Daihachi Oguchi
1924 – June 27, 2008
Daihachi Oguchi was a Japanese drummer who was closely associated with the taiko form of drumming. Oguchi formed several taiko groups including the famed San Fracisco Taiko Dojo who have been seen performing in several Hollywood movies over the past 40 years. Oguchi died the day after being hit by a car. He was 84.
Timothy White
January 25, 1952 – June 27, 2002
Timothy White was a respected but at times controversial music journalist who started as an AP writer but went on to be editor of the Crawdaddy! the ’70s, senior editor of Rolling Stone in the ’80s, and finally, editor-in-chief of Billboard in the ’90s. He also wrote a handful of popular music biographies, his subjects being the Beach Boys, James Taylor and Bob Marley. But White wasn’t above being written ABOUT as evident by the Eminem lyric, “Let me recite ’til Timothy White, pickets outside the Interscope offices every night.” Although in apparent good health, White died of a heart attack while riding the elevator at his office on June 27, 2002.
Jackie Washington
November 12, 1919 – June 27, 2009
Jackie Washington was one of those artists that was referred to as both a jazz and blues singer. Born in Ontario, Canada, Washington taught himself how to play the guitar at thirteen. This helped the family during the depression as he and his brothers began performing to earn extra money for their large family. During the late ’40s, Washington became Canada’s first African American disc jockey, hosting a jazz show on a Hamilton radio station. Washington’s career as a musician kicked into high gear during the folk revival of the ’60s, becoming a regular along Canada’s folk and blues festival circuits. Besides making several albums of his own, including four excellent titles for Vanguard Records, Washington appeared on recordings by such greats as Lionel Hampton, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Duke Ellington. He was also an inspiration to many, including a young Bob Dylan, who liberally “borrowed” from Washington’s version of “Nottumun Town” for his own “Masters Of War.” There was even talk of Washington suing Dylan, but that never came to be. Jackie Washington died of complications from an earlier heart attack. He was 89.
David Mankaba
1959 – June 27, 1991
David Mankaba was the bassist for Zimbabwean jit band, the Bhundu Boys. As their fame grew outside of Africa, they started to receive praise from the like of Elvis Costello and Madonna who invited them to open her Wembley show in front of 80,000 fans. Mankaba died of tuberculosis complicated by AIDS, the announcement marked the first time a prominent Zimbabwean had been declared dead as a result of AIDS. Before his passing, he had asked his family to make the announcement to further AIDS awareness around the world. He was 32.
Sergio “El Shaka” Vega
September 12, 1969 – June 27, 2010
Sergio Vega was a popular Mexican singer who, along with his brothers, gained fame as Los Hermanos Vega after moving to Phoenix, Arizona during the ’80s. They eventually returned to Mexico and began releasing hit records under the name, Los Reyes del Norte. By 2000, Vega retired from the music business only to make a much welcomed return as a solo artist in 2004. He released several records that landed on the Billboard Latin Music charts over the next few years. Reports indicate that during the early hours of June 27, 2010, Vega and his band were traveling by vehicle in or near Sinoloa, Mexico when they were involved in a violent altercation with passengers of another vehicle. Sergio Vega, who was 40 years old, was fatally shot during the incident.
themusicsover