Music Obituaries: October 2022

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Every month I pause to remember the musicians who passed away in the previous month. Music’s my favorite subject, and most of the people who die don’t get the headline news attention that a Michael Jackson or Prince did. This is my way of celebrating their music and their lives. Here are the music and music-related individuals who sang their final song in October 2022: Mary McCaslin (October 2, progressive supranuclear palsy, age 75): folk singer/songwriter popular in the 60s and 70s. Her song “Last Cannonball” was used in commercials by the Grand Canyon Railroad. *Loretta Lynn (October 4, natural causes, age 90): Country music and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer. She was born’d a coal miner’s daughter and went on to worldwide fame with her honest country songs. Her other accolades include the Kennedy Center Honors, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Lenny Lipton (October 5, brain cancer, age 82): poet and songwriter who wrote the lyrics to the folk/children’s classic “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Ivy Jo Hunter (October 6, unknown cause, age 82): Motown singer whose greater success came as a songwriter: among the hits he wrote or co-wrote was the classic “Dancing in the Street.” Jody Miller (October 6, Parkinson’s disease, age 80): country singer with a string of hits in the 60s and 70s. Her best-known song was the Grammy-winning answer to Roger Miller’s (no relation) megahit “King of the Road,” titled “Queen of the House.” Ronnie Cuber (October 7, injuries from a fall, age 80): jazz saxophonist who also played with a lot of rockers, including Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, and the J. Geils Band. He was also a member of the Saturday Night Live band from 1980 to 83. *Art Laboe (October 7, pneumonia, age 97): Radio Hall of Famer. A radio DJ and station owner who is credited with labeling oldies with the phrase “oldies but goodies.” Anita Kerr (October 10, natural causes, age 94): The head of the Anita Kerr Singers, a vocal group who provided backing vocals for acts ranging from Burl Ives and Jim Reeves to Perry Como and Roy Orbison. She won two Grammy awards in her long career. Dame Angela Lansbury (October 11, natural causes, age 96): maybe best-known to younger people as the star of Murder, She Wrote; however, she was a prolific singer and actor on Broadway, winning five Tony Awards throughout her career (including for Sweeney Todd). Willie Spence (October 11, car wreck, age 23): the runner-up in the 19th season of the TV show American Idol. Joyce Sims (October 13, unknown cause, age 63): R&B singer with the 80s hit “Come Into My Life.” Marty Sammon (October 15, unknown cause, age 45): award-winning blues pianist based in Chicago with a deep affection for Buddy Guy’s music. Robert Gordon (October 18, leukemia, age 75): punk (a member of the Tuff Darts) turned rockabilly icon, with a string of successful albums by himself and with Link Wray. Joanna Simon (October 19, thyroid cancer, age 85): an opera singer whose early career was with her sisters Lucy and Carly in the Simon Sisters. Sister Lucy died the next day, also of cancer. Bettye Crutcher (October 20, multiple illnesses, age 83): singer and Stax staff songwriter who co-wrote the Johnnie Taylor classic “Who’s Makin’ Love.” Lucy Simon (October 20, breast cancer, age 82): folk singer who began with her sisters Carly and Joanna and continued in folk. Her sister Joanna died the day before she did. Their deaths caused Carly Simon to miss her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Robert Gordy (October 21, natural causes, age 91): songwriter and publishing executive in R&B, he was also the brother of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Don Edwards (October 24, unknown cause, age 86): poet, actor, and award-winning Western music singer. Christine Farnon (October 24, natural causes, age 97): an early member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the producer of the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959. Kymberly Herrin (October 28, breast cancer, age 65): model for Playboy who branched into acting, included here for her appearances in ZZ Top videos in the 80s, including the classic “Legs.” *Jerry Lee Lewis (October 28, pneumonia, age 87): Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, and Country Music Halls of Famer. “The Killer” put the bite into rockabilly in the 50s, then became a country superstar after the scandal in the early 60s involving his second wife. His death came 12 days after his formal induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. D.H. Peligro (October 28, head trauma from a fall, age 63): guitarist in the punk band the Dead Kennedys and later in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Robin Sylvester (October 29, unknown cause, age 71): bassist for RatDog, the post-Grateful Dead band fronted by Dead member Bob Weir. Patrick Haggerty (October 31, complications of a stroke, age 78): the founder and only consistent member of the first openly gay country band, Lavender Country. Farewell, and thank you for the music. One more time, here’s the Killer, the late, great Jerry Lee Lewis: