Obituary News

Francisco Aguabella, Percussionist Who Crossed Genres, Dies at 84

Source: Michael Ricci
May 15, 2010

Francisco Aguabella, a Cuban-born master percussionist whose impeccable rhythmic sense and drive enriched the recordings and live performances of jazz, salsa and pop artists for five decades, died on May 7 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. The cause was cancer, said his daughter Menina Givens. Mr. Aguabella's main instrument was the conga drum, on which he showed remarkable versatility. Of the scores of recordings on which he played, Paul Simons 1990 album The Rhythm of the ...

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Rosa Rio, Organist from Silent Films to Soap Operas, Dies at 107

Source: Michael Ricci
May 16, 2010

On Oct. 6, 1927, the day “The Jazz Singer" splashed noisily across American movie screens, Rosa Rio broke down and wept. Al Jolson was talking, and the very sound of him, she knew, would put her out of business.

But Miss Rio's fears went unrealized, and for the next eight decades--until her final performance, last year -- she built a career as one of the country's premier theater organists. Miss Rio was undoubtedly among the very last to have played ...

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Dave Fisher Founding Member and Lead Singer of the 1960s Folk Group the Highwaymen Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2010

Dave Fisher, founding member and lead singer of the 1960s folk group the Highwaymen, whose recording of the Civil War anti-slavery song “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" became a surprise pop hit in 1962, has died. He was 69. Fisher died Friday at his home in Rye, N.Y., of myelofibrosis, a rare blood disease, family friend Nicole Fiftal said Wednesday. “The original Highwaymen, along with the Kingston Trio and, later, Peter, Paul and Mary, were among those responsible for popularizing ...

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Doris E. Travis, Last of the Ziegfeld Girls, Dies at 106

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2010

For a quarter century, Florenz Ziegfeld auditioned hundreds of thousands of young women vying to become chorus girls, the Ziegfeld Girls, those lace and chiffon visions of glamour who were as much a part of the Jazz Age as Stutz Bearcats, the Charleston and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Doris Eaton Travis may have been the youngest Ziegfeld Girl. In all, from 1907 to 1931, he picked about 3,000, and on Tuesday the last Ziegfeld Girl died. She was Doris Eaton Travis, ...

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Bob Mercer Chief Executive of 'Now That's What I Call Music!' Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
May 13, 2010

Bob Mercer, a music industry executive who was managing director of EMI Music in Britain in the 1970s and most recently was chief executive of the “Now That's What I Call Music!" venture that releases a bestselling series of hit-single compilation albums, has died. He was 65. Mercer died of lung cancer May 5 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said his wife, Margie. As chief executive of “Now That's What I Call Music!," Mercer presided over an enterprise ...

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Willie Pooch | 1937-2010

Source: Michael Ricci
May 12, 2010

Loss of 'great vocalist' leaves fans, musicians blue Rebounding from a health scare, Willie Pooch took the stage in January before a packed house at a Worthington restaurant--where 300 people had gathered for a tribute to the bluesman. So many musicians showed up that the entertainment lasted 10 hours. His right leg had recently been amputated, but the ebullient Pooch--wearing a white mink coat--joined in nonetheless: He crooned from his wheelchair. “He made you want to get up there and ...

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Lena Horne Singer and Civil Rights Activist Who Broke Barriers

Source: Michael Ricci
May 11, 2010

Horne achieved a place in the pantheon of female jazz vocalists and broke ground in Hollywood as an African American star in the '40s. She also won acclaim on Broadway and as a cabaret performer.

On screen, on records and in nightclubs and concert halls, Horne was at home vocally with a wide musical range, from blues and jazz to the sophistication of Rodgers and Hart. “Stormy Weather" was Lena Horne's signature song as well as a chillingly apt metaphor ...

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Lena Horne, 1917-2010

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
May 11, 2010

Lena Horne is being remembered with the respect and admiration that her talent and tenacity won her in decades of struggle and refusal to compromise. Her travails and triumphs are recounted in dozens of obituaries on the air, on web sites and in publications around the world. This one from The New York Times has the essential details of her remarkable life. The stories emphasize the prejudices she battled, the barriers she shattered and the major stardom as an actress ...

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