Obituary News

Molly Bee Country Singer Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
February 11, 2009

Molly Bee, a country singer popular in the 1950s and 1960s who was a teenage star on television's Hometown Jamboree and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, has died. She was 69.

Bee, who lived in Carlsbad, Calif., died Saturday of complications related to a stroke at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, said Michael Allen, her son.

Molly Bee At 10, she sang “Lovesick Blues" for country singer Rex Allen and soon debuted on his radio show. Within two years, she ...

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Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, Who Provided the Bass Line for the Buena Vista Social Club, Died Monday at 76.

Source: All About Jazz
February 10, 2009

HAVANA Orlando “Cachaito" Lopez, considered the “heartbeat" of Cuba's legendary Buena Vista Social Club for his internationally acclaimed bass playing, died Monday of complications from prostate surgery, fellow musicians said. He was 76.

Lopez, a founding member of the band brought together in the 1990s by American guitarist and producer Ry Cooder, died in a Havana hospital several days after surgery, said Manuel Galban, a Cuban musician who played with Lopez for decades.

“We have lost a great companion," said ...

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Blossom Dearie (1926-2009)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 10, 2009

Blossom Dearie, a delicate pianist, composer, arranger and singer with a helium-high voice who helped pioneer vocalese in New York and Paris in the late 1940s and early 1950s, died on Saturday in Greenwich Village after a long illness. She was 82.

Dearie was a regular at 52d St. clubs and the salon apartment of arranger Gil Evans in the late 1940s. Her earliest vocalese recordings for the Spotlite label in 1948 were arranged by Gerry Mulligan and featured bop ...

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Blossom Dearie

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
February 10, 2009

When Blossom Dearie died at 82 over the weekend, we lost a brilliant musician whose subtle artistry and private nature conspired to limit her popularity. There was nothing about her “teacup voice," as Whitney Balliett described it, or her sophisticated harmonic sense at the piano that could have led to mass adoration. Nonetheless, for decades she was idolized by a substantial base of listeners charmed by her singing and of musicians who admired her integration of vocal performance with self-accompaniment. ...

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Blossom Dearie a Songwriters Singer Passes

Source: Michael Ricci
February 9, 2009

Blossom Dearie saw herself as a songwriters singer, performing tunes by the great Broadway and Hollywood teams and newer talents like Dave Frishberg.

The singer and songwriter whose sweet soprano voice, harmonically innovative piano stylings and sophisticated performances made her a popular attraction in jazz and cabaret for nearly half a century, Blossom Dearie has died. She was 82.

Dearie died Saturday morning at her home in New York City, her manager Donald Schaffer told The Times. He said she ...

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Tenor Saxophonist David Young R.I.P.

Source: Night Lights Classic Jazz
February 8, 2009

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Tom Brumley Steel Guitarist for Buck Owens and Rick Nelson Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
February 6, 2009

Steel guitarist Tom Brumley, known as a perfectionist with an instantly recognizable sound, also spent 10 years in Rick Nelsons band.

Tom Brumley, a legendary steel guitarist who contributed to the “Bakersfield sound" of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in the 1960s before spending 10 years performing with Rick Nelson, has died. He was 73. Brumley died Tuesday at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, eight days after suffering a heart attack, said his wife, Rolene Brumley.

During his years ...

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Remembering Drummer Dewey Martin

Source: Michael Ricci
February 6, 2009

Dewey Martin, drummer for the short-lived but long-resonating rock band Buffalo Springfield whose career after the group split never ignited like those of his former band mates Neil Young and Stephen Stills, has died. He was 68.

He was found dead Sunday by a roommate in his Van Nuys apartment, longtime friend Lisa Lenes said Thursday. The cause of death has not been determined. “We believe it was natural causes," Lenes said, adding that he had suffered health problems in ...

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