Musicians Who Died in 1975

Louis Jordan (1908-1975)

Feb 4 American musician, songwriter and bandleader ("Caldonia"; "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"; "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"), dies of a heart attack at 66

Feb 5 Åke Persson, Swedish bebop jazz trombonist (Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, 1963–71), dies at 42
Feb 10 Dave Alexander, American rock bassist (The Stooges, 1967-70), dies of pneumonia exacerbated by alcoholism at 27
Feb 13 Eric Harding Thiman, English composer, dies at 74
Feb 16 (Adanelle) "Norman" Treigle, American operatic bass-baritone, dies of an accidental sleeping pill overdose at 47
Feb 19 Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian 12-tone composer (Il prigioniero; Ulisse), dies of Pulmonary edema at 71
Feb 20 Edgar "Cookie" Fairchild, American bandleader (Jerry Colonna Show), dies at 76
Feb 28 István Kardos, Hungarian composer, dies at 83
Mar 2 Jean Kurt Forest, German composer, dies at 65
Mar 10 Léopold Samuel, Belgian composer, dies at 91
Mar 11 Philip Bezanson, American composer (Golden Child), and eductor, dies at 59
Mar 11 Sammy Spear, American big band trumpet player and orchestra leader (The Jackie Gleason Show), dies of a heart attack at 65

T-Bone Walker (1910-1975)

Mar 16 American blues guitarist ("Funky Town"; "Well Done"), dies of bronchial pneumonia at 64

Mar 21 Berend Giltay, composer, dies at 64
Mar 24 Oscar Rasbach, American composer, dies at 86
Mar 27 Arthur Bliss, English composer (Olympians), dies at 83
Mar 27 Gertrude Niesen, American actress, comedian, and songwriter (Start Cheering; Rookies on Parade), dies following a long illness at 63
Mar 28 Renzo Massarani, Italian composer, dies at 77

Josephine Baker (1906-1975)

Apr 12 American-French song and dance revue artist (Folies-Bergere), actress, and civil rights activist, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 68

Apr 18 Rob Touber [Noordervliet], Dutch television music and variety director, and record producer, dies of a heart attack at 38
Apr 21 Jack Westrup, English composer, dies at 70
Apr 24 Pete Ham, Welsh rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Badfinger - "Without You"; "No Matter What"; Day After Day"), takes his own life at 27
Apr 25 Mike Brant, Israeli pop singer ("Laisse-moi t'aimer" ("Let Me Love You")), commits suicide at 28
May 12 Joe Mooney, American jazz and pop accordionist, organist, and vocalist, dies at 64
May 13 Bob Wills, American musician, known as the 'King of Western Swing' ("Steel Guitar Rag"), dies from bronchial pneumonia at 69
May 13 Vladislav Zolotaryov, Soviet Russian bayanist (button accordion player), and composer (Six Children's Suites), takes his own life at 53
May 17 Arthur Trappier, American jazz drummer (Blanche Calloway: Fats Waller), dies at 64
May 18 Leroy Anderson, American composer (Syncopated Clock), dies at 66
May 20 Jacques Stehman, Belgian pianist and composer (Symphonie de poche), dies at 62
May 21 Boris Klyuzner, Russian Soviet composer, dies at 65
Jun 9 David Frederick Barlow, English composer, dies at 48
Jun 11 Floro Ugarte, Argentine composer (From My Land; Saika), and educator, dies at 90
Jun 16 Don Robey, American record label executive and record producer, dies at 71
Jun 20 Daniel Ayala Pérez, Mexican violinist, conductor, and composer, dies at 68
Jun 21 Heinz Lau, German composer, dies at 49
Jun 29 Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter, dies at 28 of a heroin overdose
Jul 5 Gilda dalla Rizza, Italian soprano, dies at 82
Jul 7 Vito Frazzi, Italian composer, dies at 86
Jul 14 Madan Mohan, India Hindi Film Melodious Music director, dies at 51
Jul 14 [Arthur] Zutty Singleton, American jazz drummer (Louis Armstrong's Hot Five), dies at 77
Jul 18 Federico Ghisi, Italian composer and musicologist, dies at 74
Jul 19 (William) "Lefty" Frizzell, American country music singer and songwriter ("If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)"; "Saginaw, Michigan"), dies at 47
Aug 8 Bernie Green, American orchestra leader (Arthur Godfrey Show, Garry Moore Show), dies at 66
Aug 8 Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader of the 1950-60s hard bop era (The Black Messiah), dies of a stroke at 46

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Aug 9 Russian composer (The Gadfly; The Nose), dies of lung cancer at 68

Aug 19 Ima Hogg, American society leader, Texas arts patron, and founder of Houston Symphony, dies at 93 [1]
Aug 25 Frans van Amelsvoort, Dutch choir conductor, dies at 75
Aug 26 Juliette Béliveau, Canadian actress (Le gros Bill) and singer, dies at 85
Aug 27 Bob Scholl, American doo-wop vocalist (Mello-Kings - "Tonite, Tonite"), dies in a boating accident at 41
Aug 29 Leland T. Weed, American singer and actor, dies at 74
Sep 5 Georg Ots, Estonian baritone singer and actor, dies of a brain tumor at 55
Sep 10 Hans Swarowsky, Austrian pianist, conductor (Graz Opera, 1947-50), and educator (Vienna Music Academy, 1949-75), dies at 75
Sep 14 Walter Herbert [Seligmann], German-American conductor, impresario (Houston Grand Opera, 1955- 72; San Diego Opera, 1965-77), and world champion bridge player, dies at 77
Sep 20 Vincent Lopez, American pianist and big band bandleader ("Nola"), dies at 79
Sep 22 Franz Salmhofer, Austrian composer and musician, dies at 75
Sep 23 Constant Stotijn, Dutch cellist (Residence Orchestra), oboe player, and timpanist, dies at 62
Oct 1 Al Jackson Jr., American session drummer, known as "The Human Time Keeper" (Stax; Booker T. & MGs - "McLemore Avenue"), murdered by an intruder in his home at 39 [1]
Oct 8 Alberto Hemsi, Turkish born composer and collector of Sephardic Jews music, dies at 78
Oct 17 Vittorio Gui, Italian conductor and composer (Batture d'aspetto), dies at 90
Oct 26 Herman van San, Belgian classical and electro-acoustic composer, dies at 46
Oct 28 Oliver Nelson, American saxophonist, jazz and soundtrack composer, arranger, bandleader, and record producer (The Blues and the Abstract Truth; The Six Million Dollar Man), dies of a heart attack at 43
Oct 29 John Scott Trotter, American orchestra leader (George Gobel Show), dies at 67
Oct 31 SD Burman, Indian singer and film music composer (Zindagi Zindagi), dies at 69
Nov 1 Norbert Rosseau, Belgian composer, dies at 67
Nov 1 Philip James, American composer, conductor (New Jersey Symphony, 1922-29; Bamberger Little Symphony, 1929-36), and educator (NYU, 1934-56), dies at 85
Nov 22 François de Roubaix, French film score composer, dies in diving accident at 36
Dec 1 Nick Kenny, American columnist and songwriter (Nick Kenny Show), dies at 80
Dec 8 Gary Thain, New Zealand bassist (Uriah Heep, 1972-75), dies of respiratory failure due to a heroin overdose, at 27
Dec 9 Frank Signorelli, American swing jazz pianist (Original Dixieland Jazz Band; Joe Venuti's Blue Four), and songwriter (Stairway to the Stars), dies at 74
Dec 11 Lee Wiley, American jazz singer (Night in Manhattan), dies at 67
Dec 15 Mukhtar Ashrafi, Soviet-Uzbek composer, dies at 63
Dec 17 Hound Dog Taylor [Theodore Roosevelt], American Chicago blues guitarist and singer, dies of lung cancer at 60
Dec 17 Noble Sissle, American jazz composer, singer, lyricist and playwright (Shuffle Along; "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), dies at 86
Dec 24 Bernard Herrmann [Maximillian Herman], American radio and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Mercury Theatre on the Air; Citizen Kane; Vertigo; Psycho; Taxi Driver), and conductor, bdies of a heart attack at 64
Dec 31 Donal Michalsky, American composer, dies in a fire at 47