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Thursday, Dec 13 2018, 6AM
6:01 AM
16th spin
Good morning Seattle, and welcome to our all-day tribute to the artists we lost in 2018. Aretha Franklin was born March 25, 1942 and passed away on August 16, 2018 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. Her staggering, influential career involved selling more than 75 million records, winning 18 Grammy awards, receiving a Presidential Medal of Freedom, was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and was one of the most charted female artists in history. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Aretha.
Jóhann Jóhannsson was an Icelandic composer, musician, and producer, born on September 19, 1969 and died on February 9, 2018 at the age of 48. See our tribute, and his full performance at KEXP in 2017 here: bit.ly
Scott Hutchison, frontman for Frightened Rabbit, was born on November 20, 1981 and passed away on May 10, 2018 at the age of 36. Hutchison's family released this statement after his body was found in his native Scotland after going missing briefly: "As a family, we are utterly devastated with the tragic loss of our beloved Scott. Despite his disappearance, and the recent concerns over his mental health, we had all remained positive and hopeful that he would walk back through the door, having taken some time away to compose himself. Scott, like many artists, wore his heart on his sleeve and that was evident in the lyrics of his music and the content of many of his social media posts. He was passionate, articulate and charismatic, as well as being one of the funniest and kindest people we knew."
Dolores O'Riordan, frontwoman for The Cranberries, was born on September 6, 1971, and passed away on January 15, 2018 at the age of 46. Her death was ruled a “tragic accident” through drowning after excessive drinking. bit.ly
Betty Willis was born on March 10, 1941 and died on January 1, 2018 at the age of 76. A soul singer in the 60's, she later went on to work for the USPS and was living on the streets of Santa Ana when she was tragically murdered on New Years Day.
Yvonne Staples of The Staple Singers was born in 1936, and passed away on April 10, 2018 at the age of 80 from colon cancer. She became a full-time member of The Staple Singers with 1971’s The Staple Swingers LP after her brother was drafted to the Vietnam War. bit.ly
Dennis Edwards, lead singer for The Temptations, was born on February 3, 1943, and died on February 2, 2018 at the age of 74 from complications with meningitis.
Pete Shelley, lead singer for the Buzzcocks, was born on April 17, 1955 and passed away on December 6, 2018 at the age of 63 from a suspected heart attack. See our tribute to Shelley here: bit.ly
Mark E Smith, lead singer for The Fall, was born on March 5, 1957 and died on January 24, 2018 at the age of 60 from complications of terminal lung and kidney cancer. See our tribute to Smith here: bit.ly
This song was originally recorded at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, but then Atlanta Record's Jerry Wexler asked that it be re-recorded due to the horns being out of tune. According to musician David Hood, "They went back in the studio and changed the horns, got different horn players to play on it. But then the tapes got mixed up and Atlantic put out their original version. So that's the hit." Rick Hall passed away on January 2, 2018.
If you're just tuning in, we paying tribute all day to the artists we lost in 2018. Expect to see Aretha show up many times today <3
France Gall was born on October 9, 1947, and passed away on January 7, 2018 at the age of 70 from an infection complicated from cancer. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted following her death: "She leaves behind songs that everyone in France knows and set an example of a life devoted to others."
Coco Schumann, a member of the Ghetto Swingers, was born on May 14, 1924 and died on January 28, 2018 at the age of 93. Schumann was a Holocaust survivor who was forced to entertain Nazi guards at concentration camps in 1943 and also later performed jazz guitar with Marlene Dietrich and Ella Fitzgerald.
Barbara Ann Alston of The Crystals was born on December 29, 1943 and died on February 16, 2018 at the age of 74 after a battle with the flu.
Roy Clark was born on April 15, 1933 and died on November 15, 2018 at the age of 85 from complications of pneumonia. A long-time host of the tv series Hee Haw, he was stated in a 2016 interview with NPR as saying: “The critics all said that the only listeners that we had were country. And I said, ‘Wait a minute — I was just in New York City, and I was walking down the street and a guy yells across and says, “Hey, Roy, I’m a-pickin’.” ’ Well, I’m obligated to say, ‘Well, I’m a-grinnin’.’ ”
Watch Roy Clark and Johnny Cash performing this song together here: www.youtube.com
Steve "Grizzly" Nisbett, drummer for Steel Pulse, was born on March 15, 1948 and passed away on January 18, 2018 at the age of 69.
Clarence Fountain, leader and founding member of Blind Boys Of Alabama died on June 3, 2018 at the age of 88 from complications of diabetes. See NPR's tribute to Fountain here: n.pr
Ralph Carney was born on January 23, 1956, and died on December 16, 2017 at the age of 61 after head injuries sustained from a fall in his home. He was an acclaimed saxophonist who worked with Tom Waits, The B-52s, The Kronos Quartet, and The Black Keys (Patrick Carney of The Black Keys is his nephew)
Featuring Ralph Carney on saxophone, who passed away on December 16, 2017
Mark E. Smith of The Fall was born on March 5, 1957 and died on January 24, 2018 at the age of 60. In his final interview in late 2017 with the Guardian, he was quoted as saying about his anger: "Yeah. People still cross the road from me; I’ve still got that. I can clear a pub when I want to. It’s a talent."
Bill Burkette, frontman for The Vogues died on March 1, 2018 at the age of 75 from lymphoma. After the commercial success of The Vogues in the 60's/70's died down, he was quoted as saying to his wife, "I guess it's time for me to get a regular job." He went on to work as a sales manager for a home improvement company.
Nokie Edwards, lead guitarist for The Ventures, was born on May 9, 1935, and died on March 12, 2018 at the age of 82 of complications from hip surgery. bit.ly
Alan Longmuir, the Bay City Rollers founding bassist, was born on June 20, 1948, and died on July 2, 2018 at the age of 70. He went on to work as a plumber and a water pipe inspector after the music business left him too stressed to continue in the Bay City Rollers. “I was getting depressed,” he told the BBC in 2015. “I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Hugh Masekela, a South African trumpeter, composer and singer, was born on April 4, 1939, and died on January 23, 2018 at the age of 78 from prostate cancer. "[Our] hearts beat with profound loss," the Masekela family said in a statement. "Hugh's global and activist contribution to and participation in the areas of music, theatre, and the arts in general is contained in the minds and memory of millions across 6 continents."
Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit was born on November 20, 1981 and died on May 10, 2018 at the age of 36 from suicide. See their performance at KEXP in 2013 here: bit.ly
Bob Dorough, best known as the composer and performer of songs from Schoolhouse Rock!, was born on December 12, 1923, and died on April 23, 2018 at the age of 94. In 1971, his boss at an advertising job asked him to set the multiplication tables to music, and Schoolhouse Rock! was born
Quickly, slowly, surely, really! Get your adverbs!
Craig Mack was born on May 10, 1970, and died on March 12, 2018 at the age of 47 of heart failure. He eventually left the music industry to become a minister in South Carolina.
Fast Eddie Clarke, guitarist and last surviving original member of Motörhead, was born on October 5, 1950, and died on January 10, 2018 at the age of 67 from pneumonia. Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister noted in his biography that, "After we got Eddie and Phil in, I knew we had something special. That was an excellent band from day one. I’d only written three songs for [previous band] Hawkwind and I wasn’t too good at it yet. But this band has always been the eternal underdog, and we’re good at it.”
Jim Rodford, bassist for The Kinks, The Zombies, and Argent, was born on July 7, 1941, and passed away on January 20, 2018 at the age of 76 from a fall. The Zombies had this to say in a statement following his death: "To the end, Jim's life was dedicated to music. He was unfailingly committed to local music - an ever present member of the local scene in St.Albans, where he had spent his whole life. Often, Colin and I would compare notes a couple of days immediately after a U.S. tour and discuss how long it would take us to recover from an intense, fantastic but exhausting couple of months - only to find out and marvel that Jim had already been out playing with local bands"
Watch this performance from The Zombies live for KEXP at SXSW in 2013 here! bit.ly
Geoff Emerick, a sound engineer for The Beatles on their albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road was born on December 5, 1945 and died on October 2, 2018 at the age of 72 from a heart attack. Ringo Starr stated after his death: “I am so sorry and shocked to hear about Geoff Emerick. He was a great engineer, very helpful to all of us in the studio. With him and George Martin they helped us to step up on Revolver. He will be missed. Barbara and I send peace and our love to his family. Peace & love, Ringo xxx"
Richard Swift was born on March 16, 1977, and died on July 3, 2018 at the age of 41 from alcohol addiction. In addition to a solo career, he played with The Shins, Starflyer 59, The Arcs, and The Black Keys. As a producer, he worked with Foxygen, Guster, the Mynabirds, Sharon Van Etten, Damien Jurado, Pure Bathing Culture, and more. Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys and the Arcs), wrote in an Instagram post: “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. I will miss you my friend.”
Read our tribute to songwriter, producer, and musician Richard Swift here: bit.ly
Marty Balin, founder and singer for Jefferson Airplane, was born on January 30, 1942, and died on September 27, 2018 at the age of 76. Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen wrote: “Marty and I were young together in a time that defined our lives. Had it not been for him, my life would have taken an alternate path I cannot imagine. He and Paul Kantner came together and like plutonium halves in a reactor started a chain reaction that still affects many of us today. It was a moment of powerful synchronicity. I was part of it to be sure, but I was not a prime mover. Marty always reached for the stars and he took us along with him.”
Josh Fauver, former bassist for Deerhunter, was born on December 4, 1978, and died on November 4, 2018 at the age of 39
Stewart Lupton, lead vocalist for Jonathan Fire*Eater, was born on March 29, 1975, and died on May 27, 2018 at the age of 43. Members of the group would later go on to form The Walkmen, and they posted this statement after his death: "Without Stewart Lupton there would have been no Walkmen. As young musicians, he pushed us all to do something original and dangerous and to avoid being boring at all cost. We owe him so much and will miss him tremendously."
See the final time Frightened Rabbit would perform for us at KEXP here: bit.ly
Aretha Franklin taking the reigns last minute for Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 Grammy Awards, and completely NAILING it. vimeo.com