Music Obituaries: May 2017

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It seems that 2017 is doing to actors what 2016 did to musicians. That doesn't mean, however, that the loss of music and music-related individuals has slowed to a crawl. Sadly, we're still losing many, including a couple of big name musicians (and a music-related giant). Here are the people who sang their final song in May 2017: Colonel Bruce Hampton (died May 1, heart attack, age 70): Atlanta-based jazz and jam musician, praised by many in rock, blues, and jazz. Hampton collapsed onstage at the Fox Theater during an encore of a concert celebrating his 70th birthday and died later at the hospital. Kevin Garcia (died May 2, stroke, age 41): bass player in the indie rock band Grandaddy. C'El Revuelta (died May 3, brain cancer, age unknown): bassist in the legendary punk band Black Flag in 1986 and during their 2003 reunion. Casey Jones (died May 3, prostate cancer, age 77): blues-rock drummer who worked with the likes of Albert Collins and Johnny Winter. Saxa (ne Lionel Martin) (died May 3, natural causes, age 87): reggae/ska saxophonist who played with Desmond Dekker and the Aces and later in the Beat (or English Beat). Mario Maglieri (died May 4, natural causes, age 93): owner of the legendary L.A. music clubs Whisky A-Go-Go and the Rainbow. Clive Brooks (died May 5, unknown causes, age 67): drummer for the band Egg who later became the drum technician for Pink Floyd. Kelley Salley Sneed (died May 8, Parkinson's disease, age 58): Nashville based songwriter who was also the stepdaughter of Dillards member Doug Dillard. Joy Byers (died May 10, natural causes, age 82): songwriter who contributed sixteen songs to various Elvis movie soundtracks. Bob Forshee (died May 11, illness, age 80): country music songwriter who later gave up songwriting to become a minister. Corki Casey O'Dell (died May 11, long illness, age 80): a rarity in music: a female session musician who worked with country and rock acts. She was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame for her work. Jimmy Copley (died May 13, leukemia, age 63): drummer who worked with acts such as Jeff Beck and Tears for Fears. Keith Mitchell (died May 14, unknown cause, age unknown): drummer for Mazzy Star ("Fade Into You") and Green on Red. Steve Sutton (died May 14, heart attack, age 61): bluegrass banjo player who worked in the bands of Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin. Rosa Nell Speer (died May 16, natural causes, age 94): member of the legendary southern gospel act the Speer Family. Her brother, Ben, died earlier this year. Kevin Stanton (died May 17, illness, age 61): guitarist and songwriter for the band Mi-Sex, best known for their song "Computer Games." Chris Cornell (died May 18, suicide [hanging], age 52): lead singer for superstar acts Soundgarden and AudioSlave as well as a solo act. He hanged himself shortly after a Soundgarden concert in Detroit. Jimmy Dale (died May 20, unknown cause, age 81): music director on late 60s/early 70s TV variety shows such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Andy Williams Show, and The Sonny & Cher Show. Jimmy LaFave (died May 21, cancer, age 61): Austin, Texas-based Americana/alt-country singer and songwriter. Wendell Goodman (died May 21, unknown cause, age 81): the manager and husband of rockabilly/country legend Wanda Jackson. George Reiff (died May 21, lung cancer, age 56): bass player who worked with acts as diverse as Joe Walsh and the Dixie Chicks. Kenny Corday (died May 21, murdered, age 62): blues-rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist who wrote, among others, the ZZ Top song "Francine." Corday was shot to death by his son in a murder-suicide. Curtis Womack (died May 21, respiratory heart failure, age 74): member of the Womack Brothers. His late brother, Bobby Womack, was the best-known member of the brother act. Mickey Roker (died May 22, lung cancer, age 84): jazz drummer who worked with many jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie. Sir Roger Moore (died May 23, cancer, age 89): the legendary actor played James Bond in seven films, and most of us have a favorite James Bond theme song or two. Songs from the Moore era Bond films include "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney & Wings), "Nobody Does It Better" (Carly Simon, for The Spy Who Loved Me), "For Your Eyes Only" (Sheena Easton), and "A View to a Kill" (Duran Duran). Gregg Allman (died May 27, liver cancer, age 69): Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend. He's the second Allman Brothers Band member to die this year: drummer Butch Trucks died in January. Farewell, and thank you for the music. Here's the great "Save It for Later" by the Beat, featuring the late Saxa on the sax solo: