven.”
Herbs – Slice Of Heaven[07 May 2024] Ignatius Jones, 66–67, Australian-Filipino singer (Jimmy and the Boys, Pardon Me Boys) and journalist.While KISS and Alice Cooper were pushing shock-rock to American audiences in the late 1970s, our next singer, Ignatius Jones, who died on May 7th, was pushing it to Australian audiences in his band, Jimmy & the Boys. With Jones as singer/contortionist and keyboardist William O’Riordan in drag as Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth, they were considered one of Australia’s most popular live acts, culminating in this 1981 top ten single, “They Won’t Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me.”
Jimmy & the Boys – They Won’t Let My Girlfriend Talk to MeBeach Party:[21 Apr 2024] Harold “Bobby” Davis, 77, Jamaican singer (The Sensations).Welcome to our newest stage, The Beach Party, where we highlight the music of the islands. This week, we’re off to Jamaica, where The Sensations were a vocal group which performed backing tracks on many of the reggae hits of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Harold “Bobby” Davis was one of the four permanent members of the group. He left us on April 21st. Here are the Sensations, backing up Yvonne Baker on “Let Me In.”
The Sensations – Let Me In (feat. Yvonne Baker)[20 Apr 2024] Tony Tuff, 69, Jamaican reggae singer (The African Brothers).Born Winston Anthony Morris, our next Jamaican singer had a career as Tony Tuff, lead singer of the 70s reggae band African Brothers, before embarking on a successful solo career in the 80s. Tuff disappears in the 90s but returned in the 2000s with new music and collaborations with Jah Shaka. Tony Tuff joined the hereafter on April 20th. This is African Brothers with “Righteous Kingdom.”
African Brothers – Righteous KingdomFestival Stage:[27 Apr 2024] Maria Feliciana [pt], 77, Brazilian singer.I don’t think we’ve ever had an artist as tall as Shaquille O’Neal on our program, and I know for certain we’ve never had a 7-foot-3-inch woman perform. You’re in for a treat, as Brazil’s Maria Feliciana, who passed away on April 27th, was not only for a time the tallest living woman in the world, she was also a beloved singer and national basketball star. Here she is performing “Tudo É Só Vitória,” or “Everything is Just Victory.”
Miss Maria Feliciana – Tudo É Só Vitória[26 Apr 2024] Anderson Leonardo [pt], 51, Brazilian singer (Molejo), cancer.Our next Brazilian performer is Anderson Leonardo, singer for the group Molejo, who passed from cancer on April 26th. The group performs pagoda music, a form of samba, and was quite popular in the 1990s. Leonardo, however, was dogged by controversy due to accusations of rape and sexual harassment in the 2020s, which he denied. Here is Molejo performing “Cilada” or “Trap.”
Molejo – CiladaCountry Bunker:[06 May 2024] Wayland Holyfield, 82, American songwriter (“Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)“, “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer“, “You’re My Best Friend“).In the Bunker on May 6th we welcomed to the hereafter Arkansas’ Wayland Holyfield, a songwriter with over 40 top forty and 14 number one hits to his credit, including Johnny Russell’s “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue-Ribbon Beer,” Don Williams’ “You’re My Best Friend,” and Anne Murray’s “Could I Have This Dance.” But I’m going to play for you a song he wrote for the Arkansas sesquicentennial and played for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton, this is “Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me).”
The Country Music Crew – Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)[03 May 2024] Jim Mills, 57, American banjo player (Kentucky Thunder), heart attack.Next, we have an expert on pre-World-War-II banjos who played with Ricky Skaggs’ band Kentucky Thunder for fourteen years, Jim Mills, who died on May 3rd. Mills is the GOAT of bluegrass banjo, winning player of the year six times, more than any other player. He’s also won six Grammy awards. Then he stopped performing and recording in 2010 to focus on his rare banjo business. Here is Jim Mills with Kentucky Thunder on “Wayward to Hayward.”
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder – Wayward to HaywardJazz Cellar:[06 May 2024] Bill Holman, 96, American jazz composer and saxophonist.Our oldest performer in the Reaper’s Rotation this week is American jazz saxophonist Bill Holman, who joined the gig eternal on May 6th at the age on 96. Holman won three Grammy awards during his career, worked with Stan Kenton and wrote for Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Count Basie. He soon became synonymous with the West Coast jazz scene of the 50s and television productions of the 60s with a list of credits far too long to recount here. Here he is with his own big band on the track “The Man I Love.”
Bill Holman – The Man I Love[02 May 2024] John Pisano, 93, American jazz guitarist.Next up, we have an American jazz guitarist who worked with a diverse set of artists including Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Ryan Adams, Peggy Lee, Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole, Sam Cooke, Diana Krall, Kenny Rogers, Barry Manilow, Joe Pass, and the Manhattan Transfer. This is John Pisano, who left us on May 2nd at the age of 93, with “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.”
John Pisano – Ev’ry Time We Say GoodbyeLocale Musicale:[08 May 2024] Giovanna Marini, 87, Italian singer-songwriter.Buon Giorno! Welcome to our other newest stage, Locale Musicale, featuring the music of Italy. Christening the stage we have Giovanna Marini, who met her maker on May 8th. She was an ardent communist during the 1960s and sang folk music to express her political ideas. Here she is along with another protest artist of the period, Paolo Pietrangeli, with “Valle Guilia.”
Paolo Pietrangeli, Giovanna Marini – Valle Guilia[27 Apr 2024] Louiselle, 77, Italian singer.We close this week with the mononymously known Italian singer, Louiselle, who died on April 27th. She was born Maria Luisa Catricalà and was popular throughout the 1960s and 70s, making her debut at the Sanremo Festival 1965 a year after she was signed to RCA Italiana. Here she is performing “Andiamo a mietere il grano,” translated as “Let’s go harvest the wheat.”
Louiselle – Andiamo a mietere il granoClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 10th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 3rd, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
Our headliner this week takes back to the era of James Dean, leather jackets, and drive-ins—rock and roll guitar legend Duane Eddy. For the second week in a row, a pioneer in prog rock keyboards joins us from England, and then a British glam rocker and American alt rocker hit the Main Stage. We’ve got American bluegrass and folk in the Country Bunker, followed by the debut of our newest stage, Le Cabaret, for music from the French-speaking countries. We’ve got some traditional Scottish music in the British Invasion, then some tuba and clarinet in the Amphitheater. We’ll close things up with some American punk and metal in the Mosh Pit.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[01 May 2024] Richard Tandy, 76, English Hall of Fame musician (Electric Light Orchestra, The Move).Last week our Headliner was The Moody Blues’ Mike Pinder. This week, our Opening Act is another pioneer of the Mellotron and Moog synthesizer, Hall of Fame keyboardist Richard Tandy of Electric Light Orchestra, who died on May 1st at home in England. Additionally, Tandy worked with Jeff Lynne to co-arrange the lush strings that were such a part of the ELO sound. Here’s Tandy on the ELO classic, “Mr. Blue Sky.”
Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue SkyHeadliner:[30 Apr 2024] Duane Eddy, 86, American Hall of Fame guitarist (“Rebel-‘Rouser“, “Because They’re Young“, “Peter Gunn“), cancer.In that era of rock’n’roll cool birthed by Elvis Presley that ran until the Beatles hit the US, there was a signature twangy guitar sound that was mastered by our headliner, Hall of Famer Duane Eddy, who joined the gig eternal on April 30th. His music fame led to an acting career in a few films and television shows. Here’s his breakthrough hit from 1958, the #6 all-time classic, “Rebel Rouser.”
Duane Eddy – Rebel RouserMain Stage:[26 Apr 2024] Robin George, 68, British guitarist, singer and producer.Robin Charles George Sidebotham, known simply as Robin George, was a British rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer who left us on April 26th. While much of his career was spent in production and songwriting for acts like Robert Plant, Glenn Hughes, and Phil Lynnot, he also had his own modest hit in the UK in 1985 with this track that just made the US Mainstream Rock Chart called “Heartline.”
Robin George – Heartline[18 Apr 2024] Steve Kille, American musician (Dead Meadow).From the hard psychedelic rock genre called stoner rock we feature Washington D.C.’s Dead Meadow, a band formed in 1998 that includes our next artist, Steve Kille, on bass and sitar. Their singer, Jason Simon, is the nephew of the creator of HBO’s The Wire, and their music has been heard on two episodes of the TV series. Kille met his maker on April 18th. This is Dead Meadow with “What Needs Must Be.”
Dead Meadow – What Needs Must BeCountry Bunker:[26 Apr 2024] Frank Wakefield, 89, American mandolin player.On April 26th, we said goodbye to Franklin Delano Roosevelt Wakefield, or just Frank Wakefield, who brings us some bluegrass to the Country Bunker. By age 8, Frank was playing harmonica, guitar, and bass. By 17, he’d switched to mandolin and landed a gig on radio with his brother Ralph. In addition to playing with bluegrass greats like Red Allen, Ralph Stanley, and Ricky Skaggs, he’s also played with the New York Philharmonic and opened for The Grateful Dead. Here he is with Del McCoury on “Play it Pretty, Me.”
Frank Wakefield, Del McCoury – Play It Pretty, Me[21 Apr 2024] Alex Hassilev, 91, American musician (The Limeliters) and actor (The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming).Next up, who’s more country than a Russian born in France? That would be Alex Hassilev, the 5-string banjo player for The Limeliters, who passed away on April 21st. The Limeliters did quite well during the folk revival of the early 1960s, and then as the decade waned, Hassilev took on some acting jobs in movies and TV. The Limeliters returned to the stage in the 70s and Hassilev continued to perform with them until 2006. Here they are with “Poor Wayfaring Stranger.”
The Limeliters – Poor Wayfaring StrangerLe Cabaret:[27 Apr 2024] Jean-Pierre Ferland, 89, Canadian singer-songwriter.Bon jour and welcome to our newest stage, Le Cabaret, where we take a listen to music from the French speaking areas of the world. This week, it’s a pair of Quebecois, starting with Jean-Perre Ferland, who joined the choir invisible on April 24th. Ferland is a member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame with over 450 songs and 30 albums to his credit. Here he is singing “Mon Frère.”
Jean-Pierre Ferland – Mon Frère[31 Mar 2024] Guylaine Guy, 94, Canadian singer and painter.Next up we have a veteran of the Montreal cabarets of the 1950s, Quebec’s Guylaine Guy, who departed on March 31st. From 1950 to 1963, she performed and toured all around the world and made numerous television appearances. Then she left music to pursue painting, which she enjoyed until her passing at the age of 94, our oldest female performer this week. Here is Guylaine Guy singing “Mon ami Paris.”
Guylaine Guy – Mon ami ParisBritish Invasion:[23 Apr 2024] Fergie MacDonald, 86, Scottish accordionist.For our double dose from the United Kingdom this week we head north to Scotland, where accordionist Fergie MacDonald has left us on April 23rd. MacDonald is considered to be the man who popularized the West Highland style of traditional Scottish dance music and is a member of the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. Here he is performing “The Shinty Referee.”
Fergie MacDonald – The Shinty Referee[03 Apr 2024] Joe Aitken, 79, Scottish bothy ballad singer, cancer.Up next, another member of the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, Joe Aitken, who made his way to the Pearly Gates on April 3rd. Aitken specialized in bothy ballad singing, which is a traditional form of laborer’s music meant to pass the time while working. Here’s a perfect example called “The Lisping Leghorn,” which, I’ll warn you, does contain some politically incorrect lyrics.
Joe Aitken – The Lisping LeghornAmphitheater:[01 May 2024] Richard Maloof, 84, American tuba player (Lawrence Welk Orchestra).This week I think we welcome our first tuba player to the Reaper’s Rotation. Richard Maloof played tuba and bass for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra on television from 1967 to 1982. He was a veteran of the US Army band and also had played with Les Brown’s Band of Renown. He also spent years teaching music at the LA Musician’s Institute. Maloof passed away on May 1st. Here he is performing with Lawrence Welk on “The Baby Elephant Walk.”
Lawrence Welk – Baby Elephant Walk[05 Apr 2024] Phil Nimmons, 100, Canadian jazz clarinetist.The Reaper always gives a tip of the scythe to anybody who escapes his clutches for a century. This week, we welcome 100-year-old Canadian clarinetist Phil Nimmons to the Amphitheater. He began his career on Canadian radio in 1948 and played all the way until his death, over 75 years on his instrument. He’s also the first winner of the jazz album of the year at Canada’s Juno Awards. This is Phil Nimmons performing “Islands.”
Phil Nimmons – IslandsMosh Pit:[02 May 2024] Gary Floyd, 71, American singer (Dicks, Sister Double Happiness).Joining us now we have Gary Floyd, singer for the 80s punk band Dicks, who died on May 2nd. With one of the few openly gay singers in punk scene, Dicks were pioneers in addressing homophobia and sexual identity in their lyrics, and along with their Marxist and anti-police attitude, they were quite controversial. The band was active from 1980 to 1986, only to reunite in 2004. Here’s a little Jimi Hendrix cover from Dicks, this is “Purple Haze.”
Dicks – Purple Haze[19 Apr 2024] Eddie Sutton, 59, American singer (Leeway), lung cancer.Closing the show, we have a crossover thrash band that was a huge part of the New York punk scene at CBGB. Leeway, while they never found commercial success, was considered one of the most influential and experimental bands of the early 90s. Their frontman was Eddie Sutton, who passed away on April 19th. Here is Leeway with “Mark of the Squealer.
Leeway – Mark Of The SquealerEncore:[30 Apr 2024] Duane Eddy, 86, American Hall of Fame guitarist (“Rebel-‘Rouser“, “Because They’re Young“, “Peter Gunn“), cancer.Let’s bring back Duane Eddy, who was performing all the way into his 80s before reaching our ethereal stage. Eddy’s career took a bit of a dip in the 60s and 70s before he came back in the mid-80s, thanks to a collaboration with electronic musicians Art of Noise. They remade this classic track the was the theme to a hit television show. You may have even heard it covered in The Blues Brothers movie. Here’s the original from 1960, Duane Eddy with the “Peter Gunn Theme.”
Duane Eddy – Peter Gunn ThemeClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, May 3rd, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 26th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week we welcome another Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to the eternal stage, our headliner, Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues. Then it’s off to the Main Stage for some American rockabilly. We debut our new stage, The Streets, with rap from Britain and Norway, before heading to the Amphitheater for a double shot of organ recitals. We’ll also visit the House of Blues with a couple Americans, closing out the show in the Jazz Cellar in the USA and Germany.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[15 Apr 2024] Eugene Wolfgramm, 57, American singer (The Jets).When you think of successful Mormon siblings in the music business, you think of the Osmonds. Who knew the second most successful Mormon siblings, the Wolfgramms, were better known as the 80s pop group The Jets? Eugene Wolfgramm, who died on April 15th, sang for The Jets on their eponymous 1985 platinum debut album, propelled by this single that went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the Spring of ’86, this is “Crush on You.”
The Jets – Crush On YouHeadliner:[24 Apr 2024] Mike Pinder, 82, English Hall of Fame musician (The Moody Blues) and songwriter (“The Best Way to Travel“, “A Simple Game“).The last surviving founding member of the Moody Blues passed away on April 24th. Mike Pinder co-founded The Moody Blues with Ray Thomas, Denny Laine, Clint Warwick and Graeme Edge in May 1964 and performed with them through 1978. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 with the group. Renowned for his pioneering work with electronic music in the ‘70s, in the ‘80s Pinder went to work for Atari working on music synthesis. Now, here’s the Moody Blues with “Question.”
The Moody Blues – QuestionMain Stage:[22 Apr 2024] Chan Romero, 82, American singer-songwriter (“Hippy Hippy Shake“) and guitarist.We open the Main Stage with the first Latino to be inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Chan Romero, who left us on April 22nd. At 15, he was inspired by Elvis singing “Hound Dog” to hitchhike to Los Angeles. Two years later, he wrote this next song, which caught the ear of an A&R man named Sonny Bono. By July of 1959, his song was such a hit that Paul McCartney started covering it in Europe with The Beatles. Here’s Romero’s smash hit, “Hippy Hippy Shake.”
Chan Romero – Hippy Hippy Shake[09 Apr 2024] Sturgis Nikides, 66, American guitarist (Low Society, Cool It Reba), cancer.Next up, we have a musician who was inspired at age 17 by seeing the Beatles perform at Shea Stadium. Guitarist Sturgis Nikides passed away on April 9th. He had played in John Cale’s band in the early ‘80s and in the ‘80s post-punk band, Cool it Reba. He then went on to record scores for music and television before returning to the stage in 2009 with Low Society, a band he formed with his wife, Mandy Lemons. Here they are with “You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down.”
Low Society – You Can’t Keep a Good Woman DownThe Streets:[21 Apr 2024] MC Duke, 58, British rapper.We debut our new stage, The Streets, featuring the worldwide phenomenon of rap and hip-hop music. Our first rapper hails from Britain, known as MC Duke, who met his maker on April 21st. He was born Anthony Hilaire and adopted the Muslim name Kashif Adham as a model and dancer. Then, on a dare, he won a rap battle at an afterparty against the winner of that night’s emcee contest. Thus, MC Duke was born. Here he is with a familiar groove on “Homey Don’t Play That.”
MC Duke – Homey Don’t Play That[06 Apr 2024] Dutty Dior, 27, Norwegian rapper.Try and imagine the last country in the world you’d expect to hear a rap superstar. Did you think of the land of snow, socialism, and black death metal music… Norway? Our youngest performer this week is Norway’s Dutty Dior, who died on April 6th at just 27 years old. Together with another performer, Isah, Dutty Dior had this track called “Hello” on 2019 Norwegian charts for 38 weeks.
Isah, Dutty Dior – HALLOThe Amphitheater:[23 Apr 2024] Samuel Kummer, 56, German organist (Frauenkirche, Dresden) and academic.Now for a sharp turn from The Streets to The Amphitheater, where we feature a double shot of concert organists. We begin in Germany, where Samuel Kummer has died on April 23rd. He was an international performer from 1988 to 2022. Here he is performing a piece from Bach’s Organ Concerto in D Minor.
Samuel Kummer – Organ Concerto in D Minor, BWV 596: V. (Allegro) [Bach][03 Apr 2024] Kalevi Kiviniemi, 65, Finnish concert organist.Our second organist hails from Finland. Kalevi Kiviniemi, who passed on April 3rd, gave more than 2,000 concerts, including frequent performances at Notre Dame in Paris, and recorded over 200 albums. Here he is performing Liszt’s Consolation No.6 in E-Major.
Kalevi Kiviniemi – Consolation No.6 in E-MajorHouse of Blues:[07 Apr 2024] Clarence “Frogman” Henry, 87, American singer (“Ain’t Got No Home“, “(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do“, “You Always Hurt the One You Love“).Welcome to the House of Blues Mr. Clarence “Frogman” Henry, who joined us on April 7th. He started playing piano as a child and landed his first band gig in 1952 at age 15. In 1955, he recorded our next tune and took it to #20 on the pop charts. By 1964, he was opening for The Beatles on 18 shows of their North American tour. He went on to live his life playing in New Orleans, marrying and divorcing seven times. Here’s “Frogman” Henry with “Ain’t Got No Home.”
Clarence “Frogman” Henry – Ain’t Got No Home[04 Apr 2024] Keith LeBlanc, 69, American drummer (Little Axe, Tackhead) and music producer (“No Sell Out“).Next in The Streets we have a drummer who recorded the beats you heard on the Grandmaster Flash song “The Message” that is this segment’s intro. Keith LeBlanc, who expired on April 4th, counted Ringo Starr as his drumming inspiration at age 10, and was also a producer for the Sugarhill Gang. LeBlanc also played in the bands Tackhead and this group, Little Axe, performing the song “Down to the Valley.”
Little Axe – Down To The ValleyThe Jazz Cellar:[14 Apr 2024] Calvin Keys, 82, American jazz guitarist, stroke.Opening the Jazz Cellar we welcome American guitarist Calvin Keys, who left us on April 14th. Keys performed with numerous jazz and R&B artists, including Ahmad Jamal and Ray Charles, as well as recorded several albums for Black Jazz Records. Here he is with his own composition, “Shawn-Neeq.”
Calvin Keys – Shawn-Neeq[07 Apr 2024] Joe Viera, 91, German jazz saxophonist and educator, founder of the Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen.We saved our oldest performer for last with Germany’s Joe Viera, a saxophonist who passed away on April 7th at the age of 91. In 1970 he founded the German jazz festival Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen and directed it for more than 50 years. He also taught at two universities from 1971 to 1998. Here he is with the Joe Viera Sextet performing “Song for my Father.”
Joe Viera Sextet – Song For My FatherEncore:[24 Apr 2024] Mike Pinder, 82, English Hall of Fame musician (The Moody Blues) and songwriter (“The Best Way to Travel“, “A Simple Game“).Mike Pinder from the Moody Blues returns for an encore. Pinder was among the first to record with the Mellotron, an early 60s mechanical synthesizer that used keyboard keys to play from strips of recorded magnetic tape. Pinder’s mechanical background allowed him to fix the notoriously unreliable instrument on tour, and its lush string sounds became a staple of prog rock bands like King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis. Here’s the Moody Blues with “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band).”
The Moody Blues – I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 26th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 19th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
We lost a giant in the world of Southern Rock this week in our Headliner, Dickey Betts. The Allman Brothers will be bookending this week’s Reaper’s Rotation, in which you may notice we’ve tidied things up a bit here. Spring cleaning, you know? You’ll get more variety as we bring you a double shot from our Main Stage, Country Bunker, International Stage, Mosh Pit, and visit to The Church. We’ll take you to Norway, South Korea, Indonesia, Canada, and Japan, along with plenty of American artists, too.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[15 Apr 2024] Pooch Tavares, 81, American singer (Tavares).In 1959, five brothers formed a band called Chubby & the Turnpikes. The oldest brother, Ralph, left us in 2021, and he is now joined by his brother Arthur on April 15th. He was better known as Pooch and the band was better known by the brothers’ last name, which they adopted in 1973. That must have done the trick, because in 1975 Pooch Tavares and his brothers finally cracked the Top Ten with this hit, “It Only Takes a Minute.”
Tavares – It Only Takes A MinuteHeadliner:[18 Apr 2024] Dickey Betts, 80, American Hall of Fame musician (The Allman Brothers Band) and songwriter (“Jessica“, “Ramblin’ Man“), cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Our Headliner this week is the great Dickey Betts, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Winner as co-founder of The Allman Brothers Band, who passed away on April 18th, succumbing to cancer and COPD. Betts, along with Duane Allman, redefined the sound of guitar rock with their dual harmony leads and intricate melodic instrumentals. Betts was also the songwriter behind the band’s only Top Ten single, the #2 smash from 1973, “Ramblin’ Man.”
The Allman Brothers Band – Ramblin’ ManMain Stage:[12 Apr 2024] Rico Wade, 52, American music producer (Organized Noize) and songwriter (“Player’s Ball“, “Don’t Let Go (Love)“).On our Main Stage we welcome a couple of songwriters, so don’t panic, the singers of these next tracks are all quite alive. Rico Wade, who departed on April 12th, was an American music producer who worked with TLC, Ludacris, OutKast, and Goodie Mob. He also wrote songs for OutKast and this track that peaked at #2 and was the #7 song for all of 1997, and #83 for the decade of the nineties, it’s En Vogue’s biggest international hit, “Don’t Let Go (Love).”
En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love)[28 Mar 2024] Mark Spiro, 67, American songwriter (“Are You Still in Love with Me“, “I’ll See You in My Dreams“, “Mighty Wings“) and record producer, lung cancer.Next up we have Mark Spiro, a producer who collaborated with Steve Perry, David Lee Roth, Rick Springfield, David Cassidy, Terri Nunn, Jane Wiedlin, and Julian Lennon. He also wrote music for television and songs for groups like Bad English, Heart, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Mr. Big, and Kansas. Here’s one of his compositions that went to #20 on the country charts in 1987, sung by Canada’s Anne Murray, this is “Are You Still in Love With Me?”
Anne Murray – Are You Still In Love With MeIn The News:[10 Apr 2024] O. J. Simpson, 76, American Hall of Fame football player (Buffalo Bills) and actor (The Naked Gun, The Towering Inferno), Heisman Trophy winner (1968), acquitted double murderer, convicted armed robber, prostate cancer.Orenthal James Simpson, the acquitted double murderer of his wife and her friend and convicted armed robber who served nine years in prison, who had also been an actor, sportscaster, and football player who won college football’s 1968 Heisman Trophy, died on April 10th from prostate cancer at the age of 76. Nice work, Reaper.
The Church:[18 Apr 2024] Mandisa, 47, American gospel singer (“Only the World“, “Angels We Have Heard on High“, “Stronger“).Our next artist died suddenly in her home on April 18th. She was one of four top ten American Idol finalists to win a Grammy Award, along with Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, and Carrie Underwood. Mandisa finished ninth in the 2006 season but went on to become a star in contemporary gospel music, nominated for New Artist of the Year in 2008 and winning the 2014 Grammy in that genre for her #1 hit album Overcomer. Here is the title track from that album.
Mandisa – Overcomer[08 Apr 2024] Melitha Sidabutar [ms], 23, Indonesian gospel singer, heart failure.It’s rare that a child born in the 21st century makes our playlist, but sadly, Indonesia’s Melitha Sidabutar joined us on April 8th at just 23 years old. She had the same enlarged heart problem that took her twin sister in 2020. In 2023, she won an Indonesian award for Christian Music. This is Melitha Sidabutar with “Penolog Yang Setia.”
Melitha Sidabutar – Penolong Yang SetiaCountry Bunker:[14 Apr 2024] Ben Eldridge, 85, American five-string banjo player (The Seldom Scene).We begin with a man who has been playing the 5-string banjo for seventy years. Ben Eldridge was the last original member of The Seldom Scene, a bluegrass band that pioneered a revival in the genre in the 1970s. In addition to his work with the band, he had over fifty albums to his credit. Eldridge went to the afterlife on April 14th. This is The Seldom Scene with “Wait a Minute.”
The Seldom Scene – Wait A Minute[06 Apr 2024] Bjørgulv Straume [no], 85, Norwegian Jew’s harp player.I guarantee you that we’ve never had a performer in the Reaper’s Rotation like Norway’s Bjørgulv Straume, who passed away on April 6th. I can’t tell you much else about him, except that he’s the first player of the Jew’s harp, or mouth harp, that we’ve had on the program. Here is Bjørgulv Straume performing “Fanitullen.”
Bjørgulv Straume – FanitullenInternational Stage:[11 Apr 2024] Park Boram, 30, South Korean singer.From South Korea we welcome a singer who on any other week would likely be our youngest performer. Park Boram died on April 11th at just 30 years old, collapsing suddenly at a friend’s house. She had three top ten singles in Korea in her career and also contributed to popular film soundtracks, like this song, “Falling,” from the movie Hyde, Jekyll, Me.
Park Boram – Falling[16 Apr 2024] Clorofila, 56, Mexican nortec musician (Nortec Collective).Next up we have an interesting mix from Clorofila, who was born Jorge Verdín in Los Angeles, but grew up in Tijuana and was a founding member of Nortec Collective, a group that pioneered the early 2000s Nortec sound that combines electronic dance music with Mexican norteño and banda music. He also released a couple of solo albums. Clorofila died on April 16th. Here is Nortec Collective with “I Count the Ways.”
Nortec Collective – I Count The WaysMosh Pit:[08 Apr 2024] Jon Card, 63, German-born Canadian drummer (SNFU, D.O.A., Subhumans).Jon Card was a Royal Canadian Air Force brat born in Germany who played drums for the punk rock bands Personality Crisis, SNFU, D.O.A., and The Subhumans. He met his maker on April 8th. Let’s go back to his time with D.O.A., one of the progenitors of American hardcore punk, and their 1987 cover of “The Midnight Special.”
D.O.A. – The Midnight Special[15 Apr 2024] Reita, 42, Japanese bassist (the GazettE).Next, we have a founding member of the popular Japanese rock band The Gazette, bass player Reita, who died on April 15th. Her band placed nine of their ten albums in the Japanese top ten, and the tenth hit #19, as well as sixteen top ten rock singles. Here’s one of four from the Gazette to have peaked at #2, this is “Shiver.”
the GazettE – Shiver (Album Version)Encore:[18 Apr 2024] Dickey Betts, 80, American Hall of Fame musician (The Allman Brothers Band) and songwriter (“Jessica“, “Ramblin’ Man“), cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.We welcome the great Dickey Betts back to close our show. We’ve kind of lost the art of the instrumental in the 21st century, but the charts in the 20th century were loaded with them. This next song, in its full album-length glory, was named for Betts’ infant daughter and written to be played with only two fingers of the left hand, as a tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, whose ring and pinky fingers had been severely burned and played mostly with his middle and index fingers. You may also know it as the theme song for the TV show, Top Gear. This is the Allman Brothers Band with “Jessica.”
The Allman Brothers Band – JessicaClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 19th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 12th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently.
This week we’ve got an international trio of glam rock from America, Holland, and Canada on our Main Stage, as well as some American Ska to open up the show before we bring on our headliner, Michigan poet, activist, and musician John Sinclair. We’ve also got a show full of American musicians in the Jazz Cellar, and an International Stage featuring artists from England, The Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[01 Apr 2024] Michael Ward, 57, American musician (The Wallflowers, School of Fish).On April 1st, we lost Michael Ward, an American guitarist who won a Grammy Award for his work with Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers. He also played with Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, John Hiatt, Gavin DeGraw, and the Blind Boys of Alabama, with whom he won an NAACP Image Award. But he made his breakthrough in 1989 when he co-founded the Los Angeles alternative band School of Fish, which hit the rock charts in 1991 with this single, “3 Strange Days.”
School of Fish – 3 Strange DaysHeadliner:[02 Apr 2024] John Sinclair, 82, American poet, heart failure.Our headliner was a giant in the world of marijuana legalization. John Sinclair, who died on April 2nd, was a counterculture publisher, a co-founder of the White Panther Party, a beat poet, and a musician who pioneered the nation’s first and still-recurring annual marijuana protest, Ann Arbor Hash Bash. But it was his marijuana bust in 1969, when he was given ten years for two joints, that garnered the world’s attention, inspiring John Lennon to write this eponymous tune, “John Sinclair.”
John Lennon – John SinclairMain Stage:[05 Apr 2024] C. J. Snare, 64, American musician (FireHouse) and songwriter (“Love of a Lifetime“, “When I Look into Your Eyes“), cardiac arrest.Our next band rode the wave of late 80s/early 90s hair metal to the top of the charts behind the crystalline vocals of our next artist, C.J. Snare, who died of a heart attack on April 5th while undergoing treatment for colon cancer. FireHouse formed in 1984 and was signed to Epic in 1989, then hit it big with five top 40 singles culminating in a Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist Award at the 1992 AMAs. Here’s one of Snare’s compositions, the #5 smash, “Love of a Lifetime.”
FireHouse – Love Of A Lifetime[09 Apr 2024] Max Werner, 70, Dutch singer and drummer (Kayak).We back up a couple decades and cross the Atlantic to catch Max Werner, the lead singer and drummer for the Dutch progressive rock band Kayak. The group was active from 1972–1982, then reformed in 1999. Werner, who ascended on April 9th, also had a solo career during Kayak’s hiatus, scoring a #6 hit on the Dutch charts in 1981 called “Rain in May” that even made the American Hot 100. Two years earlier, Kayak hit #6 with this track, “Ruthless Queen.”
Kayak – Ruthless Queen[05 Apr 2024] Rocket Norton, 73, Canadian drummer (Prism).Back across the pond to Canada, where the Juno Awards’ 1981 Group of the Year has lost its drummer on April 5th. Rocket Norton co-founded the group in 1977, which had its greatest US success with 1981’s “Don’t Let Him Know.” But it’s this next song from 1977 that holds a place in our hearts, as it was the official wake-up song for the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery at the International Space Station on its last mission. This is Prism with “Spaceship Superstar.”
Prism – Spaceship SuperstarThe Jazz Cellar:[03 Apr 2024] Albert Heath, 88, American jazz drummer (Heath Brothers), leukemia.Albert “Tootie” Heath was the last surviving member of The Heath Brothers, a jazz trio consisting of Albert on drums, Percy on double bass, and Jimmy on tenor sax. Albert, the youngest brother, passed away on April 3rd, while Percy left us in 2005 and Jimmy in 2020. Albert was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America in 2018 and the NEA Jazz Master Award in 2021. Here are the Heath Brothers with “Tender Touch.”
The Heath Brothers – Tender Touch[09 Apr 2024] Bob Lanese, 82, American trumpeter (James Last Orchestra).Next up we have an American who made his jazz career in Germany. Bob Lanese, who died on April 9th, was born in Cleveland, but made his way to a military big band in the Vietnam War, then in 1971 landed a spot in the Glenn Miller Orchestra, touring Europe. There he played trumpet for a German big band before landing in the James Last Orchestra, the German band heard here playing “La Bamba.”
James Last Orchestra – La Bamba[30 Mar 2024] Casey Benjamin, 45, American musician (Robert Glasper Experiment), producer, and songwriter.Our youngest performer in the Reaper’s Rotation this week is Casey Benjamin, who met his maker on March 30th at the age of 45. Benjamin played sax (which he started at age 8), vocoder, and keyboards as a member of the Robert Glasper Experiment, which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for Black Radio. He also worked with Victor Bailey, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Heavy D, Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and Beyonce. Here he is with Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Erykah Badu on “Afro Blue.”
Robert Glasper Experiment – Afro Blue (Feat. Erykah Badu)International Stage:[01 Apr 2024] Sue Chaloner [nl], 71, British-Dutch singer.Sue Chaloner was a British-born singer who died on April 1st. Chaloner made her career debut as the lead in the English production of Hair, which she performed from 1969–1974. Then she formed the duo Spooky and Sue in Holland with Aruban Iwan Groeneveld. They performed together until 1976, when she went solo and finally had some moderate success in 1990. But she really hit her peak in 1974 when Spooky & Sue took this cover of a Bing Crosby classic to #2 on the Dutch charts, this is “Swinging on a Star.”
Spooky & Sue – Swinging On A Star[29 Mar 2024] Gerry Conway, 76, English drummer and percussionist (Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Cat Stevens), complications from motor neurone disease.Next up we have a drummer and percussionist who performed with Fairport Convention in the 90s and 2000s, with Jethro Tull in the 1980s, and with Cat Stevens in the 1970s. Gerry Conway died on March 29th and played with another dozen bands we don’t have time to mention. Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, wrote that “Sadly my great old drummer, Gerry Conway just passed away. What a lad, and what ingenuity and style.” Here they are together on “Another Saturday Night.”
Cat Stevens – Another Saturday Night[26 Mar 2024] Clare Elliott, New Zealand singer (Suburban Reptiles).Our final international artist hails from one of the first two punk bands formed in New Zealand in 1976, Suburban Reptiles. Clare Elliot, known onstage as “Sally Slag,” and later, “Zero” or “Zed,” sang for the group which took its inspiration from the Sex Pistols. Personnel difficulties and drug issues took the band down by late 1978. Elliott passed away on March 26th. Here are Suburban Reptiles with an answer for Cat Stevens called “Saturday Night Stay at Home.”
Suburban Reptiles – Saturday Night Stay At HomeEncore:[02 Apr 2024] John Sinclair, 82, American poet, heart failure.We bring back John Sinclair to close the show. He founded the nation’s oldest and still-recurring annual marijuana protest festival, the Ann Arbor Hash Bash, at which he was scheduled to speak, just four days before his death on April 2nd. But he did get to become the first legal purchaser of marijuana in Michigan after legalization in 2019, his lifelong dream realized. Here is John Sinclair & His Blues Scholars, featuring guitarist Wayne Kramer, with “Doctor Blues.”
John Sinclair & His Blues Scholars – Doctor Blues (feat. Wayne Kramer)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, April 12th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 29th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. It’s Good Friday and we’ve got a special new stage debuting gospel performers who’ve recently met St. Peter. We’ll start you off with an Ace in the Hole fiddler before we showcase our Headliner, Raydio singer Vincent Bonham. We’ve got rap and pop on the Main Stage, a visit to the International Stage, and a trio of pianists in the Amphitheater. Then we close the shop by waking you up with some hard rock and industrial in The Mosh Pit. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[20 Mar 2024] Gene Elders, 80, American fiddler (Ace in the Hole Band).The Ace in the Hole Band is the group that has backed up its lead singer, George Strait, for half a century. Since 1985, the fiddle and mandolin player in that band has been Gene Elders, who passed away on March 20th. Strait paid tribute online to Elders and drummer Mike Kennedy, who passed in 2018, writing, “Me and the band won’t ever be the same without our brother Gene. We loved him so much. Go play with Mike again Geno. We’ll come join you guys later.” Here’s Gene Elders on fiddle on George Strait smash, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”
George Strait – All My Ex’s Live in TexasHeadliner:[24 Mar 2024] Vincent Bonham, 67, American singer (Raydio).From 1977 to 1981, Ray Parker Jr. of Ghostbusters fame had a band called Raydio, which he formed with our headliner, singer Vincent Bonham, who left us on March 24th. They managed to land five singles on the Billboard Top 40 off of four studio albums. After Parker split the group, Bonham went on to be a supporting musician for such notable acts as Prince, Chaka Khan, and Evelyn “Champagne” King. Here’s Raydio’s first hit from 1978, the top ten single “Jack and Jill.”
Raydio – Jack And JillMain Stage:[24 Mar 2024] Def Rhymz, 53, Surinamese-Dutch rapper, heart failure.Dennis Bouman, known professionally as Def Rhymz, was a Surinamese-Dutch rapper best known for his humorous raps. He was the first Dutch rapper ever to hit the number 1 spot on the Dutch charts. Besides performing, Bouman also worked as a head-chef. Bouman died of heart failure on March 24th. This is Def Rhymz performing “10 Miljoen.”
Def Rhymz – 10 Miljoen[23 Mar 2024] Ulf Georgsson, 61, Swedish songwriter and drummer (Flamingokvintetten).Ulf Georg Georgsson was a Swedish songwriter and drummer for Flamingokvintetten, a Swedish dansband that recorded over three dozen albums from 1967 to 2012. Georgsson was also a composer of numerous soundtracks for Swedish film and television. He went to the great beyond on March 23rd. Here is Flamingokvintetten with “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen.”
Flamingokvintetten – Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen[08 Mar 2024] Ľubomír Stankovský, 72, Slovak pop rock musician (Modus).On March 8th we lost Ľubomír Stankovský. He was a Slovak pop rock musician who co-founded the rock band Modus in 1967, playing drums with the group until 1973. Following his departure from Modus, Stankovský continued his career with a variety of artists. In the 1980s, he started to play with Modus again. In 1984, they broke through with this hit, Ty ja a môj brat, which is still considered one of the most recognizable Slovak rock songs.
Modus – Ty ja a môj brat (Sklíčka)The Church:[17 Mar 2024] Sandra Crouch, 81, American gospel singer, Grammy winner (1984), and minister.Christening our new stage, The Church, we welcome 1984 Gospel Grammy Winner Sandra Crouch, who joined her twin brother Andraé in heaven on March 17th, nine years after his passing. In addition to her award-winning gospel work in the 80s, during the late 1960s through the early 1970s, she played the tambourine on a number of Motown recording sessions in Los Angeles, including the Jackson 5 hits “I Want You Back” and “ABC.” Here’s Sandra Crouch singing praise with “Glorify the Lord.”
Sandra Crouch – Glorify The Lord[12 Mar 2024] Michael Knott, 61, American singer-songwriter (Lifesavers Underground).Michael Knott, who passed away on March 12th, was an American singer-songwriter who has been credited for pioneering the “alternative Christian rock scene.” He drew some controversy in Christian music circles for lyrics which challenged church morality and abusive church leaders, getting one of his albums banned in Christian bookstores. Here’s a track from one of the ten bands he performed in, Lifesavers Underground, called “Die Baby Die.”
Lifesavers Underground – Die Baby Die[12 Mar 2024] James Whitbourn, 60, British composer and conductor, cancer.James Whitbourn, a British composer who met his maker on March 12th, wouldn’t be considered a gospel performer, per se. But his immensely popular Son of God Mass, along with various choral and orchestral works celebrating faith and Christmas, make him a natural fit for The Church. Here is one of his many compositions, entitled “Give Us the Wings of Faith.”
James Whitbourn – Give Us the Wings of FaithInternational Stage:[13 Mar 2024] Sadi Mohammad, 70, Bangladeshi singer and composer, suicide by hanging.Sadi Mohammad, who took his own life on March 13th, originally started out as an engineering student in Bangladesh. But two years after starting his studies, he got a music scholarship and changed his life’s course, singing and playing the tanpura. By the 2000s, he was composing music and served as the director of the cultural organization, Rabi Raag. But depression over his mother’s death last year proved too much to bear.
Sadi Mohammad – Esho Hey Boishakh[07 Mar 2024] Joe Cutajar, 83, Maltese singer (Helen and Joseph).Joe Cutajar, who died on March 7th, first arose as the winner of the 1969 Malta Song Festival. There he met 2nd place finisher Helen Micallaf, who had won the festival the year prior. They teamed up on this next track as the duo “Helen & Joseph,” a song Cutajar had performed solo to win the Maltese National Final in 1972. They took this song to the Eurovision contest later that year… and finished dead last. Judge for yourself, this is Helen & Joseph.
Helen & Joseph – L’imħabba – ESC 1972[06 Mar 2024] Dimos Moutsis, 85, Greek singer-songwriter and composer.Closing the International Stage we welcome Dimos Moutsis, a Greek singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who recorded albums from 1968 through 2009. He also composed music for film and theater, and in 2019 stood for election in the 2019 European Parliament. Moutsis passed away on March 6th.
Dimos Moutsis – EisagogiThe Amphitheater:[23 Mar 2024] Maurizio Pollini, 82, Italian pianist.Maurizio Pollini was an Italian pianist and conductor known for his performances of Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy, as well as more modern composers. Pollini was also a left-wing activist in the 1960s and 1970s, and he remained politically engaged in his later life. He also won a Grammy award in 2007. Pollini left us for the hereafter on March 23rd. This is “La Puerta Del Vino.”
Maurizio Pollini – Préludes-Book 2, L.123-3. La Puerta Del Vino[21 Mar 2023] Laurens van Rooyen, 88, Dutch pianist and composer.Laurens van Rooyen was a Dutch pianist and composer who died on March 21st. He composed many pieces for the piano and wrote the score for several Dutch films. Van Rooyen also wrote two books on his experiences as a musician and another ten books on piano itself. His music has been played on radio worldwide. This is one of his pieces entitled “Sequidilla.”
Laurens van Rooyen – Sequidilla[14 Mar 2024] Byron Janis, 95, American classical pianist.Our oldest performer this week is our third pianist in the Amphitheater, America’s Byron Janis, who expired on March 14th at the age of 95. He made numerous recordings for RCA Victor and Mercury Records and occupies two volumes of the Philips series Great Pianists of the 20th Century. He began studying piano at age 8 and by 15 was studying with the great Vladimir Horowitz. Here he is performing “Rachmaninoff’s Prelude In E-Flat Major, Op.23, No.6.”
Byron Janis – Rachmaninoff’s Prelude In E-Flat Major, Op.23, No.6Mosh Pit:[10 Mar 2024] Blake Harrison, 48, American musician (Pig Destroyer, Hatebeak).Now to our youngest performer, Blake Harrison, the 48-year-old sampler for American grindcore band Pig Destroyer. Formed in 1997, Harrison joined the band in 2006 and provided noise and samples until his battle with melanoma sidelined him in 2022. On March 10th, he succumbed to pneumonia and a heart attack. This is Pig Destroyer with “Army of Cops.”
Pig Destroyer – Army Of Cops[05 Mar 2024] Pavel Zajíček, 72, Czech poet, musician (DG 307) and visual artist, pneumonia.Pavel Zajíček was a Czech poet and musician who founded the experimental band DG 307, which is named after the mental health code that disqualifies one from military service. The band was persecuted by the communist regime at the time, making “Pavel Z” one of the prominent figures in the Czech underground scene during the 1970s. He fled Czechoslovakia in 1980 and then returned after the fall of the Eastern Bloc of the Soviet Union. Pavel Z passed away on March 5th. Here’s a bit from DG 307.
DG 307 – Prebeh I. (New York – Praha – Paris)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 29th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 22nd, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. We’ve got some soul / disco / rhythm & blues coming at you on the Main Stage this week, with grooves from America, France, and Ghana. We’ll also stop by the Country Bunker with two more Americans and a Welshman, before we get sophisticated in the Amphitheater with opera, trumpet, and piano from Georgia, France, and Israel. Then we’ll wrap up with our newest stage dedicated to the ghosts of the British Invasion. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[20 Mar 2024] George Darko, 73, Ghanaian burger-highlife musician.Our Opening Act hails from Ghana and is one of the progenitors of burger-highlife music, which is a fusion of highlife and reggae brought from African immigrants mixed with German disco and funk. George Darko, who passed on March 20th, was popular throughout the end of the 20th century, performing in Africa and Europe. Here’s a perfect example of the genre, a track called “Highlife Time.”
George Darko – Highlife TimeHeadliner:[18 Mar 2024] Kevin Toney, 70, American jazz pianist (The Blackbyrds) and composer, cancer.While you’ll instantly recognize our headliner from his time with the 70s disco fusion band The Blackbyrds, keyboardist and arranger Kevin Toney, who died on March 18th, was also a sought after musician who performed with Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, just to name a few. Here he is with the Blackbyrds and their 1976 Grammy nominated song, “Waking in Rhythm.”
The Blackbyrds – Walking In RhythmMain Stage:[17 Mar 2024] Cola Boyy, 34, American musician.Our youngest performer this week was born Matthew Joseph Urango in 1990 but went by the stage name Cola Boyy. Born with severe birth defects, Cola Boyy taught himself how to play keyboards and first hit the stage at age 17. He made music to fight ableist stereotyping and to describe his experiences as a disabled person. Unfortunately, he died at home on March 17th at the age of 34. This is Cola Boyy with “Don’t Forget Your Neighborhood.”
Cola Boyy – Don’t Forget Your Neighborhood[19 Mar 2024] Greg Lee, 53, American singer (Hepcat), brain aneurysm.Hepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989. They played in the Vans Warped Tour circuit throughout the 1990s. Greg Lee, who died on March 19th, was a singer for the band throughout their infrequent schedule since losing their label deal in the 2000s. Here is Hepcat with “I Can’t Wait.”
Hepcat – I Can’t Wait[14 Mar 2024] Frank Darcel, 65, French guitarist (Marquis de Sade).Frank Darcel was one of the great French rock guitarists with his band Marquis de Sade in the 1980s. Though they only released two albums and performed only from 1977 to 1981, they were considered highly influential in the post-punk scene, as new wave and funk took over in the 80s. Darcel left us on March 14th. This is Marquis de Sade with “Wanda’s Loving Boy.”
Marquis de Sade – Wanda’s Loving BoyCountry Bunker:[09 Mar 2024] Malcolm Holcombe, 68, American singer-songwriter, respiratory failure.Malcolm Holcombe was an American singer-songwriter born and raised in Weaverville, North Carolina. He moved to Nashville in 1990 to pursue music and was signed six years later by Geffen Records. He continued recording Americana, folk, and alt-country albums through 2022, until his battle with cancer sidelined him, ultimately taking him from us on March 9th. This is “Black Bitter Moon.”
Malcolm Holcombe – Black Bitter Moon[10 Mar 2024] Karl Wallinger, 66, Welsh musician (The Waterboys, World Party) and songwriter (“Ship of Fools“).Karl Wallinger was a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and songwriter known for his work in the groups The Waterboys and World Party. He was classically trained in music since age 9 and won music scholarships, leading to a professional career beginning at age 20. Wallinger passed away on March 10th. This is the biggest hit for World Party, reaching #27 back in 1987, it’s “Ship of Fools.”
World Party – Ship Of Fools[12 Mar 2024] Russ Wilson, 62, American musician (Junkhouse).Russ Wilson was a Canadian bassist who was a co-founder of the band Junkhouse. The group was active throughout the 1990s, getting considerable coverage on the Canadian pop and alt-rock charts. Wilson left the band in 1996, and Junkhouse disbanded two years later. Russ Wilson died on March 12th. This is Junkhouse with “Shine.”
Junkhouse – ShineThe Amphitheater:[14 Mar 2024] Lamara Chkonia, 93, Georgian operatic soprano.Lamara Chkonia was a Georgian soprano born in what was then a part of the Soviet Union. She was one of the few women to break through the Iron Curtain, performing in several concert tours outside of the USSR, where she received praise from critics. In 1976, Chkonia was awarded People’s Artist of the USSR, the highest artistic honor of the time. Twenty years later, she retired to Madrid, Spain, where she died on March 14th.
Lamara Chkonia – Before My Window[09 Mar 2024] Guy Touvron, 74, French trumpeter.Guy Touvron was a French classical trumpet player and music teacher who garnered a lifetime of accolades and prizes for his talent. Touvron, however, was also found guilty in 2020 of having sexually assaulted a young woman; he was given a six-month suspended prison sentence. He was also investigated for rape of another young woman from 2021, pleading innocent. Before that case could be resolved, Touvron died on March 9th.
Guy Touvron – Concerto Grosso[09 Mar 2024] Jonathan Zak [he], 91, Israeli pianist.Jonathan Zak was an Israeli pianist and teacher who graduated the Jerusalem Academy in 1955 and completed his studies at the Julliard School of Music in New York. After returning to Israel in 1969, he founded a chamber trio that was popular for 25 years. Zak died on March 9th.
Jonathan Zak – La Bas, vers l’egliseBritish Invasion:[13 Mar 2024] John Blunt, British drummer (The Searchers).Our first foray into the British Invasion this week comes by way of the group The Searchers and their late drummer, John Blunt, who passed on March 13th. Blunt came on to the group in 1966, just after the Merseybeat wave they’d surfed in on with The Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers had crashed. This is the Searchers from an earlier recording with their cover of Jackie DeShannon’s “Needles & Pins.”
The Searchers – Needles and Pins[18 Mar 2024] Jimmy Hastings, 85, British musician (Caravan, Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North).Jimmy Hastings was a sax, clarinet, and flute player who played with the early 70s British bands Caravan and Soft Machine, a big part of the Canterbury scene that was a hotbed of British psychedelic and progressive rock. He also played some with Bryan Ferry, Chris Squire, and Radiohead. Hastings passed away on March 18th. This is Soft Machine with “We Did It Again.”
The Soft Machine – We Did It Again[17 Mar 2024] Steve Harley, 73, English musician (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel), songwriter (“Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)“, “Mr. Soft“) and producer, cancer.Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the glam rock group Cockney Rebel who died on March 17th. He beat polio as a child and was classically trained in violin and guitar. He had six UK hit singles with the band in the mid-1970s, including this number one UK hit “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me).”
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 22nd, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 15th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. It’s our one-year anniversary show, and man, did The Reaper pull together a great lineup this week with our headliner, The Raspberries’ Eric Carmen. This week brings the piano king of boogaloo, a drummer turned darts official, a bass player from The Pretenders, and a Scottish songstress to the Main Stage. We’ve also got three Americans in the House of Blues, including one of the greatest session guitarists ever, as well as a trip to the Jazz Cellar with one of the greatest session saxophonists ever. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[07 Mar 2024] Pete Rodriguez, 89, American pianist (“I Like It Like That“) and bandleader.Pete Rodriguez, who died on March 7th, was born in the Bronx, New York, to Puerto Rican parents in 1934. He rose to fame as a pianist and bandleader in the Latin Boogaloo style, recording a dozen albums between 1964 and 1971, the most successful of which was 1966’s A Mi Me Gusta Así, the title track of which you have heard at the movies, in video games, and sampled by numerous hip-hop artists, in English you know it as “I Like it Like That.”
Pete Rodriguez – I Like It Like ThatHeadliner:[11 Mar 2024] Eric Carmen, 74, American musician (Raspberries), singer (“Hungry Eyes“), and songwriter (“All by Myself“).Our headliner this week joined the gig eternal on March 11th, having died in his sleep. Eric Carmen first hit the scene in 1972 when his band Raspberries had this #5 hit called “Go All the Way.”
Raspberries – Go All The WayEric Carmen then went solo and had a #4 hit, a #3 hit, and a #2 hit, but never reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Here’s Eric Carmen’s #4 hit from 1987, off the juggernaut Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack—we’ll finish the countdown in the Encore—this is “Hungry Eyes.”
Eric Carmen – Hungry EyesMain Stage:[13 Mar 2024] Dick Allix, 78, British drummer (Vanity Fare) and darts official.Never before have we had a member of the Professional Darts Hall of Fame on the program. Dick Allix, who went bulls out on March 13th, co-founded the Professional Darts Corporation in 1992, the world’s leading darts organization that holds televised championships and provides world rankings for the sport. Oh, and he was also the drummer for a 60s UK pop band called Vanity Fare that had this 1970 #5 hit in the USA called “Hitchin’ a Ride.”
Vanity Fare – Hitchin’ A Ride (Murray)[10 Mar 2024] T. M. Stevens, 72, American bass guitarist (The Pretenders), complications from dementia.Next up we have Thomas Michael, or “T.M.” Stevens, an American bass guitarist who did recording and tour work for artists including James Brown, Nona Hendryx, Dan Hartman, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Little Steven, Tina Turner, Taylor Dayne, and Billy Joel. However, he’s best known for being a member of The Pretenders from 1986–87, during which he appeared on the Get Close album. Here’s its biggest hit, “Don’t Get Me Wrong.”
The Pretenders – Don’t Get Me Wrong[14 Mar 2024] Angela McCluskey, 64, Scottish singer-songwriter.Closing out the Main Stage we have a California-based singer I’m going to call the Scottish Amy Winehouse. Angela McCluskey passed away on March 14th and her voice appeared on numerous commercials and in film and television soundtracks. Born in Glasgow in 1960, she relocated to Hollywood in 1993, and also performed with the groups The Garden of Eden, Wild Colonials, and Telepopmusik. Here she is on one of her solo efforts entitled “It’s Been Done.”
Angela McCluskey – It’s Been DoneHouse of Blues:[10 Mar 2024] Paul Nelson, American guitarist, record producer and songwriter, heart attack.Paul Nelson, who died March 10th, was an American Grammy award winning blues and rock guitarist, record producer and songwriter. He was an A-list, first call session player whose list of collaborations would take the rest of the hour to read. Let’s just say that he was handpicked to join the legendary Johnny Winter’s band, leading to the Grammy-winning album Step Back, which debuted at #1 on the blues album charts and #16 on the pop charts, the highest point of Winter’s career. Here’ Paul Nelson featured on that album with the song “Killing Floor.”
Johnny Winter – Killing Floor (With Paul Nelson)[02 Mar 2024] Blues Boy Willie, 77, American blues musician.William Daniel McFall, better known as Blues Boy Willie, was a Texas blues man who made a splash in the 90s with character-driven songs that relied on comedy and innuendo, harkening back to the “jelly roll” era of early censored blues and jazz. Blues Boy Willie left us on March 2nd. Here’s a track from his 2002 album Back Again called “Hungry Harp Blues.”
Blues Boy Willie – Hungry Harp Blues[01 Mar 2024] Don Wise, 81, American tenor saxophonist.Don Wise, who passed on March 1st, wraps up the House of Blues this week. He played tenor saxophone with a variety of artists, including Jeffrey Osborne, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Tower of Power, Huey Lewis, and Ray Charles. He also played at the inaugural for President George H.W. Bush. But his main gig for 23 years was as the sax man for Texas blues-rock legend Delbert McClinton, heard on his biggest hit, “Giving it Up For Your Love.”
Delbert McClinton – Giving It Up for Your LoveThe Jazz Cellar:[13 Mar 2024] Sylvain Luc, 58, French jazz guitarist.Our next guitarist took up guitar, cello, violin, and mandolin as a child, and by age 9 was recording on albums with his brothers. Sylvain Luc is a French jazz guitarist who died on March 13th. He started recording his own solo material at 15 and quickly became the most sought-after guitarist and bassist in the Basque region. He went on to perform with Al Jarreau, Steve Gadd, Wynton Marsalis, John McLaughlin, Steve Lukather, Billy Cobham, Victor Bailey, and Al Di Meola, to name but a few. Here he is performing the Ray Charles classic, “I Got a Woman.”
Sylvain Luc – I Got A Woman[08 Mar 2024] Ernie Fields Jr., 89, American baritone saxophonist and session musician.Ernie Fields Jr, who left us on March 8th, was an American baritone saxophonist and session musician. He worked with blues, soul and funk artists including B. B. King, Bobby Bland, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Rick James, and Marvin Gaye. In the 1990s he began touring with trombonist Fred Wesley, known for his work with James Brown, playing bagpipes as well as saxophone. Here he is on a Fred Wesley track for which he did all the horn arrangements, “Wuda Cuda Shuda.”
Fred Wesley – Wuda Cuda ShudaEncore:[11 Mar 2024] Eric Carmen, 74, American musician (Raspberries), singer (“Hungry Eyes“), and songwriter (“All by Myself“).We welcome Eric Carmen back to the stage. We played his #5 hit with the Raspberries and his #4 hit from Dirty Dancing. In 1988 Carmen released a Greatest Hits album that contained this new single, which became his biggest hit of the 80s, making it all the way to #3. This is “Make Me Lose Control.”
Eric Carmen – Make Me Lose ControlEric Carmen’s biggest success came off his debut album from 1975. It has a classical background, its verse based on Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, and its chorus was taken from a 1972 Raspberries single called “Let’s Pretend.” This is the song kept out of the #1 spot by The Miracles’ “Love Machine” and The Four Seasons’ “Oh, What a Night,” this is Eric Carmen at #2 with “All By Myself.”
Eric Carmen – All By MyselfClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 15th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 8th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. We’ve got a loaded stage this week, headlined by Vegas nightclub legend Steve Lawrence. We’ll start you off with some British Island pop. Then we’ve got Czechoslovakia’s funkiest drummer, Cameroon’s funkiest drummer, and one of modern Southern Rock’s best drummers. We’ve also got some blues, jazz, and reggae, as well as woman who was American Idol’s vocal coach. There’s even a bit of music from Panama and Italy in this week’s Reaper’s Rotation. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[29 Feb 2024] Johnny Gentle, 87, British pop singer.John Askew, known as Johnny Gentle, passed away on February 29th. He was a British pop singer best remembered for having briefly toured Scotland in 1960 with The Silver Beetles, comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Tommy Moore. Obviously, three of those fellows went on to much greater fame than old Johnny Gentle, who changed his stage name to Darren Young in 1962, then joined the group The Viscounts in 1964. Here he is with a single from 1959 called “Milk From the Coconut.”
Johnny Gentle – Milk From the CoconutHeadliner:[07 Mar 2024] Steve Lawrence, 88, American singer (“Go Away Little Girl“, “Footsteps“) and actor (The Blues Brothers), complications from Alzheimer’s disease.Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz) was best known for his singing duo with his wife, Eydie Gormé. They appeared on Steve Allen’s Tonight Show back in 1954 and continued performing together until her retirement in 2009. He was also an actor, appearing on many TV shows like The Carol Burnett Show. Steve Lawrence left us on March 7th, outliving Eydie by almost eleven years. Here’s his number one hit from 1962, written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, called “Go Away Little Girl.”
Steve Lawrence – Go Away, Little GirlMain Stage:[01 Mar 2024] Ernest Berger, 73, Czechoslovak-born British drummer (Heatwave), cardiac arrest.For years, I’ve found the introductory drum, bass, and harp piece from the 1977 song “Boogie Nights” to be one of the jazziest bits of disco ever. Today we welcome Czechoslovakia’s Ernest Berger to the stage, drummer for the multinational band Heatwave, with other members from America, England, Switzerland, and Jamaica, whose number two hit was kept out of the top spot by Debbie Boone. Berger died of a heart attack on March 1st. Now let’s dig this eternal groove he laid down.
Heatwave – Boogie Nights[02 Mar 2024] Jim Beard, 63, American keyboardist (Steely Dan).Our next performer is an American keyboardist who worked in the studio and on stage with Victor Bailey, Steve Vai, John Mayer, Walter Becker, Esperanza Spalding, Steely Dan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Al Jarreau, Dizzy Gillespie. David Sanborn, Béla Fleck, Larry Carlton, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Wayne Shorter, and Pat Metheny. In other words, Jim Beard, who died on March 2nd, was a certified bad-ass. Here’s just one example of his immense chops on this recording with The Brecker Brothers called “Some Skunk Funk.”
The Brecker Brothers – Some Skunk Funk[03 Mar 2024] Brit Turner, 57, American drummer (Blackberry Smoke), glioblastoma.Closing the Main Stage we welcome Blackberry Smoke, an Atlanta band that became the first independently released artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album charts in modern history. The rhythm section consisted of brothers Richard Turner on bass and our latest drummer to join the Great Gig in the Sky, Brit Turner, who passed away on March 3rd from brain cancer. This is Blackberry Smoke with “Little Bit Crazy.”
Blackberry Smoke – Little Bit CrazyHouse of Blues:[02 Mar 2024] W. C. Clark, 84, American blues musician.Wesley Curley “W.C.” Clark was known as the “Godfather of Austin Blues” for his influence on the Austin, Texas blues scene since the late 1960s. He played with brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan as they were coming up, and shared the stage with James Brown, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddy King, Sam and Dave, Elvin Bishop, and Bobby Blue Bland. Clark met his maker on March 2nd. Here he is performing “Okie Dokie Stomp.”
W.C. Clark – Okie Dokee Stomp[04 Mar 2024] B. B. Seaton, 79, Jamaican singer (The Gaylads), songwriter and record producer.Harris Lloyd “B. B.” Seaton was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and record producer who was a member of The Gaylads, The Astronauts, Conscious Minds, and The Messengers. He also had a long solo career dating back to 1960. Seaton was the first reggae artist to be signed by Virgin Records and continued to perform into the 2010s as a member of The Gaylads. Seaton left us on March 4th. This is The Gaylads with “It’s All in the Game.”
The Gaylads – It’s All in the GameThe Amphitheater:[05 Mar 2024] Debra Byrd, 72, American singer and vocal coach.Debra Byrd, who joined the choir invisible on March 5th, was an American vocalist who worked with Barry Manilow, appeared on Broadway, and served as the head vocal coach for American Idol and Canadian Idol for ten and six seasons, respectively. This is from Barry Manilow’s Duets album, a track with Debra Byrd called “Let Me Be Your Wings.”
Barry Manilow – Let Me Be Your Wings (With Debra Byrd)[05 Mar 2024] Linda Balgord, 64, American stage actress and singer (The Pirate Queen, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera).Linda Balgord was an American Broadway actress and singer who passed away on March 5th. She was most notable for playing Norma Desmond in the 1996 United States tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard, being the last actress to portray Grizabella in the original Broadway run of Cats, and originating the role of Queen Elizabeth I in The Pirate Queen on Broadway. She also played the role of Madame Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and appeared in the original Broadway cast of Death Takes a Holiday, from which we’ll play this cut, “Something’s Happened.”
Original Broadway Cast of ‘Death Takes a Holiday’ – Something’s HappenedFestival Stage:[07 Mar 2024] Pedro Altamiranda, 88, Panamanian singer.Pedro Altamiranda Félez, or Pedrito Altamiranda, was a Panamanian singer and composer known for his Carnival songs. Altamiranda sang about the culture and politics of Panama using humorous Panamanian slang. Many of his political songs have been controversial, some of them censored by different governments including the Manuel Noriega dictatorship. Altamiranda started writing songs in 1979 and continued performing until his death this week on March 7th. Here he is with “El Buhonero” or “The Peddler.”
Pedrito Altamiranda – El Buhonero[03 Mar 2024] Oscar Ghiglia, 85, Italian classical guitarist.Oscar Alberto Ghiglia was an Italian classical guitarist who left for the great hereafter on March 3rd. He was a student of the great Andrés Segovia and founded the Guitar Department at the Aspen Music Festival. Besides touring as a solo performer, Oscar Ghiglia played and recorded with a great number of singers, soloists, and quartets. This is Oscar Ghiglia performing “Monpou.”
Oscar Ghiglia – Monpou[03 Mar 2024] Félix Sabal Lecco, 64–65, Cameroonian drummer.Our final drummer for the week hails from Cameroon, the son of a diplomat who’d been the nation’s ambassador to Italy and France. Félix Sabal Lecco, who died on March 3rd, went on to play with Jeff Beck, Prince, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, Janet Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, and Paul Simon, to name a few. This is a track from French singer Régine Lapassion that features Lecco, called “Ou aller?”
Régine Lapassion – Ou aller? (feat. Félix Sabal Lecco)Encore:[07 Mar 2024] Steve Lawrence, 88, American singer (“Go Away Little Girl“, “Footsteps“) and actor (The Blues Brothers), complications from Alzheimer’s disease.Steve Lawrence returns to the stage to close out our show. He’ll always hold a special place in my heart for his portrayal of Maury Sline, the agent who books the Blues Brothers into the Palace Hotel Ballroom in Lake Wazupamani. Without Sline, they never could have paid the taxes on the orphanage. Here’s Lawrence’s #7 hit from 1960, featuring his wife Eydie singing background vocals, a song written by Barry Mann and Hank Hunter called “Footsteps.”
Steve Lawrence – FootstepsClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 8th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 1st, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. We’ve got three artists this week who the Reaper took way too soon, including an American dance diva, a Dutch rapper, and our headliner, Jamaican reggae star Peetah Morgan of Morgan Heritage. We’ll head north for some Finnish folk and Swedish jazz, then a world tour of singers from Cuba, Turkey, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[28 Feb 2024] Cat Janice, 31, American singer-songwriter, cancer.Catherine Janice Ipsan, known professionally as Cat Janice, was born in 1993 and began playing piano and violin at age 6. By 2015, she’d released two albums, won regional awards, and landed her music on television shows. In 2022, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. She released this next song on January 19th this year, with all proceeds dedicated to her 7-year-old son, asking fans to stream the song to benefit the boy she’d be leaving behind. They did, launching “Dance You Outta My Head” to #1 on TikTok, #7 on iTunes worldwide, and #11 on Billboard’s digital song sales chart. Cat Janice succumbed to cancer on February 28th at the age of just 31.
Cat Janice – Dance You Outta My Head [radio edit]Headliner:[25 Feb 2024] Peter “Peetah” Morgan, 46, Jamaican reggae singer (Morgan Heritage).Peetah Morgan was one of five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan. With Una, Gramps, Lukes, and Mr. Mojo, the Morgan siblings in 1994 formed Morgan Heritage. Peetah was the band’s lead singer. They made their debut at Reggae Sunsplash and released their first album, Miracles, and continued recording albums to last year, winning two Grammy Awards along the way. Let’s go back to that first album for this fun reggae cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Love and Happiness.” Then we’ll catch up on some newer Morgan Heritage in this week’s encore.
Morgan Heritage – Love And HappinessMain Stage:[25 Feb 2024] Bigidagoe, 26, Dutch rapper, shot.Our youngest performer led a life of hustle, violence, and crime that you might expect from a South Central Los Angeles rapper. But Bigidagoe, who was shot and killed on February 25th at the age of 26, came from the Dutch metropolis of Amsterdam. After collecting a juvenile rap sheet for street robbery and cocaine dealing, he made his rap debut at age 17, and built a successful career. With success came rap feuds, diss tracks, and Bigidagoe getting shot in 2020. He was facing charges of kidnapping a rival rapper, with the government recommending four years in prison, when he lost his life this week. This is Bigidagoe with “Platzak.”
Bigidagoe – Platzak (ft. Esko, Jack, Vic9)[26 Feb 2024] Jaakko Teppo [fi], 71, Finnish singer-songwriter.Now to Finland, where the man named 1984’s Sexiest Male Performer and 1992’s Entertainer of the Year has left us on February 26th. Jaakko Teppo was a champion couplet singer, a style of Finnish folk music. He became renown for expressing his left-wing political views through lyrical metaphor. His career was interrupted in the mid-1990s by stroke, earning him both a disability and state artist pension. Here is one of Teppo’s biggest hits, called “Hilma Ja Onni.”
Jaakko Teppo – Hilma Ja OnniThe Jazz Cellar:[25 Feb 2024] Georg Riedel, 90, Czechoslovak-born Swedish musician.Georg Riedel was a Czechoslovak-born Swedish double bass player and composer. He escaped the Nazis in 1938 at the age of 4 when his parents fled to Sweden. There, Riedel attended music school in Stockholm, becoming a sought-after rhythm section player for numerous Swedish jazz musicians in the 1960s and 70s. He went on to compose film scores for director Astrid Lindgren. Reidel passed away on February 25th. Here he his performing on “Telegram För Fullmånen.”
Georg Riedel – Telegram För FullmånenFestival Stage:[24 Feb 2024] Juana Bacallao, 98, Cuban singer and dancer.Our oldest performer hit the stage eternal on February 24th at age 98. Juana Bacallao, also known as Juana la Cubana and Juana La Caliente, was a Cuban singer and musician. She was orphaned at age 6 and discovered while singing as she worked as a domestic servant. Bacallao went on to perform around the world and was awarded the Cuban National Humor Prize in 2020. Here she is performing “Espíritu Burlón.”
Juana Bacallao – Espíritu Burlón[07 Jan 2024] Yüksel Uzel [tr], 73, Turkish singer.We let this next artist slip past us last month. Yüksel Uzel was a Turkish classical singer who joined the choir invisible on January 7th. She began her career at Istanbul Municipal Conservatory in 1975 and released her first album in 1983. Success soon followed; within five years she was starring in Turkish films. But in the mid-1990’s—like our earlier performer from Finland—she suffered a brain aneurysm that cut short her career. She resettled in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2004. Here she is performing “Üzüldüğün Şeye Bak.”
Yüksel Uzel – Üzüldüğün Şeye BakInternational Stage:[26 Feb 2024] Pankaj Udhas, 72, Indian ghazal singer.Pankaj Udhas was an Indian ghazal and playback singer known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian pop. After recording hit albums in the 1980s, he turned his talent to cinema and live concerts around the world. He won eighteen major awards for his work, culminating in 2006 when he was awarded India’s 4th-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, for his artistic endeavors. Udhas passed away following a long illness on February 26th. This is “Dil Dhadkane Ka Sabab.”
Pankaj Udhas – Dil Dhadkane Ka Sabab[18 Feb 2024] Hasina Mumtaz, 78, Bangladeshi singer.Hasina Hossain Mumtaz was a Bangladeshi singer whose music became inspiration for the protestors of the 1969 mass uprising in East Pakistan that led to the development of the nation of Bangladesh. Mumtaz left us on February 18th. Here she is performing “Chachy Di Gali Ghidi A.”
Hasina Mumtaz – Chachy Di Gali Ghidi A[26 Feb 2024] Bhakta Raj Acharya, 81, Nepali singer and composer.Bhakta Raj Acharya, commonly referred to as Bhajan Shiromani, was a Nepali singer and composer, widely known as one of the greatest singers of all time in Nepal. Acharya’s career started in 1973 after he won a gold medal in an All Nepal Song Competition held by Radio Nepal. His career spanned until 1986. He recorded 450 songs and composed about 25–30 songs. Acharya passed away on February 26th. This is “Maya Meri Sanjha.”
Bhakta Raj Acharya – Maya Meri SanjhaEncore:[25 Feb 2024] Peter “Peetah” Morgan, 46, Jamaican reggae singer (Morgan Heritage).We welcome Peetah Morgan and Morgan Heritage back to our stage. After the release of their debut, Miracles, the family band moved to Jamaica. While recording their next three albums, three family members left the band. Then after recording solo projects, the band was nominated three times for the Grammy for Best Reggae Album, winning twice. Here’s one of their most popular tracks, “Down by the River.”
Morgan Heritage – Down By The RiverMorgan Heritage was quite the prolific band, recording albums from 1994 all the way to 2023’s “The Homeland.” Peetah also recorded his own solo album, “The Undeniable Truth.” Peetah Morgan died on February 26th at the age of 46. Here’s music from that 2023 album, one his last recordings entitled “They Gonna Be Alright.”
Morgan Heritage – They Gonna Be AlrightClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, March 1st, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 23rd, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. We’re spanning the globe and the century this week, with some classic 1960s American pop, heavy metal from Canada and Ukraine, and one of the defining families of bluegrass. We’ll also stop by Uruguay, Australia, Slovakia, Ethiopia, and Germany before we’re through. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[20 Feb 2024] Judi Pulver, 77, American singer, lung cancer.Judi Pulver, a singer-songwriter who became the top music sales executive for Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, died on February 20th. A native of Connecticut, Pulver got her start as a singer and songwriter who also worked in stage musicals. In 1973, she released the album “Pulver Rising,” then hit the road opening for Mott the Hoople in 1974. Here’s the single from that album called “Dancing on the Moon.”
Judi Pulver – Dancing on the MoonHeadliner:[19 Feb 2024] Bobby Tench, 79, British musician (The Jeff Beck Group, Hummingbird, Streetwalkers).Robert Tench, who left us on February 19th, is best known for his work with Freddie King and Van Morrison, as well as being a member of The Jeff Beck Group, Humble Pie, and Streetwalkers. He is also a founding member of Hummingbird and The Gass. Here’s Bobby Tench with Hummingbird and the track “You Can Keep the Money.”
Hummingbird – You Can Keep The MoneyMain Stage:[20 Feb 2024] David Libert, 81, American music executive, musician (The Happenings) and author.David Libert was one of the founding members of the musical group, The Happenings. Libert later left the group to become a booking agent. After a brief stint as road manager for Rare Earth, Libert became tour manager for Alice Cooper during Alice’s most formidable years. His company went on to represent George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, Living Colour, Sheila E, and Vanilla Fudge. Libert passed on February 20th. Here are the Happenings with their mega-hit, “See You in September.”
The Happenings – See You In September[11 Feb 2024] Randy Sparks, 90, American musician (The New Christy Minstrels, The Back Porch Majority) and songwriter (“Green, Green”).On February 11th we said goodbye to our oldest performer this week, 90-year-old Lloyd Arrington Sparks, known professionally as Randy Sparks, the founder of The New Christy Minstrels in 1962, whose debut album stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for two years. The large ensemble group featured many members, including Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, and was a popular television fixture on The Andy Williams Show. Here’s their biggest hit that went to #14 on the pop charts, “Green, Green.”
The New Christy Minstrels – Green, Green[16 Feb 2024] Cynthia Strother, 88, American singer (The Bell Sisters).Cynthia Strother, along with her sister Kay, were a 1950’s singing duo who adopted their mother’s maiden name to perform as The Bell Sisters. They were discovered on Halloween Night, 1951, singing on a local Los Angeles TV show. By 1953, they had appeared in two movies. Cynthia died on February 16th and is survived by her sister, five years her junior. Here’s the song that got them discovered and peaked at #7 in 1952, this is “Bermuda.”
The Bell Sisters – BermudaThe Amphitheater:[20 Feb 2024] Geoffrey Michaels, 79, Australian violinist and violist.Geoffrey Michaels was an Australian child violin prodigy in the 1950s. At 14, he became the youngest performer ever to win the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s concerto competition, and made his first recording, which sold out within weeks of its release. At the age of 16 he went to the United States to attend the Curtis Institute of Music. He passed away on February 20th. Here he is performing Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 2.”
Geoffrey Michaels – Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 2[19 Feb 2024] Jozef Ábel [sk], 82, Slovak opera singer, actor and dancer.Jozef Ábel was a Slovakian opera singer who joined the choir invisible on February 19th. He began his time as a soloist for the state theater in 1955, working his way up to soloist for the national theater in 1982. He was also skilled as an actor and dancer. Here he is performing the Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly.
Jozef Ábel – Madame Butterfly, Humming ChorusFestival Stage:[21 Feb 2024] Roberto Darvin [es], 82, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and guitarist.Roberto Darvin was a Uruguayan guitarist and singer-songwriter whose songs have been performed by Celia Cruz and other artists. He performed and lived in Uruguay, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Germany, and Spain. He was well known for his promotion of Uruguayan folk music. He died on February 21st. Here’s an example called “Calle Yacaré.”
Roberto Darvin – Calle YacaréCountry Bunker:[22 Feb 2024] Roni Stoneman, 85, American bluegrass banjo player (Hee Haw).Veronica Loretta Stoneman, aka Roni Stoneman, was a bluegrass banjo player and comedian widely known as a cast member on the country music show Hee Haw. Her father, Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, recorded the first platinum country music record in 1924. He started a family band that included Roni, that won on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, then went on to have their own TV show, Those Stonemans, from 1966–68. Roni Stoneman died on February 22nd. Here she is performing “Going Home.”
Roni Stoneman – Going HomeInternational Stage:[21 Feb 2024] Getachew Kassa, 79, Ethiopian singer and percussionist.Ethiopia’s Getachew Kassa began singing at the age of six, imitating iconic singers like Elvis Presley and Harry Belafonte. As a young man, he started playing with a band called Fetan Band in the 1970s. Kassa moved to the United States in 1981 and drew attention to the fate of the people who had been struck by hunger in Ethiopia. Kassa died on February 21st. This is one of his most popular songs, “Yekereme Fikir.”
Getachew Kassa – Yekereme Fikir[23 Feb 2024] Tina Rainford, 77, German singer (“Silver Bird”).Tina Rainford, who passed away on February 23rd, was a German singer who began her career in 1963 under the stage name Peggy Peters. But by 1967, she assumed her real name in duets with then-husband Peter Rainford. Her greatest success came in 1976 with her song, “Silver Bird,” which was a hit in English in the US, Canada, and Australia. Here’s the German version of that tune, which made it big in Europe.
Tina Rainford – Silver BirdMosh Pit:[16 Feb 2024] Fritz Hinz, 68, Canadian drummer (Helix), cancer.Helix is one of the great Canadian hard rock bands, fronted by vocalist Brian Vollmer. The band went through many lineup changes, but its iconic lineup from the 1980s featured drummer Greg “Fritz” Hinz, who went on eternal tour on February 16th. Here’s Hinz on the skins with Helix’s biggest hit, “Rock You.”
Helix – Rock You[16 Feb 2024] Dexter Romweber, 57, American musician (Flat Duo Jets).Dex Romweber, who died on February 16th, was born the youngest of seven children in a musical family from Indiana. During the mid-1980s rockabilly revival led by The Stray Cats, he formed a band called Flat Duo Jets, but their first record didn’t come out until 1990. They appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and performed for fifteen years before Romweber split to tackle a solo career. Here are Flat Duo Jets with “Chiquita.”
Flat Duo Jets – Chiquita[21 Feb 2024] Vitalij Kuprij [hu], 49, Ukrainian-American musician (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ring of Fire) and composer.Our youngest artist in the Reaper’s Rotation this week is Vitali Kuprij, a Ukrainian-American pianist who got his start in classical music, winning a Chopin competition in Russia as a teen. He moved to the US at 16 and became interested in the emerging genre of neoclassical metal, first with the group Artension in the 1990s, followed by Ring of Fire in the 2000s. Kuprij died on February 21st at the age of 49. Here is Ring of Fire with “Battle of Leningrad.”
Ring of Fire – Battle Of LeningradEncore:[19 Feb 2024] Bobby Tench, 79, British musician (The Jeff Beck Group, Hummingbird, Streetwalkers).Let’s bring the prolific Bobby Tench back up to close the show. When Tench joined the Jeff Beck Group, one rock critic wrote, “Tench has a fine, gravel voice …. Trying to fill [Rod] Stewart’s high heels is no mean feat and it’s to Tench’s credit that he carries himself well.” Let’s check that out in this 1971 track called “Got the Feeling.”
The Jeff Beck Group – Got the FeelingClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 23rd, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 16th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. It’s a cornucopia of international artists on this Reaper’s Rotation. Our world tour takes us to England, America, Mexico, Japan, Latvia, Hungary, Holland, Slovakia, Greece, India, Italy, and Finland. You’ll hear some rock, classical, folk, pop, and country from all around the world. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[15 Feb 2024] Ian Amey, 79, English musician and singer (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich).We begin in England, where Ian Amey has died on February 15th. Amey was best known by his nickname Tich as one of the members of the mid-60s freakbeat band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. The band had six top-five singles in the UK from 1966–68, including this track that went to number four called “Hold Tight!”
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Hold TightHeadliner:[09 Feb 2024] Jimmy Van Eaton, 86, American rock drummer, singer and record producer.The man Jerry Lee Lewis called “The creative rock’n’roll drummer” has died on February 9th. Jimmy Van Eaton recorded with The Killer in the famous sessions Lewis laid down at Sun Records, as well as recordings with including Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Charlie Rich at Sun. He also toured with Conway Twitty. Here’s Van Eaton behind the kit on take three of the session for “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On.”
Jerry Lee Lewis – Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On (1.3)Main Stage:[09 Feb 2024] Renata Flores, 74, Mexican actress (Rosa salvaje, La usurpadora, Amores verdaderos) and rock singer, cancer.Marta Sylvia “Renata” Flores was a Mexican actress and singer best known for playing villains in telenovelas. She had a hit at the age of 14 with a Spanish cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back,” then shot to stardom in television in her 30s and 40s. Despite her success, she ended up penniless and homeless, living in a car in Mexico City, until her death on February 9th. This is Renata Flores with the group We the Lion performing “Spirits.”
Renata Flores – Spirits[09 Feb 2024] Damo Suzuki, 74, Japanese singer (Can) and songwriter (“Vitamin C“, “Spoon“), colon cancer.Damo Suzuki, who passed away on February 9th, was a Japanese musician best known as the vocalist for the German Krautrock group Can between 1970 and 1973. He then quit music for a decade and became a Jehovah’s Witness. After returning to music in 1983, he also began a four-decade battle with colon cancer that was told in the documentary Energy. Here’s Suzuki’s first recording with Can from 1970, called “Don’t Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone.”
Can – Don’t Turn The Light On, Leave Me Alone[12 Feb 2024] Juris Kulakovs [lv], 65, Latvian musician (Pērkons).Pērkons, Latvian for thunder, was formed in Latvia in the 1980s. Juris Kulakovs wrote and played keyboard for the hard rock band, which in 1983 was banned by the Soviet government. But they just renamed themselves the Ensemble of the Soviet Latvia Collective Farm and continued performing anyway. Kulakovs met his maker on February 12th. Here is Pērkons with “Gandrīz Tautasdziesma.”
Pērkons – Gandrīz TautasdziesmaThe Amphitheater:[12 Feb 2024] Tamás Deák, 95, Hungarian composer and conductor.We move now to Hungary, where composer, conductor, and trumpet player Tamás Deák has left us on February 12th. Deák was one of the pioneers of jazz music education in Hungary, head of the jazz class of the Béla Bartók Music School in Budapest. Here’s his composition called “Csordapasztorok.”
Tamás Deák – Csordapasztorok[12 Feb 2024] Rudolf Jansen, 84, Dutch classical pianist.Rudolf Jansen was a Dutch classical pianist known for his accompaniment of chamber music. Jansen had played organ since he was a child and by age 24 was winning national awards. He recorded over 120 albums in his lifetime and played his last concert in 2017 at the age of 77. Here he is accompanying longtime collaborator singer Elly Ameling.
Elly Ameling, Rudolf Jansen – Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques – IV. Chanson Des Cueilleuses De Lentisques, M.A5[11 Feb 2024] Ladislav Burlas, 96, Slovak composer and musicologist.Our oldest performer in the ethereal orchestra this week is 96-year-old Ladislav Burlas from Slovakia. Burlas worked at the institute of musicology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava from 1951 to 1990. Burlas composed in many genres, for orchestra, chamber music, piano music and other works for solo instruments, with a focus on choral music and educational pieces. Here he is performing with Dalibor Karvay on “Kadencia.”
Ladislav Burlas, Dalibor Karvay – KadenciaInternational Stage:[20 Jan 2024] Charis Kostopoulos, 59, Greek singer-songwriter, cancer.Our youngest performer with the choir invisible this week is 59-year-old Greek singer-songwriter Haris Kostopoulos, who started his career in 1975, at the age of 11, playing bouzouki, a kind of Greek lute. He went on to record over three dozen albums from 1987–2019. Kostopoulos left us on January 20th following his battle with cancer. This is “Proto Thema.”
Haris Kostopoulos – Proto Thema[04 Feb 2024] Kamla Srivastava, 90, Indian folk singer, cardio-respiratory failure.Kamla Srivastava was an Indian folk music singer who sang folk, light and classical music at All India Radio, Doordarshan and Sri Lanka Radio. She was the winner of over a dozen awards and retired as an assistant professor in Musicology. Srivastava passed away on February 4th. Here she is singing “Neema Tale.”
Kamla Srivastava – Neema Tale[29 Jan 2024] Franco Tozzi [it], 79, Italian singer.We close the International Stage with Italian singer Franco Tozzi, who joined the choir invisible on January 29th. Tozzi got his first break in 1964 by winning a festival singing contest. After completing military service, in 1968 he signed his first record deal. He went on to have a long recording career, celebrating 50 years with a new EP in 2016. His last recording in 2019 was one of the bestselling rock songs on Google Play. Here is Tozzi singing “Non si può morire dentro.”
Franco Tozzi – Non si può morire dentroCountry Bunker:[13 Feb 2024] Jussi Raittinen [fi], 80, Finnish musician.We close the show with some country music in a country you wouldn’t expect: Finland. Jussi Raittinen was a musician known for his time in the band The Boys, The Esquires, and The Sounds, as well as his own solo works. He recorded on a couple dozen albums from 1969–2003. Raittinen joined the afterlife on February 13th.
Jussi Raittinen – Hirvi, älä tule tielleEncore:[09 Feb 2024] Jimmy Van Eaton, 86, American rock drummer, singer and record producer.We stay in a country vein with an encore from Jerry Lee Lewis’ drummer, Jimmy Van Eaton. As we mentioned, Van Eaton recorded with numerous Sun Records musicians who built the bridge between early rockabilly and 70s country. Here’s a great example of that crossover, Jerry Lee Lewis from the Sun Records sessions with Jimmy Van Eaton on drums performing “Crazy Arms.”
Jerry Lee Lewis – Crazy ArmsClosing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 16th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 9th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. It’s a week full of big names headed to the celestial session, headlined by country superstar Toby Keith. We’ve also got a psychobilly pioneer, the last surviving member of a Hall of Fame R&B group, a punk rock guitar legend, avante garde classical musicians from Europe, and two former members of Bob Marley’s band The Wailers. Tip your red Solo cup and expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[07 Feb 2024] Mojo Nixon, 66, American musician (“Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child“) and actor (Super Mario Bros., Great Balls of Fire!).Neill Kirby McMillan Jr., who passed on February 7th, is best known by his stage name, Mojo Nixon. Considered one of the progenitors of psychobilly—a genre combining rockabilly and punk rock—he also played a drummer in the 1989 movie Great Balls of Fire and continued acting in five more movies in the 1990s. He then went on to terrestrial and satellite radio deejay work. Here is the song that made Mojo famous, the MTV favorite, “Elvis is Everywhere.”
Mojo Nixon – Elvis Is EverywhereHeadliner:[05 Feb 2024] Toby Keith, 62, American country singer (“Should’ve Been a Cowboy“, “How Do You Like Me Now?!“, “Red Solo Cup“) and songwriter, stomach cancer.The world of country music was shocked on February 5th to learn of the passing from stomach cancer of superstar Toby Keith. He broke through with the number one country song of 2000, “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” and went on to dominate the charts with party songs and patriotic anthems. But given my background, there’s one particular country tale spun by Toby Keith about his herbal encounter with Willie Nelson on the Honeysuckle Rose that I cannot resist playing in tribute. This is “Weed With Willie.”
Toby Keith – Weed With Willie (live)Main Stage:[07 Feb 2024] Henry Fambrough, 85, American Hall of Fame singer (The Spinners).The last surviving original member of The Spinners has died on February 7th. Henry Lee Fambrough co-founded the group, originally known as The Domingoes, in 1954, and sang with The Spinners for the next 69 years—the last ten of which as the only original member. While his voice can be found in the background of all their big hits, I wanted to give you Mr. Fambrough singing lead on this album track from 1975’s Pick of the Litter, this is “I Don’t Want to Lose You.”
The Spinners – I Don’t Want To Lose You[22 Jan 2024] Cynthia Garrison, 64, American singer (The Three Degrees).The Three Degrees were a girl trio in the model of The Supremes, formed in Philadelphia in 1963. Thye rose to prominence in 1974 as the vocalists on the hit “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” by MFSB and their own #2 hit “When Will I See You Again.” As the group continued, 16 different women were in the trio, but none longer than Cynthia Garrison, who died on January 22nd. Here she is with The Three Degrees on “Giving Up, Giving In.”
The Three Degrees – Giving Up, Giving InMosh Pit:[02 Feb 2024] Wayne Kramer, 75, American guitarist (MC5) and songwriter (“Kick Out the Jams“), pancreatic cancer.Wayne Stanley Kramer, who left us on February 2nd, came to prominence in the 1960s as a co-founder of the Detroit rock group MC5, a group known for their powerful live performances and radical left-wing political stance, managed by White Panther Party co-founder John Sinclair. MC5 is considered one of the foundational bands in punk rock music. Here’s Kramer’s composition that put MC5 on the map, this is the title track to the 1969 debut album, “Kick Out the Jams.”
MC5 – Kick Out The Jams[18 Jan 2024] The Soft Moon, American musician.Jose Luis Vasquez, known professionally as The Soft Moon, passed away on January 18th. As a teenager, Vasquez started out playing punk rock inspired by Descendents, Bad Religion, Bad Brains, Fugazi and Minor Threat. Vasquez spent time in Italy and opened for Depeche Mode on tour. He was found dead alongside DJ Silent servant, who we profiled on our January 19th episode, in a suspected fentanyl overdose. Here is The Soft Moon with “Exister.”
The Soft Moon – ExisterThe Amphitheater:[02 Feb 2024] Wilhelmenia Fernandez, 75, American soprano.Wilhelmenia Fernandez, the American soprano, has joined the choir invisible on February 2nd. Born in Philadelphia in 1949, she made her operatic debut as Bess in Porgy and Bess for Houston Grand Opera and made her only film appearance in 1981’s “Diva.” Here she is singing “La wally” from that soundtrack.
Wilhelmenia Fernandez – La wally (from ‘Diva’)[13 Jan 2024] Bruno Ducol, 74, French pianist and composer.Now we get a bit experimental with the work of Bruno Ducol, a French pianist and composer who passed away on January 13th. His compositions, for different ensembles, are inspired by Antiquity, exotic music, nature, poetry, and visual arts. Here’s a bit from his 2001 composition Vibrations chromatics entitled “D’après Piet Mondrian.”
Bruno Ducol – D’après Piet Mondrian[18 Jan 2024] Ivan Moody, 59, British composer and musicologist.Let’s conclude our time in the Amphitheater with some whimsy. Ivan Moody was a prolific British composer from 1982 to 2023, producing multiple works per year. Born in 1964 in London, he was also a scholar of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Moody died on January 18th. Here’s a composition entitled “A Penny For a Tale.”
Ivan Moody – A Penny For a TaleInternational Stage:[06 Feb 2024] Donald Kinsey, 70, American guitarist and singer (The Kinsey Report, The Wailers Band).A giant in the world of reggae has left us on February 6th. Donald Kinsey made his mark in the Word Soul and Power Band, the backing group for Peter Tosh, and the list of acts he has recorded with might as well be the reggae Hall of Fame, from Bob Marley to Morgan Hertiage, Burning Spear to Denroy Morgan, and more. Here he is with his own group, The Kingsey Report, with “Full Moon on Main Street.”
The Kinsey Report – Full Moon On Main Street[03 Feb 2024] Aston “Family Man” Barrett, 77, Jamaican musician (Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Upsetters).Ashton Barrett, known as Family Man, was another Jamaican musician who had played with Bob Marley and the Wailers. A Lifetime Achievement Award winner from Bass Player Magazine, Barrett got the nickname Family Man well before he fulfilled the prophecy by fathering 41 children. Barrett, passed away on February 3rd, also played with Lee Perry’s group, The Upsetters, heard on this track called “I Chase the Devil.”
The Upsetters – I Chase The Devil[02 Feb 2024] Marcelo Yzurieta [es], 49, Argentine singer, guitarist and composer.Marcelo Javier Yzurieta was an Argentine folk artist and producer who ascended on February 2nd. At age 21, he was the founder of the influential group Los Sacha in 1995. Following their debut album in 1996, the group went on to win awards at numerous Argentine festivals. Here is Los Sacha with “Mi voz y mi Esperanza.”
Los Sacha – Mi voz y mi eperanzaEncore:[05 Feb 2024] Toby Keith, 62, American country singer (“Should’ve Been a Cowboy“, “How Do You Like Me Now?!“, “Red Solo Cup“) and songwriter, stomach cancer.We’ll close the show today with our headliner, country superstar Toby Keith, whose career was not without controversy. It was 2003, the United States had invaded Iraq, and Keith wrote what one general called one of the greatest fighting anthems he’d ever heard. But the war’s detractors, like fellow superstars, the then-Dixie Chicks, and country legends like Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with Keith’s ode to warfare. Whether you think it’s patriotic or pantyhose, there’s no denying this next song, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” was a monster hit.
Toby Keith – Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 9th, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Click to Listen to the Rest in PlaylistINTRODUCTIONThis is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 2nd, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. [Sonny & Cher clip] What the heck? Oh, that’s right. It’s Groundhog’s Day here at the Rest in Playlist. This week, our headliner is one of the great ladies of Broadway, Ms. Chita Rivera. Also in the set we’ve got a great voice from American dance; classical music from Poland; jazz from South Africa, France, and Switzerland; and traditional music from Norway, India, and Italy. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:[24 Jan 2024] Anders Lampe [da], 59, Danish guitarist (Bamses Venner).You’re going to at least recognize the melody from our opening act, Bamses Venner, a Danish group whose name translates as Teddy Bear’s Friends. Anders Lampe played guitar and sang for the group from 2008–2011 and passed away on January 24th. Here they are performing “Vimmersvej.”
Bamses Venner – VimmersvejHeadliner:[30 Jan 2024] Chita Rivera, 91, American actress (West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago), Tony winner (1984, 1993).Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, stage name Chita Rivera, was a two-time Tony Award winner and the first Latin American to receive the Kennedy Center Honor. Born in 1933, she died one week after her 91st birthday on January 30th. In addition to legendary roles in West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Chicago, she appeared in films and television. Here she is singing her title role for which she won one of her Tony’s, this is “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
Chita Rivera – Kiss of the Spider WomanMain Stage:[26 Jan 2024] Michael Watford, 80, American dance music singer.Michael Watford was an American dance music singer, who was born in Virginia and raised in New Jersey, and died on January 26th. Four of his singles charted on the United States Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the mid-1990s. This is one those singles, entitled “Holdin’ On.”
Michael Watford – Holdin’ On (Original Shelter Mix)[29 Jan 2024] Yuri Ilchenko [ru], 72, Russian vocalist and guitarist (Mify, Zemlyane).Yuri Ilchenko was a singer and musician known as one of the best blues guitarists in the USSR. During the Soviet era, he fronted a popular band called Myths. But in 1979, he left Myths and replaced a musician in the band Zemlayne, a rock band formed in 1968 that’s still performing today, steadfastly supporting the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 such that Vladimir Putin has approved them for state-sponsored performances. This is Zemlayne’s biggest hit, “Trava u doma.”
Zemlayne – Trava u doma[26 Jan 2024] Dean Brown, 68, American jazz guitarist, cancer.Dean Brown, the great American jazz-fusion guitarist, has joined the eternal session on January 26th. Brown performed and/or toured with such artists as Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, Eric Clapton, Billy Cobham, Roberta Flack, and George Duke. His guitar can be heard on over 100 albums, and he taught guitar at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Here he is performing “Whole Tone Blues.”
Dean Brown – Whole Tone BluesThe Amphitheater:[19 Jan 2024] Ewa Podleś, 71, Polish coloratura contralto singer.Ewa Maria Podleś was a Polish contralto opera singer who appeared on leading stages of the world and made many recordings. She was born in Warsaw in 1952 and made her stage debut in 1975. Her voice had a wide range, spanning more than three octaves. Ewa Podleś passed away on January 19th.
Ewa Podleś – Gianni Schicchi: “Povero Buoso!”[13 Jan 2024] Romuald Twardowski, 93, Polish composer, organist and academic teacher (Warsaw State Academy of Music).We bring you another Pole, an organist, composer, and teacher named Romuald Twardowski who passed on January 13th. He composed operas, ballets, instrumental music and vocal works, especially sacred music for both Catholic use and the Orthodox Church. From 1972 to 2008 Twardowski was a professor at the State Academy of Music in Warsaw, teaching composition and instrumentation.
Romuald Twardowski – A w niedziele raniusieńko[08 Jan 2024] Tuomas Haapanen [fi], 99, Finnish violinist, conductor and music teacher.Our oldest performer at age 99 comes to us from Finland. Tuomas Haapanen first played first violin in the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1953 to 1958 and as second concertmaster from 1958 to 1962. Haapanen was awarded the Aksentti award of the Finnish Music Education Association in 1997, and in 2006 his life was featured in an hour-long documentary.
Helvi Leiviskä, Irma Ruuskanen, Tuomas Haapanen, Martti Pajanne, Vili Pullinen – Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 1 I.AllegroThe Jazz Cellar:[29 Jan 2024] Tony Cedras, 71, South African musician.Born in America, jazz is now a worldwide phenomenon. We begin in South Africa, where accordion, harmonium, keyboard, and guitar player Tony Cedras met his maker on January 29th. He performed or recorded with various well-known artists, including Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba, Cassandra Wilson, and Hugh Masekela. He was in every lineup of Paul Simon’s band from 1987 to 2012. Here he is performing with the group Pacific Express on “7th Avenue.”
Pacific Express – 7th Avenue[25 Jan 2024] Bruno Amstad, 59–60, Swiss jazz singer, cancer.Now to Europe, where we meet Swiss jazz singer Bruno Amstad, who passed his celestial audition on January 25th. Born in 1964, he was originally a soul, funk and rock singer who switched to jazz in the 2000s. For a dozen years he collaborated with Christy Doran in a project called New Bag. Here’s a sample from that project, an odd-time banger called “Five-Four Afro.”
Christy Doran’s New Bag – Five-Four Afro[26 Jan 2024] Michel Hausser, 96, French jazz vibraphonist.We close the cellar with 96-year-old French jazz vibraphonist Michel Hausser, who died on January 26th. He played accordion as a child and taught the instrument in his early twenties before switching to vibraphone in 1948. Later in life, Hausser moved to Germany and taught music at university. Here he is with the Martin Hugelshofer Quartet and “Darn That Dream.”
Martin Hugelshofer Quartet – Darn That DreamInternational Stage:[27 Jan 2024] Lillebjørn Nilsen, 73, Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician.Off to Scandinavia we go where “the Voice of Oslo” has died on January 27th. Lillebjørn Nilsen began his career as half of the folk duo The Young Norwegians. Nilsen collaborated with his friend and idol Pete Seeger on numerous occasions. He adapted Pete Seeger’s song “My Rainbow Race” into Norwegian as “Barn av regnbuen” (“Children of the Rainbow”). Here it is.
Lillebjørn Nilsen – Barn Av Regnbuen[25 Jan 2024] Bhavatharini, 47, Indian singer, composer (Bharathi, Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu) and music director (Mitr, My Friend), liver cancer.Bhavatharini Raja was an Indian actress and singer who ascended on January 25th. She was awarded the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 2000. She began her career in 1984 and recorded quite regularly until her battle with liver cancer forced her retirement in 2022. Here she is performing “Aathadi Aathadi.”
Bhavatharini – Aathadi AathadiEncore:[30 Jan 2024] Chita Rivera, 91, American actress (West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago), Tony winner (1984, 1993).We bring back Broadway’s Chita Rivera, who was also in movies, including Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and TV variety shows, including The Carol Burnett Show, and sitcoms, including Will & Grace. Her Broadway debut in 1950 was as a dancer in Guys and Dolls, but she really made her splash originating the role of Anita in the 1957 production of West Side Story.
Chita Rivera – America (from “West Side Story”)Closing:And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, February 2nd, 2024. Join us here next week as we chronicle the latest musicians, singers, and songwriters to join the Great Gig in the Sky. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
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Despite Idaho police making twice the arrests, marijuana use among Idaho adults continues to rise, with college-aged
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Tiny Ontario, Oregon, continues to sell over $9 million worth of marijuana products every month, even though a new 24-hour […]
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The Idaho border town of Ontario, Oregon (pop. ~11,000) has now exceeded $100 million in annual marijuana sales for the […]
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To not teach our kids America’s Racial History would be to doom them to repeat the horrific mistakes of the past and to diminish the enormous progress we have made toward a more perfect union, with liberty and justice for all Americans.
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Sales figures compiled by Legalize the Idaho Way, Inc. show that the state of Oregon has sold over $4 billion […]
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