2023

Pulp Bassist Steve Mackey died March 2, 2023

Steve Mackey (November 10, 1966 – March 2, 2023) was born Stephen Patrick Mackey and was an English musician and record producer best known as the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Pulp, which he joined in 1989. As a record producer, he produced songs and albums by M.I.A., Florence + the Machine, The Long Blondes and Arcade Fire. Steve Mackey was born in Sheffield, England and attended Hucklow First and Middle Schools with friend Richard Hawley, who he later played with as members of Pulp. He went to Hinde House Comprehensive in Sheffield before undertaking further studies at…
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R&B singer Chuck Jackson died February 16, 2023

Chuck Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include “I Don’t Want to Cry”, “Any Day Now”, “I Keep Forgettin’”, and “All Over the World”. Chuck Jackson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1937 and grew up in Latta, South Carolina singing in a gospel group before he moved to Pittsburgh when he was 13. Between 1957 and 1959, Chuck Jackson was a member of The…
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De La Soul Rapper Trugoy the Dove died February 12, 2023

Trugoy the Dove (September 21, 1968 – February 12, 2023) was born David Jude Jolicoeur, and was also known under the stage name Dave. He was an American rapper, producer, founding member and one third of the hip hop group De La Soul. Trugoy the Dove was born in Brooklyn, New York to Haitian-American parents, and grew up in the Long Island area of East Massapequa. Trugoy the Dove (David Jolicoeur), Vincent Mason and Kelvin Mercer were friends who attended the same high school in the Amityville area of Long Island during the 1980s and decided to form a rap…
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Burt Bacharach, pop’s greatest songwriter, died February 08, 2023

Burt Bacharach (May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American musical legend, composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Some of his most popular songs included: . Burt Freeman Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. He was the son of Irma M. (née Freeman) and Mark Bertram “Bert” Bacharach, a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist. Burt Bacharach’s mother was an amateur painter and songwriter…
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Motown hitmaker Barrett Strong died January 29, 2023

Barrett Strong (February 5, 1941 – January 29, 2023) was born in West Point, Mississippi and was an American singer and songwriter and the first artist to record a hit for Motown. He is best known for his work as a songwriter and some of his most famous work at Motown including the lyrics for many of the songs recorded by the Temptations. Although, Barrett Strong was born in Mississippi, he grew up in Detroit where he sang and played piano with his four sisters in a gospel group called The Strong Sisters. While touring local churches, they befriended many…
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Television front man Tom Verlaine died January 28, 2023

Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. On December 13, 1949, Thomas Miller (known later as Tom Verlaine), was born to a Jewish family, in Denville, New Jersey. When he was six years old, he and his family moved to Wilmington, Delaware. He started learning piano at a young age, but in middle school, after hearing a Stan Getz record, he switched to saxophone. He was inspired by jazz saxophonists like John Coltrane and Albert…
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Rock Legend David Crosby died January 19, 2023

David Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 19, 2023) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, solo artist and founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. David Van Cortlandt Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California, the second son of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby, who formerly worked on Wall Street, and Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead, a salesperson at Macy’s department store. Growing up in California, David Crosby attended several schools, including the University Elementary School in Los Angeles, the Crane Country Day School in Montecito, and Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara for the rest…
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Lisa Marie Presley sadly died January 12, 2023

Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. She was Elvis Presley’s only child and the sole heir to her father’s estate after her grandfather and great-grandmother passed away. She was also the only child of Priscilla Presley, an actress. Lisa Marie Presley released three albums during her career in the music industry, 2003’s “To Whom It May Concern”, 2005’s “Now What”, and 2012’s “Storm & Grace”. She also released singles that were not included in an album, some of these singles featured Lisa Marie Presley performing duets with her father Elvis…
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Robbie Bachman sadly died on January 12, 2023.

Robin Peter Kendall Bachman (February 18, 1953 – January 12, 2023), known as Robbie Bachman or Rob Bachman, was a Canadian drummer and the youngest brother of guitarist, singer and songwriter Randy Bachman. He was the original drummer for both the Brave Belt and Bachman–Turner Overdrive bands. Robbie Bachman was born Robin Bachman in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1953. He and his older brother Randy Bachman began playing music in their youth, and Robbie played in a handful of bands in Winnipeg before Randy invited him to join Brave Belt, his new band with Chad Allan, who he had played in…
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Guitar Great Jeff Beck sadly died on January 10, 2023.

Geoffrey Arnold Beck (June 24, 1944 – January 10, 2023) was an English rock guitarist, known as Jeff Beck, who rose to fame with the Yardbirds and afterwards fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Jeff Beck was often called a “guitarist’s guitarist”, and ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazines’ list of 100 greatest guitarists, and they described him as “one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock”. Jeff Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. In…
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