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 also the universal respect, admiration and love of his fellow musicians. Over a groundbreaking six-decade career, Corea was best known as one of the major architects of electric jazz fusion
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 would be a rock star in his own right. Before founding ZZ Top with fellow Texans Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill would back up Blues legends Freddie King and Lightning Hopkins with his booming bass lines.
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 50 years and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
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 biggest hits, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying.” Gerry Marsden passed away in January 2021.
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 in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Mary Wilson passed away in February 2021.
Featuring musical tributes to Chick Corea, Rusty Young, BJ Thomas, Mary Wilson, Pat Martino, Dusty Hill, and others. Lest We Forget 2021 is a music special whose sole purpose is to celebrate and honor some of the many important musicians and music industry icons who passed away in 2021.
So we can remember them fondly, here is a compiled list of some of the many musicians and industry veterans who passed away in 2021. May they all Rest In Eternal Peace.
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 of Blue” record, Jimmy could have put down his sticks in 1960 with a secure seat in Jazz Heaven. But he’d go on to play for another four decades behind the likes of Bill Evans, Stan Getz, John Coltrane and Nancy Wilson, laying down beats that will inspire drummers for centuries to come. Jimmy Cobb left us in May 2020.
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 of Music before enrolling in grad school under the tutelage of such esteemed professors as Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton and Doc Severinsen. Legendary for his lyrical sound, he was an unsung songwriting hero, leaving behind jazz standards like “Jeannine” which was covered by Donald Byrd and Cannonball Adderly, among others. Richie left us on May 2, 2020, but his tone will resonate forever.
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 that drove the mighty freight train of a power trio called Rush. Less well known but just as remarkable were the fantastical lyrics he wrote for the band’s songs over a career that spanned five decades. A proud Canadian as well as the author of six books, Neil Peart, like his drum kit, will forever be larger than life.