Died On This Date (August 5, 2013) George Duke / Highly Regarded Jazz & Pop Musician

George Duke
January 12, 1946 – August 5. 2013

george-dukeGeorge Duke was a highly regarded jazz musician, singer, composer and producer who successful crossed over to R&B and pop throughout the years.  Born and raised in the San Francisco area, Duke began picking up various instruments at an early age.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree in trombone and composition while Minoring in the contrabass.  He later went on the earn a Master’s in composition.  Armed with these credentials, Duke kicked his music career into high gear upon graduating from college.  It was during the mid ’60s that he started dabbling in what would become known as jazz fusion and more avant-garde styles.  Over the course of his career, he released nearly 50 albums which oftentimes touched on funk, R&B, Latin jazz, and most notably, jazz fusion, the style he helped create the blueprint for.  As a collaborator, the list of artists he worked with reads like a pop music encyclopedia. It includes Jean-Luc Ponty, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, his cousin Dianne Reeves, George Clinton, Cannonball Adderley, Anita Baker, and most consistently, Frank Zappa for whom he played on over a dozen albums.  In 1988, Duke served as the musical director at the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in London.  In recent years, his music was sampled by Daft Punk, Common, Mylo, and many more.  In July of 2013, he released DreamWeaver as a tribute to his wife who passed away in 2012.  George Duke was 67 when he passed away on August 5, 2013.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

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Died On This Date (April 18, 2013) Cordell “Boogie” Mosson / Basssist For Parliament-Funkadelic

Cordell Mosson (Born Cardell Mosson)
October 16, 1952 – April 18, 2013

cordell-mossonCordell “Boogie” Mosson was a longtime member of the legendary funk outfits, Parliament and Funkadelic.  Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Mosson moved to Canada when he was still a teenager, and it was there that he began playing bass for a group called United Soul.  The band soon caught the ear of George Clinton who produced several of their records.  In 1972, Clinton asked Mosson to join Funkadelic, eventually moving over to Parliament when original bassist, Bootsy Collins decided to focus more on his solo career.  Often overshadowed by all that is Bootsy, Mosson deserves plenty, if not as much credit for the overall P-Funk sound.  He was a key contributor to the group’s output during the mid to late ’70s and performed with the various incarnations of P-Funk up until the time of his death.  In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Parliament-Funkadelic.  Cordell Mosson was 60 when he passed away on April 18, 2013.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

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Died On This Date (May 14, 2012) Belita Woods / R&B Singer

Belita Woods
 October 23, 1948 – May 14, 2012

Belita Woods was a Detroit, Michigan soul singer who first commanded attention while fronting Brainstorm during the ’70s.  Beginning as a solo act, Woods released her first single, “Magic Corner,” in 1967.  She later joined Brainstorm who, in 1977, released their debut album, Stormin’.  It included the disco hit, “Love Is Really My Game.”   The following year, Brainstorm released two more albums before Woods went off on her own again.  In 1992, she joined the P-Funk All-Stars, with whom she toured for many years. Through the course of her career, Woods sang on records by the likes of George Clinton, Prince, Bootsy Collins, and Betty Wright.  Belita Woods died of heart failure on May 14, 2012.  She was 63.

Thanks to Henk de Bruin from 2+ Printing for the assist.

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Died On This Date (July 13, 1984) Philippe Wynne / The Spinners

Philippe Wynne
April 3, 1941 – July 13, 1984

wynnePhilippe Wynne is best remembered as a one-time lead singer for the Spinners during the band’s hit-making years of the ’70s.  Prior to the Spinners, Wynne briefly sang in Bootsy Collins’ Pacesetters and James Brown’s JBs.  With the Spinners, Wynne sang lead on such hits as “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “One Of A Kind Love Affair,” and “The Rubberband Man.”  Wynne left the group in 1977 and briefly sang in George Clinton’s Parliament.  Phillipe Wynne died the day after he suffered a heart attack while performing on stage in Oakland, California.  He was 43.

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Died On This Date (June 16, 2010) Garry Shider aka Diaper Man / Parliament-Funkadelic

Garry Shider
July 24, 1953 – June 16, 2010

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Garry Shider is best remembered as a founding guitarist for trailblazing funk collective, Parliament-Funkadelic.  Formed by George Clinton in 1968, Parliament and its sister act, Funkadelic, quickly became one of the premier funk bands in the world.  Performing since the age of ten, Shider spent his early years singing gospel with his brothers backing the likes of The Five Blind Boys and Shirley Caesar when they’d come through town.  It was also around this time when Shider would drop by the local barbershop which happened to be owned by Clinton to play guitar and sing for the customers.  By the time he was in his late teens, Shider had moved to Canada where he co-founded a funk group, United Soul.  Clinton, who had also moved to Canada, got wind of the band and began mentoring them.  He eventually formed Parliament and brought Shider into the fold.  The group went on to record some of the most influential albums in popular music.  Such LPs as Chocolate City and Mothership Connection gave us hits like “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk)” “Doctor Funkenstein” and “Mothership Connection (Star Child).”  The bands’ legendary live show were cosmic marriages of space and funk with Shider often wearing nothing but a diaper on stage, leading to his nickname of “Diaper Man”.  After Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic in the mid ’80s, Shider continued on in his P-Funk All Stars and of course, collaborated with countless other artists.  In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Parliament-Funkadelic.  Gary Shider was 56 when he died of cancer on June 16, 2010.

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Mothership Connection - Parliament