Died On This Date (November 7, 2016) Leonard Cohen / Canadian Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Leonard Cohen
September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016
Leonard Cohen was a revered Canadian poet, author, and most famously, singer-songwriter. Over a career that spanned almost 50 years, Cohen provided the dimly-lit smoky-bar soundtrack for people who needed hope, lost faith, felt despair, or longed for love. Initially planning a career as an author and poet, Cohen wanted to reach more people, so he switched gears and found himself singing and performing in New York City at the relatively late age of 33. He quickly became an unlikely pop star – rugged baritone voice, simple chord structures, and a private, guarded life within a profession that celebrated extroversion. His career might have seemed over when upon the release of his most famous song, 1984’s “Hallelujah,” his label head reportedly told him, “Look, Leonard; we know you’re great, but we don’t know if you’re any good,” before dropping him. But his songs eventually caught on, and younger generations of singer-songwriters borrowed them to include in their own canons. “Hallelujah” alone was recorded by over 200 artists, including Bob Dylan, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang, John Cale, and most famously, Jeff Buckley. In all, Cohen’s tunes have been covered by more than 2000. That list includes such greats as Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Willie Nelson, R.E.M., and Tori Amos. In 2008, at the age of 74, and facing financial ruin, Cohen embarked on an ambitious (and triumphant!) world tour that would last about three years before his health started to get the better of him. After getting well, he hit the road again doing a seemingly endless series of impassioned shows that ran north of three hours a piece. That lasted through December of 2013, when he fell ill again. But Cohen refused to be bound by his health and set out to record what would be the final two albums of his lifetime, 2014’s Popular Problems, and this year’s You Want it Darker, recorded in his home with him in a wheelchair and singing many of the sessions in physical pain. That album was released just two weeks before his death, and served as a profound self-eulogy in much the same way as David Bowie‘s Lazarus. It has been reported, thankfully, that excluding his last album, his late-life career revival earned him around $10 million. Leonard Cohen was 82 when he passed away on November 7, 2016.
What You Should Own
Nick Menza was an American metal drummer who is best remembered for playing in Megadeth during a period that many consider their greatest. Born into a musical family – his father was Don Menza, longtime sax player for 
George Martin was a classically trained musician, record producer, and talent scout who most famously took a chance on the Beatles after they had been turned down by most other British record labels at the time. What followed was a collaboration that changed not only the musical landscape of the era, but also what would become popular music and pop culture for decades to come. With Martin as producer (and so much more) on the Beatles’ original albums, they scored 30 #1 singles in the UK and 23 in the US – and millions in sales, of course. Of the list of Beatles collaborators who were referred to as “the Fifth Beatle,” it was Martin who actually deserved the title. That alone on a person’s resume is enough to cruise through the rest of his or her life, but not Martin. Over the next six decades, he had a big hand in the success of the likes of Elton John, Dire Straits, Cheap Trick, ELO, and Celine Dion, to name a few. Martin also worked extensively in film, either arranging, scoring or producing. Two of the most famous songs he produced for films were Shirley Bassey‘s “Goldfinger” for Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die” from the James Bond movies of the same name. He’s been recognized with six Grammys, an Academy Award, and countless other accolades. George Martin was 90 when he died in his sleep on March 8, 2016.
Paul Kantner was the original lead guitarist for influential ’60s counterculture rock band, Jefferson Airplane. Although the group was founded by singer, Marty Balin, Kanter quickly took over running things, and when Balin left, he lead its new incarnation, Jefferson Starship to even greater heights. Formed in San Francisco in 1965, Jefferson Airplane was arguably the flash point of what would become known as psychedelic rock – rock music that was created to help enhance the experience of acid, and in particular, LSD. Along with bands like the Grateful Dead the 
