Died On This Date (December 26, 2016) Alphonse Mouzon / Jazz Fusion Pioneer

Alphonse Mouzon
November 21, 1948 – December 26, 2016

Alphonse Mouzon was a jazz drummer who came to be one of the architects of American jazz fusion during the late ’60s and early ’70s.  Born in Charleston, SC, Mouzon realized in high school that he had what it took to make a living as a musician.  Upon graduation, he moved to New York City where he studied music and drama.  Mouzon’s first gig of note was playing percussion in the Broadway show, Promises, Promises.   He then went to work with jazz great, McCoy Tyner, and spent about a year in Weather Report before being signed to Blue Note Records as a solo artist in 1972.  In 1973, he joined up with Larry Coryell‘s Eleventh House, one of the premiere fusion bands of its time.  He played with Coryell for about two years and can be heard on such albums as Introducing The Eleventh House and Level One.  Throughout his career, which spanned over 45 years, Mouzon also recorded or performed with the likes of Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Roberta Flack, Robert Plant, Stevie Wonder, and Eric Clapton – to name a few.  Alphonse Mouzon died from neuroendocrine carcinoma on December 26, 2016.  He was 68.

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Died On This Date (May 14, 2015) B.B. King / King Of The Blues

Riley B. King
September 16, 1925 – May 14. 2015

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Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

To many, B.B. King was the greatest bluesman who ever walked the planet.  During an astonishing career that spanned seven decades, he almost single-handedly brought the blues into the mainstream.  Born on a Mississippi cotton plantation to sharecroppers in 1925, King saw extreme poverty first hand.  After his mother left home when he was just four years old, King went to live with his grandmother who went on to raise him.  He began his life in music by singing in the church choir as a young boy.  By the time he was 15, he was playing the guitar.  In 1946, he moved to Memphis to launch his professional career, and within three years, he was making his earliest recordings.  King went on to record and perform live for the next 65 years.  Along the way he made some of the most iconic and influential records known to man.  They include “The Thrill Is Gone,” “3 O’Clock Blues,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” and “When Love Comes To Town,” which he recorded with U2 in 1988.  He’s received countless awards and accolades including 15 Grammy Awards.  The list of artists who have claimed him as a major influence is staggering.  It includes Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.  In 2006, King kicked off his “farewell” world tour, but thankfully it never ended since he continued to wow audiences right up until October of 2014 when he became too ill to continue.  His declining health lead to a couple of hospital stays and ultimately hospice care, which was announced on May 1, 2015.  Two weeks later, B.B. King passed away at the age of 89.

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Died On This Date (December 2, 2014) Bobby Keys / Longtime Rolling Stones Saxophonist

Bobby Keys
December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014

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Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Bobby Keys was one of the greatest saxophone side men the rock world has ever known.  Born in Lubbock County, Texas, Keys picked up the saxophone at an early age, and by the time he was 15, he was touring with Bobby Vee and Buddy Holly.  Throughout the years, he played on 100s of recordings, along with albums by Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo StarrPaul McCartney, the Who, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Presley, to name but a few.  But it was with the Rolling Stones that Keys truly made his biggest contributions to popular music.  He can be heard on every Stones album between 1969 and 1974, and from 1980 to their most recent.  He’s also played on nearly every tour since 1970.   His most famous solo is arguably the one he played on “Brown Sugar.”  Suffering from Cirrhosis in later years, Bobby Keys passed away in his home on December 2, 2014.  He was 70.

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Died On This Date (October 25, 2014) Jack Bruce / Bassist For Cream

John “Jack” Bruce
May 14, 1943 – October 25, 2014

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As the founding bassist, songwriter and singer for the psychedelic rock trio, Cream, Jack Bruce will be remembered as one of popular music’s greatest bass players.  Formed with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker in 1966, Cream quickly formed a legion of fans thanks to their powerful hybrid of hard rock, electric blues, and psychedelic rock. Like no other group before or since, each instrument was as prominent as the other to the point where Bruce’s bass, Clapton’s guitar, and Baker’s drums could be called the “lead” instrument.  Even though they recorded only four albums across the span of just two years, Cream is regarded as one the most successful and influential “supergroups” of all time.  Their third album, Wheels Of Fire was the world’s first platinum double album.  Born into a musical family, Bruce took a shine to jazz bass early and eventually earned a scholarship to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he supported himself during by playing in a local jazz band.  In 1962, he joined the Graham Bond Organisation where he met Baker.  After leaving the band in 1965, Bruce released a solo album and then joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers where he met Clapton, who he recruited for his new band.  After Cream broke up, Bruce released several solo albums and collaborated with numerous rock and jazz fusion artists before reuniting with Cream in 1993 for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and again in 2005 for a series of successful shows at the Royal Albert Hall  in London and Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Bruce continued to record and perform live until his passing from liver disease on October 25, 2014.  He was 71.

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Died On This Date (January 7, 2014) Maureen Gray / Philly Sound Singer & Songwriter

Maureen Gray
DOB Unknown – January 7, 2014

maureen-grayMaureen Gray was a beloved soul singer whose strong and impassioned voice exemplified what became known as the Philly Sound.  Born in New York City, Gray was just five years old when she made her professional debut at Carnegie Hall.   She sang just one song that night, “Steam Heat” from Pajama Game, and received her first standing ovation.  At just 12 years old, she came to the attention of Chancellor Records who released her first record, “Today’s The Day,” which became an instant hit in the Philly area, making her the envy of her classmates.   Later, she had a Billboard charting hit with “Dancin’ The Strand,” and several other marginal hits. Gary went on to be an in-demand session singer, recording with the likes of Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Bob Marley, David Bowie, George Harrison, and John Lennon.  Maureen Gray was 65 when she died of a rare bile duct cancer on January 7, 2014.

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