Lest We Forget 2021

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…