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2023 Musical Obituaries
Compiled by George Graham

Jan. 1 Fred White drummer with Earth, Wind & Fire 67
Jan. 6 Steve James blues musician 72
Jan. 10 Jeff Beck British rock guitar great 78
Jan. 12 Robbie Bachman rock drummer, Bachman-Turner Overdrive 69
Jan. 12 Lisa Marie Presley singer-songwriter (daughter of Elvis) 54 bowel obstruction
Jan. 18 David Crosby singer-songwriter, Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash 81 COVID
Jan. 19 Dennis Budimir studio guitarist, "The Wrecking Crew" 84
Jan. 23 Carole Sloan jazz vocalist 85 stroke
Jan. 23 Top Topham guitarist with the Yardbirds 75
Jan. 27 Floyd Sneed drummer with Three Dog Night 80
Jan. 28 Tom Verlaine leader of the band Television 73 bacterial meningitis
Jan. 28 Barrett Strong soul singer, hit songwriter, wrote "Heard It Through the Grapevine" 81
Jan. 31 Charlie Thomas member of the Drifters 85 liver cancer





Feb. 2 Butch Miles jazz drummer 78
Feb. 8 Burt Bacharach prolific songwriter 94
Feb. 13 Guido Basso Canadian jazz trumpeter 85
Feb. 13 Huey "Piano" Smith R&B pianist, songwriter 89
Feb. 17 Jerry Dodgion jazz saxophonist 90 complication from infection
Feb. 20 Bruce Barthol bassist for Country Joe & the Fish 75
Feb. 27 Carl Saunders jazz trumpeter 80





Mat. 1 Leon Hughes member of the Coasters 92
Mar. 2 Wayne Shorter jazz saxophone great 89
Mar. 3 David Lindley rock guitarist, worked with Jackson Browne 78
Mar. 5 Gary Rossington guitarist with Lynyrd Skynyrd 71
Mar. 9 Robin Lumley British jazz-rock keyboardist (Brand X) 74 Heart Failure
Mar. 23 Keith Reid founding member of Procol Harum 76 colon cancer
Mar. 25 Nick Lloyd Webber English composer 43 cancer
Mar. 28 Ryuichi Sakamoto Japanese-born musician, film composer (Yellow Magic Orchestra) 71
Mar. 30 Ray Shulman English musician, member of Gentle Giant, record producer/executive 73





Apr. 2 Seymour Stein so-founded Sire Records 80 cancer
Apr. 7 Ian Bairnson Scottish musician (Alan Parson Project, Kate Bush) 69
Apr. 9 Karl Berger jazz pianist, composer 88
Apr. 16 Ahmad Jamal jazz piano great 92 cancer
Apr. 25 Harry Belafonte Jamaican born singer, actor, activist 96 heart failure
Apr. 28 Tim Bachman Canadian bassist (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) 71
Apr. 29 Don Sebesky jazz composer, arranger 85






May 1 Gordon Lightfoot Canadian folk music great 84
May 5 Jack Wilkins jazz guitarist 78
May 12 Francis Monkman British art rock musician (Curved Air, Sky) 73
May 16 Richard Landis singer-songwriter, record producer (Kenny Loggins, Poco) 77
May 19 Pete Brown British lyricist (Cream) 82
May 21 Ed Ames pop singer, actor ("Daniel Boone") 95
Mat 23 Redd Holt jazz drummer (Ramsey Lewis,Young-Holt Unlimited) 91
May 23 Floyd Newman soul saxophonist (Markeys, Memphis Horns) 91
May 24 Tiny Turner rock and soul great 83
May 26 Reuben Wilson jazz organist 88





Jun. 1 Cynthia Weil Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter 82
Jun. 4 George Winston New Age pianist 74 multiple cancers
Jun. 5 Astrud Gilberto Brazilian bossa-nova vocalist ("Girl from Ipanema") 83
Jun. 23 Jesse McReynolds bluegrass musicians (Jim & Jesse) 93
Jun. 27 Bobby Osborne bluegrass musician (Osborne Brothers) 91
Jun. 27 Robert Sherman author, radio broadcaster 90





Jul. 3 Vicki Anderson soul singer, w/James Brown 83
Jul. 7 Oscar Brashear jazz trumpeter 78
Jul. 16 Jane Birkin English-French singer ("Je t'aime") 76
Jul. 17 Joao Donato Brazilian jazz & bossa nova pianist 88
Jul. 21 Tony Bennett pop and jazz vocal great 96
Jul. 25 Biff Rose singer-songwriter, comedian 85
Jul. 26 Sinead O'Connor Irish singer-songwriter 56
Jul. 26 Randy Meisner founding member of The Eagles 77





Aug. 1 Don Minasi jazz guitarist, composer 80
Aug. 6 David LaFlamme violinist, singer, led Its a Beautiful Day 82
Aug. 8 Sixto Rodriguez singer songwriter, Detroit native, popular outside US 81
Aug. 9 Robbie Robertson guitarist, songwriter of The Band 80 cancer
Aug. 17 Gary Young rock drummer (Pavement) 70
Aug. 23 Bob Feldman musician. songwriter, producer ("Hang on Sloopy") 83
Aug. 24 Bernie Marsden British rock guitarist (Whitesnake) 72
Aug. 28 Len Chandler folk musician ("Beans in My Ears") 88
Aug. 31 Curtis Fowlkes jazz trombonist, singer 73 heart failure





Sep. 1 Jimmy Buffett singer-songwriter "(Margaritaville) 76 skin cancer
Sep. 4 Gary Wright rock keyboard player (Spooky Tooth) 80 Parkinson's disease
Sep. 4 Steve Harwell lead vocals with Smash Mouth 56 liver failure
Sep. 8 Mylon LeFevre Christian rock musician, singer 78 cancer
Sep. 6 Richard Davis jazz bassist 93
Sep. 10 Brendan Croker British rock musician (Notting Hillbillies) 70 leukemia
Sep. 20 Katherine Anderson vocalist with the Marvelettes 79
Sep. 23 Mike Henderson singer-songwriter, member of SteelDrivers 70
Sep. 23 Terry Kirkman vocalist, songwriter founder of The Association 83 heart failure





Oct. 9 Buck Trent country musician ("Hee Haw") 85
Oct. 11 Rudolph Isley singer-songwriter, one of the Isley Brothers 84 heart attack
Oct. 12 Michael Cooper reggae musician (Third World, Inner Circle) 71 cancer
Oct. 17 Carla Bley jazz composer, musician 87 brain cancer
Oct. 18 Dwight Twilley rock singer-songwriter 72
Oct. 22 Gregg Sutton rock musician & songwriter (Lone Justice) 74
Oct. 23 Angelo Bruschini English guitarist (Massive Attack, Blue Aeroplanes) 62
Oct. 28 Bill Rice prolific country songwriter 84





Nov. 15 Sandy Farina singer-songwriter, actress ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonle Hearts Club Band") 68
Nov. 16 Peter Solley British musician (Procol Harom), producer 75
Nov. 20 Mars Williams saxophonist (Psychedelic Furs, Liquid Soul) 68 cancer
Nov. 21 Chad Allan Canadian musician, vocalist in The Guess Who 80
Nov. 22 Jean Knight soul singer ("Mr. Big Stuff") 80
Nov. 28 John Colianni jazz pianist, recorded with Mel Torme 61
Nov. 29 Scott Kempner guitarist with the Del-Lords, The Dictators 69
Nov. 30 Shane MacGowan English-Irish singer-songwiter (The Pogues) 65 pneumonia





Dec. 2 Roy Gerson jazz pianist 64
Dec. 3 Myles Goodwin Canadian musician, member of April Wine 75
Dec. 5 Denny Laine British rock musician (Moody Blues, Wings) 79 lung disease
Dec. 9 Essra Mohawk rock singer-songwriter, sang on "Schoolhouse Rock 75
Dec. 11 Jeffrey Foskett guitarist, member of the Beach Boys since 1980 67 cancer
Dec. 15 Bob Johnson British musician, member of Steeleye Span 79
Dec. 16 Colin Burgess original drummer in AC/DC 77
Dec. 16 Pete Lucas British musician, member of the Troggs 73
Dec. 22 Laura Lynch member of the Dixie Chicks 65 car crash
Dec. 24 Willie Ruff jazz musician & educator, Mitchell-Ruff Duo 92
Dec. 26 Tom Smothers folksinger, comedian, actor, Smothers Brothers 86 lung cancer
Dec. 29 Les McCann jazz pianist, vocalist ("Compared to What") 88 pneumonia

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