Obituary News

Kenny Rankin, Melder of Jazz and Pop, Dies at 69

Source: Michael Ricci
June 10, 2009

Kenny Rankin, a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose easygoing style straddled the worlds of pop, jazz and folk, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 69 and lived in Los Angeles. The cause was complications of lung cancer, his family said. Singing in a soft, lilting voice and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Mr. Rankin was often categorized as an introspective singer-songwriter in the James Taylor mold. But he drew inspiration from a wide range of sources: the Brazilian ...

Continue Reading

Singer-Songwriter Kenny Rankin Dead of Lung Cancer

Source: All About Jazz
June 9, 2009

Kenny Rankin, a brilliant pop vocalist and highly regarded musician-songwriter whose stylings ranged from jazz to pop to the world music influences he picked up as a child in New York, has died of complications related to lung cancer, his record company announced Monday. He was 69. Rankin died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Mack Avenue Records spokesman Don Lucoff said. The musician, who first gained acclaim as one of the guitarists on Bob Dylan's landmark 1965 album, “Bringing it ...

Continue Reading

Kenny Rankin Dies at 69; Singer-Songwriter's Long Career Almost Defied Categorization

Source: Michael Ricci
June 9, 2009

A well-regarded guitarist, he wrote the hit song 'Peaceful' for Helen Reddy and played in Bob Dylan's backup band on the influential 1965 album 'Bringing It All Back Home.' Kenny Rankin, a singer-songwriter and musician whose song “Peaceful" was a hit for Helen Reddy and who had popular covers himself of a pair of Beatles hits, has died. He was 69. Rankin died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The cause of death, according to his management company, ...

Continue Reading

Kenny Rankin Singer-Songwriter's Long Career Almost Defied Categorization Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
June 8, 2009

A well-regarded guitarist, he wrote the hit song 'Peaceful' for Helen Reddy and played in Bob Dylan's backup band on the influential 1965 album 'Bringing It All Back Home.'

Kenny Rankin, a singer-songwriter and musician whose song “Peaceful" was a hit for Helen Reddy and who had popular covers himself of a pair of Beatles hits, has died. He was 69.

Rankin died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The cause of death, according to his management company, ...

Continue Reading

Funeral Arrangements Announced for Blues Singer Koko Taylor

Source: All About Jazz
June 6, 2009

WAKE/VISITATION AND FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR KOKO TAYLOR

Wake/Visitation (Lie in State) Thursday, June 11, 2009 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm Rainbow Push Coalition National Headquarters 930 East 50th Street (at Drexel) Chicago, IL 60615

Funeral Services Friday, June 12, 2009 6:00 pm (4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Visitation) Rainbow Push Coalition National Headquarters 930 East 50th Street (at Drexel)

Continue Reading

David Carradine Dies at 72; Star of 'Kung Fu'

Source: Michael Ricci
June 5, 2009

Carradine was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok, where he was working on a movie. A Thai newspaper indicates he committed suicide.

David Carradine, who became a TV icon in the early 1970s starring as an enigmatic Buddhist monk with a flair for martial arts in “Kung Fu" and more recently played the head of a group of assassins in the “Kill Bill" movies, has been found dead in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 72.

Carradine was found hanged ...

Continue Reading

Sam Butera 1950s-'60s Tenor Saxophonist with Louis Prima Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
June 5, 2009

Tenor sax player Sam Butera joined up with Louis Prima -- a fellow New Orleans native of Italian heritage -- in 1954, and for almost two decades they recorded hit albums for Capitol Records, were nightclub fixtures from Las Vegas to New York and appeared in movies and on television.

He was best known for his musical partnership with entertainer Louis Prima. They were a nightclub fixture and appeared on TV and in movies.

Sam Butera, a hard-swinging tenor saxophonist ...

Continue Reading

Koko Taylor: 1928-2009

Source: JamBase
June 4, 2009

“QUEEN OF THE BLUES" KOKO TAYLOR 1928 - 2009

Koko Taylor Grammy Award-winning blues legend Koko Taylor, 80, died on June 3, 2009 in her hometown of Chicago, IL, as a result of complications following her May 19 surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. On May 7, 2009, the critically acclaimed Taylor, known worldwide as the “Queen of the Blues," won her 29th Blues Music Award (for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of The Year), making her the recipient of more ...

Continue Reading