respect...
april 2008
Al Wilson
b. 19th June 1939, Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.A.
d. 21st April 2008, Fontana, Nr. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Soul Singer Al Wilson has died. He was 68.
Reports state that he died due to kidney failure in a hospital in Fontana, a city about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.
Al Wilson was not only a talented vocalist, he was also a drummer.
He moved from Mississippi to California in the late '50's, and sang with a group called The Rollers between 1960 to 1962, a San Bernardino-based quartet whose major claim to fame came in 1961 with 'The Continental Walk'.
Al was, also, a former member of the Jewels.
He was a member of Johnny Harris & the Statesmen in the mid-'60's, and then signed with Soul City in the late '60's.
Al then turned to solo recording, signing to the Soul City imprint, a label owned by the singer Johnny Rivers.
Al released his first single, 'The Snake', in 1968.
His biggest release arrived in 1974 with 'Show and Tell'.
The song spent one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hit 100 singles chart in January 1974 and was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis.
His song 'I've Got A Feeling (We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again)' reached number 3 in the R & B charts.
Al's last chart appearance came in 1979 with 'Count The Days'.
Lawrence Lloyd Brown Sr.
b. 5th November 1944, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
d. 6th April 2008, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Lawrence Lloyd Brown Sr., an original member of the group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, died on the 6th April 2008. He was 63.
He died on Sunday 6th of a respiratory condition, according to the Mitchum-Wilson Funeral Home.
Lawrence was still performing with the Blue Notes until January 2008, when he became ill while singing at a show in Chester.
Within the group set-up of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Lawrence remained the second tenor.
march 2008
Sean LeVert
b. 28th September 1968, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
d. 30th March 2008, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Younger son of O'Jays lead singer Eddie LeVert, Sean LeVert, has died. He was 39.
His older brother, Gerald Levert, met an untimely death due to an accidental overdose of over the counter and prescription drugs in November of 2006.
Sean died, late evening, Sunday the 30th of March at the Lutheran Hospital after being
transported to the facility from the Cuyahoga County Jail.He had gone to the jail infirmary complaining he was sick and had been hallucinating reports state.
At the time Sean had been sentenced to one year and 10 months in jail for failing to pay $89,025 in child support.
He was a member of the family singing combo LeVert, who scored with 'Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop (Goes My Mind)' and the larger hit 'Casanova' (which was nominated for a Grammy in 1988 for best R & B performance by a duo or group with vocal and was also nominated for best R&B song).
Steven Howlett (a.k.a. Froggy)
b. Steven Howlett, 8th November 1948, United Kingdom.
d. 28th March 2008, United Kingdom.
The 'Mafia' Soul deejay, Froggy has passed away. He was 59 and died from a brain haemorrage.
He was married three times he is survived by a brother, two daughters and a son.
At this point in time, details are very scarce, although I have received confirmation from a site visitor who signed the guestbook at the website, along with reports arriving via Peter Young at Smooth FM and Ralph Tee at Expansion Records in the U.K.
If any site visitor has any further details, certainly regarding where Froggy passed away, and his place and date of birth, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
To the U.S. site visitor, unless you are a Soul artist whose heyday arrived during the Seventies and Eighties (and toured the U.K.), Froggy's name won't mean that much to you.
To the U.K. punter (especially the London based Soul fan) Froggy's deejay mixing talents became part of the rich tapestry of the U.K.'s Soul heritage.
Froggy was one of the first deejays that laid the artistic foundations regarding the careers of many budding deejay superstars of the late Eighties and early Nineties.
He was one of the first deejays to take his show on the road, supporting the likes of Robbie Vincent, Chris Hill and much of the Kent Soul Deejay Mafia. The man would seamlessly weave one dancer into another and singlehandedly turned that act into a work of art.
Froggy appeared several times on Robbie Vincent's legendary Radio London Soul Show back in the day and was still very busy on the deejay circuit in recent times. He will certainly be missed immensly by many a Soul colleague out there.
Another piece of the U.K. Soul jigsaw goes missing, sadly at the prematurely youthful age of 54.
He was cremated at City of London Crematorium on Friday 11th April 2008. There were around 150 people in attendance.
Very many thanks to Maurina Harrison for her help with the biographical information here.
Froggy in 1969
february 2008
Buddy Miles (a.k.a. George Miles)
b. 5th September 1947, North Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.
d. 26th February 2008, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
Probably best remembered for this song 'Them Changes', the drummer and singer Buddy Miles has died. He was 60.
He passed away on Tuesday the 26th of February from congestive heart failure at his home in Austin, Texas.
Buddy fronted The Buddy Miles Express and was a member of Electric Flag and Band Of Gypsys.
At the age of 12, Buddy was playing in his father's jazz combo and within a couple of years he became in demand as a session musician, working with various R & B groups, including Ruby and the Romantics and the Delfonics.
He also worked with Jimi Hendrix, The Bebops, Stevie Wonder, Muddy Waters, Barry White, The Ink Spots, Wilson Pickett, David Bowie, George Clinton, Carlos Santana and Bootsy Collins.
During the late Seventies Buddy's career stalled due to convictions for grand theft and auto theft.
He served time in the California Institution for Men at Chino, and at San Quentin State Prison.
Buddy stayed in prison until 1985 and formed bands at both institutions.
...also passed away this month....
Static Stephen Garrett (singer, songwriter and producer)b. 1976, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.
d. 25th February 2008, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Possible brain aneurysm. He co-wrote Aaliyah's 'Are You That Somebody'. Stephen also wrote songs for Nicole Wray, Brandy and Destiny's Child. He was a member of Playa.
december 2007 / january 2008
Anthony Joseph Ben
b. 2nd August 1942, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A.
d. 4th January 2008, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A.
Anthony Joseph Ben passed away Friday 4th January 2008, in the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Toledo.
He was 65. The eldest of three children, Tony was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Michael and sister, Robin.
An accomplished percussionist, Tony moved to Los Angeles in 1972, and soon began touring and recording at Capital Records with the singing group The Sylvers.
Later he joined the group, Ronnie Laws and Pressure, with whom he recorded for the Blue Note Label.
The Ronnie Laws group opened for various artists including War, The Jazz Crusaders, Roy Ayers, Tower of Power, Sarah Vaughn, Grover Washington and Freddie Hubbard.
Later he joined the group A Taste of Honey and recorded 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' with the duo.
Subsequently he toured with Donna Summer, Dionne Warwick, the Commodores, the Spinners, Frankie Vallie, Smokey Robinson, Lou Rawls amongst others.
An automobile accident led to glaucoma, a condition that resulted in the loss of most of his vision. He was diagnosed as 'legally blind', attending the Braille Institute and additionally accompanied Stevie Wonder live.
Tony reunited with Frances Cranon Stubblefield, his high school sweetheart in 1995 and they shared twelve years together prior to his passing.
Oscar Peterson
b. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, 15th August 1925, Delisle Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
d. 23rd December 2007, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Oscar Peterson has died from kidney failure. He Was 82.
Pianist and composer, Oscar recorded, 'Canadiana Suite'.
He also fronted The Oscar Peterson Trio and was an inductee in the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.
...also passed away this month....
Clyde Otis (songwriter and producer)
b. 1924, Prentice, Mississippi, U.S.A. d. 8th January 2008, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Clyde was 83 years old. He worked with Brook Benton, who recorded 'It's Just A Matter Of Time' and 'Endlessly'. He produced Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Rich, Sonny James, Timi Yuro and The Diamonds.
Ike Turner
b. Ike Wister Turner, 5th November 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.A.
d. 12th December 2007, San Marcos, California, U.S.A.
Producer, pianist, guitarist and singer, Ike Turner, has passed away. He was 76.
He died at his San Marcos home. Cause of death has yet to be determined.
Ike was a member of The Kings Of Rhythm and The Ike And Tina Turner Revue.
He played with Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats', on the song 'Rocket 88', considered by many to be the first Rock & Roll Record.
Ike also played with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Robert Nighthawk, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush during his career.
He was singing coach to Blues singer Janis Joplin, along with a young guitarist named Jimi Hendrix was also a one-time member of The Kings of Rhythm.
When she was 18, Ike met, and later married, Tina Turner (then known as Annie Mae Bullock).
At their peak, the duo scored a massive chart hit with 'River Deep, Mountain High', which reached the mainstream charts as well as topping the R & B Chart.
This relationship was overshadowed by his drug-induced abusive treatment of her, which led Tina Turner to eventually seek a divorce in 1976..
Following the divorce, Ike succumbed to cocaine addiction, and was jailed in California in the mid 1980's for drug-related offences.
The duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, although Ike was still in prison at the time.
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