Musicians Who Died in 1997

Jan 22 Ron Holden, American singer (b. 1939)
Jan 22 Wally Whyton, English musician and broadcaster (BBC 2), dies at 66
Jan 23 Audie Pitre, American bass guitarist (Acid Bath), killed by a drunk driver at 26
Jan 23 Charles Craig, English opera singer, dies at 77
Jan 23 Richard Berry, African-American singer and musician (Louie Louie), dies at 61
Jan 25 Seldon Powell, American jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist, dies at 68
Jan 27 Gerald Marks, American songwriter ("All of Me"), dies at 96
Jan 30 Héctor Campos Parsi, Puerto Rican classical music composer, dies at 75
Feb 1 Marjorie Reynolds [Goodspeed], American actress and dancer (Holiday Inn; Life of Riley), dies from congestive heart disease at 79
Feb 2 Chico Science [Francisco Franca], Brazilian musician (manguebeat), dies in a car accident at 30
Feb 3 Anthony Cuthbert Baines, English music scholar, dies at 84
Feb 3 Esteban Sánchez, Spanish classical pianist and pedagogue (Badajoz Conservatoire, 1978-97), dies at 62
Feb 4 Ross Lee Finney, American composer (Landscapes Remembered), dies at 90
Feb 7 Danil Shafran, Soviet-Russian concert cellist, dies at 74
Feb 8 Elroy Josephs, British jazz dance teacher, dies at 57

Feb 9 Brian Connolly, Scottish rock singer (Sweet, 1968-79- "The Ballroom Blitz"), dies of heart failure at 51
Feb 9 L.F. "Jack" Owen, American blues singer and guitarist ("It Must've Been The Devil"), dies at 92
Feb 10 Lou Bennett, American bebop pianist, and jazz organist, dies at 70
Feb 18 Eric Fenby, English composer and president (Delius Society), dies at 90
Feb 19 Jarmil Burghauser [Mokrý], Czech composer, choirmaster, conductor, and musicologist, dies at 75
Feb 20 Zachary Breaux, American jazz guitarist, dies of a heart attack while trying to save a distressed swimmer in Miami Beach at 36
Feb 23 Oscar Lewenstein, British theater impresario (Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera), and film producer (The Knack ...and How to Get It), dies of heart failure at 80
Feb 23 Tony Williams, American jazz drummer (Miles Davis), dies at 51
Feb 24 Isabelle Harriet Lucas, Canadian-born British actress and singer (Outland, Comics), dies at 69
Mar 3 Finn Høffding, Danish composer (Karlsvognen), dies at 97

The Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997)

Mar 9 American rapper (Life After Death), shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at 24

Mar 10 (Dolores) LaVern Baker [Evans], American pop and R&B vocalist ("Jim Dandy"; "I Cried A Tear"), dies of cardiovascular disease at 67
Mar 11 Hugo Weisgall, American composer (4 Impressions), dies at 84
Mar 17 Jermaine Stewart, American R&B singer (We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off), dies of cancer at 37
Mar 24 Harold Melvin, American soul and R&B singer (The Blue Notes - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"), dies at 57
Mar 31 Arthur Cunningham, American composer, dies at 68
Apr 2 Zsolt Durko, Hungarian composer, dies at 62
Apr 7 Egil Harder, Danish concert pianist and composer (The Blue Anemone), dies on his 80th birthday
Apr 8 Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter ("Wedding Bell Blues"; "Stoned Soul Picnic"; "And When I Die"), dies of ovarian cancer at 49
Apr 9 Mae Boren Axton, American songwriter, known as the"Queen Mother of Nashville" ("Heartbreak Hotel"), drowns in her hot tub during a heart attack at 82
Apr 10 Toshiro Mayuzumi, Japanese composer (Sphenogramme), dies at 68
Apr 13 Gail Reese [Virginia Vieser], American big band and radio singer (Bunny Berigan, Glenn Miller), dies at 79
Apr 16 Ray Green, American composer and publisher, dies at 88
Apr 17 (Averil) Mary Thomas, Welsh lyric soprano of both early and contemporary concert music, dies at 64
Apr 18 David Branson, British piano prodigy, composer, musicologist, and visual artist, dies at 88
Apr 19 El Duce [Eldon Wayne Hoke], American singer and drummer (The Mentors), dies from a "misadventure" on a train-track at 39
Apr 24 Robert Erickson, American composer, dies at 80
Apr 26 Gene Ames, American singer (Ames Brothers), dies of cancer at 73
Apr 29 Keith Ferguson, American blues-rock bassist (Fabulous Thunderbirds), dies of liver failure due to heroin use at 50
May 3 Narciso Yepes, Spanish classical guitarist (Orquesta Nacionale 1947), dies at 69
May 5 Tolia Nikiprowetzky, French composer, ethnomusicologist and broadcaster of Russian heritage, dies at 80
May 9 Willy Hess, Swiss musicologist, composer and famous Beethoven scholar, dies at 90
May 14 Thelma Carpenter, American radio and jazz band singer (Coleman Hawkins; Count Basie), and stage and screen actress (Hello, Dolly!; Barefoot In The Park (TV); The Wiz (film)), dies of cardiac arrest at 76
May 23 Lovie Lee [Edward Lee Watson], American electric blues pianist, singer, and songwriter, dies at 88
May 26 Jack Jersey, Indonesian-Dutch singer and producer, dies at 55
May 29 Jeff Buckley, American musician and singer ("Hallelujah"), drowns at 30
May 30 West Arkeen, American musician, best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs (It's So Easy, The Garden), dies of a drug overdose at 36
Jun 2 Aldophus "Doc" Cheatham, American jazz trumpeter, dies of stroke at 91
Jun 2 Charles Jones, Canadian contemporary classical composer and music educator, dies at 86
Jun 4 Johnny "Hammond" Smith, American jazz and bop organist (Wild Horses Rock Steady), dies of cancer at 63
Jun 4 Ronnie Lane, British rock bassist (Small Faces), dies of multiple sclerosis at 51
Jun 12 Bulat Okudzhava, Russian poet-bard and singer-songwriter (founder of author's song genre), dies at 73
Jun 16 John Wolters, American drummer (Dr. Hook -"When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman"), dies at 52
Jun 19 Bobby Helms [Robert Lee Helms], American country music singer (Jingle Bell Rock), dies at 63
Jun 20 Lawrence Payton, American pop & soul singer (Four Tops - "I'll Be There"), dies at 59
Jun 21 Arthur Prysock, American jazz and R&B singer ("I Didn't Sleep a Wink Last Night"; "In The Rain"), dies at 68 or 73 [birth year disputed]
Jun 21 Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director (Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman), dies at 65
Jun 22 Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (b. 1956)
Jun 25 Ziggy Talent, American saxophonist and novelty singer (Vaughn Monroe Orchestra - "Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long"), dies at 85
Jun 26 Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Native Hawaiian singer, songwriter ("Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World"), and Hawaiian sovereignty advocate, dies from respiratory failure at 38
Jul 5 Mrs. Miller, American singer (A Lover's Missouri), dies at 89
Jul 13 Alexandra Danilova, Russian-American ballerina (The Turning Point), dies at 92
Jul 29 Chuck Wayne [Jagelka], America session and bebop jazz guitarist (Woody Herman's First Herd; George Shearing Quintet; Gil Evans; Tony Bennett), dies of emphysema at 74
Aug 1 Svyatoslav Richter, Russian pianist, dies of a heart attack at 82

Fela Kuti (1938-1997)

Aug 2 Nigerian Afrobeat musician and composer, dies of an illness, disputedly AIDS related, at 58

Aug 8 Dardanelle (Breckenbridge), American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, and singer, dies at 79
Aug 8 Duncan Swift, English jazz pianist, dies at 74
Aug 9 Robert Satanowski, Polish opera conductor and general, dies at 79
Aug 10 Conlon Nancarrow, American composer (Soundings 4), dies at 84
Aug 12 Jack Delano [Jacob Ovcharov], Russian-born American composer and photographer, dies at 83
Aug 12 Luther Allison, American blues and session guitarist (Howlin' Wolf; James Cotton), dies of lung and brain cancer at 57
Aug 16 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani qawwal (Sufi devotional music) vocalist, and composer, dies of cardiac arrest at 48
Aug 19 Petr Novák, Czech rock singer-songwriter (George and Beatovens; Flamengo), dies of apparent poisoning at 51
Aug 24 (Vincente) "Tete" Montoliu, Catalonian jazz pianist, dies at 64
Sep 2 Rudolf Bing, Austrian-born opera impresario (NY Metropolitan Opera manager, 1950-72), dies of complication of Alzheimer's disease and respiratory failure at 95
Sep 4 Belle Stewart, Scottish traditional singer, dies at 91
Sep 4 Natko Devčić, Croatian composer, dies at 83
Sep 5 Georg Solti [György Stern], Hungarian-British conductor, winner of 31 Grammy awards (Chicago Symphony, 1969-91), dies at 84
Sep 7 Derek Taylor, Beatles publicist, dies of cancer at 65
Sep 12 (Stig) "Stikkan" Anderson, Swedish actor, music entrepreneur and co-founder of Polar Music (ABBA), dies of a heart attack at 66
Sep 18 James "Jimmy" Witherspoon, American jump blues singer (Ain't Nobody's Business), dies at 77
Sep 19 Rich Mullins, American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter ("Awesome God"), dies in a car accident at 41
Sep 24 Larry Hall, American rocker (Sandy), dies at 57
Sep 25 Hélène Baillargeon, Quebec singer and folklorist, dies at 81
Sep 25 Jean Françaix, French classical pianist, and composer, dies at 85
Sep 29 Bobby Campbell, Scottish journalist and musician, dies at 55
Sep 29 Sven-Eric Emanuel Johanson, Swedish composer, dies at 77
Oct 5 Arthur Tracy [Avrom Tracovutsky], Ukrainian-American radio personality, vocalist, and accordion player (The Street Singer), dies at 98
Oct 7 Friedrich Zipp, German composer, dies at 83
Oct 10 George Malcolm, British keyboard player and conductor (Westminster Cathedral Master of the Music, 1947-59), dies at 80

Oct 12 American pop songwriter ("Leaving On A Jet Plane"), country-pop singer ("Sunshine On My Shoulders"; "Calypso"; "Thank God I'm A Country Boy"), and actor (Oh, God!), dies in a solo plane crash at 53

Oct 19 Glen Buxton, American guitarist (Alice Cooper) and composer, dies at 49
Oct 20 Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat), dies of heart and respiratory failure at 52
Oct 22 Harry Goodman, American jazz bassist, and sometimes tuba player, dies at 91
Oct 24 Janine Andrade, French classical violinist, dies at 78
Nov 5 Epic Soundtracks [Kevin Paul Godfrey], British musician (Swell Maps, Crime and the City Solution, These Immortal Souls), dies in his sleep at 38
Nov 10 Tommy Tedesco, American jazz and Los Angeles session guitarist (Wrecking Crew; Lalo Schifrin), dies of lung cancer at 67
Nov 12 Carlos Surinach, Spanish-American composer, dies at 82
Nov 13 André Boucourechliev, Bulgarian-French composer, dies at 72
Nov 15 Saul Chaplin [Kaplan], American Oscar Award-winning stage, and screen composer, arranger, and orchestrator (An American in Paris; "The Anniversary Song"), dies at 85
Nov 17 Wilfred Josephs, British composer (Rebecca; Requiem), dies at 70
Nov 21 Robert Simpson, British classical composer, and broadcaster (BBC), dies at 76

Michael Hutchence (1960-1997)

Nov 22 Australian rock vocalist (INXS - "Devil Inside": "New Sensation"), and actor (Dogs in Space), commits suicide at 37

Nov 25 Barbara [Monique Andrée Serf], French singer ("L'Aigle noir"), dies at 67
Nov 25 Fenton Robinson, US blues guitarist (Tennessee Woman), dies at 62
Nov 26 Francis Paudras, designer and jazz fan, dies at 62
Nov 28 William "Smitty" Smith, American rock keyboardist and session musician (Motherlode - "When I Die"), dies of a heartattack at 53
Dec 1 Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, dies at 89
Dec 2 Michael Hedges, American new-age guitarist, composer, and singer (Aerial Boundaries), dies in a car accident at 43
Dec 6 Eliot Daniel, American composer (I Love Lucy theme), dies at 89
Dec 9 Tamara Geva, Russian-born dancer and actress, dies at 91
Dec 10 Gershon Kingsley [Götz Ksinski], German-American composer, electronic music pioneer, and Moog synthesizer player (Popcorn), dies at 97
Dec 12 (Irving) "Mouse" Randolph, American swing jazz trumpeter (Cab Calloway Orchestra), dies at 88
Dec 14 Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who), dies of kidney failure at 51
Dec 16 Nicolette Larson, American rock vocalist (Lotta Love; Twins), dies from brain seizure at 45
Dec 19 Jimmy Rogers, American blues musician (Muddy Waters' Band), dies at 73
Dec 21 Amie Comeaux, American country music singer, dies at 21
Dec 22 Johnny Coles, trumpeter, dies at 71
Dec 24 Alan Fluck, Scottish musical educator, dies at 69
Dec 25 Giorgio Strehler, Italian opera and theatre director, dies at 76
Dec 27 Anthea Joseph, British music promoter, dies at 57
Dec 27 Buxton Orr, Anglo-Scottish composer, dies at 73
Dec 28 Henry Barraud, French composer, dies at 97
Dec 31 Floyd Cramer, American Country Music Hall of Fame pianist ("Last Date"; "On the Rebound"), dies of cancer at 64