Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
Malcolm Young, the co-founding guitarist for legendary hard rock band, AC/DC passed away with his family by his side after a long battle with dementia. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Young moved with his family to Australia when he was 10 years old. At 20, he formed AC/DC, which would go on to include his brother Angus Young on lead guitar, and Bon Scott on lead vocals. There were several line-up changes through the years, including the hiring of Brian Johnson on lead vocals after Scott passed away in 1980. With early Bon Scott fronted albums like T.N.T., Powerage, and Highway to Hell, the band began to build a huge following around the world due in large part to the bigger-than-live sound and image largely conceived by Malcolm. Their first album with Johnson, 1980’s Back in Black, sent the band’s popularity into the stratosphere. That album alone has sold over 50 million copies while their entire catalog sits at over 200 million in sales. They are one of the highest-selling bands of all time.
Gord Downie, the co-founder, lead singer and co-songwriter for the immensely popular Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip, passed away following his battle with cancer. He was 53. Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable form of brain cancer, after having a seizure in 2015. Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Downie met his future band mates while still in high school. The Tragically Hip formed in 1983 as a cover band, and when the president of MCA Records saw them play at a Toronto bar, he offered them a record deal. While their debut album, 1989’s Up To Here, peaked at #9 on the Canadian album charts, their next six albums, and three later studio albums, all hit #1. The band also enjoyed moderate success in the US where Modern Rock radio helped build them a cult following. Downie released six studio albums as well, including Introduce Yourself, which me out 10 days after he passed away. It also reached #1 in Canada.
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
Tom Petty, the iconic American singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer passed away peacefully following a massive heart attack he had suffered earlier in the day. He was 66. Born in Gainesville, Florida, Petty, like many kids his age, had his first rock and roll moment after witnessing Elvis Presley. But unlike other future rock stars, it wasn’t The King’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that changed his life forever – it was a more personal encounter. Turns out Petty’s uncle was working on the Presley film, Follow That Dream that was filming nearby, and he invited the 10-year-old down to the shoot. Petty was able to watch Presley up close and in person doing what he did best, albeit in an entirely different arena. He soon traded his slingshot to a buddy for some Elvis 45s, and he was on his way. Petty’s first band of note – that would reform for kicks in 2007 – was Mudcrutch, which he put together in 1970. Six years later, they morphed into Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. During the next several years, they released a series of hit singles and albums that appealed equally to the fans of the current “heartland rock” movement led by Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen, and the punk and new wave movements which were grabbing hold on the east and west coasts, as well as in the UK. Over the next four decades, Petty, both with the Heartbreakers and solo, sold upwards of 80 million albums, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Throughout his career, Petty collaborated with many of the biggest names in music, perhaps most famously, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison as the Traveling Wilburys. This “supergroup” recorded two well-received albums together, 1988’s Vol. 1 and 1990’s Vol. 3. Others of note with whom Petty had memorable collaborations with were Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, Dwight Twilley, and Del Shannon, whose career he revived in 1982 with the album, Drop Down and Get Me. In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while November, 2015 saw the much-lauded release of the best-seller, Petty: The Biography, by Warren Zanes. Around that time he partnered with SiriusXM on Tom Petty Radio, a channel devoted entirely to his music and the music he loved. By all accounts, he was very hands-on with it, making sure the content would be loved by his fans. On Monday, September 25th, 2017, the band played their last of three spirited shows at the Hollywood Bowl in their adopted hometown of Los Angeles, to cap off the hugely successful 40th Anniversary Tour – their longest in 15 years. One week later, Top Petty was gone.
Charles Bradley November 5, 1948 – September 23, 2017
2011. Photo by Vince Hans
Charles Bradley, the revered soul singer who found success late in life, died after a his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 68. Born in Gainesville, Florida, Bradley moved to New York City at the age of eight to live with his mother who had left him with his grandmother when he was a toddler. In 1962, his sister took the young teen to James Brown’slegendary show at the Apollo Theater, and like many kids who saw the Godfather of Soul perform, Bradley immediately took to practicing Brown’s songs and dance moves. When he was 14, he ran away from home to escape his family’s life of poverty. He spent the first couple of years living on the streets until he found Job Corps who taught him to cook and help him find a job. The next 25 years or so found Bradley working as a chef mostly along the west coast and into Canada while playing small club gigs along the way. Bradley moved back to New York to be with his mother in 1996, and finally started making some decent money impersonating James Brown under the stage name, Black Velvet. It was during one of these shows that he was discovered by up-and-coming soul revival label, Daptone Records. After releasing a series of 7″ singles by him, Daptone put out Bradley’s debut album, No Time For Dreaming, in 2011. Two more albums followed, including 2016’s Changes, which included his staggering cover of the Black Sabbath song of the same name. In 2012, the documentary, Soul of America, which told his story and included live performances, was released to critical acclaim. Label mate and soul great, Sharon Jones lost her battle with cancer on November 18, 2016.
Photo by Roger Pistole. Courtesy of Moraine Music Group
Mark Otis Selby, who made a big mark on music with a string of hits he co-wrote with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and with his own wife, Tia Sillers, passed away at home on Monday, September 18, 2017 from cancer. The Nashville-based recording artist, songwriter, session guitar player and producer released albums on Vanguard Records and his songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists. With Shepherd, his co-writes include “Deja Voodoo,” “Slow Ride,” “Last Goodbye,” and “Blue on Black,” which was #1 for 17 weeks and Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Song of the Year. He also wrote the Dixie Chicks’ first Number One single “There’s Your Trouble” and had his songs recorded by many other artists including Wynonna, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood, Johnny Reid, Jo Dee Messina, Lee Roy Parnell andKeb’ Mo’. A highly-regarded session player, Selby played on recordings by the likes of Kenny RogersandWynonna Judd. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Selby spent his youth harvesting wheat and playing in bands throughout the Midwest before moving to Hays, Kansas to attend Fort Hays University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music. Selby was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MusicCares in memory of Mark. grammy.com/musicares/donations
themusicsover 
