Natalie Cole was an American R&B singer who, over the course of a career that spanned 6 decades, sold over 30 million albums and earned nine Grammys. Born into a show business family – her father was Nat King Cole and her mother was Maria Hawkins Cole, a one-time singer for Duke Ellington, Cole followed her parents into show business at a very early age. When she was just six, she sang on her father’s iconic Christmas album, and within five years, she was performing on stage. After graduating from college, Cole began singing in clubs and soon caught the ear of a couple of producers who recorded a few tracks and shopped them around. Capitol Records signed her and released her first album, Inseparable, in 1975. The album contained her first top 10 single, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” which resulted in Cole’s first two Grammys, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best New Artist. The balance of the ’70s were extremely prosperous for Cole as she released several more hit records; performed to sell-out crowds; and made numerous TV appearance including her own two specials. The early ’80s were less kind to her as record sales dwindled and she battled her own personal demons. But by 1987, Cole’s career was bouncing back. Her 1987 dance album, Everlasting, brought her back to the charts with such hit singles as, “Everlasting,” “Jump Start,” “I Live For Your Love,” and her pop crossover version of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Pink Cadillac.” The hits continued through the early ’90s and beyond, with Cole’s style maturing into that which made her father famous, jazz vocals/traditional pop. She continued to record and perform to adoring fans over the next two decades, but in December of 2015, it was later revealed, she had to cancel several shows due to ongoing health problems. On December 31, 2015, Natalie Cole died of congestive heart failure at the age of 65.
Ian McLagan was a much respected and highly influential English keyboard player who is perhaps best remembered for his years in the Small Faces/Faces, and for his collaborations with the Rolling Stones. He also recorded several albums with his own band throughout the years. Launching his career during the early ’60s, McLagan’s first band of note was Boz People, playing alongside Boz Burrellof future King Crimson and Bad Company fame. In 1965, McLagan was invited to join the Small Faces which morphed into the Faces when Rod Stewart joined the group in 1969. Each version of the group had numerous hits during their runs while influencing a generation of musicians along the way. When the Faces broke up in 1975, McLagan continued on primarily as a session player and touring keyboardist for the Rolling Stones – a position he would hold for decades. He also recorded with the likes of Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few. He also released nearly a dozen albums with his own band over the course of his career, the most recent being 2014’s United States, for Yep Roc Records. Ian McLagan ultimately passed away on December 3, 2014, and according to an official statement by Yep Roc, he died “surrounded by family and friends in his adopted hometown of Austin, TX, due to complications from a stroke suffered the previous day. He was 69 years old. His manager Ken Kushnick says, ‘He was a beloved friend to so many people and a true rock n roll spirit. His persona and gift of song impacted the music across oceans and generations.’ Ian’s bandmate in Small Faces and Faces, Kenney Jones said, ‘I am completely devastated by this shocking news and I know this goes for Ronnie [Wood] and Rod [Stewart] also.'”
Pete Seeger is regarded by many as the single most important figure of the American folk music revival of the late ’50s/early ’60s. Just as important to many, he used his talent and popularity to shine a light on social injustice, poverty, environmental issues, anti-war movements, and more. Born into a highly academic and musical family in New York City, Seeger was exposed to music at a very young age. Educated primarily in boarding schools, he was very well-educated and somewhat withdrawn until he found his spotlight while entertaining classmates with a ukulele he picked up on his own. By the late ’30s, he switched over to the banjo, the instrument he would help popularize three decades later. As the years went on, Seeger went from small festival folky to cultural hero thanks in part to his songs that would become the soundtrack to the ’60s Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Tunes like “If I Had A Hammer” written with Weavers band mate, Lee Hays), “Turn, Turn, Turn,” and “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” have become folk standards as well as part of the fabric that is American music. They, and many others, have been recorded by a who’s who of pop, rock and folk singers throughout the past half century. To name just a few of his honors, Seeger has received the National Medal Of Arts, the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a George Peabody Medal, and multiple Grammys, including one for Best Children’s Album in 2010. To list those who could rightfully say “if it wasn’t for Pete Seeger…” would take days, but two in particular were Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. It was Seeger who urged Columbia’s John Hammond to produce Dylan’s first album. Springsteen meanwhile would devote much of his career paying tribute to Seeger, including naming his 2010 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, which ironically, included no songs penned by Seeger, but whose influence can be heard throughout. With an astonishing career that spanned 75 years, Seeger remained active up until his final days, including a September 2013 performance at Farm Aid at the age of 94. Pete Seeger was nearly three months shy of his 95th birthday when he passed away on January 27, 2014.
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
Peppie Marchello was the front man of the group Rolling Stone once called “the world’s most famous unknown band,” Long Island, New York’s the Good Rats. Formed while Marchello was in college during 1964, the group, originally called U-Men, achieved moderate success but remained largely a cult band throughout their run. In 1969, now going by the Good Rats, they released their self-titled debut which was followed by their most popular album, 1974’s Tasty. Meanwhile, the band built a sizable following thanks to their live performances fronted by the charismatic Marchello. More solid albums followed throughout the ’70s and ’80s along with key opening slots for the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Rush, and KISS, but none of that was quite enough to push the band beyond cult status – to the amazement of many. Since then, Marchello continued on with one variation of the band or another right up until the time of his passing. He also spent some years performing, writing and producing with his son, Gene Marchello under the band name, Popzarocca. On July 10, 2013, Peppie Marchello suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 68.