Died On This Date (February 27, 2015) Charmayne Maxwell / Co-founder Of Brownstone

Charmayne “Maxee” Maxwell
DOB Unknown – February 27, 2015

charmayne-maxwellCharmayne Maxwell was a founding member of the ’90s R&B vocal group, Brownstone.  Formed in 1994, Brownstone soon found themselves signed to Michael Jackson‘s MJJ Records.  In January of 1995, they released their first album, From The Bottom Up, that included their biggest hit, “If You Love Me,” which was nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy.  From The Bottom Up sold over a million copies in the US alone. Their list of hit singles also includes “Grapevyne,” “Pass The Lovin’,” and their cover of the Eagles classic, “I Can’t Tell You Why.”  Brownstone released just one more album, 1997’s Still Climbing.  On Friday, February 27, 2015, Charmayne Maxwell reportedly bled to death from injuries she sustained after accidentally falling onto a broken wine glass.  She was 46.

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Died On This Date (February 21, 2015) Clark Terry / American Jazz Great

Clark Terry
December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015

clark-terryClark Terry was an American jazz trumpeter who is widely considered one of the most influential and popular jazz musicians of his time.  Terry launched his career during the early ’40s, just in time to serve in the US Navy Band during World War II.  After his discharge, Terry went on to perform with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and later, Quincy Jones, among others, as well as leading his own bands. As one of the most recorded artists jazz music has ever known, Terry appeared on nearly 1000 known recordings.  Throughout his career, he wrote over 200 jazz songs, performed for seven US Presidents, and put on several jazz festivals and jazz camps.  In 1991 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award, and in 2010, he became one of only five trumpet players to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  A lifetime student of jazz as well as a respected educator, Clark held sixteen honorary doctorates.  He was even knighted in Germany.  Clark Terry was 94 when he passed away on February 21, 2015.

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Died On This Date (February 16, 2015) Lesley Gore / Had Iconic Hit with “It’s My Party”

Lesley Gore (Born Lesley Goldstein)
May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015

lesley-goreBorn in New York City, Lesley Gore was just 16 years old when she recorded her first, and biggest hit, “It’s My Party,” a song that helped define her generation.  Several major hits followed including, “You Don’t Own Me,” “Judy’s Turn To Cry,” and “She’s A Fool.”  In 1965, Gore received a Grammy nomination for “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” and another nominations came 1981, but this time as a co-writer for “Out Here On My Own,” from the immensely popular Fame soundtrack.  Gore acted in several television shows throughout her career as well, most notably, portraying Pussycat, one of Catwoman’s cohorts, in two episodes of Batman.  Gore continued to tour well into the ’90s and released what would become her final album, the critically acclaimed Ever Since, in 2005.  Lesley Gore lost her battle with cancer on February 16, 2015.  She was 68.

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Died On This Date (February 12, 2015) Steve Strange / Lead Singer Of Visage

Steve Strange (Born Steven Harrington)
May 28, 1959 – February 12, 2015

steve-strangeSteve Strange is perhaps best remembered as the front man for the popular ’80s new wave band, Visage.  Like many young people in the UK during the mid ’70s, Strange couldn’t resist the pull of punk rock.  After witnessing a Sex Pistols show in 1976, he began setting up gigs for punk bands in and around his Welsh neighborhood. Soon thereafter, he formed his own punk band, the Moors Murderers that counted future Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde and future Clash drummer, Topper Headon, as members during it’s rather short lifespan. Strange soon moved to London where he worked for Malcolm McLaren before forming Visage in 1978.  The group helped pioneer the New Romantic movement which also included such acts as Duran Duran, Culture Club and Spandau Ballet.  Visage’s second single, 1980’s “Fade To Grey,” was a big hit across the UK and beyond.  More hit singles and albums followed until Strange closed the initial chapter on the band in 1985.  During the late ’80s and early ’90s, Strange developed into a popular club DJ, helping to popularize the trance movement in its early days.  In 2004, he reformed Visage which continued on in one form or another through the remainder of his life.  Steve Strange passed away following a heart attack on February 12, 2015.  He was 55.

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Died On This Date (February 7, 2015) Joe B. Mauldin / Bassist For The Crickets

Joe B. Mauldin
July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015

At right with The Crickets
At right with The Crickets

Joe B. Mauldin is best remembered as the influential double-bassist for Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Born in Lubbock, Texas, Mauldin’s first band of note was the Four Teens, which he joined in 1955. Two years later, he joined up with Holly and the Crickets who went on to record some of the most iconic songs in the history of music, among them, “That’ll Be The Day,” “Rave On,” and “Peggy Sue.”  The Crickets have been rightfully acknowledged as a direct inspiration to many important bands to follow, including the Beatles.  After Holly died in 1959, Mauldin performed with various incarnations of the Crickets.  He also became a recording engineer, contributing to the sound of such artists as Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, and Herb Alpert.  Joe B. Mauldin died of cancer on February 7, 2015.  He was 74.

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