Transitions

Jimmy Castor, Musician Who Mastered Many Genres, Dies at 71

January 18, 2012

BY DOUGLAS MARTIN| PRINTED IN THE NYTIMES ONLINE EDITION 1/17/2012 Jimmy Castor, a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter whose mastery of genres from doo-wop to Latin soul to funk, and instruments including saxophone and bongos earned him the title Everything Man, died on Monday in Henderson, Nev. He was 71. The cause was heart failure, his [...]

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Howard Tate, 72, talented soul singer

December 7, 2011

By Dan DeLuca,  Inquirer Music Critic Howard Tate, 72, an immensely talented soul singer who dropped out of the music business in frustration after the often brilliant albums he made in the late 1960s and early 1970s failed to reach a wide audience, died Friday of multiple myeloma and leukemia in his apartment in Burlington [...]

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Andrea True, Singer of Disco Hit, Dies at 68

November 24, 2011

By PAUL VITELLO PUBLISHED 11/24/11 NY TIMES Andrea Truden arrived in New York from Nashville in 1968 with a yearning for stardom and no fixed idea about how to achieve it. She landed bit parts in a slew of movies, including “The Way We Were.” She sang in nightclubs, wrote music for television commercials and, [...]

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Twenty Years Ago Today on November 24th …

November 24, 2011

… Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, died of AIDS- related pneumonia in London, England. This talented artist was only 45 years old in 1991. I was so happy to hear the recent news that a Bio-Pic, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Mercury, is in the works and am so looking forward to it. Soon after [...]

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Heavy D dies at 44; singer who shaped rap music

November 12, 2011

Heavy D was the frontman of Heavy D and the Boyz, which fused New Jack Swing with reggae. He later became a record executive and had a successful acting career. November 09, 2011|By Gerrick D. Kennedy and Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times Rapper and actor Heavy D, who played an influential role in shaping rap [...]

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Jessy Dixon, Gospel Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 73

September 30, 2011

By James C McKinley. Published in NYTIMES -  September 26, 2011 Jessy Dixon, a singer and songwriter who helped popularize gospel music with his energetic style and who found a wider audience touring and recording with Paul Simon, died on Monday at his home in Chicago. He was 73. His sister, Miriam Dixon, said he [...]

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David Honeyboy Edwards, Delta Bluesman, Dies at 96

August 30, 2011

Published in NY Times 8/29/2001 BY BILL FRISKICS-WARREN David Honeyboy Edwards, believed to have been the oldest surviving member of the first generation of Delta blues singers, died on Monday at his home in Chicago. He was 96. His death was announced by his manager, Michael Frank. Mr. Edwards’s career spanned nearly the entire recorded [...]

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Frank Dileo, Michael Jackson’s Manager, Dies at 64

August 24, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Music industry executive Frank Dileo, who managed Michael Jackson’s career in the 1980s and returned as his manager in the superstar’s final days, has died. He was 64. Publicist Karen Sundell says Dileo died Wednesday morning. The cause of death was not immediately available, but he had recently experienced complications following [...]

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Rest In Peace Nick Ashford

August 22, 2011

The Coasters Performing “Let’s Go Get Stoned” in 1965 written by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Joey Armstead. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell performing their Motown smash hit “Aint No Mountain High Enough” in 1966  written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Valerie and her husband Nick performing their own 1984  composition “Solid.”   Thank [...]

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Jani Lane, Heavy-Metal Lead Singer, Dies at 47

August 13, 2011

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK Published in NY Times 8/12/2011 Jani Lane, the flaxen-haired former lead singer for the heavy metal band Warrant who wrote its 1990 hit “Cherry Pie“ and other anthems, was found dead on Thursday in a hotel room near his home in Los Angeles. He was 47. The Los Angeles County coroner’s [...]

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Singer Amy Winehouse dies at age 27

July 23, 2011

By JILL LAWLESS – Associated Press, SYLVIA HUI – Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 47 mins ago LONDON (AP) — Amy Winehouse, the beehived soul-jazz diva whose self-destructive habits overshadowed a distinctive musical talent, was found dead Saturday in her London home, police said. She was 27. Winehouse shot to fame in 2006 with the album “Back to [...]

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