May 28, 1944 - December 16, 2003
Gary Stewart was a country music singer and songwriter known for his vibrato voice and outlaw country sound. He is remembered for a string of 1970s country rock hits including 1975's
"She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" from his 1975 release
Out of Hand, considered one of the finest honky tonk records ever made.
On November 26, 2003, the day before Thanksgiving, Stewart's wife of nearly forty-three years, Mary Lou, died of pneumonia. Stewart canceled his concert appearances and became extremely despondent after Mary Lou's death. On December 16, he was found dead in his Fort Pierce, Florida, home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck.
| 11/19/2003 | 56 | Greg Ridley | Humble Pie, Spooky Tooth | pneumonia | Alicanti, Spain |
Greg Ridley
October 23, 1947 - November 19, 2003
Greg start playing professionally at a young age. He played bass guitar in a number of London regional bands before joining the band that become Spooky Tooth.
Island released Spooky's first album, It's All About in May 1968. The album included their first single "Sunshine Help Me" as well as their cover of "Tobacco Road".
With Steve Marriott, Greg formed the band Humble Pie in 1969. Their album
Rockin’ The Fillmore might be one of the greatest live albums in rock history.
After being hospitalized in his home of Alicanti, Spain, Greg passed away on November 19, 2003 from pneumonia and resulting complications. He is survived by his wife Patricia, two daughters, two sons and his sister.
| 11/05/2003 | 63 | Bobby Hatfield | Righteous Brothers | Heart Failure | Kalamazoo, MI |
Bobby Hatfield
Bobby Hatfield, who with partner Bill Medley pioneered "blue-eyed soul" as the Righteous Brothers with hits like "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" has died.
Bobby Hatfield's body was discovered in his hotel room, a half-hour before the duo was set to perform at Miller Auditorium at Western Michigan University.
A toxicology report concluded that an overdose of Cocaine contributed to a fatal heart attack.
Robert Palmer
January 19, 1949 - September 26, 2003
| 09/26/2003 | 40 | Shawn Lane | Black Oak Arkansas, guitarist | ? | Memphis |
| 09/16/2003 | 82 | Sheb Wooley | 'Purple People Eater' singer | Leukemia | Nashville |
| 09/12/2003 | 71 | Johnny Cash | Country Music Legend | Diabetes | Nashville |
| 09/07/2003 | 56 | Warren Zevon | Singer/Songwriter | Mesothelioma | Los Angeles |
Warren Zevon
"Enjoy every Sandwich!"
Warren Zevon died of Malignant mesothelioma (a cancerous tumor of the lining of the lung and chest cavity) that is almost always caused by sustained exposure to asbestos. It was
widely reported that he died of lung cancer, but this was not accurate.
| 08/18/2003 | 63 | Tony Jackson | Searchers, bassist | Liver Disease | London |
| 08/17/2003 | 60 | Steven "Mr. Blues" Miller | Grinderswitch, Elvin Bishop, keyboardist | Cirrhosis of the liver | Cocoa Beach, FL |
| 08/17/2003 | 74 | Ed Townsend | Songwriter | Heart Failure | San Bernardino |
| 07/30/2003 | 80 | Sam Phillips | Music Producer | Respiratory Failure | Memphis |
Sam Phillips
January 5, 1923 - July 30, 2003
Sam Phillips, legendary record producer, founded Sun Records in 1952. He discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the Rock 'n' Roll revolution.
Eric Braunn
August 11, 1950 - July 25, 2003
Eric Braunn, guitarist for Iron Butterfly and the man behind one of the
most famous guitar riffs of all time, has died of a heart attack. He was 52.
Braunn was not a founding member of the band. He joined Iron Butterfly in 1967 at
the age of 16, in time for the 1968 album which featured the 17 minute
rock epic, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Braunn left Iron Butterfly in 1969,
but occasionally joined reunions onstage over the years.
| 07/04/2003 | 58 | Barry White | Soul Singer | Kidney Failure / Stroke | Los Angeles |
| 06/19/2003 | 56 | Ethan James | Blue Cheer | Liver Cancer | San Francisco, CA |
Ethan James
1496 - June 19, 2003
Ethan James (born Ralph Burns Kellogg), a former member of Blue Cheer, died on June 19. 2003 of liver cancer. He was 56.
James taught himself to play bass, drums, guitar and piano. He joined the heavy-metal band Blue Cheer in 1969, just after their cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" became a hit.
After the breakup of Blue Cheer, James became a music producer and built the Radio Tokyo Studio in Los Angeles. He worked with many alternative and pop artists such as The Bangles, Jane's Addiction, Black Flag and Sonic Youth.
James sold his studio and returned to performing in 1989 when he discovered a passion for playing the hurdy-gurdy, a medieval instrument that looks like an ancient fiddle with a wheel. When its strings are caressed by a bow, it makes a sound similar to a violin and a set of bagpipes.
"This is not some museum piece. It has been through cycles of popularity and obscurity for the last 1,000 years. I think it is becoming more popular again, which is somehow appropriate in the new millennium," James once said.
After he became a master of the hurdy-gurdy, James toured the U.S. and Europe, often playing at Renaissance faires. He performed with the San Francisco Mozart Festival Orchestra and appeared at the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Noel Redding
December 25, 1945 - May 11, 2003
Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding died at his home in Ireland at the age of 57. The cause of death is still unknown.
Redding was the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience from 1966 to 1969, but he was a guitarist by trade. After leaving Hendrix under unhappy circumstances, Redding
played guitar with Fat Mattress and later with Road and the Noel Redding Band, none of which ever came close to the kind of success he had with the Experience.
In recent years, Redding had written a
book
about his Experience experience, and had spoken out about his lack of profit from the continued sale of the Hendrix recordings.
He signed away his royalty rights in 1974, allegedly to pay an outstanding legal bill, for a lump payment of $100,000. Redding claimed he agreed to the sum after being promised
there would be no more reissues of the Experience material. But that was before CDs and DVDs and the endless repackaging of the band's songs by Hendrix estate.
Felice Bryant
August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003
Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto), along with her husband Boudleaux Bryant, wrote some of the most popular songs in popular music.
Among their hits are "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love" recorded by the Everly Brothers, "Raining In My Heart" recorded by Buddy Holly, and the Tennessee state song "Rocky Top."
Felice died of cancer at her home in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
| 04/21/2003 | 70 | Nina Simone | Jazz and soul singer | Natural Causes | France |
Nina Simone
February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003
Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist.
| 04/17/2003 | 69 | Earl King | R & B legend | diabetes-related | New Orleans |
Earl King
Born Earl Silas Johnson IV, prolific songwriter and guitarist, wrote "Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)" recorded by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Other
well-known compositions include the Mardi Gras standards "Big Chief" and "Street Parade."
Little Eva
Little Eva (Born Eva Narcissus Boyd) recorded the smash hit "The Loco-Motion" in 1962 at age 16. Boyd was working as a baby sitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin when they asked her to record a song they had written
after watching her dance around the house. Eva sang on the demo for the song and so impressed Don Kirshner that he released the song it as it was.
"The Loco-Motion" hit the charts again in 1974 when covered by Grand Funk.
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr (Born Charles Hatcher 1/24/42 in Nashville). Motown recording artist and longtime UK resident. Best known for his anti-conflict song "War":
"War, huh, Whatizzit Good For, Absolutely Nothing"
| 02/23/2003 | 47 | Howie Epstein | Tom Petty, bassist | Heroin Overdose | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
Howie Epstein
Howie Epstein was a respected musician and producer for more than 20 years. In addition to his work with Tom Petty,
he played on Bob Dylan albums in the 1980s and produced the Grammy-award winning album "The Lost Years" for folk singer-songwriter
John Prine. Epstein's first big break came playing bass for John Hiatt in the late-Seventies, appearing on the 1980 release, "Two Bit Monsters"; a year before he had joined Del Shannon on the rock legend's 1981 album "Drop Down and Get Me".
He was singer Carlene Carter's longtime boyfriend, producing two of her albums, one of which was nominated for a Grammy.
"I'm devastated," said Carter, the stepdaughter of country singer Johnny Cash and daughter of June Carter Cash. "I loved him very much. My kids thought of Howie as their father.
"We had a good life together for 15 years. We've been apart since May last year, and all I know is I'm going to miss him very much."
Epstein teamed up with Petty in 1982 and also worked with Roy Orbison, Del Shannon, John Hiatt, Stevie Nicks and Eric Anderson.
"We are deeply saddened at the news of Howie's passing. It's difficult to put into words how much we loved him and will miss him. The world has lost a great talent and a kind and gentle soul," according to a statement on Petty's Web site.
Epstein and Carter were arrested in June 2001 in Albuquerque with 2.9 grams of black-tar heroin and drug paraphernalia in a sports utility vehicle that had been reported stolen.
| 02/20/2003 | 31 | Ty Longley | Great White, guitarist | Fire | West Warwick RI |
Ty Longley
Ty was lost in the tragic nightclub fire at "The Station" in West Warwick, Rhode Island. It is believed that he may have re-entered the burning building to try to save others.
2002