Tag Archive: musicians who died in 2020

The Four Seasons founder Tommy DeVito died September 21, 2020 from COVID-19 (coronavirus)

Tommy DeVito, born Gaetano DeVito (June 19, 1928 – September 21, 2020) was an American musician and singer, best known as a founding member, vocalist, and lead guitarist of rock band the Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito was born on June 19, 1928 in New Jersey, United States, the youngest of nine children in an big, traditional Italian-American family. At 8 years old, he taught himself to play his brother’s guitar by listening to country music on the radio, by 12 he was playing for tips in neighborhood bars and by 16, he had his own R&B band and was making $25…
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Uriah heep and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Lee Kerslake died September 19, 2020

Lee Kerslake (April 16, 1947 – September 19, 2020) was an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep and for his work with Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s. Lee Kerslake was born in Dorset, England, and at the age 11, he began playing drums and got his first professional gig with the Gods in 1969, going on to record three albums with the band. He later played with Toe Fat and National Head Band before linking up with Uriah Heep in November 1971. Lee Kerslake first appeared with Uriah Heep…
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Toots and the Maytals Toots Hibbert died September 11, 2020 from COVID-19 (coronavirus)

Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert (December 8, 1942 – September 11, 2020) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he performed for six decades and helped establish some of the fundamentals of reggae music. Toots Hibbert’s 1968 song “Do the Reggay” is widely credited as the start of the genre name reggae. His band’s album True Love won a Grammy Award in 2005. In 2010, Toots Hibbert ranked number 71 in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”, and in August 2012 it was announced…
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Kool and the Gangs Ronald Bell died September 9, 2020

Ronald Nathan Bell (November 1, 1951 – September 9, 2020) was a composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, saxophonist and co-founding member of Kool & the Gang. The band recorded nine No. 1 R&B singles in the 1970s and 80s, including its No. 1 pop single “Celebration”. The group is honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ronald Bell sadly died at his home in the United States Virgin Islands on September 9, 2020, at age 68. No cause was given, but the death was described as sudden. Check out Kool &…
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Peter Green co-founder of Fleetwood Mac died July 25 2020

Peter Allen Greenbaum (October 29, 1946 – July 25, 2020), better known as Peter Green was an English blues rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and his songs, such as “Albatross”, “Black Magic Woman”, “Oh Well”, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)” and “Man of the World”, appeared on singles charts worldwide, and several have been adapted and covered by a variety of musicians. B.B. King once said, “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave…
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Southern Rock Pioneer and Fiddle player Charlie Daniels died July 6 2020

Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020), known as Charlie Daniels, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who played Southern rock, country, and bluegrass music. He was best known for his number-one country hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. Charles Edward (Charlie) Daniels was born October 28, 1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was raised listening to various musical styles including Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, and the rhythm & blues and country music from Nashville’s WLAC and WSM radio stations. As a teenager, Charlie moved to the small town of Gulf in Chatham County, North…
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Composer and arranger Johnny Mandel died June 29 2020

John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925 – June 29, 2020), known as Johnny Mandel, was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. He worked with many musicians including Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O’Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn, and won five Grammy Awards – from 17 nominations. John Alfred “Johnny” Mandel was born in Manhattan on November 23, 1925. His father, Alfred, was a garment manufacturer who ran his own business called Mandel & Cash, and his mother, Hannah, had wanted to be an opera singer and discovered…
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Jamaican guitarist for Toots and the Maytals and Paul Simon, Hux Brown died June 18, 2020

Lynford Brown (December 4, 1944 – June 18, 2020), known as Hux Brown, was a Jamaican guitarist who featured on many successful rocksteady and reggae records in the 1960s and 1970s, and was later a member of Toots and the Maytals. Lynford “Hux” Brown was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He was nicknamed “Fordie”When at school, then “Fordux”, which eventually became “Hux”. He formed a band, the Vikings, before moving to Kingston where he joined the Soul Brothers at Clement Dodd’s Studio One label. In 1967, he moved to the rival Treasure Isle studio for producer Duke Reid, and the…
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UFO guitarist Tonka Chapman died June 9, 2020

Paul William “Tonka” Chapman (June 9, 1954 – June 9, 2020) was a Welsh rock guitarist known as Tonka Chapman and best known for his work in bands such as UFO, Waysted and Lone Star. Paul Chapman was well known by his nickname “Tonka”, allegedly given to him because of his indestructible qualities. Tonka Chapman’s first notable band was when he replaced Gary Moore as guitarist in Skid Row in December 1971, but his time in the band was fairly short and only lasted until July 1972. His next band was Kimla Taz, which he was guitarist in from December…
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Pointer Sister Bonnie Pointer died June 8, 2020

Patricia Eva “Bonnie” Pointer (July 11, 1950 – June 8, 2020) was an American singer, and founding member of the legendary vocal group, The Pointer Sisters, as well as a solo performer. Bonnie Pointer and her youngest sister June began singing together in their father’s West Oakland Church of God in California. They formed The Pointers, also known as The Pair, in 1969. After their sister Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to The Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, they recruited oldest sister Ruth…
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