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Jazz Musician

Sonny Rollins, Jazz Saxophone Giant, Dies at 95

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Photo Credit: Tom Beetz via WikiMedia

Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential and commanding figures in jazz history, died May 25, 2026, at the age of 95. Across a career that stretched more than seven decades, the Harlem-born tenor saxophonist helped define modern jazz while building a catalog that remains essential listening for anyone serious about the music.

Whether leading his own groundbreaking sessions or playing alongside giants like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, and John Coltrane, Rollins brought a huge sound, sharp wit, and fearless improvisational style that could turn even familiar standards into something unpredictable.

Born Theodore Walter Rollins in New York City on September 7, 1930, he came up during the bebop explosion of the late 1940s and quickly earned the respect of older musicians who recognized his uncommon talent. By the mid-’50s, albums like Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness, and Way Out West established him as one of jazz’s defining voices. “St. Thomas,” with its Caribbean rhythm and instantly recognizable melody, became his signature composition and remains a jazz radio staple decades later.

Rollins was also known for his uncompromising approach to artistic growth. In 1959, despite widespread acclaim, he stepped away from performing to practice in isolation on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge, frustrated that he hadn’t yet reached the level he heard in his head. When he returned in 1962 with The Bridge, the story became part of jazz lore.

Unlike many artists from his era, Rollins refused to settle. His later work continued to evolve, pulling from calypso, avant-garde jazz, funk, and extended improvisation while still sounding unmistakably like Sonny Rollins. His live performances often stretched songs far beyond their original forms, driven by instinct and spontaneity rather than precision alone.

Over the years, Rollins received multiple Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and a Kennedy Center Honor. Still, his reputation among fellow musicians may have mattered most. For generations of saxophonists, studying Sonny Rollins was practically mandatory.

Even in retirement, Rollins remained one of jazz’s towering figures, a musician whose influence crossed eras without losing its identity. His playing carried the force of bebop, the freedom of modern jazz, and the deep swing that connected it all back to the music’s roots.

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Hip Hop Rap Singer

Rob Base, Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 59

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Rob Base, the Harlem-born rapper whose voice helped power one of hip-hop’s most recognizable party anthems, “It Takes Two,” died on May 22, 2026, following a private battle with cancer. He was 59.

Born Robert Ginyard on May 18, 1967, Base emerged from New York’s mid-’80s rap scene alongside longtime friend DJ E-Z Rock, born Rodney Bryce. The pair met as children in Harlem and built their reputation through local performances and early singles before breaking through in 1988 with “It Takes Two,” a track that fused James Brown-inspired funk, booming beats, and Base’s instantly recognizable delivery into a crossover hit that helped move hip-hop deeper into the mainstream.

Built around a sample of Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It),” “It Takes Two” became unavoidable during the late ’80s, climbing the charts, going platinum, and eventually turning into one of the defining party records of its era. More than three decades later, the song still echoed through movies, commercials, sporting events, weddings, clubs, and playlists that needed an instant jolt of energy.

The duo followed that success with additional hits including “Joy and Pain” and “Get On The Dance Floor,” blending hip-hop with dance music at a time when rap was still fighting for wider acceptance on pop radio and MTV. Their debut album, It Takes Two, also achieved platinum status and helped establish Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock as one of the most commercially successful rap acts of the late ’80s.

While trends in hip-hop shifted over the decades, Base remained connected to the music and to audiences who grew up with those records. He continued performing well into the 2020s, appearing on nostalgia tours including the popular I Love The ’90s package shows, where “It Takes Two” routinely proved timeless.

DJ E-Z Rock died in 2014 at age 46 due to complications related to diabetes, leaving Base as the surviving face of a duo whose music never really disappeared from popular culture.

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Musician R&B Singer

Clarence Carter, Legendary Southern Soul Singer, Dies at 90

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Clarence Carter, the blind Southern soul singer whose raw, emotionally charged voice powered classics like “Slip Away,” “Patches,” and “Too Weak to Fight,” died May 13 following complications from pneumonia. He was 90.

Born January 14, 1936, in Montgomery, Alabama, Carter was blind from birth but never allowed that to define the limits of his ambitions. He studied at the Alabama School for the Blind before earning a degree in music from Alabama State University in 1960. Long before his chart success, Carter was already building a reputation around Alabama’s club circuit alongside fellow blind musician Calvin Scott as part of Clarence & Calvin, later renamed the C & C Boys.

After Scott was seriously injured in a car accident, Carter launched a solo career that quickly gained traction at FAME Studios. His self-penned “Tell Daddy” became his first R&B hit in 1967 and later inspired Etta James to record the answer song “Tell Mama.” Carter followed that breakthrough with a run of deeply soulful hits that blended heartbreak, desire, humor, and hard-earned realism.

In 1968, Carter released “Slip Away,” a pleading, slow-burning soul classic that crossed over to the pop charts and became one of the defining records of the Southern soul era. That same year also brought “Too Weak to Fight” and the sly holiday favorite “Back Door Santa,” later sampled by Run-D.M.C. for A Very Special Christmas.

Carter reached the commercial peak of his career in 1970 with “Patches,” his aching interpretation of the song first recorded by Chairmen of the Board. The single climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 in the UK, earning Grammy recognition and cementing Carter as one of soul music’s most distinctive voices.

His music often balanced vulnerability with humor and sexuality, something that resurfaced in 1988 with the cult favorite “Strokin'”, an unapologetically raunchy anthem that introduced Carter to a new generation of fans and later found renewed life in films and pop culture.

Carter was married to fellow soul singer Candi Staton from 1970 to 1973, and the two shared both a son and deep creative ties through the Muscle Shoals music scene.

Across more than six decades in music, Carter remained a towering figure in Southern soul, known for a booming baritone that could deliver tenderness, heartbreak, grit, or sly humor with equal conviction. Whether singing about struggle, temptation, or survival, he brought a lived-in honesty that made his records endure far beyond their era.

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Classic Rock Rock Singer

Alex Ligertwood, Santana Vocalist and Rock Journeyman, Dies at 79

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Born on December 18, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland, Alex Ligertwood, the singer whose voice powered a key era of Santana, died on May 2, 2026. He was 79.

Best known for his work with Carlos Santana’s band during the late ’70s and ’80s, Ligertwood brought a soulful, commanding presence to a period when Santana fused Latin rock with a more polished, radio-ready sound. His vocals are front and center on hits like “Winning” and “Hold On,” songs that helped carry the band back onto mainstream charts and into a new generation of listeners.

Ligertwood began his career in the British rock circuit, fronting bands including Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, where his powerful voice and blues instincts first gained wider attention. By the time he joined Santana in 1979, he had already built a reputation as a versatile performer capable of bridging rock, funk, and soul.

Ligertwood remained with Santana through much of the 1980s, appearing on albums such as Marathon, Zebop! and Shango. His tenure coincided with one of the band’s most commercially successful stretches, anchored by tight songwriting and a sound that balanced Santana’s signature guitar work with strong melodic hooks.

Beyond Santana, Ligertwood’s career reflected a deep commitment to craft over flash. He collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, and remained active in music well into later years, often revisiting the songs that defined his career while continuing to explore new material.

Alex Ligertwood leaves behind a body of work that speaks clearly: a singer who knew how to serve the song, and in doing so, helped shape one of rock’s most enduring catalogs.

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Americana Country Musician Singer Songwriter

David Allan Coe, Defiant Voice of Country’s Outlaw Era, Dies at 85

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David Allan Coe, the fiercely independent country singer-songwriter whose raw storytelling and outlaw persona set him apart from Nashville’s mainstream, has died at 85.

Coe’s career was defined by contradictions. He could write a song as tender and reflective as “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” then turn around and deliver something as unvarnished as “The Ride,” his haunted conversation with the ghost of Hank Williams. That push and pull between humor, darkness, and hard-earned wisdom became his signature.

Born in Akron, Ohio, on September 6, 1939, Coe’s early life was turbulent, marked by time spent in reform schools and prison. He often drew from those experiences in his music, shaping a catalog that felt real without ever asking for sympathy. After relocating to Nashville in the late ’60s, he found his footing as a songwriter, with artists like Tanya Tucker and Johnny Paycheck recording his material before he broke through on his own.

By the mid-’70s, Coe had carved out a place within the outlaw country movement alongside figures like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Even within that rebellious circle, Coe stood apart. His albums, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, Once Upon a Rhyme, and Longhaired Redneck, blended honky-tonk, country rock, and narrative songwriting that did not shy away from life’s rough edges.

He scored his biggest commercial success as a songwriter with Paycheck’s No. 1 hit “Take This Job and Shove It,” a working-class anthem that crossed into the broader culture. As a performer, Coe built a devoted following through relentless touring and a reputation for unpredictable, often riveting live shows.

Coe’s career was not without controversy. Some of his later recordings and statements drew criticism and, at times, overshadowed his contributions to country music. His influence remains undeniable, particularly among artists drawn to country’s grittier, less polished traditions.

Over decades, Coe stayed committed to his own path, resisting trends and industry expectations. Whether playing biker rallies, small clubs, or larger stages, he carried the same defiant spirit that defined his earliest recordings.

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You Missed

Jazz Musician

Sonny Rollins, Jazz Saxophone Giant, Dies at 95

Hip Hop Rap Singer

Rob Base, Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 59

Musician R&B Singer

Clarence Carter, Legendary Southern Soul Singer, Dies at 90

Classic Rock Rock Singer

Alex Ligertwood, Santana Vocalist and Rock Journeyman, Dies at 79