Obituary News

Bandleader Lester Lanin dead at 97

Source: All About Jazz
October 29, 2004

NEW YORK (AP)- Bandleader Lester Lanin, who supplied music for presidential inaugurations, Queen Elizabeth's 60th birthday party and gatherings hosted by the Rockefellers, duPonts and Chryslers, died Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 97.

His death was announced by his spokeswoman, Betty Shulman.

Lanin led his band in playing Dixieland, swing and light rock 'n' roll for every presidential inauguration since Eisenhower's, except two _ those of Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush.

He serenaded Grace Kelly at her engagement party ...

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Saxophonist Gil Melle Dies At 73

Source: All About Jazz
October 29, 2004

Gil Melle, the baritone saxophonist, composer, painter, and all around Renaissance man, died yesterday of a heart attack at his home in Malibu, California. He was 73 years old. Melle was born on the last day of 1931 in New York City and began painting and playing the saxophone at an early age. When only 19 years old, he was signed to Blue Note Records by label founder Alfred Lion, becoming the first white artist on the storied jazz label. ...

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Influential British DJ John Peel Dies

Source: All About Jazz
October 27, 2004

Longtime British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) disc jockey John Peel has died. He was 65.

The BBC said Peel died of a heart attack Monday while vacationing in Peru with his wife.

Peel's program on BBC's Radio One was hugely influential on rock and pop for more than 30 years. He became known to a global audience on BBC's World Service and was often the first to play demos by little-known bands.

He promoted reggae, hip-hop and punk on the sometimes ...

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Gospel, r&b singer-songwriter Bill Spivery dead at 73

Source: All About Jazz
October 13, 2004

CLEVELAND (AP) - Bill Spivery, whose song “Operator” was made famous by the Manhattan Transfer, died Saturday, according to a funeral home. He was 73.

He wrote “Operator” in the 1950s. It had the catchy refrain: “Operator, information, give me Jesus on the line.” The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2002 film, “Phone Booth.”

Spivery lived in the Cleveland area since the early 1950s. He held various day jobs while pursuing a musical career.

He performed with ...

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Bassist Vernon Alley dead at 89

Source: All About Jazz
October 5, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - Vernon Alley, the world-renowned jazz bassist who played with his generation's greatest musicians and was considered this city's most distinguished jazz artist, has died. He was 89.

Alley, a lifelong San Franciscan who broke down many racial barriers during his musical career, died Sunday after a long illness.

Musicians say Alley could have become one of the biggest names in jazz. Instead he decided to spend his career in his native San Francisco, where he attended high ...

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Jazz Patriarch Ellis Marsalis Sr. Dead at 96

Source: All About Jazz
September 22, 2004

Ellis Marsalis Sr, patriarch of the family of jazz greats that includes his grandsons Wynton and Branford, died over the weekend at the age of 96, a New Orleans funeral home said on Wednesday. Marsalis, who took an active role in the civil rights movement, died at an area hospital on Sunday. Marsalis was a poultry farmer who converted a barn along the Mississippi River into a motel in 1943.

The 40 room motel catered to African-Americans, who were not ...

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Ernie Ball Dies at 74 -- Maker of Guitar Strings

Source: All About Jazz
September 10, 2004

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) - Ernie Ball, a pioneer maker of rock 'n' roll guitar strings used by legions of artists from the Rolling Stones to Merle Travis, has died. He was 74. Ball died at his home Thursday after an ongoing illness, the mortuary handling services announced. His strings and instruments were used by music stars over the past four decades, from B.B. King to Metallica. Beginning with a small music shop in the San Fernando Valley, Ball ...

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Donald Leslie Dies at 93 -- Creator of the Leslie Keyboard Speaker

Source: All About Jazz
September 10, 2004

LOS ANGELES - Donald James Leslie, who created and manufactured a speaker that refined the sound of the Hammond organ and helped popularize electronic music, has died. He was 93. Leslie died Thursday of natural causes at his home in the foothill community of Altadena, 12 miles northeast of Los Angeles. His body was to be cremated at Cabot and Sons Mortuary in Pasadena on Tuesday, mortuary owner Wendell Cabot said. Born in Danville, Ill., he lived in Glendale and ...

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