Rocks Off doesn't mean to be morbid, but today is the Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday and festival honoring those who have gone before. So instead of waiting until the end of the year, the more traditional time for such things, we wanted to compile a list of the notable names who left us since last November 2.
We figured we'd spend a couple of hours culling notable musical names from Wikipedia, which conveniently organizes deaths month by month, and that would be that.
Boy were we wrong. There were a lot of people who died in the past 12 months - not just musicians, but the guys who invented the EZ-Bake Oven and founded Taco Bell, to name just a couple.
It took almost all day, we got as far as January, and now we are completely depressed. We'll pick up with February as soon as our spirits lift. Give us a few days.
November 2009
Jerry Fuchs, 34: Drummer with post-rockers Maserati and dance-rockers !!!. Fell down an elevator shaft in Brooklyn, Nov. 8
Haydian Neale, 39: Lead singer of Canadian R&B group jacksoul, which has won several Juno awards. Lung cancer, Nov. 22.
Bob Keane, 87: Founded Del-Fi records, which signed Ritchie Valens and Frank Zappa. Also signed Barry White and the Bobby Fuller Four to Del-Fi sister labels Mustang and Bronco. Renal failure, Nov. 28.
Also: Beverley O'Sullivan, Westlife singer, 28 (Nov. 2); Art D'Lugoff, The Village Gate owner, 85 (Nov. 4); Dick Katz, jazz pianist/arranger, 85 (Nov. 10); Derek B, British rapper, 44 (Nov. 15); Johnny Almond, Mark-Almond (British jazz-rock band), 63 (Nov. 18); Pim Koopman, drummer, Kayak (Dutch progressive-rock band), 56 (Nov. 23); Bess Lomax Hawes, folklorist/musician, 88 (Nov. 27)
December 2009
Vic Chesnutt, 45: Melancholy singer-songwriter and cult hero whose patrons and collaborators included R.E.M., Widespread Panic, alt-country band Lambchop and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. December 25, muscle relaxer overdose.
Jack Rose, 38: Guitarist noted for his acoustic technique and compared to 1960s "primitivists" like John Fahey. Also played with Philadelphia noise-rockers Pelt. Dec. 5, heart attack.
Bruce C. Allen, 54: Guitarist and singer with The Suburbs, peers of the Replacements, Soul Asylum, etc. in the 1980s Minneapolis scene. Dec. 7, organ failure.
Aaron Schroder, 83: Wrote Elvis' "It's Now or Never," "Stuck On You," "Good Luck Charm" and hundreds of other songs. Dec. 2., Alzheimer's Disease.
Also: Bill Lister, honky-tonk singer, 86; Donald Washington Sr., jazz saxophonist, 79 (Dec. 1); Torrie Zito, pianist/arranger, 76 (Dec. 2); Liam Clancy, folksinger, 74 (The Clancy Brothers); Luis Dias, "The Father of Domenican Rock," 57 (Dec. 8); Kenny Dino, pop singer, 67 (Dec. 10); Chris Feinstein, bassist, The Cardinals, 42 (Dec. 14); Mick Cocks, guitarist, Australian hard rockers Rose Tattoo, age unknown (Dec. 22); Tim Hart, British folk-rockers Steeleye Span, 61 (Dec. 24).
