In Memoriam 2017
So we can remember them fondly, here is a compiled list of some of the many musicians and industry veterans who passed away in 2017. May they all Rest In Eternal Peace.
Butch Trucks
Butch Trucks was an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Though the band broke up and reformed various times, Trucks remained a constant in their 45-year career.
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was lead vocalist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell is considered one of the chief architects of the 1990s grunge movement, and is well known for his extensive catalog as a songwriter, his nearly four-octave vocal range, and his powerful vocal technique. He was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won three.
Pat DiNizio
Pat DiNizio was the lead singer, songwriter and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros.
Tom Petty
Tom Petty was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a group he formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch. Petty was also a co-founder of the late 1980s super group the Traveling Wilburys. In his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was an American singer, songwriter, and is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs like “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Johnny B. Goode,” Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive. Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.
Fats Domino
Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. One of his most famous songs is “Blueberry Hill.” Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 hits. Domino had 35 records in the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and five of his pre-1955 records sold more than a million copies, being certified gold. His 1949 release “The Fat Man” is widely regarded as the first million-selling Rock ‘n Roll record. Domino’s musical style was based on traditional rhythm and blues, accompanied by saxophones, bass, piano, electric guitar, and drums.
Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson was an American pop, country, and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his hit songs “Bluer Than Blue” and “Almost Like Being In Love.” He charted four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine more on Hot Country Songs.
Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb was an American jazz guitarist. He performed and recorded with many. In addition to leading his own band for many years, Loeb was also a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Fourplay.
Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band, a group he formed with his brother Duane in 1969. Allman performed on Hammond organ and guitar, and was recognized for his soulful voice. He grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Brothers Band fused it with rock, jazz and country music at times. For his work in music, Allman received one Grammy Award and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.