Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

Far too many of oldies music's greats -- the ones who made the music you love, even if you don't realize it -- have passed away unsung, the result of an industry that rewards celebrity, sometimes to the point of ignoring hard work and talent. Here's a day-by-day list of the rock, soul, and R&B artists who passed away in 2014, the famous and the not-so-famous, just a few names in the crowd that create the music millions of us sometimes take for granted.

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

January

2

Jay Traynor sang lead with The Mystics of "White Cliffs of Dover" fame before becoming the original "Jay" in Jay and the Americans; his lead vocal on "She Cried" defined the high drama of early 60s breakup ballads. (age 70, liver cancer)

3

Phil Everly was half of the famed Everly Brothers, whose perfect country harmonies and pop version of rockabilly on hits like "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Cathy's Clown" became a major influence on acts like the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel.

(age 74, COPD)

8

Reather Dixon Turner was the lowest voice in one of rock's very first girl groups, The Bobbettes of "Mr. Lee" fame, and sang with them right until the end.(age 69, cardiac arrest)

27

Pete Seeger was the greatest major American folk musician of the 20th century, first with the Weavers, scoring a massive hit with their cover of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene," and later on his own. An unabashed liberal activist, his versions of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" set the standard for others to follow. (age 94, natural causes)

29

Johnny Allen wrote the brass and string arrangements for many of Motown's most famous hits, them moved over to Stax, where he helped Isaac Hayes detonate the theme from "Shaft."(age 96, pneumonia)

31

Anna Gordy Gaye was the sister of Motown label founder Berry Gordy and wife of Marvin Gaye, who dedicated his 1976 double "divorce album" Here, My Dear to her. She also co-wrote with Marvin and founded her own label, somewhat obviously named Anna.

(age 92, natural causes)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

February

23

Chip Damiani was the drummer for The Remains, long considered the greatest "lost" garage band of the ' 60s and known best for their minor hit "Don't Look Back." Damiani's departure just before a gig as the Beatles' opening act on a 1966 tour effectively broke up the band. (age 68, brain hemorrhage)

26

Charles Love was the guitarist and lead singer of the "black rock" group Bloodstone, best known for their 1973 hit ballad "Natural High," and was still touring with them at the time of his death.

(age unknown, pneumonia)

March 

9

Jerry Corbitt played lead guitar and sang harmony with lead Jesse Colin Young in the Youngbloods, whose major pop hit was 1969's utopian ballad "Get Together." (age 71, unknown)

14

Gary Burger was the lead singer of the cult heroes The Monks, an avant-garde garage band of US soldiers whose one album, 1966's "Black Monk Time," was a major art-rock influence. He later became mayor of a small town in Minnesota. (age 71,  pancreatic cancer)

15

Scott Asheton was the drummer for The Stooges, the proto-punks led by Iggy Pop and most famous for "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "World's Forgotten Boy." (age 64, heart attack)

18

Joe Lala was the drummer for Blues Image of "Ride Captain Ride" fame, but later became an in-demand session musician, then made a name for himself as a character and voice actor. (age 66, lung cancer) 

28

Joe Frazier was one-third of folk's Chad Mitchell Trio during their most controversial political and antiwar period, from 1960-1966. He later became an ordained minister in his native Pennsylvania, and, later, in Southern California.

(age 77, long illness)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

April

3

Arthur Smith was one of postwar country music's finest guitar pickers; his 1949 instrumental "Guitar Boogie" was one of the first to showcase the electric guitar and as such had a major influence on the development of rockabilly and rock in general. (age 93, natural causes)

11

Jesse Winchester was one of the major singer-songwriters of the "country rock" movement in the early '70s, blessed with an amazing voice but still better known for his songwriting, which resulted in several hits for other "outlaw" country artists.

(age 69, bladder cancer)

18

Deon Jackson was most famous for his 1966 sweet soul hit "Love Makes The World Go Round," but his output also made him a hero on both the South Carolina beach music and UK Northern Soul scenes. (age 68, unknown causes)

29

Paul Goddard was the bassist for the Atlanta Rhythm Section, a Southern rock band whose soft-rock overtones garnered them several hits in the '70s, including "So Into You" and "Imaginary Lover." (age 68, cancer)

30

Larry Ramos was a vocalist in the New Christy Minstrels in the early 60s before joining The Association just in time to sing on their hits "Windy" and "Never My Love." (age 72, melanoma)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

May 

2

Jessica Cleaves was the female voice in the Friends Of Distinction, who had two big pop-soul hits with "Going In Circles" and a revamped vocal take on Hugh Masekela's instrumental "Grazing in the Grass." She later worked on several Earth Wind & Fire and Parliament-Funkadelic albums. (age 65, stroke)

3

Bobby Gregg was the drummer who helped electrify folk, playing on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Simon and Garfunkel's hit "rock" version of "Sounds of Silence." (age 78.

unknown)

11

Ed Gagliardi played bass on Foreigner's first two albums, and can be heard on the hits "Hot Blooded," "Cold As Ice," and "Feels Like the First Time," among others. (age 62, cancer)

15

Cubie Burke was the youngest member of R&B family group the Five Stairsteps, only five years old when he sang on the band's huge smash "O-o-h Child." (age 49, brain injury)

18

Jerry Vale was the "Mobster's Crooner," one of the first singers to popularize Italian pop in '50s America. He also recorded the definitive version of the US National Anthem, and was later featured in Martin Scorsese's classic gangster films Goodfellas and Casino. (age 83, natural causes)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

June

15

Casey Kasem was the original radio countdown host, the voice behind Billboard's "American Top 40" weekly show and a voiceover artist who was the voice of Shaggy from "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" for decades. (age 82, Lewy body dementia)

18

The Johnny Mann Singers were one of the premiere pop and rock backing vocal groups of the 50s and 60s, backing Dean Martin,Eddie Cochran, Nat King Cole, Buddy Holly, and many more.

Mann himself performed as Theodore on the original Alvin and the Chipmunks TV show. (age 85, natural causes)

19

Gerry Goffin was half of Goffin-King, the most famous of the "Brill Building' songwriting partnerships that dominated '60s pop-rock. ("King" was his wife, musician and later superstar Carole King.) His lyrics, which brought more complex and adult romantic themes to rock, include "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (The Shirelles), "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence), "Up on the Roof" (The Drifters), "Hey Girl" (Freddie Scott),  "One Fine Day" (The Chiffons),  "Don't Bring Me Down" (The Animals), "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin), "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (Diana Ross),  "Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston), and "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson). (age 75, unknown) 

27

Bobby Womack was one of the real urban R&B and soul-blues giants, a genre-defining singer, guitarist, and songwriter beginning with the Valentinos (the original version of "Lookin' for a Love" and "It's All Over Now") and straight through his three-decade solo career ("Woman's Gotta Have It," "Across 110th Street").

(age 70, various cancers)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

July

11

Tommy Ramone was an assistant engineer in New York who managed the Ramones -- then sat in as the drummer on their first three albums until rock music could catch up with the original punk band's tempo, writing "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" in the meantime. (age 65, bile duct cancer)

16

Johnny Winter was one of the first blues-rock guitar heroes and one of the wildest, a master of the Texas style, and credible enough to produce and play with Muddy Waters on three classic mid-70s albums that revived his career.

(age 70, unknown)

29

Idris Muhammad was one of the great New Orleans jazz drummers who nevertheless found himself backing Fats Domino on "Blueberry Hill" and members of the Nevilles on the Hawkettes' classic "Mardi Gras Mambo." He later became an in-demand sessionman for soul artists like Sam Cooke and Jerry Butler, then changed his given name, embraced Islam, and released a series of funky solo albums. (age 74, kidney failure)

30 

Dick Wagner was the favorite lead guitarist of producer Bob Ezrin, which is how he wound up playing and making significant songwriting contributions to Lou Reed, KISS, David Bowie, and especially Alice Cooper. Wagner played on all Alice album from 1972 on and essentially wrote his hit "Only Women Bleed."  (age 71, respiratory failure)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

August 

3

Rosetta Hightower sang lead with the girl group The Orlons on their early-'60s hits ("The Wah-Watusi," "Don't Hang Up," and "South Street." She later became well-known as a backup singer for the likes of John Lennon and Joe Cocker. (age 70, brain hemorrhage)

24

Tommy Gough was the second tenor in doo-wop legends The Crests, whose big hit was the classic 1958 ballad "Sixteen Candles." (age 74, throat cancer)

September 

11

The songwriting and production of Bob Crewe had so much to do with the success of the Four Seasons -- many of their signature hits, including "Walk Like a Man," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll" -- that it's easy to forget he also wrote and/or produced hits for others, oldies as diverse as Oliver's "Good Morning Starshine," the Rays' original "Silhouettes," "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys, and Labelle's "Lady Marmalade." (age 83, long illness)

Cosimo Matassa was the owner and operator of New Orleans' legendary J&M Studios, a French Quarter mainstay for two decades, and one that served as the epicenter of the city's rock and soul history; as its engineer, Cosimo was the man responsible for the sound of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Smiley Lewis, Frankie Ford and many more. (age 88, natural causes)

12

Joe Sample was leader of the Jazz Crusaders and a pioneer in electric piano who worked the instrument into rock and jazz, defining its presence in the 70s as a sessionman with Marvin Gaye, Joe Cocker, Steely Dan, and seemingly every jazzman on the West Coast.

(age 75, mesothelioma)

17

George Hamilton IV was one of countrypolitan's most popular artists, starting as a teen idol with the hit "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" and then crafting a decade of sweet, lush country pop with smashes like "Abliene" and Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain.") (age 77, heart attack)
  
24

George Hilliard was second tenor in the Tymes, doo-wop favorites who enjoyed two big pop hits with the classic "So Much In Love" and "Wonderful! Wonderful!" (age 73, unknown)

26

Mark Loomis was the founder, lead guitarist, and keyboardist for The Chocolate Watchband, the bluesiest of the West Coast psych-punk bands and cult favorites for highly influential non-hits such as "Let's Talk About Girls" and "Are You Gonna Be There at the Love-In?" (age 69, long illness)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

October

4

Paul Revere and the Raiders were Pacific Northwest garage-rock heroes who became America's answer to the "British Invasion," complete with Revolutionary War outfits, Stonesy bubblegum like "Kicks," "Just Like Me," and "Hungry." Led by organist and resident "man man" Revere, they were also America's first rock n' roll house band thanks to their stint on ABC's music variety show Where the Action Is.

(age 76, cancer)

5

Leonard Delaney was the drummer for surf legends the Tornadoes of "Bustin' Surfboards" fame. It was prominently featured in the movie Pulp Fiction, in the scene where John Travolta's character goes to score some drugs. (age 71, Alzheimer's disease)

14

Tim Hauser was a member of the doo-wop group the Criterions, but became much more famous later for founding and performing with the jazz-pop vocal group The Manhattan Transfer ("Chanson D'Amour," "Spice of Life," "The Boy From New York City"). (age 71, cardiac arrest)

19

Raphael Ravenscroft was one of the most in-demand sax sessionmen of the 70s and 80s, but made his real claim to immortality with the soaring riff that opens Gerry Rafferty's smash "Baker Street." (age 60, heart attack)

23

Alvin Stardust was a major UK glam superstar in the early '70s with hits like "My Coo Ca Choo," "Jealous Mind," "Red Dress" and "You You You." (age 72, prostate cancer) 

Jeanne Black was a country-pop singer who had one of the most famous "answer records" of the era with "He'll Have to Stay," a response to Jim Reeves' smash "He'll Have to Go." (age 76, unknown)

25

Jack Bruce was perhaps the greatest bassist on the '60s British blues scene, playing with giants like Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, Steve Winwood, John Mayall, and Manfred Mann before founding one of the world's first rock supergroups and power trios, the legendary Cream; his work can be heard on "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "White Room," and "I Feel Free," among many others. (age 71, liver disease)

Gone But Not Forgotten 2014

November

2

"Mr." Acker Bilk was a trad-jazz clarinetist whose 1962 instrumental "Stranger on the Shore" was the biggest hit of the year -- and also only the second #1 by a Brit in America. (age 85, natural causes)

17

Jimmy Ruffin was considered for the vocal lead in the Temptations but was passed over for his brother David; however, Jimmy enjoyed a few solo chart hits of his own, most notably the deathless classic soul ballad "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted." (age 78, unknown) 

18

Dave Appell led the US instrumental band The Applejacks, who had a Top 20 hit with "Mexican Hat Rock," but most of his legacy came from his stint with the Cameo/Parkway labels, where he led the house band, also co-writing and producing hits for Chubby Checker ("Let's Twist Again"), The Orlons ("South Street"), Bobby Rydell ("Wild One"), The Dovells ("Bristol Stomp"), and many more. He later produced Tony Orlando and Dawn's biggest early 70's hits, including "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree." (age 92, natural causes)

23

Clive Palmer helped found hugely influential freak-folk legends The Incredible String Band and performed on their classic first album. (age 71, long illness) 

December

2

Bobby Keys was the Rolling Stones' go-to saxophonist, on and offstage, from 1969 through the '80s, but was also personally and professionally beloved by many of rock's greats, including three of the Beatles, Keith Moon, and Marvin Gaye. His most famous solo was on the Stones' "Brown Sugar," so iconic the band brought him on tour rather than risk replicating it. (age 70, cirrhosis) 

3

Ian McLagan was the organist, pianist, and arguably guiding spirit behind mod legends The Small Faces of "Itchycoo Park" fame, staying with the group when they mutated into the lovably sloppy roots-rock of the Faces.

(age 69, stroke)

Graeme Goodall was perhaps the most influential engineer on the early reggae scene, among the first to record the music and introduce it to English listeners; he was a co-founder of the Island and Pyramid labels and instrumental in getting Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" onto UK dance floors, where it changed the musical culture forever. (82, natural causes) 

Sonny Bivins was first tenor in the Manhattans, who defined sweet soul in the '60s before enjoying their biggest success in the '70s with the R&B smashes "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and "Shining Star." (age 78, unknown)

10

Winfred "Blue" Lovett sang bass in The Manhattans and wrote their biggest hit "Kiss and Say Goodbye," for which he also sang the timeless intro ("This has got to be the saddest day of my life"). (age 74, unknown)

13

For over 50 years, Raoul Cita was the featured baritone and pianist in doo-wop legends The Harptones ("Sunday Kind of Love," "Life Is But a Dream").  (age 86, liver and stomach cancer)

18

Larry Henley was the white man who had a black female falsetto voice, which he demonstrated in the Newbeats' two biggest hits "Bread and Butter" and "Run, Baby, Run." He later became a successful country songwriter, and also co-authored Bette Midler's giant hit "Wind Beneath My Wings." (age 77, Parkinson's disease)

22

Joe Cocker rewrote the rules on blue-eyed soul, his tortured Ray Charlesisms and accompanying stage contortions making him the premier white soul man of the British rock scene in the late '60s. He scored by reworking the Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends," the Box Tops' "The Letter," and Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," hooked up with Leon Russell, dazzled at Woodstock, and later re-emerged as an adult contemporary balladeer ("You Are So Beautiful," "Up Where We Belong"). (age 70, lung cancer)