Death list 2016

Every year at around this time I compile a list of some of those in music and entertainment who have died during the last 12 months. 2016 seems to have been a particularly bad year, with some of the greats having passed on. But in truth every year sees far too many great musicians going to that great jukebox in the sky - and that trend is hardly likely to change as the fifties and sixties generations reach old age.
Among the latest is Greg Lake, who was the singer with King Crimson, part of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and a solo hit maker with I Believe In Father Christmas. Also Joe Ligon, who was the founder and lead singer of gospel group The Mighty Clouds Of Joy.
Here is a list of some of the others who have died during 2016.

Colonel Abrams - eighties soul singer; Mohammed Ali - heavyweight champion and occasional singer: Mose Allison - blues and jazz artist; Ernestine Anderson - jazz and blues singer; Signe Anderson - founder member of Jefferson Airplane; Sylvia Anderson - film maker and voice of Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds; Lee Andrews - doowop singer with the Hearts; Lennie Baker - member of Danny & the Juniors; David Bowie - Bromley boy who became Ziggy Stardust; Bonnie Brown - member of The Browns;  Tommy 'Weeping and Crying' Brown - bluesman; Pete Burns - member of Dead or Alive; Harrison Calloway - founder of Muscle Shoals Horns;  Phil Chess - producer at Chess records; Guy Clark - Texas singer/songwriter; Joe Clay - rockabilly singer; Otis Clay - superlative soul singer (pictured); Leonard Cohen - singer/songwriter; Clifford Curry - beach music and blues singer; Bobby Curtola - Canadian pop singer;  Joe Dowell - Wooden Heart singer; Patty Duke - actress and singer; Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural - zydeco artist; David Egan - songwriter and member of Lil Band of Gold; Keith Emerson - composer and keyboard player with Nice and ELP; Emile Ford - sixties pop singer originally from St Lucia; Pete Fountain - New Orleans jazzman; Glenn Frey - member of the Eagles; Giorgio Gomelsky - music impresario and record producer; Leo Graham - producer for Tyrone Davis; Dale Griffin - Mott the Hoople drummer; Merle Haggard - country superstar; Herb Hardesty - sax player with Fats Domino; Leon Haywood - soul singer; Fred Hellerman - member of the Weavers; Dan Hicks - of the Hot Licks; Long John Hunter - bluesman; Wayne Jackson - Stax trumpet player with the Mar-Keys and Memphis Horns; Sonny James - fifties pop and country singer; Morris Jennings - drummer at Chess records;Joan Marie Johnson - member of the Dixie Cups;  Sharon Jones - retro soul singer; Kitty Kallen - fifties singer; Candye Kane - blues singer and porn star; Paul Kantner - member of Jefferson Airplane; John D Loudermilk - songwriter and singer; Lonnie Mack - rock and roll guitarist; Sir George Martin - composer, arranger and Beatles producer; Carlo Mastrangelo - lead singer with the Belmonts; Henry McCullough - guitarist with Eire Apparent and Wings; Cliff Michelmore - UK TV presenter; Ned Miller - country singer; Chips Moman - Memphis based record producer and songwriter; Scotty Moore - guitarist with Elvis: Andy Newman - founder of Thunderclap Newman; Billy Paul - seventies soul singer; Gary S Paxton - record producer and member of Skip & Flip; Jimmy Powell - UK blues and pop singer; Prince - black music superstar; Prince Buster - ska singer and record producer; Clarence Reid - producer, singer and 'Blowfly; Sir Mack Rice - Falcons soul singer and writer of Mustang Sally; Danny Rivers - UK singer and mainstay of TFTW shows; Floyd Robinson - Making Love hitmaker; Leon Russell - keyboard player and songwriter; Troy Shondell - This Time singer; Frank Sinatra Jr - son of famous father; Ralph Stanley - bluegrass musician; Kay Starr - fifties singer; Lewis Steinberg - original bassist with Booker T & the MGs; Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart - disc jockey; Robert Stigwood - music impresario; Dave Swarbrick - fiddler and member of Fairport Convention; Toots Thielemans - jazz musician; Reggie Torian - member of The Impressions; L C Ulmer - bluesman; Pat Upton - member of Spiral Staircase; Robert Vaughn - TV and film actor; Vanity - eighties singer and songwriter; Bobby Vee - successful sixties pop singer; Tony Warren - creator of Coronation Street; Clint West - swamp pop singer; Maurice White - drummer with Earth Wind & Fire; Ruby Wilson - blues queen of Beale Street (pictured below); Ruby Winters - northern soul singer; Sir Terry Wogan - TV presenter, disc jockey and voice of Eurovision; Victoria Wood - UK comedienne; Bernie Worrell - member of Parliament and Funkadelic; Glenn Yarbrough - member of the Limeliters; John Zacherle - horror TV host and record maker.

The Vinyl Word raises a glass to them all, and many others who have also passed on during the year. Additions and corrections more than welcome. Here's hoping there are no more to add to the list this year at least.
Postscript: there has already been another music death, this time of Jim Lowe at the age of 93. Jim had a huge hit in 1956 with The Green Door. It reached number 8 in the UK but Frankie Vaughan's cover outsold it. Other records by Jim included a cover of Blue Suede Shoes, Love is the $64,000 Question, I Feel The Beat and Four Walls.