Eric Gale
September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994
Eric Gale was a jazz guitarist whose skills made him one of the most in-demand session players, appearing on some 500 albums. Those he recorded with include Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Grover Washington Jr., Jesse Belvin, and Carly Simon. He died of cancer on May 25, 1994.
David “Fathead” Newman
January 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009
David “Fathead” Newman was an influential saxophonist who began his career in 1954 as part of Ray Charles’ band. In later years he collaborated with many of popular music’s most respected musicians. That list includes Herbie Mann, B.B. King, Stanley Turrentine, Aretha Franklin, and Eric Clapton. Over the course of his career, Newman recorded 38 of his own albums. On January 20, 2009, David “Fathead” Newman died of pancreatic cancer. He was 75 years old.
Donny Hathaway
October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979
Donny Hathaway was a soul singer and musician who is best remembered for his duets with former college classmate, Roberta Flack. The two recorded a series of hits throughout the ’70s. That catalog includes “The Closer I Get to You,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “Where is the Love” which scored the pair a #1 single as well as a Grammy in 1973. Hathaway released several hit albums of his own as well. He began his career as a studio musician and songwriter in Chicago where he collaborated with the likes of Aretha Franklin and the Staple Singers. He soon became the house producer for Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records. As a songwriter, one of Hathaway’s best known compositions is “This Christmas,” a song he co-wrote and has since become a holiday standard, having been recorded by Diana Ross, *NSYNC, Gloria Estefan, and many more. It has been reported that Hathaway suffered from serious depression and likely, paranoid schizophrenia which lead to numerous hospital stays and heavy medication. On January 13, 1979, Donny Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk 15 floors beneath his New York City hotel room. There was no sign of foul play so his death was ruled a suicide.
Ahmet Ertegun
July 31, 1923 – December 14, 2006
Ahmet Ertegun was arguably the most celebrated record label executives in the history of recorded music. In 1947, he and Herb Abramson formed Atlantic Records to focus on R&B, jazz and gospel music. Over the next decade, they brought Ertegun’s brother, Nesuhi Ertegun, and Jerry Wexler on board, while building an artist roster that included Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, and Big Joe Turner. By putting more focus on the development of their artists’ talents and careers, Atlantic Records quickly established itself as one of popular music’s premier labels. When the ’60s hit, Ertegun and other head’s of the label decided to broaden its focus to include soul and rock, signing such acts as Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Led Zeppelin, and Crosby, Still, Nash & Young. The Erteguns sold Atlantic to Warner Bros. in 1969, but Ahmet stayed involved for many years to come. On October 29, 2006, Ertegun fell and hit his head on the concrete floor, while in the VIP backstage area of a Rolling Stones concert. He sustained head injuries that eventually lead to a coma. On December 14 of that same year, Ahmet Ertegun, 83, passed away.
Otis Redding
September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967
Otis Redding was rightfully called, the King of Soul partly due to his ability to inject power and emotion in most any song he sang. Redding began singing as a child in his church choir, and as he grew into his teens, he began to fall under the musical influence of another once-local singer, Little Richard. He spent the early years of his professional career touring around the southern states singing for blues guitarist, Johnny Jenkins. In 1962, Redding was in the studio with Jenkins when some spare studio time presented itself. He took the opportunity to record his “These Arms of Mine,” which was released on a Stax subsidiary label and became a minor hit. Over the next four years, Redding continued to release such hits as “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Satisfaction,” “Change Gonna Come,” “Mr. Pitiful,” and of course, “Respect,” which would later become Aretha Franklin’s signature song. Redding’s powerful stage presence and charisma made him a popular concert draw as well. His 1967 Monterey Pop Festival set was fortunately captured on film and still knocks viewers out to this day. Unfortunately, Redding’s life came to a tragic end just as he was at what would likely have been just his first peak of popularity. On December 10, 1967, the small aircraft that was carrying him and four members of his backing band, the Bar-Kays, crashed into a Madison, Wisconsin lake. Otis Redding, age 26, Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones and Carl Cunningham were all killed. Only Ben Cauley of the band survived the crash, while James Alexander stayed behind. Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” released shortly after his death, became his only #1 single and the first ever #1 ever by an artist who had recently passed away.
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