Died On This Date (May 17, 1999) Bruce Fairbairn / Producer
themusicsover Bruce Fairbairn
December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999
Bruce Fairbairn was a Canadian trumpet player, but made a huge mark on popular music as a rock producer. Fairbairn hit his stride in the ’80s producing such albums as Loverboy’s Get Lucky, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation, and later, Bon Jovi’s New Jersey, Aerosmith’s Pump, Poison’s Flesh and Blood, Van Halen’s Balance, AC/DC’s The Razor’s Edge Kiss’ Psycho Circus, and many more. It was while working on Yes’ Ladder, in May of 1999 that Jon Anderson discovered Bruce Fairbairn’s body in his home. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Johnny “Guitar” Watson was a dynamic electric guitarist whose profound influence can be heard in blues, rock, soul, R&B, funk and hip-hop. Given his first guitar at eleven, Watson would soon be called a “prodigy” and would be exchanging licks with 
Sammy Davis, Jr. was an all-around entertainment icon who could wow audiences with his singing, dancing, comedy, impressions and his skills on the vibraphone, trumpet and drums. And if that weren’t enough, he was and Emmy and Academy Award winning actor. Closely associated with 
Hank Jones was a multi-Grammy nominated jazz pianist who came from a musical family that included brothers, Thad Jones and Elvin Jones. An early adapter to the instrument, Jones began playing around his neighborhood in his early teens, and before he knew it, he was playing with 