James McLaren
1978 – August 6, 2012
James McLaren was a beloved Welsh music journalist and most recently, assistant producer at BBC Wales. He also managed and edited the Welsh Music Foundation’s monthly newsletter, Sound Nation, where he enthusiastically covered the Welsh music scene. James McLaren was killed in an automobile accident on the M48 Motorway in Wales. He was 34.
Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.
Shimrit Shoshan
DOB Unknown – August 19, 2012
Shimrit Shoshan was an up-and-coming pianist who had been taking the New York jazz scene by storm over the past few years. Born near Tel Aviv, Israel, Shoshan took to music at an early age. Naturally gifted, she was accepted to a prestigious arts high school even though she had had no prior music training. After graduating, Shoshan served in the Israeli Army and then moved to New York where she continued her education. In 2010, Shoshan released her first and only album, Keep It Movin’ to critical acclaim. Shimrit Shoshan was 29 when she died of cardiac arrest on August 19, 2012.
Jay Parker
February 1, 1925 – July 30, 2012
Jay Parker made one major contribution to pop music history, and it came by way of his Sun Records logo design. Parker was just starting his career as the art director at the Memphis Engraving Company when his old high school friend, Sam Phillips, asked him he would create a logo for his new record company. The design he ultimately created cost Phillips just $50 and has become one of the most recognized images in pop culture history. Besides sitting in the center of countless landmark records by the likes of Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, the image continues to live on t-shirts, totes, ash trays and shot glasses. Parker went on to win numerous advertising awards throughout a career which spawned lasting images for such brands as the Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bubble Gum, and Alka Seltzer. Jay Parker was 87 when he passed away on July 30, 2012.
Byard Lancaster
August 6, 1942 – August 23, 2012
Byard Lancaster was a revered jazz multi-instrumentalist whose primary instruments were the alto saxophone and flute. Born in Philadelphia, Lancaster received his training at Berklee College of Music before settling in New York City. Throughout his career, Lancaster performed with such jazz luminaries as Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Jones, as well as blues greats like Memphis Slim and Johnny Copeland. He also released several albums of his own over the years. Byard Lancaster died of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2012. He was 70.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.
Carl Davis
September 19, 1934 – August 9, 2012
Carl Davis was an acclaimed record producer and one of the architects of the “Chicago Sound” – Chicago soul music of the 1960s. Davis began his music career as the assistant to a local Chicago disc jockey in 1955. During the early ’60s, he went to work at Nat Records where he produced a regional hit, “Nite Owl,” for the DuKays. He followed that up with “Duke Of Earl” which was credited to the group’s lead singer, Gene Chandler. The song quickly became a #1 hit and one of the biggest selling records of the era. Davis went on to produce hits like “Monkey Time” for Major Lance, Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” Barbara Acklin’s “Love Makes A Woman, and the Chi-Lites’ “Oh Girl” to name a few. In 1976, Davis founded Chi Sounds Records which he ran well into the 2000s. Carl Davis was 77 when he died of pulmonary fibrosis on August 9, 2012.
Thanks Henk de Bruin for the assist.
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