but the songs live on forever

R&B

R&B Singer

Died On This Date (February 11, 2009) Estelle Bennett / The Ronettes

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Estelle Bennett
July 22, 1941 – February 11, 2009

Ronnie Spector, Nedra Talley, Estelle Bennett
L-R: Ronnie Spector, Nedra Talley, Estelle Bennett

Estelle Bennett was a member of famed girl-group, the Ronettes.  She, her sister Veronica (later Ronnie Spector), and Nedra Talley formed the group while still teenagers back in 1959.  Over the next several years, they released a string of singles that defined the era as well as the “girl group sound.”  That list includes “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You,” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”  And they were the  only female group that ever toured with the Beatles.  The group broke up in 1966 after which Bennett released just one record, “The Year 2000,” and retired from the music business.  She resurfaced in 2007 for the group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Estelle Bennett died of colon cancer on February 11, 2009.  She was 67.

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Be My Baby: The Very Best of The Ronettes - The Ronettes

27 Club R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (February 6, 1960) Jesse Belvin / R&B Pioneer

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Jesse Belvin
December 15, 1932 – February 6, 1960

Member of the 27 Club

Jesse Belvin was a young R&B star during the ’50s.  Besides being a talented singer and pianist, he wrote a few of the era’s most popular songs.  His first hit, “Dream Girl,” which he recorded with Marvin Phillips, shot to #2 on the R&B charts in 1952.  That was followed a couple of years later by “Earth Angel,” one of the first R&B songs to crossover to the pop charts when it was recorded by The Penguins in 1954.  The record went on to sell over a million copies in just a year’s time.  His biggest hit came in 1957 with his recording of “Goodnight My Love,” one of the era’s signature songs.  An eleven year old Barry White supposedly played the piano on that recording.   Belvin signed to RCA Records in 1959 and began to develop into a more sophisticated R&B crooner – a style that was similar to  Nat King Cole’s.   In early 1960, he had just finished recording an album of soulful standards when his life was cut tragically short.  He and his wife were driving home from a performance that included Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson when they were involved in a head-on collision that killed them instantly.  Jesse Belvin was 27 years old on the night he died.

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Jesse Belvin

R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (January 24, 1970) James Sheppard / Shep & The Limelites

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James Sheppard
DOB Unknown – January 24, 1970

At left with The Heartbeats
At left with The Heartbeats

James Sheppard was a doo wop singer best remembered as the lead singer of The Heartbeats and later,  Shep and the Limelites.  Formed in Queens, New York in 1960, Shep and the Limelites scored a big #2 pop hit with “Daddy’s Home” a year later.  The instantly recognizable song was covered by many in years to come, most notably by Jermaine Jackson in 1972.  The group disbanded in 1966 but was reformed by Sheppard a couple of years later.  On January 24, 1970. James Sheppard was found beaten, robbed and shot to death in his car on the Long Island Expressway.


Early Rock R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (January 23, 1997) Richard Berry / Gave Us “Louie Louie”

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Richard Berry
April 11, 1935 – January 23, 1997

Richard Berry could rightfully be called a “one-hit wonder,” but oh, what a hit it was!  After a few years working with a few different doo-wop acts, Berry sat down in 1955, and wrote “Louie Louie,”  a song that would later be recorded by the Kingsmen and become synonymous with drunken frat parties.   It was also a foundation upon which garage rock was built.  The song has been recorded over 1000 times, but unfortunately, Berry sold away his rights to it in 1959.  He was, however, able to collect a significant amount in royalties during the mid ’80s and again in the early ’90s.  Berry’s health began to decline in later years, and on January 23, 1997, he died of heart failure at the age of 61.

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Have

Musician R&B Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (January 22, 1982) Tommy Tucker / Blues Singer

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Tommy Tucker (Born Robert Higginbotham)
March 5, 1933 – January 22, 1982

Tommy Tucker was an early R&B singer-songwriter and pianist who gave us the oft-covered 1964 hit, “Hi Heel Sneakers.”  The upbeat tune shot all the way to #11 on the pop singles chart.  His follow-up, “Long Tall Shorty,” written with Don Covay, was a modest hit.  Tucker retired from the music business during the late ’60s and went to work selling real estate and writing for a local newspaper.  On January 22, 1982, Tommy Tucker died after inhaling deadly fumes while refinishing his hardwood floors.  He was 48 years old.



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