2021 was yet another year when Covid-19 dominated the news. I’m sure that we’re all glad to see the end of it. Let’s all hope for a better 2022.
The following list is just a small representation of some of the people that we have lost over the past year.
Louis Andriessen (Dutch composer for La Commedia)
Astro (British singer and musician for UB40)
Chris Barber (English jazz bandleader and trombonist)
Andy Barker (British musician for 808 State)
Byron Berline (American fiddler)
Jay Black (American singer for Jay and the Americans)
Tim Bogert (American rock bassist for Bogert & Appice)
Juini Booth (American jazz double-bassist for Sun Ra Arkestra)
Leslie Bricusse (British composer)
Gil Bridges (American musician for Rare Earth)
Ron Bushy (American drummer for Iron Butterfly)
Sylvano Bussotti (Italian composer, poet, and artistic director for Puccini Festival)
Alan Cartwright (English rock bassist for Procol Harum)
Malcolm Cecil (British musician for Tonto’s Expanding Head Band, Blues Incorporated and record producer for Stevie Wonder)
Joel Chadabe (American electronic music pioneer)
Emmett Chapman (American jazz musician, inventor of the Chapman Stick)
Michael Chapman (English singer-songwriter and guitarist)
Richard Cole (English music manager for Led Zeppelin)
Charles Connor (American drummer for Little Richard)
Billy Conway (American drummer for Morphine)
Gary Corbett (American rock keyboardist for KISS, Cinderella)
Chick Corea (American jazz keyboardist)
Paul Cotton (American musician for Poco)
DMX (American rapper)
John Drake (American singer for The Amboy Dukes)
Graeme Edge (English drummer for The Moody Blues)
Les Emmerson (Canadian singer for Five Man Electrical Band)
Sergio Esquivel (Mexican singer-songwriter)
Don Everly (American Hall of Fame singer for The Everly Brothers)
Bobby Few (American jazz pianist)
Pat Fish (English musician for The Jazz Butcher)
George Frayne IV (American country singer and keyboardist for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen)
Denny Freeman (American blues guitarist and keyboardist)
Curtis Fuller (American jazz trombonist)
Djivan Gasparyan (Armenian musician and composer)
James Mac Gaw (French guitarist for Magma)
John Goodsall (American-British rock guitarist for Atomic Rooster, Brand X)
Milford Graves (American jazz drummer for New York Art Quartet)
Burton Greene (American jazz pianist)
Nanci Griffith (American singer-songwriter)
Tom T. Hall (American singer-songwriter)
Jon Hassell (American trumpeter and composer)
Roger Hawkins (American drummer and recording studio owner for Muscle Shoals Sound Studio)
Dusty Hill (American songwriter and musician for ZZ Top)
John Hinch (British drummer for Judas Priest)
John Dee Holeman (American Piedmont blues guitarist, singer and songwriter)
Paul Humphrey (Canadian musician for Blue Peter)
Paul Jackson (American jazz bassist for The Headhunters)
Stonewall Jackson (American country singer)
Bob James (American rock singer-songwriter for Montrose)
Joey Jordison (American musician for Slipknot)
Richard H. Kirk (English electronic musician for Cabaret Voltaire)
Bob Koester (American music executive, founder of Delmark Records)
Alexi Laiho (Finnish death metal singer-songwriter and guitarist for Children of Bodom)
Rick Laird (Irish jazz fusion bassist for Mahavishnu Orchestra)
Alan Lancaster (English rock bassist for Status Quo)
Anita Lane (Australian singer-songwriter for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
Bob Lanois (Canadian record producer and recording engineer)
David Lasley (American singer-songwriter)
John Lawton (English hard rock singer for Uriah Heep)
James Levine (American conductor and pianist for Metropolitan Opera)
Janice Long (English disc jockey for BBC Radio 1)
Alvin Lucier (American composer)
Kenny Malone (American drummer)
Junior Mance (American jazz pianist and educator)
Carlos Marín (Spanish singer for Il Divo)
Jon Mark (English singer-songwriter and guitarist)
Pat Martino (American jazz guitarist and composer)
Nobesuthu Mbadu (South African mbaqanga singer for Mahotella Queens)
Count M’Butu (American percussionist for The Derek Trucks Band)
Biz Markie (American rapper and actor)
Gerry Marsden (English musician for Gerry and the Pacemakers)
Barry Mason (English songwriter)
Marilyn McLeod (American singer-songwriter)
Les McKeown (Scottish singer for Bay City Rollers)
Mensi (English punk rock singer for Angelic Upstarts)
John Miles (British singer-songwriter and musician)
Mike Mitchell (American musician for The Kingsmen)
Paddy Moloney (Irish musician for The Chieftains)
Everett Morton (Kittitian-born British drummer for The Beat / The English Beat)
Juan Nelson (American bassist for Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals)
Michael Nesmith (American musician for The Monkees)
Melvin Parker (American drummer for James Brown)
Anthony Payne (English composer)
Lee “Scratch” Perry (Jamaican reggae songwriter and musician for The Upsetters)
Ralph Peterson Jr (American jazz drummer for The Jazz Messengers)
Christopher Plummer (Canadian actor for The Sound of Music)
Dee Pop (American drummer for Bush Tetras, The Gun Club)
Lloyd Price (American R&B singer)
Peter Rehberg (Austrian-British electronic musician for KTL)
Mike Renzi (American composer and music director for Sesame Street)
Jimmie Rodgers (American pop singer)
Frederic Rzewski (American composer and pianist for The People United Will Never Be Defeated!)
Phil Schaap (American disc jockey and jazz historian)
Al Schmitt (American recording engineer)
Robbie Shakespeare (Jamaican bassist for Sly and Robbie)
Sonny Simmons (American jazz saxophonist)
Joe Simon (American soul and R&B singer)
Johnny Solinger (American singer-songwriter for Skid Row)
Stephen Sondheim (American composer and lyricist for West Side Story)
Phil Spector (American record producer)
Michael Stanley (American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter)
Pervis Staples (American Hall of Fame gospel singer for The Staple Singers)
Robby Steinhardt (American singer and violinist for Kansas)
Jim Steinman (American musician, composer and lyricist)
Dean Stockwell (American actor and recording artist)
Sylvain Sylvain (American guitarist for New York Dolls)
Gene Taylor (American pianist for Canned Heat, The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
B. J. Thomas (American singer)
Mikis Theodorakis (Greek composer)
Rosalie Trombley (Canadian music director for CKLW)
U-Roy (Jamaican reggae singer)
Hilton Valentine (English Hall of Fame guitarist for The Animals)
Leo van de Ketterij (Dutch guitarist for Shocking Blue)
Yoshi Wada (Japanese sound installation artist and musician)
Bunny Wailer (Jamaican reggae singer for Bob Marley and the Wailers)
Rusty Warren (American singer for Knockers Up!)
Charlie Watts (English drummer for The Rolling Stones)
George Wein (American festival promoter and jazz pianist for Newport Jazz Festival)
Chuck E. Weiss (American songwriter and vocalist)
Mary Wilson (American singer for The Supremes)
Rusty Young (American musician for Poco)
Wanda Young (American singer for The Marvelettes)
