2025

Jazz Drummer Jack DeJohnette died October 26, 2025

Jack DeJohnette (August 9, 1942 – October 26, 2025) was an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer whose innovative, fluid style and boundless versatility made him one of the most influential percussionists in the history of modern jazz. Spanning over six decades, his career bridged the avant-garde and the mainstream, fusing the rhythmic sophistication of post-bop with the freedom of experimental improvisation and the power of rock and world music. Known for his profound sensitivity, rhythmic elasticity, and deep musical intelligence, DeJohnette played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of jazz from the late 1960s onward. His collaborations read…
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Soft Cell’s Dave Ball sadly died October 22, 2025

David James Ball (1959–2025): A Biography David James Ball (May 3, 1959 – October 22, 2025) was a British producer, composer, and electronic musician best known as the instrumental mastermind behind Soft Cell, the pioneering synth-pop duo he formed with vocalist Marc Almond. While Almond delivered the lyrical drama and theatrical presence, Ball built the electronic architecture that defined Soft Cell’s moody, neon-lit sound. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, Ball’s quiet innovation helped shift electronic music from niche experiment to mainstream force. Early life and musical awakening Dave Ball was born in Chester and adopted as an…
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Legendary Bassist Anthony Jackson died October 19, 2025

Anthony Jackson was an American bassist whose career reshaped the sound and concept of the electric bass guitar. Widely regarded as one of the “masters of the instrument,” he performed as both a session musician and live artist across a wide spectrum of styles, from soul and funk to jazz fusion and pop. Beyond his prodigious playing, Jackson is credited with conceiving and developing the modern six-string bass guitar, which he called the electric contrabass guitar. His legacy rests on his musicianship, innovation, and unrelenting pursuit of musical depth. Early life and musical beginnings Anthony Jackson was born Anthony Claiborne…
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Limp Bizkit Sam Rivers dies October 18, 2025

Sam Rivers was an American musician and singer best known as the bassist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the nu-metal band Limp Bizkit. His passing at the age of 48 marked the end of a chapter in a genre he helped define, but his influence and legacy are far from over. In this profile I’ll explore his life and work in detail: his early years, rise to fame with Limp Bizkit, musical style and contributions, personal struggles and triumphs, final years, and his enduring legacy. Early Life and Musical Beginnings Sam Rivers was born on September 2, 1977, in Jacksonville, Florida….
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Kiss’ Ace Frehley died October 16, 2025

Ace Frehley (1951–2025): The Spaceman Who Took Rock to the Stars Early Life and Beginnings Ace Frehley was born Paul Daniel Frehley on April 27, 1951, in the Bronx, New York. The youngest of three children in a working-class family, he grew up surrounded by music. Both of his parents played piano, and there was always a sense of rhythm in the household. His father, an electrical engineer, encouraged curiosity about how things worked — an influence that would later surface in Frehley’s fascination with customizing guitars and creating onstage special effects. Ace was a bright but restless child. School…
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Soul Legend D’Angelo died October 14, 2025

Michael Eugene Archer (D’Angelo): A Life in Soul Introduction D’Angelo was born Michael Eugene Archer on February 11, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia, and died on October 14, 2025, he left behind a compact yet monumental body of work that reshaped R&B and influenced generations of artists. As a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, D’Angelo fused the sacred with the sensual, the past with the future, crafting a sound that transcended genre. His three studio albums—Brown Sugar (1995), Voodoo (2000), and Black Messiah (2014)—each marked a new chapter in the evolution of soul music. Despite long silences between releases and a…
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Moody Blue John Lodge died October 10, 2025

John Lodge (1943–2025): A Life in Music Early Life and Musical Beginnings John Lodge was born John Charles Lodge on July 20, 1943 in Birches Green, near Erdington in Birmingham, England. Growing up in a working-class family during the closing years of World War II, he was surrounded by the energy and industriousness of post-war Britain. From an early age, he showed both curiosity and passion for music. The new sounds coming from America—rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and the early stirrings of pop—captured his imagination and would shape his artistic direction. Lodge attended Birches Green Infant and Junior…
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Jazz Legend Jim McNeely died September 26, 2025

Jim McNeely: A Life in Jazz Early Life and Musical Roots Jim McNeely was born on May 18, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois, into a family where music was always close at hand. His mother sang in the church choir, his father played piano by ear, and his siblings were also musically inclined. Growing up in that environment, McNeely developed a natural affinity for sound, rhythm, and melody. He began piano lessons at the age of six, and by eight he was already studying both technique and music theory in more structured settings. These early lessons provided him not only with…
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Bassist Danny Thompson died September 23, 2025

Danny Thompson was an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. Across more than six decades he became one of the most respected and widely admired accompanists in British music. His bass sound — resonant, melodic, and always sympathetic to the musicians around him — anchored records and concerts by a dazzling variety of artists, from John Martyn and Richard Thompson to Pentangle, Nick Drake, Kate Bush, and Toumani Diabaté. Thompson’s playing was never about virtuosity for its own sake: it was about listening, responding, and bringing a song to life. Early life and beginnings Danny Thompson was born…
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Jazz Pianist Mike Wofford died September 19, 2025

Michael (Mike) Wofford — A Life at the Keyboard Michael Wofford — usually billed as Mike Wofford — carved a singular path through American jazz: a pianist whose acute musical sensitivity made him a musician’s musician, and whose work as an accompanist placed him in the rare company of singers and instrumentalists who demanded both technical command and empathetic restraint. Born February 28, 1938, in San Antonio and raised in Southern California, Wofford’s career spanned more than six decades. He died September 19, 2025, at the age of 87. Early Life and Musical Formation Mike Wofford grew up in San…
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