2021

Earl Simmons aka DMX sadly died on April 9, 2021

Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. Overall, DMX sold over 74 million records worldwide. Earl Simmons was born in either Baltimore, Maryland, or Mount Vernon, New York, depending on what you read, to 19-year-old Arnett Simmons and 18-year-old Joe Barker. His father was an artist who painted watercolor paintings of street scenes…
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Reggae Legend Bunny Wailer died March 2, 2021

Bunny Wailer (April 10, 1947 – March 2, 2021) was born Neville O’Riley Livingston and was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with the legendary Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. Bunny Wailer was born in Kingston, Jamaica and spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish where he first met Bob Marley, and the two young boys befriended each other quickly. The boys both came from single-parent families…
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Mary Wilson from The Supremes died February 8, 2021

Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021) was an American singer who gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, along with Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown. The Supremes who were the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all-time. Mary Wilson was born March 6, 1944, to Sam, a butcher, and Johnnie Mae Wilson in Greenville, Mississippi. She was the eldest of three children and the family moved to Chicago, and at age three,…
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Singer Jimmie Rodgers sadly died January 18, 2021.

James Frederick Rodgers (September 18, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American singer known as Jimmie Rodgers. Rodgers had a run of hits and mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. His string of crossover singles ranked highly on the Billboard Pop Singles, Hot Country and Western Sides, and Hot Rhythm and Blues Sides charts; in the 1960s, Rodgers had more modest successes with adult contemporary music. This Jimmie Rodgers should not be confused with The Father of Country Music Jimmie Rodgers who died May 26, 1933. Jimmie Rodgers was born in Camas, Washington, the second son of Archie…
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The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine died on January 29, 2021

Hilton Stewart Paterson Valentine (May 21, 1943 – January,29 2021), known as Hilton Valentine, was an English skiffle and rock and roll musician who was the original guitarist in The Animals. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and into Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame in 2001 with the other members of The Animals. Hilton Valentine was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England, and was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze. His mother bought him his first guitar in 1956 when he was 13, he taught himself some chords from a book called “Teach…
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New York Doll, Sylvian Sylvian sadly died January 13, 2021

Sylvain Sylvain (February 14, 1951 — January 13, 2021) was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a founding member of the legendary New York Dolls. Sylvain Sylvain was born Sylvain Mizrahi in Cairo, Egypt, but his family fled in the 1950s, first to France and finally to New York, United States. The Mizrahis lived first in Buffalo, New York, and later moved to the New York City neighborhood of Rego Park, Queens. Sylvain attended Newtown High School in Queens and then Quintano’s School for Young Professionals in Manhattan. Before forming the New York Dolls, Sylvain and his future…
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Vanilla Fudge Bassist Tim Bogert died January 13, 2021

John Voorhis “Tim” Bogert III (August 27, 1944 – January 13, 2021), known as Tim Bogert, was an American musician. He attended Ridgefield Memorial High School in Ridgefield, New Jersey, where he received his diploma in 1963. He was best known for his powerful vocals, fast runs, fluid agility, and ground-breaking Fender Precision bass sound. He was one of the first people to use distortion on his bass to help it cut through the mix with the low-powered amps of his day, which also gave it a very sharp edge. Tim Bogert, Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Carmine Appice founded…
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Liverpool FC anthem singer Gerry Marsden died January 3, 2021

Gerry Marsden (September 24, 1942 – January 3, 2021) was an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry and the Pacemakers singer Gerry Marsden, whose version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” became a football terrace anthem for his hometown club of Liverpool, has died at the age of 78. Gerry Marsden’s band was one of the biggest success stories of the Merseybeat era, and in 1963 became the first to have their first three songs top the chart. Gerard Marsden MBE was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, to Frederick…
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