Bert Weedon
May 10, 1920 – April 20, 2012
Bert Weedon was a popular British guitarist during the 1950s and 1960s. Although he leaned more easy listening that rock, he was a direct influence on the likes of Brian May, Keith Richards, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend – many of whom learned to play from his Play In A Day tutorials. Weedon was just 12 when he decided he wanted to be a professional musician, and by his late teens, he was already fronting his own band and sharing the stage with Stephane Grappelli and George Shearing. During the ’50s, he played in the BBC Show Band, played on several early British rock and roll records as a session man, and accompanied American stars when they played in London and beyond. In that capacity, Weedon performed with Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Judy Garland, to name a few. Bert Weedon was 91 when he passed away on April 20, 2012.
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Born in Chicago, Illinois, Nick Noble grew up to be a singer who was responsible for a handful of pop hits during the mid-1950s. Between 1955 and 1957, Noble scored hits with “The Bible Tells Me So,” “To You My Love,” “Fallen Star,” and “Moonlight Swim.” He came back with a moderate hit, “Hello Out There,” in 1962. Noble enjoyed a brief comeback in 1978 when he had an Adult Contemporary and Country Top 40 hit with “Stay With Me.” He reportedly recorded 109 singles over his career. Nick Noble was 85 when he passed away on March 24, 2012.
Cliff Portwood was a 14-year veteran of English football before launching a career as a singer. After retiring from the game and moving to South Africa where he coached, Portwood began competing in radio station contests. During the early ’70s, he won a recording contract in Australia, so he moved to Melbourne. Over the next several years, he earned five gold records and became a familiar face on such television Australian programs as The Penthouse. Throughout his singing career, Portwood performed with the likes of 
Known as Israel’s “Songstress of the Wars,” Yafa Yarkoni began to find popularity during the late ’40s. She earned her nickname thanks to her frequent performances for Israeli troops during wartime. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Yarkoni joined an Israel Defense Forces singing group with whom she sang “Bab el-Wad,” a song which has become a standard and is sung each year on Israel’s Memorial Day. Yarkoni’s list of fan favorites also includes “Road To Jerusalem” and “Don’t Say Goodbye, Say I’ll See You.” She suffered from Alzheimer’s Diseases in later years and made her last television appearance in 2007. Yafa Yarkoni was 86 when she passed away on January 1, 2012.
Kaye Stevens was a popular entertainer who initially found her audience during the 1960s. Stevens’ big break came one night when Debbie Reynolds, who was headlining the Riviera in Las Vegas, fell ill. Stevens was called in at the last-minute, and club bookers quickly took notice. Before she knew it, Stevens was playing up and down the Las Vegas Strip and at clubs in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and beyond. She even secured an opening slot on dates with the Rat Pack,