Died On This Date (September 18, 2017) Mark Selby / Blues Rock Singer-Songwriter

Mark  Selby
September 2, 1961 – September 18, 2017

Photo by Roger Pistole. Courtesy of Moraine Music Group

Mark Otis Selby, who made a big mark on music with a string of hits he co-wrote with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and with his own wife, Tia Sillers, passed away at home on Monday, September 18, 2017 from cancer. The Nashville-based recording artist, songwriter, session guitar player and producer released albums on Vanguard Records and his songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists. With Shepherd, his co-writes include “Deja Voodoo,” “Slow Ride,” “Last Goodbye,” and “Blue on Black,” which was #1 for 17 weeks and Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Song of the Year. He also wrote the Dixie Chicks’ first Number One single “There’s Your Trouble” and had his songs recorded by many other artists including Wynonna, Little Big TownTrisha Yearwood, Johnny Reid, Jo Dee Messina, Lee Roy Parnell and Keb’ Mo’. A highly-regarded session player, Selby played on recordings by the likes of Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Selby spent his youth harvesting wheat and playing in bands throughout the Midwest before moving to Hays, Kansas to attend Fort Hays University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music. Selby was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.   In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MusicCares in memory of Mark. grammy.com/musicares/donations

 

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Died On This Date (November 28, 2011) Tom Roady / Drummer For Ricky Skaggs

Tom Roady
DOB Unknown – November 28, 2011

Tom Roady was a much respected drummer and percussionist who is perhaps best remembered for his recent work with Ricky Skaggs.  Roady can be heard playing on Skaggs’ latest offering, A Skaggs Family Christmas, Volume 2, and was gearing up to go out on tour with Skaggs.  Throughout his long career, Roady played with the likes of Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Joan Baez, Bob Seger, and Kenny Chesney.  Earlier in his career, Roady was a session player at the storied Muscle Shoals studio, working for Jerry Wexler, and playing on tracks by Lynyrd Skynrd, James Brown, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, and many more.  As reported by CMT, Tom Roady was 62 when he passed away in his sleep on November 28, 2011.  Cause of death was reportedly attributed to heart problems, although he had been battling cancer.



Died On This Date (June 15, 2011) Bill Johnson / Grammy Winning Art Director

Bill Johnson
DOB Unknown – June 15, 2011

Bill Johnson was a longtime art director who helped shape the image of country music packaging during the ’80s and ’90s.  He spent the better part of two decades working at CBS Records where he created artwork for such albums as Willie Nelson’s Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Rodney Crowell’s Diamonds & Dirt, the Dixie Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces, Roseanne Cash’s King’s Record Shop, and the O’Kanes’ Tired Of The Runnin’.  The Cash and O’Kanes packages each earned him Grammys.    Bill Johnson was 68 when he died of lung cancer on June 15, 2011.



Died On This Date (March 14, 2011) Todd Cerney / Celebrated Rock & Country Songwriter

Todd Cerney
DOB Unknown – March 14, 2011

Todd Cerney was a brilliant songwriter, musician, and producer who was based in Nashville, Tennessee.  Born in Detroit, Cerney moved to Nashville during the ’70s to further his career.  His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Cheap Trick to name a few.  His hits include the Grammy-nominated “I’ll Be Loving You” (Restless Heart) and the country chart topping “Good Morning Beautiful” (Steve Holy).  As an in-demand session player,  Cerney has performed live or recorded with a list of superstars that includes the Dixie Chicks, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, and Jackson Browne.  In November of 2010, Todd Cerney suffered a brain seizure and subsequently learned he had stage four melanoma cancer.  On March 14, 2011, Cerney died as a result of the cancer.



Died On This Date (August 20, 2009) Larry Knechtel / L.A. Session Musician; Bread

Larry Knechtel
August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009

LK_2Larry Knecthel was a Los Angeles session keyboardist and bassist who played on hits by the likes of the Doors, Simon & Garfunkel and the Beach Boys.  After spending a few years as part of Duane Eddy’s touring band in the early ’60s, Knechtel went to work in the studio with Phil Spector, adding his own mark to the legendary “wall of sound.”  Knechtel also played on several Doors records since they didn’t have their own bassist.  He joined the easy rock band, Bread in 1971.  In later years, Knecthel did session work for producer Rick Rubin, most notably on albums by the Dixie Chicks and Neil Diamond.  Larry Knechtel passed away in a Yakima hospital just two weeks after his 69th birthday.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist