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Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977

Elvis Presley, often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll,” remains one of the most influential and celebrated figures in American music and pop culture. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935, Presley rose from humble beginnings to become an international icon whose impact on music, fashion, film, and culture endures to this day. His life and career encapsulate the transformative power of rock and roll and the complex social and cultural changes that characterized America in the 20th century. Early Life and Influences Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room…
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Ginger Baker the Legendary Cream drummer died October 6, 2019

Ginger Baker (August 19, 1939 – October 6, 2019) was an English drummer and a co-founder of the legendary rock band Cream. His work in the 1960s earned him the well-deserved reputation of “rock’s first superstar drummer”, while his individual style melded a jazz background with African rhythms. He is credited as having been a pioneer of drumming in such genres as jazz fusion and world music. Peter Edward Baker was born in Lewisham, South London and was nicknamed “Ginger” for his shock of flaming red hair. Baker began playing drums at about 15 years old, as an outlet for…
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George Michael died December 25, 2016

George Michael: A Trailblazing Pop Icon George Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, in East Finchley, London, was one of the most influential and beloved pop stars of the 1980s and 1990s. As a solo artist and as part of the duo Wham!, Michael achieved global fame, becoming known for his powerful voice, charismatic stage presence, and ability to blend multiple musical styles such as pop, soul, R&B, and dance. Beyond his music, Michael was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and social causes, adding layers of depth to his public persona. His life, however, was marked…
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Ric Ocasek of The Cars died September 15, 2019

Ric Ocasek was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and painter, and the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the rock band the Cars. He was born Richard Theodore Otcasek on March 23, 1944, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. When he was 16 years old, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his father worked as systems analyst with NASA at the Lewis Research Center. Richard graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963 and briefly attended Antioch College and Bowling Green State University, but dropped out to pursue a career in music (good choice!). Ric Ocasek…
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Nipsey Hussle died March 31, 2019

Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le) (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), was born Ermias Joseph Asghedom and was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and community activist from Los Angeles, California. He emerged from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s and independently released his first mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, leading him to be signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records. Ermias Joseph Asghedom (Nipsey Hussle) was born to Angelique Smith, an African-American woman, and Dawit Asghedom, an Eritrean immigrant, on August 15, 1985. He was raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood…
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Dr. John sadly died June 6 2019.

Dr. John (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019) was born Malcolm John Rebennack and was an American singer and songwriter. His music combined blues, pop, jazz, boogie-woogie and rock and roll. Malcolm (Mac) John Rebennack was born in New Orleans on November 20, 1941 of French heritage. Growing up in the 3rd Ward, he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his grandfather and a number of family members who played piano. His father was the owner of an appliance store and record shop and exposed him as a young boy to jazz musicians King Oliver…
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Scott Walker died March 22, 2019

Scott Walker was born Noel Scott Engel (January 9, 1943 – March 22, 2019) and was an American-born English singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He was known for his distinctive baritone voice and an unorthodox career path which took him from 1960s teen pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician. Scott Walker’s success was largely in the United Kingdom, where his first three solo albums reached the top ten, and where he lived from 1965 and became a UK citizen in 1970. Noel Scott Engel was born in Hamilton, Ohio, US, the son of Elizabeth Marie (Fortier), who was from Montreal,…
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Dick Dale, The King of Surf Rock Guitar, died March 16, 2019

Dick Dale, The King of Surf Rock Guitar, died on March 16, 2019, after twenty years battling multiple illnesses and a lifetime of health issues. His unique and dynamic way of playing shaped a genre and inspired musicians including the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix. Dale was himself inspired and influenced by the Arabic scales and sounds he grew up listening to, and he combined the sounds of his father’s native Lebanon with a lot of reverb and wildly fast tempos. Dick Dale defined surf rock. Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), was known as Dick…
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The Prodigy’s Keith Flint died March 4, 2019

Keith Flint (September 17, 1969 – March 4, 2019) was an English singer, musician and dancer for the electronic music band The Prodigy and sang on their two 1996 UK number one singles, “Firestarter” and “Breathe”. He was also the lead singer of his own band Flint. Keith Charles Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England, to Clive and Yvonne Flint, on September 17, 1969 and initially raised in East London before his parents moved the family to Springfield, Essex in the mid-1970s. He described his childhood as unhappy and he argued with his parents who separated when he was…
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André Previn, composer and pianist, died February 28, 2019

André Previn, KBE (April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was born Andreas Ludwig Priwin and was an American musician, born in Germany. André Previn’s career in Hollywood, was as an arranger and composer, in jazz he was a pianist-interpreter and arranger of songs from the “Great American Songbook,” he was also a piano-accompanist to singers of jazz standards, a trio pianist, and a classical music pianist, conductor and as composer. Andreas Ludwig Priwin was born in Berlin into a Jewish family, the last of three children of Charlotte (née Epstein) and Jack Previn (Jakob Priwin), who was a lawyer,…
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