James “Son” Thomas (aka James “Sonny Ford” Thomas) October 14, 1926 – June 26, 1998
Son Thomas was a Mississippi born Delta blues musician who made the rounds of the area’s juke joints before making his first recordings in the late ’60s. A documentary of his life, Delta Blues Singer: James “Sonny Ford” Thomas, was released in 1970. Thomas passed away on June 26, 1998 at the age of 71. His headstone was paid for by John Fogerty.
Benny Powell was a New Orleans-born jazz trombonist who is best remembered for his dozen years playing with Count Basie. Powell began playing professionally when he was just 14, and by the time he turned 18, he was playing with Lionel Hampton. In 1951, he joined Basie and can be heard most prominently in “April in Paris.” In later years he was in house band for the Merv Griffin Show and did session work on countless recordings. He also lead his own band for several years. Benny Powell was 80 when he passed away on June 26, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Johnny Jenkins was a flashy electric blues guitarist who, during the early ’60s lead a Memphis band called the Pinetoppers. In 1962, Jenkins and the band were at the legendary Stax studio working on a new record when his driver – Jenkins didn’t have a driver’s license – was offered a chance to record a track during some leftover studio time. That driver happened to be Otis Redding, and the song he recorded was “These Arms Of Mine,” which would launch his career. Jenkins played on that track and was eventually offered the lead guitar position in Redding’s band, but declined – as the story goes – because he was afraid of flying. Redding, of course died a few years later in a plane crash. In the meantime, Jenkins was building his own following, thanks in part to his flashy guitar playing and on-stage gimmicks that were later replicated by one of his biggest fans, Jimi Hendrix. Although he had released a couple of critically acclaimed albums, Jenkins found only moderate success so he all but retired from the music business in the early ’70s. One of his early albums, Ton-Ton Maoute!, featured young session player Duane Allman and is considered to be a southern blues/rock essential. He made a brief comeback during the mid ’90s and released three more albums. Johnny Jenkins was 67 when he died of a stroke on June 26, 2006.
Michael Jackson was arguably the most iconic and influential performer popular music has ever known. Coming from working class beginnings in Gary, Indiana, Jackson and his brothers began entertaining audiences along the chitlin’ circuit as the Jackson Five. Young Michael was just six years old at the time. Within just a few years, the group was topping the music charts with songs like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There,” while becoming a brand within itself thanks to many television appearances including a cartoon based on their likenesses. In 1978, now out on his own, Jackson played the part of the Scarecrow in the The Wiz, a musical adaptation of the Wizard Of Oz. It was while working on the film that Jackson met music producer, Quincy Jones who agreed to produce Off The Wall, his breakthrough album. In 1982, Thriller was released, and the world changed. With a slew of pop hits and the dynamic music videos that accompanied them, Jackson was tailor made for the young MTV. Jackson’s fame and record sales skyrocketed. Thriller went on to become one of the greatest selling albums of all times. On March 25, 1983 Jackson performed on a television special celebrating the 25th anniversary of Motown Records. During his performance of “Billie Jean,” Jackson shocked and amazed nearly 50 million viewers with his “moonwalk” dance move, a moment that has been likened to the Beatles’ and Elvis Presley’s appearances on theEd Sullivan Show. In the coming years, other notable Michael Jackson milestones included the release of Bad and Dangerous; his writing of, and performance in the superstar-studded charity anthem “We Are The World;” and a mind-blowing half-time performance at the 1993 Super Bowl. It was the first time a single entertainer had ever done the entire half-time show. In early 2009, after several years of legal and financial troubles, Michael Jackson began to put together plans for a comeback. Unfortunately, during the morning hours of June 25, Jackson reportedly collapsed in the home he was renting. After paramedics arrived and tried to revive him, Jackson apparently fell into a coma and was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead after going into cardiac arrest.
Hillel Slovak was the founding guitarist of Los Angeles Alterna-Funk-Metal gods, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and by some accounts, their true heart and soul. Thanks in part to Slovak’s passion for funk, the band were able to create an alchemy of sonic power that married the best of funk, punk rap and metal into something that has since been imitated but never equaled. It should also be noted that Slovak actually taught Chili Peppers’ Mike “Flea” Balzary how to play the bass and the world would never be the same. Meeting in high school, the band was formally launched in 1983 and quickly hit the local stages. Their super high energy sound and shows quickly launched them to the top of the local scene and secured them a deal with EMI Records. It was around this time that Slovak began to experiment with heroin which lead to turmoil within the band as the drug began to adversely affect his playing. He was in and out of the group over the next few years, but to fans, he was and will always be as much a part of RHCP as anyone. Sadly, Slovak died of an heroin overdose on June 25, 1988.