Ed Thigpen was a jazz drummer who was part of the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1959 to 1965. Over the course of his career he played with a who’s who of mid-century jazz greats including Dinah Washington, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, and Ella Fitzgerald. He also released several critically praised albums of his own. Ed Thigpen was 79 when he passed away on January 13, 2010.
Gary Kurfirst was a respected artist manager, label executive and concert promoter. Kurfirst got his first taste of the music industry when he began promoting dances while still in high school. In 1967, he launched New York City’s Village Theater which soon became world famous as Bill Graham’s Fillmore East. The following year, he created the New York Rock Festival which featured the likes of the Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. It has been said that the idea of Woodstock came to be thanks to the New York Rock Festival. By the ’80s, Kurfirst was a well-established artist manager. Over the course of his career, he guided the careers of the likes of the Peter Tosh, Toots & the Maytals, Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, Jane’s Addiction, the Eurythmics and the B-52s. Gary Kurfirst was 61 when he died suddenly of an undisclosed cause while vacationing in the Bahamas.
Thanks to Craig Rosen from Number1Albums for the assist.
Michael Brecker was a highly regarded and influential jazz saxophonist who many considered the greatest since John Coltrane. Over a career that spanned nearly four decades, Brecker won 15 Grammys and collaborated with a list of greats that includes pop stars like Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, John Lennon and James Taylor; and jazz icons like Horace Silver, Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. He also played in the Saturday Night Live house band during the ’80s. Michael Brecker was 57 when he died from complications of leukemia.
Yabby You (Born Vivian Jackson)
August 14, 1946 – January 12, 2010
Yabby You was a Jamaican street hustler turned reggae singer and producer who came on the scene during the 1970s. He released his first single “Conquering Lion” in 1972 under the name, Vivian Jackson & the Ralph Brothers with King Tubby producing. The song and subsequent album of the same name afforded You enough of a fortune to set up shop as a producer of other reggae artists. He went on to work with the likes of Michael Rose, Big Youth, and Dillinger. You continued to perform, record and produce, albeit at a slower pace, through the early part of the 21st century. Malnutrition as a teenager lead to severe arthritis, necessitating his use of crutches and limiting his mobility as he grew older. On January 12, 2010, Yabby You died following a brain aneurysm. He was 63.
Maurice Gibb was an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer who, along with his twin brother, Robin Gibb and younger brother Barry Gibb, made up the Bee Gees. The group went on to become one of the most popular and successful bands of all time and almost single-handedly sent disco into the stratosphere during the late ’70s. But don’t hold that against them. They have sold in the neighborhood of 225 million albums throughout their career. And their younger brother, Andy Gibb, had a successful career as a pop musician as well. While Maurice was still just a child, the Gibb family moved from the Isle of Man to Australia where the brothers Gibb, or Bee Gees, formed their band. Maurice primarily handled the arrangements, played lead guitar and other instruments, and sang harmony vocals, which of course, the group was very famous for. After relocating back to England in 1966, the Bee Gees began getting noticed. Their early albums were more English folk rock and progressive than their late ’70s disco output, and their first album of significance, 1967’s Bee Gees 1st (which it wasn’t) can easily stand along any number of the great British Invasion albums of its time. The album ultimately cracked the Top 10 in both America and the UK. Their later pre-disco albums leaned more rock and even progressive at times. In 1977, the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever was released, and with several Bee Gees tunes on it, their lives changed. The album sold over 15 million copies, and although it didn’t “invent” disco, it certainly helped bring it to the suburbs of white America. Over the next year and a half, the Bee Gees earned six consecutive #1 singles – holding the record until Whitney Houston came along. After disco crashed during the ’80s, the Bee Gees took a long break during which Maurice worked on solo releases by Barry and Robin while producing other projects. The group reunited during the ’90s and again, the 2000s to respectable success, both on record and on tour. Their final live performance as a trio came in 2002. In his later years, Maurice took up paint ball and even opened a paintball equipment store near his Florida home. On January 12, 2003, Maurice Gibb died from complications of volvulus, or a twisted intestine. He was 53.
themusicsover 
Ed Thigpen was a jazz drummer who was part of the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1959 to 1965. Over the course of his career he played with a who’s who of mid-century jazz greats including Dinah Washington, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford, and Ella Fitzgerald. He also released several critically praised albums of his own . Ed Thigpen was 79 when he passed away on January 13, 2010.
Michael Brecker was a highly regarded and influential jazz saxophonist who many considered the greatest since 
Yabby You was a Jamaican street hustler turned reggae singer and producer who came on the scene during the 1970s. He released his first single “Conquering Lion” in 1972 under the name, Vivian Jackson & the Ralph Brothers with 
Maurice Gibb was an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer who, along with his twin brother, 
