By Keith Sharp
There’s no two ways about it, 2020 was a crap year. Who could have predicted that this COVID-19 pandemic could do so much damage on a global scale? The entire live music scene shuddered to a halt, major festivals cancelled, key live venues forced to restrict their attendances and then closed altogether, musicians and music industry personnel who suddenly found themselves unemployed. Pollstar, North America’s concert tour bible has guesstimated that the live music business lost more than $30 billion dollars during the past calendar year.
Who knows what the live entertainment landscape will look like when things return to normal, how many festival promoters are going to risk planning events this summer when they will need to attract advance sales early in the year. How can soft-seat theatre organizers promote future dates when they don’t know how many seats they can sell to the general public. Canadian Indications are that wholesale vaccination will not be completed until sometime next July.
Fortunately, a lot of artists took advantage of their lull in live activity to hit the recording studios which means we can anticipate a plethora of new music in 2021.
And what about the many musicians and music industry personnel we lost in 2020. Key artists like Eddie Van Halen, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers, John Prine, Spencer Davis, Leslie West and many more (see below list) took their final bow in the spotlight.
The year started badly for the Canadian music industry with the loss of Rush drummer Neil Peart during the first week of 2020, and although this country didn’t lose too many other prominent artists we did lose Brighton Rock lead vocalist Gerry McGhee, former Alias/Cranberries keyboardist Denny DeMarchi and more recently, ex Crowbar bassist Roly Greenway.
We can only hope that people keep wearing their masks, wash their hands, practice social distancing, get vaccinated and push to return to some kind of normalcy as soon as possible.
Music Lives Lost
This year has been brutal. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken from us many musical greats, preying especially hard on the elders of the community. But even without the virus, it’s been a tough year.
Below are just some of the many artists we’ve lost thus far in 2020. They are arranged alphabetically, the artist’s name followed by the death date and a brief description of who they were.
If an artist’s name is highlighted in blue, you can click on it to be taken to Best Classic Bands’ full obituary of that artist.
Below the list of musical artists, we’ve also noted several other prominent figures whose lives were lost in 2020.
We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.
Rance Allen—10/31—Gospel artist
Tony Allen—4/30—Pioneering Afrobeat drummer with Fela Kuti, others
Sweet Pea Atkinson—5/5—Singer with Was (Not Was)
Frankie Banali—8/20—Quiet Riot drummer
Len Barry—11/5—Singer of the ’60s hits “Bristol Stomp” (with the Dovells) and “1-2-3.”
Bucky Baxter—5/25—Pedal steel guitarist for Bob Dylan, others
Harold Beane—2/1—played wah-wah guitar on Isaac Hayes’ “Walk On By”
Ronald Bell—9/9—Kool and the Gang co-founder
Bob Biggs—10/17—Founder of Los Angeles punk label Slash Records
Martin Birch—8/9—Producer of Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, others
Hamilton Bohannon—4/24—Drummer/percussionist for Motown artists; producer, bandleader in disco era
Julian Bream—8/14—Classical guitarist
Harold Budd—12/8—Avant-garde composer who worked with Brian Eno, others
Edd Byrnes—1/8—77 Sunset Strip actor and singer of “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb”
Buddy Cage—2/5—Pedal steel guitarist for New Riders of the Purple Sage
Cándido—11/7—Conga player who was named an NEA Jazz Master (full name: Cándido Camero)
Jimmy Capps—6/1—Nashville session guitarist and longtime Grand Ole Opry member
Steve Martin Caro—1/14—Vocalist with the Left Banke, of “Walk Away Renee” fame
Pete Carr—6/27—Muscle Shoals session guitarist
Paul Chapman—6/9—Guitarist with UFO
Jeff Clayton—12/17—Jazz saxophonist
Jimmy Cobb—5/24—Jazz drummer; played on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album
Freddy Cole—6/27—Jazz pianist/vocalist, brother of Nat “King” Cole
Richie Cole—5/2—Jazz saxophonist
Simon Coxe—9/8—Synthesizer pioneer with ’60s band Silver Apples
Max Crook—7/1—Keyboardist on Del Shannon’s hit “Runaway”
Charlie Daniels—7/6—Southern rock pioneer, session musician, producer
Mac Davis—9/29—Songwriter for Elvis Presley, singer of “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me”
Spencer Davis—10/19—Leader of British band that scored with the Steve Winwood-sung “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m a Man”
Dennis Demarchi—5/15 former keyboardist with Alias and The Cranberries
Tommy DeVito—9/21—Member of the original Four Seasons
Manu Dibango—5/24—African musician known for 1972 hit “Soul Makossa”
Joe Diffie—3/29—Country singer/songwriter
Gloria Dobbins—9/21—Founding member of the Marvelettes, wrote “Please Mr. Postman”
Carl Dobkins, Jr.—4/8—Singer of 1959 hit “My Heart is an Open Book”
Terry Doran—4/18—Longtime Beatles associate
Judy Dyble—7/12—Founding member of Fairport Convention
Justin Townes Earle—8/23—Singer-songwriter, son of Steve Earle
Bent Fabric—7/28—Composer and artist behind the early ’60s instrumental dance hit “Alley Cat”
Pat Fairley—8/11—Co-founder of Marmalade; played acoustic guitar on “Reflections of My Life”
Steve Farmer—4/7—Amboy Dukes member; co-wrote “Journey to the Center of the Mind”
Majek Fashek—6/1—Nigerian reggae singer
Tom Finn—6/27—Co-founder of the Left Banke, of “Walk Away Renee” fame
Snooky Flowers—3/9—Saxophonist; was member of Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues Band
Wayne Fontana—8/6—Singer of 1965 British Invasion hit “Game of Love”
Andy Gill—1/1—Guitarist with the Gang of Four
Ivry Gitlis—12/24—Israeli classical violinist who played with Yoko Ono on The Rolling Stones Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus
Marty Grebb—1/1—Musician with Buckinghams, Chicago, others
Peter Green—7/25—Co-founder of Fleetwood Mac
Dave Greenfield—5/3—Keyboardist with the Stranglers
Roly Greenway—12/22 former bassist/songwriter with Crowbar
Albert Griffiths—12/15—Co-founder of reggae group the Gladiators
Henry Grimes—4/17—Jazz bassist
Tommy Hancock—1/1—Known as the “Godfather of West Texas music”
Andre Harrell—5/8—Music business executive
Alex Harvey—4/4—Country songwriter/musician; wrote Kenny Rogers’ “Reuben James”
Gordon Haskell—10/16—King Crimson member in 1970; later a singer-songwriter
Roy Head—9/21—Singer of 1965 hit “Treat Her Right”
Jimmy Heath—1/19—Jazz saxophonist with the Heath Brothers
Ken Hensley—11/4—Uriah Heep founding member
Frederick “Toots” Hibbert—9/11—Reggae pioneer who led Toots and the Maytals
Bones Hillman—1-7—Bassist of Midnight Oil
Rupert Hine—6/5—British musician who produced albums for Tina Turner, others
Steve Holland—8/2—Early Molly Hatchet guitarist
W.S. “Fluke” Holland—9/23—Drummer for Johnny Cash for more than four decades
Tony Hooper—11/18—Guitarist for the Strawbs
Brian Howe—5/6—Bad Company frontman in late ’80s/early ’90s
Pamela Hutchinson—9/18—Singer with the Emotions (“Best of My Love”)
Kenny Jeremiah—12/4—Co-founder of the Soul Survivors (“Expressway to Your Heart”)
Willie K—5/19—Hawaii-based guitarist/performer
Ryo Kawasaki—4/13—Japanese jazz fusion guitarist
Lee Kerslake—9/19—Drummer for Uriah Heep, Ozzy Osbourne
Hal Ketchum—11/23—Country singer
Astrid Kirchherr—5/13—Photographer known for early Beatles images
Lee Konitz—4/15—Jazz alto saxophonist
Ivan Kral—2/2—Guitarist/songwriter, member of Patti Smith Group
Bob Kulick—5/28—Guitarist/producer who worked with Kiss, Lou Reed, others
Dave Kusworth—9/19—Member of British band Jacobites
Bobby Lewis—4/28—“Tossin’ & Turnin’” hitmaker
Tony Lewis—10/20—Singer/bass guitarist for the Outfield
Buzzy Linhart—2/13—Singer/songwriter/musician whose songs were recorded by Bette Midler, others
Little Richard—5/9—Rock ’n’ roll pioneer whose influence spanned generations
Mike Longo—3/22—Jazz pianist
Trini Lopez—8/11—Singer of ’60s hits “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree”
Walter Lure—8/21—Guitarist in Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
Vera Lynn—6/18—Veteran British singer, famous for “We’ll Meet Again”
Johnny Mandel—6/29—Composer of theme from M*A*S*H
Carl Mann—12/16—Rockabilly singer who recorded for Sun Records
Benny Mardones—6/29—Singer of hit song “Into the Night”
Ellis Marsalis—4/1—New Orleans pianist; father of Wynton, Branford, etc.
Barbara Martin—3/4—Pre-fame member of the Supremes
Moon Martin—5/11—Singer/songwriter; wrote “Bad Case of Loving You”
Phil May—5/15—Frontman of England’s Pretty Things
Lyle Mays—2/10—Jazz pianist; best known for his work with Pat Metheny
Michael McBride—11/9—Raspberries drummer in 1974-75
Sid McCray—9/9—Original singer of the Bad Brains
Mickey McGee—7/20—Drummer with Linda Ronstadt, Flying Burrito Brothers, others
Gerald McGhee 8/25 former lead vocalist with Brighton Rock
William McEuen—9/24—Manager/producer of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Alan Merrill—3/29—Singer/songwriter; best known for writing “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll”
Ian Mitchell—9/1—Bay City Rollers bassist
Joseph “Mojo” Morganfield—12/10—Blues artist, son of Muddy Waters
Ennio Morricone—7/6—Italian film score composer (The Good, The Bad & The Ugly)
Dave Munden—10/15—Original member of the Tremeloes (“Silence is Golden”)
Todd Nance—8/19—Founding drummer of Widespread Panic
Johnny Nash—10/6—Reggae-pop singer with a #1 hit, “I Can See Clearly Now”
Bob Nave—1/28—Keyboardist for the Lemon Pipers, of “Green Tambourine” fame
Lennie Niehaus—5/28—Film composer; jazz saxophonist, arranger
Jamie Oldaker—7/16—Drummer for Eric Clapton, others
David Olney—1/18—Folk singer/songwriter
Keith Olsen—3/9—Producer of Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar, others
K.T. Oslin—12/21—Country singer whose biggest hit was “80’s Ladies”
Robert Parker—1/19—R&B singer, best known for the hit “Barefootin’”
Gary Peacock—9/4—Jazz bassist who played with Keith Jarrett, others
Neil Peart—1/7—Drummer for Rush
Lucky Peterson—5/17—Blues musician
Phil Phillips—3/14—”Sea of Love” singer
Bucky Pizzarelli—4/1—Jazz guitarist
Bonnie Pointer—6/8—Member of the Pointer Sisters
Joe Porcaro—7/6—Jazz drummer
Genesis P-Orridge—3/14–British musician/composer; vocalist with Throbbing Gristle
Francis Rocco Prestia—9/30–Tower of Power bassist
Charley Pride—12/12—First Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
Steve Priest—6/4—Bassist for the glam band the Sweet
John Prine—4/7—Singer-songwriter who’d recently received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Helen Reddy—9/29—Singer of “I Am Woman” and “Delta Dawn”
Alto Reed—12/30—Saxophonist in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band
Harold Reid—4/24—Bass singer with country group the Statler Brothers
Al Rex—5/24—Played double bass with Bill Haley and His Comets on “See You Later, Alligator”
Emitt Rhodes—7/19—Singer-songwriter with the Merry-Go-Round and solo
Tony Rice—12/25—Influential and prolific bluegrass guitarist/vocalist
Claudio Roditi—1/18—Brazilian jazz trumpeter
Kenny Rogers—3/22—Leader of the First Edition, then a highly successful country-pop solo artist
Wallace Roney—3/31—Jazz trumpeter
Annie Ross—7/21—Jazz singer (Lambert, Hendricks and Ross)
Jorge Santana—5/14—Frontman of Latin-rock band Malo
Jan Savage—8/5—Guitarist for the L.A. ’60s band the Seeds (“Pushin’ Too Hard”)
Adam Schlesinger—4/1—Award-winning songwriter and founding member of Fountains of Wayne
Florian Schneider—5/6—Kraftwerk co-founder
Matthew Seligman—4/17—Bassist for British band the Soft Boys
Bob Shane—1/26—Founding member of folk group the Kingston Trio
Billy Joe Shaver—10/28—Country singer-songwriter whose songs were covered by Johnny Cash, the Allman Brothers Band and Elvis Presley
Jack Sherman—8/19—Early Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist
Jerry Slick—3/17—Drummer of San Francisco band the Great Society
Millie Small–5/5—Jamaican singer best known for “My Boy Lollipop”
Viola Smith—10/21—One of the first professional female drummers, she worked from the ’20s to the ’70s
Mike Somerville—2/28—Guitarist and songwriter for Head East
Geoff Stephens—12/24—British songwriter whose compositions included “Winchester Cathedral,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” and more
Mark Stone—9/26—Original Van Halen bassist
Chad Stuart—12/20—Half of the British Invasion-era duo Chad and Jeremy
Doug Supernaw—9/26—Country artist
Keith Tippett—6/14—British jazz and prog keyboardist; performed with King Crimson, others
Jim Tucker—11/12—Founding member and rhythm guitarist of the Turtles
Sean Tyla—5/17—Leader of British bands Ducks Deluxe and the Tyla Gang
McCoy Tyner—3/6—Jazz pianist best known for his work with John Coltrane
“Blue” Gene Tyranny—12/12—Jazz pianist (real name: Robert Sheff) who briefly played with Iggy and the Stooges
Eddie Van Halen—10/6—Influential lead guitarist of Van Halen
Howard Wales—12/7—Keyboardist who recorded the album Hooteroll? with Jerry Garcia
Jerry Jeff Walker—10/23—Singer-songwriter, composer of “Mr. Bojangles”
Pete Way—8/14—UFO founding bassist
Steve Weber—2/7—Holy Modal Rounders member
Eric Weissberg—3/22—Multi-instrumentalist best known for “Dueling Banjos”
Leslie West—12/23—Mountain frontman and hard rock guitar hero
Ian Whitcomb—4/19—English pianist and singer known for the mid-’60s hit “You Turn Me On”
Bruce Williamson—9/6—Latter-day member of the Temptations
Hal Willner—4/7—Producer of numerous tribute albums and themed concerts
Wes Wilson—1/24—San Francisco-based rock poster artist
Bill Withers—3/30—R&B singer whose hits included “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Baron Wolman—11/2—Rock photographer who shot many iconic ’60s artists
Betty Wright—5/10—”Clean Up Woman” singer
Edna Wright—9/12—Singer of Honey Cone (“Want Ads”)
Orson Bean—2/7—Actor
Honor Blackman—4/5—Actress in James Bond classic Goldfinger
Chadwick Boseman—8/28—Actor in Black Panther and other films
Wilford Brimley—8/1—Actor in Cocoon and Quaker Oats commercials
Kobe Bryant—1/26—Basketball great
Sean Connery—10/31—Bond. James Bond
Olivia de Havilland—7/26—Gone With the Wind actress
Kirk Douglas—2/5–Actor
Milton Glaser—6/26—Illustrator, designer of ‘I Love NY’ Logo, classic Bob Dylan poster
Ian Holm—6/19—Actor
Roy Horn—5/8—Half of the magic act Siegfried and Roy
Terry Jones—1/21—Monty Python actor
Larry Kramer—5/27—Playwright and AIDS activist
Tom Lester—4/20—Green Acres actor (Eb)
Diego Maradona—11/25—Argentinian soccer player
Curly Neal—5/15—Harlem Globetrotters basketball player
Ken Osmond—5/18—Actor known for his role as Eddie Haskell in Leave it to Beaver
Regis Philbin—7/24—TV personality
David Prowse—11/28—Played Darth Vader in the Star Wars films
Carl Reiner—6/29—Actor
Diana Rigg—9/10—Actress best known for her role as Emma Peel in The Avengers
Joel Schumacher—6/22—Film director
Tom Seaver—9/2—New York Mets pitcher
Jerry Stiller—5/11—Actor/comedian
Alex Trebek—11/8—Who was the beloved host of Jeopardy!?
Dawn Wells—12/29—Actress who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island
Fred Willard—5/15—Actor
