Music Obituaries: April 2022

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Every month I take a moment to stop and remember those from the world of music who passed away in the previous month. As I tell the newcomers, I do this for two reasons: one, I love music; and two, most people in the world of music are NOT the stop-the-presses legends like Elvis, Michael Jackson, or Prince, so some of these folks barely got a mention. Therefore, I make sure they get their last round of applause. Here are the music and music-related individuals for whom the final curtain fell in April 2022: C.W. McCall (ne William Fries) (April 1, lung cancer, age 93): Bill Fries was an ad executive who created a TV commercial character named C.W. McCall. From there, McCall had a pop and country smash with “Convoy” in 1976. Fitzroy “Bunny” Simpson (April 1, illness, age 70): singer in the reggae band the Mighty Diamonds. Another member of the band, Donald Shaw, was murdered three days before Simpson’s death. *Roland White (April 1, complications of a heart attack, ate 83): Bluegrass Hall of Famer. Legendary mandolin player who first rose to prominence in the Hall of Fame bluegrass band the Kentucky Colonels. Eric Boehiert (April 4, hit by train, age 57): music journalist who wrote for Billboard and Rolling Stone. *Joe Messina (April 4, kidney disease, age 93): Musicians Hall of Famer. Member of Motown’s legendary “Funk Brothers” session band who played guitar on countless sessions. Bobby Rydell (April 5, pneumonia, age 79): early-era rocker who had hits with songs like “Volarie” and “Wildwood.” He also appeared in the musical movie Bye Bye Birdie. Ken West (April 7, unknown cause, age 64): the co-founder of Australia’s Big Day Out music festival. Charles E. McCormick (April 12, unknown cause, age 75): member of the R&B group Bloodstone, best known for their 1973 top ten hit “Natural High.” *Art Rupe (April 15, natural causes, age 104): Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. The founder of Specialty Records, a label founded in the mid-1940s that featured a number of gospel and R&B artists who’d later become famous in rock, such as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, and Lloyd Price. Rich Turner (April 17, stroke, age 78): guitarist and guitar maker whose instruments were played by the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, among others. Jerry Doucette (April 18, cancer, age 70): founder of the Canadian band Doucette, best known for their FM rock hit “Mama Let Him Play.” Guitar Shorty (ne David Kearney) (April 20, natural causes, age 87): a blues guitarist who was married to Jimi Hendrix’s sister and greatly influenced Hendrix so much that Hendrix frequently went AWOL to see him play. Orrin Hatch (April 20, stroke, age 88): the long-serving senator from Utah wrote a number of songs, including the contemporary Christian song “Unspoken.” Susan Jacks (April 25, kidney disease, age 73): the former wife of “Seasons in the Sun” singer Terry Jacks was also a member of the folk group the Poppy Family, known for their song “Which Way You Going, Billy.” Jimmy Thomas (April 25, respiratory failure, age 83): a member of the Kings of Rhythm, who were also known as the “Ike & Tina Turner Review,” and backed Ike Turner for decades. *Andrew Woolfolk (April 25, long illness, age 71): Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Saxophonist in the legendary band Earth, Wind, and Fire. Randy Rand (April 26, heart disease, age 62): bassist and co-founder of the hard rock band Autograph, best known for their hit “Turn Up the Radio.” Klaus Schulze (April 26, long illness, age 74): member of the German electronic band Tangerine Dream. Judy Henske (April 27, long illness, age 85): folk singer from the 1960s best known for her 1963 hit “High Flying Bird.” George Yonok (April 29, lung cancer, age 83): producer and writer for the long running country variety show Hee Haw. Ray Fenwick (April 30, unknown cause, age 75): guitarist in the Spencer Davis Group and later the guitarist in Ian Gillan’s post-Deep Purple band. *Naomi Judd (April 30, suicide [gunshot], age 76): Country Music Hall of Famer. The mother half of the legendary country duo the Judds. She died the day before the Judds’ formal induction (which had been announced in late 2021) into the Hall of Fame. Farewell, and thank you for the music. Doucette’s FM rock hit “Mama Let Him Play,” featuring the late Jerry Doucette: