Rick Huxley
August 5, 1942 – February 11, 2013
There was a moment during the ’60s when Rick Huxley was arguably the biggest bass player in popular music. It was the British Invasion and the band in which he played, the Dave Clark Five, was comfortably seated right behind fellow invaders, the Beatles. Formed in 1958, the band was the Fab Four’s biggest challengers during the early ’60s until the Rolling Stones roared in. With the Dave Clark Five, Huxley played on such pop music staples as “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Catch Us If You Can.” In March of 1964, the band became the second British Invasion band to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Their two-week run immediately followed the Beatles’ original three-week stint. The group broke up in 1970 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Tom Hanks in 2008, with Huxley on hand to accept the honor. Other groups he played with include the Riverside Blues Boys and the Spon Valley Stompers. Rick Huxley was 72 when he passed away on February 11, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released, though he had been battling emphysema.
Jane Scott was, simply put, a rock critic’s rock critic. For 50 years, she covered nearly every major concert that came through Cleveland, Ohio for the city’s major daily, the Plain Dealer. Born in Cleveland, Scott graduated from the University of Michigan and served in the U.S. Navy before taking up a career in journalism. In March of 1952, just three days after Cleveland DJ, Alan Freed put on what has been called the world’s first rock concert, Scott was hired by the Plain Dealer to cover local society events. In 1958, she took over a column that was aimed at what now would be called “tweens,” and soon morphed it into one of the world’s first rock columns. Scott’s earliest major rock story came in 1964 when she covered the Beatles‘ first show at Cleveland’s Public Hall. She soon found herself covering the band’s tour through Europe. When the Fab Four returned to Cleveland in 1966, it was Scott who scored one of Paul McCartney’s first American interviews ever. By her retirement in 2002, Scott estimated that she had been to over 10,000 concerts, and along the way she earned the love, friendship and respect from everyone from Mick Jagger to Jim Morrison to David Bowie to Bob Dylan. So beloved by the rock community, it took her 80th birthday celebration in 1999 to reunite the Raspberries. And to help celebrate the occasion, Glenn Frey of the Eagles sent a note saying “Jane, you never met a band you didn’t like,” while Lou Reed wrote “I must confess, I love Jane Scott. When I was in the Velvet Underground in the ’60s, Jane was one of the only people I can remember who was nice to us.” Scott was 83 when she retired, but she continued to attend concerts by her favorites – the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Bruce Springsteen. Jane Scott was 92 when she passed away on July 4, 2011.
Benny Spellman was an R&B singer who released two significant hits during the 1960s. His “Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette),” written by Allen Toussaint, cracked the Top 30 on the R&B charts, while his original version of “Fortune Teller” went on to be recorded by the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Hollies, and more recently, as a duet by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Spellman also collaborated with Huey “Piano” Smith and sang back up on the 
Jim Dickinson was a much respected Memphis musician and producer who is best remembered for his production work with the Replacements, Big Star, Alex Chilton, and Willy DeVille among others. As a musician, he played piano on such landmark songs as the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses,” and the Flamin’ Groovies “Teenage Head.” He’s also worked with the likes of Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder. Dickinson also released several acclaimed albums throughout his career. Talent runs in the Dickinson family, his sons Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson have a popular band, the North Mississippi Allstars. Jim Dickinson died in his sleep following heart surgery. He was 67.