Category Archives: Tribute

George Winston

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, and came to prominence with his 1980 album Autumn, which was followed in 1982 by Winter Into Spring and December. All three became platinum-selling albums, with December becoming a triple-platinum album. A total of 16 solo albums were released, accumulating over 15 million records sold, with the 1994 album Forest earning Winston a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album. Winston also played the guitar and harmonica. George Winston passed away in June 2023.

Barrett Strong

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 Away With Me),” and “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” He is also known for his recording of “Money (That’s What I Want),” which was the first hit single for the Motown record label. In 2004, Strong was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Barrett Strong passed away in January 2023.

Floyd Sneed

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 at an early age.

Christine McVie

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 Fleetwood Mac as a session player in 1968, before officially joining the band two years later.

Olivia Newton-John

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 bell-clear vocal delivery, she wound her way through the middle of the road to the top of the charts with a string of infectious pop hits.

Dan McCafferty

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 touring with the band in 2013. He appeared on all of Nazareth’s albums up to 2014 and toured with them for 45 years.

Wayne Shorter

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 composer. In 1964 he joined forces with Miles Davis, before then co-founding the jazz fusion band Weather Report in 1970. He recorded more than 20 albums as a bandleader. Many Wayne Shorter compositions have become jazz standards, and his music has earned worldwide recognition and critical praise. Shorter won 12 Grammy Awards before he left us in 2023.

Thom Bell

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 training and golden ear to take Soul music to a new level of sophistication and grace. As a songwriter in partnership with lyricist Linda Creed, he penned many of the most memorable songs of the 70s, from “Betcha By Golly Wow” to “You Are Everything.” He earned a Grammy for Best Producer of the Year in 1974 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. We all strive for perfection in our work. But history will remember Thom Bell as one of the few who never settled for less.

Lamont Dozier

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 essentially never stopped. After dropping out of school at sixteen to pursue a singing career, Dozier was hired at twenty by Berry Gordy to write for Motown Records. In partnership with the Holland brothers, Brian and Eddie, Dozier would post more than 80 Top 40 hits over a nine-year span launching The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye and many other Motown acts into superstardom. Though he always yearned to sing his own songs, Lamont Dozier can rest easy knowing that so do the rest of us.

Rocco Prestia

“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 go on to form the jazz-funk juggernaut known as Tower of Power, and the rest is music history.