We lost another batch of big name musicians in 2023 including Jeff Beck, Burt Bacharach, Robbie Robertson, Gordon Lightfoot, Carla Bley, Charles Gayle, David Crosby, Ahmad Jamal, Tony McPhee, Shane MacGowan, Sinéad O’Connor, Tony Oxley, Kaija Saariaho and Tina Turner.

I was especially saddened to learn of the passing of a couple of people who used to send me their music to air on my radio programme over the course of my 25 years on the radio. Both Gloria Coates and Steve Roden have made their way onto the list this year.

Ed Ames (American actor and singer for Ames Brothers)
Katherine Anderson (American singer for The Marvelettes)
Stanley Appel (British television producer for Top of the Pops)
Kirk Arrington (American drummer for Metal Church)
Clarence Avant (American music executive and film producer, founder of Sussex Records)
Burt Bacharach (American Hall of Fame composer, six-time Grammy winner)
Robbie Bachman (Canadian hard rock drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
Tim Bachman (Canadian guitarist for Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
Ian Bairnson (Scottish musician for The Alan Parsons Project)
Philip Balsam (Canadian songwriter for Fraggle Rock)
Clarence Barlow (British composer)
Bruce Barthol (American bassist for Country Joe and the Fish)
Russell Batiste Jr (American drummer for The Meters)
Jeff Beck (British guitarist for The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group)
Harry Belafonte (American Hall of Fame musician)
Tony Bennett (American singer)
Karl Berger (German jazz pianist, composer, and educator)
Jane Birkin (English-French singer and actress)
Jeff Blackburn (American songwriter and guitarist for Blackburn & Snow, Moby Grape)
Carla Bley (American jazz composer and musician for Jazz Composer’s Orchestra)
Peter Brötzmann (German jazz saxophonist)
Pete Brown (English poet, lyricist and singer)
Angelo Bruschini (English guitarist for Massive Attack)
Dennis Budimir (American jazz and rock guitarist for The Wrecking Crew)
Jimmy Buffett (American singer-songwriter)
Colin Burgess (Australian rock drummer The Masters Apprentices, AC/DC)
Bobby Caldwell (American singer and songwriter)
Ronnie Caryl (English guitarist for Flaming Youth, Phil Collins)
Paul Cattermole (English singer for S Club 7)
Monte Cazazza (American artist and composer)
Gloria Coates (American composer)
Tony Coe (English jazz musician)
Michael Cooper (Jamaican musician for Inner Circle)
David Crosby (American songwriter and singer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
John Cutler (American record producer and audio engineer for Grateful Dead)
Dean Daughtry (American keyboard player for Atlanta Rhythm Section)
Richard Davis (American jazz bassist)
Charlie Dominici (American singer for Dream Theater)
Bobby Eli (American guitarist for MFSB)
Simon Emmerson (English record producer, DJ, and musician for Afro Celt Sound System)
José Evangelista (Spanish composer)
Johnny Fean (Irish guitarist for Horslips)
John Fitzpatrick (Irish violinist for Nightnoise and Jeff Johnson)
Jeffrey Foskett (American singer and songwriter for Beach Boys)
Pete Garner (British bassist for The Stone Roses)
Charles Gayle (American jazz saxophonist and pianist)
Renée Geyer (Australian singer)
John Giblin (Scottish bass player for Kate Bush)
Astrud Gilberto (Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer)
Brian Godding (Welsh jazz rock guitarist for Blossom Toes, Centipede)
Myles Goodwyn (Canadian singer for April Wine)
Jim Gordon (American convicted murderer and musician for Eric Clapton, Derek and the Dominos)
John Gosling (English keyboardist for The Kinks)
Bruce Guthro (Canadian singer-songwriter and musician for Runrig)
Dickie Harrell (American Hall of Fame drummer for Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps)
Wee Willie Harris (English rock and roll singer)
Steve Harwell (American singer for Smash Mouth)
Fuzzy Haskins (American singer for Parliament-Funkadelic)
Redd Holt (American jazz drummer)
Brad Houser (American musician for Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
Ron Howden (English drummer for Nektar)
Ralph Humphrey (American rock drummer for The Mothers of Invention)
Rudolph Isley (American songwriter and singer for The Isley Brothers)
Chuck Jackson (American R&B singer)
Ahmad Jamal (American jazz pianist)
Stu James aka Slater (British music executive and singer for The Mojos)
Bob Johnson (British guitarist, singer and songwriter for Steeleye Span)
Scott Johnson (American composer)
Howie Kane (American pop singer for Jay and the Americans)
Seán Keane (Irish fiddler for The Chieftains)
Scott Kempner (American guitarist for The Dictators)
Terry Kirkman (American songwriter and musician for The Association)
Jean Knight (American singer)
David LaFlamme (American singer and violinist for It’s a Beautiful Day)
Denny Laine (English musician for Wings and singer for Moody Blues)
Bill Lee (American jazz musician and film composer)
Rita Lee (Brazilian singer for Os Mutantes)
Mylon LeFevre (American Christian rock singer)
Linda Lewis (English singer-songwriter)
Gordon Lightfoot (Canadian Hall of Fame singer-songwriter)
David Lindley (American musician)
Lord Creator (Trinidadian-born Jamaican singer-songwriter)
Robin Lumley (British jazz keyboardist for Brand X)
Ralph Lundsten (Swedish composer)
Laura Lynch (American musician for Dixie Chicks)
Shane MacGowan (Irish singer for The Pogues)
Steve Mackey (English record producer and bassist for Pulp)
Bernie Marsden (English rock guitarist for Whitesnake)
Manny Martínez (American drummer for The Misfits)
Brian McBride (American musician for Stars of the Lid)
Les McCann (American jazz musician)
Tony McPhee (English guitarist for The Groundhogs)
Randy Meisner (American musician for Eagles)
Mendelson Joe ( Canadian singer-songwriter)
Butch Miles (American jazz drummer)
Essra Mohawk (American singer-songwriter)
Francis Monkman (English musician for Curved Air)
Napoleon XIV (American singer)
Peter Nero (American pianist and conductor for Philly Pops)
Chas Newby (British early bassist for The Beatles)
Sinéad O’Connor (Irish singer)
Blackie Onassis (American rock drummer for Urge Overkill)
Tony Oxley (English free improvising drummer, co-founder of Incus Records)
Jon Povey (British musician for Pretty Things)
Lisa Marie Presley (American singer-songwriter)
Alberto Radius (Italian guitarist and singer-songwriter for Formula 3)
Alan Rankine (Scottish musician for The Associates)
Lee Rauch (American drummer for Megadeth)
Lance Reddick (American actor and musician)
Otis Redding III (American singer for The Reddings)
Sheldon Reynolds (American guitarist for Earth, Wind & Fire)
Robbie Robertson (Canadian musician for The Band and film composer)
Sixto Rodriguez (American singer-songwriter)
Steve Roden (American contemporary artist and musician for Forms of Paper)
Bernt Rosengren (Swedish jazz tenor saxophonist)
Gary Rossington (American Hall of Fame guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Andy Rourke (English bassist for The Smiths)
Kaija Saariaho (Finnish composer)
Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese musician for Yellow Magic Orchestra)
Renata Scotto (Italian operatic soprano for La Scala)
Don Sebesky (American composer, arranger, and conductor)
Bob Segarini (American-Canadian radio presenter and musician for The Wackers)
Jah Shaka (Jamaican dub and reggae sound system operator)
Sweet Charles Sherrell (American bassist for James Brown)
Wayne Shorter (American jazz saxophonist)
Ray Shulman (English musician for Gentle Giant)
Mick Slattery (British guitarist for Hawkwind)
Huey “Piano” Smith (American R&B pianist and songwriter)
Tom Smothers (American comedian, musician for Smothers Brothers)
Floyd Sneed (Canadian drummer for Three Dog Night)
Jack Sonni (American musician for Dire Straits)
Seymour Stein (American Hall of Fame music executive, founder of Sire Records)
Lester Sterling (Jamaican saxophonist for The Skatalites)
April Stevens (American singer)
Mark Stewart (English musician for The Pop Group)
Chris Strachwitz (American record company founder and executive for Arhoolie Records)
Barrett Strong (American singer and songwriter)
Yukihiro Takahashi (Japanese drummer and singer for Yellow Magic Orchestra)
Ted “Kingsize” Taylor (British singer and guitarist for Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes)
Teresa Taylor (American drummer for Butthole Surfers)
Charlie Thomas (American Hall of Fame singer for The Drifters)
George Tickner (American rock guitarist for Journey)
Top Topham (English guitarist for The Yardbirds)
Ismaïla Touré (Senegalese musician for Touré Kunda)
Vivian Trimble (American musician for Luscious Jackson)
Trugoy the Dove (David Jude Jolicoeur) (American rapper for De La Soul)
Tina Turner (American-born Swiss Hall of Fame singer)
Dwight Twilley (American singer-songwriter)
Nancy Van de Vate (American composer)
Conny Van Dyke (American singer and actress)
Tom Verlaine (American musician for Television)
John Waddington (English guitarist for The Pop Group)
Geordie Walker (English guitarist for Killing Joke)
Lillian Walker (American singer for The Exciters)
Algy Ward (English heavy metal bassist for The Damned)
André Watts (American pianist and academic)
Cynthia Weil (American Hall of Fame songwriter)
Lasse Wellander (Swedish guitarist for ABBA)
George Winston (American pianist)
Fred White (American Hall of Fame drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire)
Roger Whittaker (British singer-songwriter)
Mars Williams (American saxophonist for The Waitresses, The Psychedelic Furs)
Gary Wright (American singer-songwriter and musician for Spooky Tooth)
Gary Young (American drummer for Pavement)