Complete List of Tributes

Name a bass player who has a gift for crafting unforgettable melodies, a genius for crisp arrangements and the soul of a storyteller. If you guessed Paul McCartney or Sting,…

Al Jarreau was an American singer and musician. He received a total of seven Grammy Awards and was nominated for over a dozen more. Jarreau is perhaps best known for…

As far as we know, Al Schmitt was not born in a recording studio, but he was certainly raised in one. At 8 years old, he was riding the subway…

Alan White was an English drummer, best known for his tenure in the progressive rock band Yes. He joined Yes in 1972 as a replacement for original drummer Bill Bruford.…

Alexander Sevastian was a well-known virtuoso Russian-Canadian accordionist. Much of his early education and early career was in Russia before relocating to Canada in 2001. Sevastian won numerous prestigious accordion…

Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, actress, and pianist. She began her career as a child singing gospel. At the age of 18, she embarked on…

Rarely if ever has a band been defined by the bass lines of its best songs to the extent that the band WAR is defined by B.B. Dickerson. Cisco Kid,…

Baron Browne was a joy to hear and a pleasure to play with, as dozens of the most accomplished players in electric jazz will gladly attest. Closely associated with drummer…

Barrett Strong, Jr. was an American singer and songwriter. Together with producer Norman Whitfield, they penned such songs as “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” War,”, “Just My Imagination (Running…

Benny Mardones came to New York in the 1960s and soon made a name for himself writing songs for the likes of Brenda Lee, Tommy James and Chubby Checker. He…

For a man who made it sound so easy, Bill Withers worked hard. After leaving the Navy as a young man, he worked in factories and driving a milk truck…

BJ Thomas will forever be famous for the lucky break he almost didn’t get. Composer Burt Bacharach was turned down by his top two choices to record a song for…

Bobby Caldwell was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. Known for his soulful and versatile vocals, Caldwell released the…

Bobby Comstock was a born performer. At age seven he made his radio debut playing and singing country songs with his brother. But when rock ‘n roll broadcasts from Nashville…

Bobby Eli was an American musician, arranger, composer and record producer from Philadelphia, PA. He was a founding member and lead guitarist of the Philadelphia studio band MFSB (Mothers, Fathers,…

From the streets of Oakland to a star on Hollywood Boulevard, Bonnie Pointer came a long way in a too-short life. She inspired her three sisters to unite their voices…

Brian Howe stepped into some of the biggest shoes in rock when he assumed the front man role from Paul Rodgers in the 70s supergroup Bad Company. Having cut his…

Bunny Wailer, was an inspirational singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of the Jamaican reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. He was a…

Although just five feet eight inches in height, Burt Bacharach towered over the field in songwriting stature for more than half a century. Working in a style that was decidedly…

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…

Cecil Taylor was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach,…

To the eye, he was the least likely member of the Rolling Stones, yet to the ear, Charles Robert Watts was the living heartbeat of the world’s greatest rock ‘n…

What do Ellis, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Jordan, Arturo Sandoval, David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, Harry Connick, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Kenny Kirkland,…

For millions of music lovers, Chick Corea’s keys opened a doorway into jazz appreciation. His joyful arpeggios, Latin-inflected melodies and improvisational genius inspired not only a passionate fan following, but…

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…

Chris Vadala was an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and clinician. His performing career included a long tenure as woodwind artist with the Internationally recognized Chuck Mangione Quartet. He performed and/or…

Christine Anne McVie was an English musician and singer. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the band Fleetwood Mac. She initially began working with…

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…

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…

Clarence Fountain was a Gospel legend. He was a founding member of the Blind boys of Alabama, a five-time Grammy Award-winning gospel group who first sang together in 1939.

You’ve lost that loving feeling. On Broadway. Here you come again. We’ve got to out of this place. He’s so shy. The names of the songs she wrote are more…

Dan McCafferty was a Scottish vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth from its founding in 1968 to his retirement from…

David Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a leading figure in the music industry and is considered one of the most…

David Crosby was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of The Byrds, and later as part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash,…

When it comes to sidemen, David Lindley was always way out in front. A multi-instrumentalist who could play anything with strings from an Apache Fiddle to a Zither, Lindley was…

If there is such a thing as a hardcore soft rock superstar, David Muse would be the prototype. Over the span of five decades, multi-instrumentalist Muse would leave his mark…

At age three, he was in an iron lung with Polio. On a doctor’s advice, he took up the saxophone at age eleven. At 14, he was backing up Little…

Victor Bailey, Michael and Randy Brecker, Eric Clapton, Billy Cobham, George Duke, Bill Evans, Roberta Flack, Bob James, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, and Joe Zawinul. Sounds like an encyclopedia of…

Dennis Edwards was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the front man in The Temptations, on Motown Records. Edwards sang with the group from 1968…

You’ve just ended the most productive creative partnership in the history of popular music. Now who do you call? If you’re Paul McCartney in 1970, the answer is Denny Laine.…

Dick Dale was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern influences and experimenting with reverberation. Dale pushed the limits of electric amplification…

Leonard “Doc” Gibbs Jr., also known as Doc Gibbs, was an American percussionist. He acquired the nickname “Doc” after suggesting herbal remedies to jazz saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. He studied…

Don Williams was an American country singer and songwriter. He began his solo career in 1971. He recorded seventeen #1 country hits. His straightforward and smooth bass-baritone voice, soft tones,…

Doris Day was an American actress, singer and animal welfare activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No.…

Dr. John was an American singer and songwriter. His music combined blues, pop, jazz, boogie-woogie and rock and roll. He recorded 30 studio albums and 9 live albums, as well…

Duffy Jackson was the son of jazz double-bassist and band leader Chubby Jackson. As a child, he played drums, making appearances with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman and Buddy…

From the age of seven, a jukebox was his music box and the voice of Elvis Presley was his babysitter. Little wonder then that the boy born Joe Michael Hill…

Ed Cherney was an American recording engineer and record producer who regularly worked with some of the very best in the business…Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Wynton…

Ed King was an American musician. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from…

Eddie Money was an American was an American rock singer and songwriter who had success in the 1970s and 1980s with 11 Top 40 songs, including “Baby Hold On,” “Two…

There may have been such a thing as air guitar before Eddie Van Halen shredded his way into the public ear in 1978, but, armed with a hand-built axe he…

Edwin Hawkins was an American Gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary Gospel sound. He is probably best known…

In most every major city, you can find musicians just about everywhere you look…some in clubs, restaurants, theaters, schools, music stores…and others, simply “busking” on the streets – performing just…

He was by far the most celebrated soundtrack composer of all time, but for Ennio Morricone, that was just the tip of the musical iceberg. A serious orchestral composer by…

Eric Carmen was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Though classically trained in piano, Carmen decided to teach himself guitar as well. He is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist…

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…

Floyd Chester Sneed was a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the band Three Dog Night. Sneed grew up in a musical family and became interested in drums…

“I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me” was not just a catchy album title for Freddy Cole. Though a formidable jazz and blues song stylist in his own right, he could…

If they gave out an award for the least famous person responsible for the most famous song, Gary Brooker would have another claim to fame. As the writer and singer…

Gary Peacock was an American jazz bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with a number of major jazz figures. For over…

Geoff Emerick was an English sound engineer who worked with the Beatles on, among others, their legendary Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road albums. He was…

Sir George Martin was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician. He was referred to as the “Fifth Beatle” in reference to his extensive involvement on…

George Otis Winston III was an American pianist who was an established contemporary instrumental music performer. Best known for his solo piano recordings, Winston released his first album in 1972,…

Gerry Marsden was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the band Gerry & The Pacemakers. As a songwriter, he helped pen the band’s…

Ginger Baker was a British-born drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Cream, with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned…

Glen Campbell was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting…

Glenn Frey was an American singer, songwriter, actor and founding member of the rock band the Eagles. Frey was the lead singer and front man for the band, roles he…

Greg Kihn was an American rock musician, radio personality, and novelist. He founded and led The Greg Kihn Band and he wrote several popular horror novels. He is best known…

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…

Guy Clark was an American folk singer, musician, songwriter, recording artist, and performer. A true “Texas-Troubadour,” Clark released more than twenty albums, and many of his songs have been recorded…

Hal Blaine was an American drummer and session musician, estimated to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the history of the music industry. His drumming is featured on…

He was a heartthrob who supported himself as a carpenter before he recorded his first country album at age 35. He honed his craft in the company of alt-country legends…

“Sweet Pea” Atkinson was a passionate – yet highly underrated – soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the lead singer for the band “Was (Not Was)”…a band that…

Hugh Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer. He has been described as “the father of South African jazz.” Masekela is known for his jazz compositions…

J.R. Cobb was an American guitarist and songwriter, most notable for co-writing “Spooky” and “Stormy” as a member of The Classics IV. He was also a founding member of The…

James Mtume was born into jazz royalty and grew up at the intersection of Rhythm and Blues. Philadelphia producer and percussionist James Mtume was the son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath…

If electric guitars could talk, they’d probably have a lot to say about Jeff Beck. Of course, in Beck’s hands, guitars did talk. And cry. And Laugh. And, most of…

Jesse Gress was an extraordinary American rock guitarist. Over the years, he toured and recorded extensively with Todd Rundgren and the Tony Levin Band. A performer, music educator, and former…

James Rodford was an English musician, who played bass guitar for several British rock bands. He was a founding member of Argent, and performed with them from their formation in…

It starts with the song. James Weatherly was a prolific American singer-songwriter who wrote mostly pop and country music. He passed away in February 2021. Weatherly wrote songs for almost…

When people say Miles Davis marched to the beat of a different drummer, they were talking about Jimmy Cobb. As the backbone of Miles’s rhythm section on the epic “Kind…

At five foot three inches, Jimmy Heath was a towering figure in 20th century jazz. Nicknamed “Little Bird” for his early alto sax sound that owed a debt to Charlie…

Jimmy Johnson was an American guitarist and a defining member of the infamous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His work helped make Muscle Shoals, Alabama a major American music center…a place…

Joe Osborn was an American bass guitar player known for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the 1960s and through the 1980s. Early in…

John Prine was an iconic American country folk singer-songwriter who continues to influence musicians all over the world. So much has been made of his legend. Boyhood summers in Paradise…

As a songwriter, Johnny Mandel is best known for the haunting love song, “The Shadow Of Your Smile.” As a composer, his movie and TV themes, including the Theme From…

Some artists wear their influences on their sleeve. But the musician Karl Wallinger, who recorded as World Party, wore his influences proudly and prominently across his chest.

Keith Emerson was an English musician and composer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. Greg…

The first Savoy Brown record was released in 1967. The last in 2020. And in the 53 years in between, English guitarist and bandleader Kim Simmonds never varied his commitment…

Kofi Burbridge was an American keyboardist and flautist of extraordinary talent. He was a classically-trained multi-instrumentalist who provided keyboards, organ, flute and backing vocals for various bands throughout his career,…

In the sandwich known as “Holland/Dozier/Holland,” Lamont Dozier was the meat in the middle. He started writing songs down on grocery bags at the kitchen table as a child and…

Lari White was an American country music artist and actress. She first gained national attention in 1988 as a winner on You Can Be A Star, a talent competition which…

Larry Taylor was a founding member and bassist of the band Canned Heat, a band that performed at both the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Their hits “Going Up the…

Lee Konitz was cool before cool was a concept. Chicago born in 1927, he was twenty when he broke into Stan Kenton’s band. He made his name in the forties…

Len Barry was a high school basketball star with the looks of a matinee idol, a sweet tenor voice and a deep appreciation for classic R&B, but for all that,…

Leon Redbone was a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor specializing in jazz, blues and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and black tie, he favored…

Leon Russell was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling pop music records during his 60-year career. His genres included pop, country, rock, folk, gospel, bluegrass,…

Leonard Cohen was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality and romantic relationships. Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the…

If there’s a Temple of Hard Rock, Leslie West’s name is etched in stone with letters shaped by lightning. Known for his blazing licks and signature thundering tone, West came…

Lyle Mays was a highly accomplished pianist, composer, arranger and orchestrator. He was also co-founder of the legendary multi-Grammy Award winning Pat Metheny Group.

When Elvis Presley sang about “a little less conversation,” he was quoting his friend Mac Davis. Davis would go on score a host of hits in his own voice in…

Marie Fredriksson was a Swedish pop singer, known internationally as the lead vocalist of the pop rock duo Roxette. The group had a few major hits in the late 1980s…

Marilyn Bergman is one of the world’s most distinguished lyricists, and contributed to the Great American Songbook for more than five decades. Her songs have been nominated for sixteen Academy…

Mario DeSantis was a pianist and big bandleader in Syracuse, NY for over 50 years. The DeSantis Orchestra began as a nine-piece in 1947 and continues to perform under the…

Mark Selby was an American blues rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Selby is perhaps best known for the number of songs that he co-wrote with blues rock artist…

Mary Wilson was an American singer. She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group…

Matthew Murphy, known as Matt “Guitar” Murphy, was an influential American blues guitarist. He was associated with Memphis Slim, James Cotton and Howlin’ Wolf. He is also known as the…

McCoy Tyner was born in Philadelphia in 1938. His talent developed at a very young age, helping him to develop a unique and powerful approach to the piano that quickly…

Merle Haggard was an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the twang of the Fender Telecaster…

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…

Michael Rhodes was an extraordinary bassist who sadly left us in March 2023. A Nashville staple since the late ’70s, his incredibly long list of credits includes recordings for Willie…

Michel Legrand was a French composer, arranger, conductor and jazz pianist. He was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to numerous songs…including the…

If you’re known by the company you keep, Mike Finnigan was Fortune 500 all the way. Starting in the late 60s, Mike’s inimitable touch on the Hammond B3 organ catapulted…

Naomi Judd was an American singer and actress. In 1980, she and her daughter Wynonna formed the duo known as The Judds, which became a very successful country music act,…

Whoever said size doesn’t matter never saw or heard Neil Peart’s epic drum kit in action. With more than thirty sound generating devices arrayed before him, Peart was the locomotive…

Born in England and raised in Australia before taking American Country music by storm in the early 70s, Olivia Newton-John was nothing if not versatile. With her wholesome appeal and…

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.

The life of guitar virtuoso Pat Martino can be told in two chapters. Before 1980, he was a prodigy, who quit school at age 15, moved from Philadelphia to Harlem…

Patrick Williams was an Oscar-nominated American composer, arranger, and conductor who worked in many genres of music, and in film and television. He won two Grammys for his jazz arrangements…

Paul Cotton was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who was a key member of the band Poco. Cotton’s best known song with the band is “Heart of the Night,” which…

He was born, so to speak, with a silver flute in his mouth. Paulo Jobim’s father, Antonio Carlos Jobim, was also known as the father of Bossa Nova, introducing the…

Peter Huttlinger was an American guitarist. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Huttlinger became a prominent and well respected Nashville studio musician. In 2000, he won the National Finger-Style…

Peter Cowling was an English bass guitarist, best known for his work with Canadian blues rock guitarist Pat Travers.

Peter Tork was a bassist and most notably a member of the ’60s sensation The Monkees. Prior to joining The Monkees, he was a working musician in the Greenwich Village…

Prince was an exceptional American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor and filmmaker. A prominent music figure of the 1980s, Prince was known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence,…

When an eagle flies, it might be the flash of feathers that catches your eye, but it’s the mighty muscle underneath that keeps it aloft. For the musical Eagles, that…

Randy Scruggs was a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He won four Grammy Awards and was twice named Musician of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. He was…

Reggie Young was an American guitarist and a leading session musician in Memphis, TN. His approach to the instrument influenced so many other guitarists. He played on hundreds of recordings…

Ric Ocasek was an American singer, songwriter, record producer and painter. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the rock band The Cars. As a producer, he…

Some would say Richie Cole was born with a silver saxophone in his mouth. Growing up in his father’s jazz club, he earned a Downbeat Scholarship to the Berklee School…

Robin Bachman was a Canadian drummer and the youngest brother of guitarist, singer and songwriter Randy Bachman. He was the original drummer for the Bachman-Turner Overdrive band.

You could be forgiven for wondering if there was a major musical moment in the past sixty years when Robbie Robertson wasn’t in the room. As the lead songwriter and…

“He was a horrible guitar player.” So said Rocco Prestia’s closest friend and bandmate, Emilio Castillo. After a music teacher persuaded Prestia to switch to bass, he and Castillo would…

Roger Hawkins was an American drummer best known for playing as part of the studio backing band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as the Swampers) of…

They started as an instrumental jazz band on the New York scene in the sixties. And it was that instrumental training that gave Kool and the Gang a sound that…

Ronnie Spector was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original “bad girl of rock and roll.” Ronnie…

Roy Clark was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an…

You might not have known his name, but his tone will always strike a chord. As a founding member of the L.A. band Poco, Rusty Young was responsible for putting…

Scott Walker was an American-born British singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He and his distinctive baritone voice rose to fame in the mid-1960s as front man of the pop music…

It was the jazz equivalent of a movie star getting discovered in a coffee shop when 19-year-old Steve Grossman caught the ear of Miles Davis at the Village Vanguard in…

Taylor Hawkins was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums. Before joining the band in 1997,…

Writer, Producer. Orchestrator. Arranger. Player, Singer. Conductor. Genius. Thom Bell wore all the hats. As one of the Mighty Three masterminds of the Philly Sound, Bell would apply his classical…

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…

He made his first record in 1952 and his last in 2021. In the six decades in-between, Tony Bennett became the foremost interpreter of the Great American Songbook and maybe…

Tony Joe White was an American singer-songwriter and swamp-rock guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit “Polk Salad Annie” and for “Rainy Night In Georgia.” Many of his songs have…

It’s not surprising to hear that a Los Angeles teenager in the 1960s would pick up a guitar. But where other kids were drawn to surf rock, Tony Rice had…

Valerie Carter was an American R&B, Rock and Pop singer-songwriter. In addition to a short solo career, Carter worked as an A-list backup vocalist for a number of famous recording…

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, known professionally as Vangelis, was a Greek musician, composer, songwriter and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient and classical orchestral music. He was best known for his Academy…

Victor Bailey was an American bass guitar player. He was the bassist for the jazz super group Weather Report during their final years from 1982 to 1986. He launched a…

Wallace Roney was a lifelong student of jazz. From the age of five when he first heard Miles Davis, Roney’s path was clear. At twelve, he auditioned for Clark Terry…

Walter Becker was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is perhaps best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the critically-acclaimed rock band Steely Dan. Becker…

Wayne Shorter was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. He came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary…