Died On This Date (August 4, 2012) Kevin O’Hare / Respected Music Critic
themusicsover Kevin O’Hare
DOB Unknown – August 4, 2012
Kevin O’Hare was a respected Boston area music critic who also fancied himself a human encyclopedia when it came to music trivia. Although his writings appeared in dozens of periodicals across the US, he called The Republican home since 1982. Starting out as a sports writer, he later became a news writer, and eventually the paper’s senior music writer. His weekly column, “Playback,” included interviews of the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney who once marveled at how at ease O’Hare put him during his interview. Throughout his career, O’Hare critiqued over 7000 albums and nearly 2000 concerts. During the early ’80s, O’Hare played in the Cardiac Kids who built a sizable regional following. Kevin O’Hare was 55 when he passed away on August 4, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released but he had been suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus of the Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.
Bert Weedon was a popular British guitarist during the 1950s and 1960s. Although he leaned more easy listening that rock, he was a direct influence on the likes of Brian May, Keith Richards, 
Clare Fischer was a pianist, composer and arranger who, besides having his own respectable career as a musician, arranged music for some of pop music’s biggest stars. Fischer was still a child when he first started making music, and after graduating from college and serving in the Army, he pursued a career in music. During the late ’50s, he took on his first gig of note as the pianist and arranger for popular vocal quartet, the Hi-Los. It was his work with the group that helped establish them as a major influence on the likes of the Manhattan Transfer, Brian Wilson, and Quincy Jones. It was around that time that he also arranged music for jazz greats Cal Tjader, Donald Byrd, and 
Tom Ardolino is best remembered as the long time drummer for influential rock outfit, NRBQ. Formed in 1967, the band has built a legion of loyal fans thanks to its ability to marry elements of jazz, rock, and blues, and for its raucous live shows. NRBQ loyalists include Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Elvis Costello. In 1974, Ardolino was asked to join the band as a replacement original drummer, Tom Staley. He had first been a dedicated fan and swapped live concert tapes with band co-founder, Terry Adams. Ardolino continued on with the group until they took a break in 2004. He participated in occasional band reunions in later years. Ardolino can be heard playing on such NRBQ classics as Scraps, All Hopped Up, and Grooves In Orbit. Outside of NRBQ, he played on albums by the likes of Marshall Crenshaw, Jerry Lee Lewis, and NRBQ band mate, Al Anderson. On his own, Ardolino released Unknown Brain in 2004. Tom Ardolino passed away from health related issues on January 6, 2012. He was 56.
Robert Whitaker was a celebrated British photographer whose shots of the Beatles are some of the most iconic images in pop music history. Whitaker’s career in photography can be traced back to the late ’50s when he was attending college in Melbourne, Australia. It was while freelancing in 1964 that he had a chance meeting with Beatles manager, 