The death of a talented artist is a great loss for the world. 2023 has just begun, and I have already heard the news of the death of several famous musicians. It all started with Gangsta Boo, a pioneer Southern avant-garde female rapper who was once a member of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, who was found to have died on New Year's Day at the age of 43.
The next day, Alan Rankine of the post-punk new wave band The Associates died at the age of 64. He also founded the Cocteau Twins and pursued his own solo music. Since then, we've also lost rock guitar legend Jeff Beck, who died on Jan. 10 at the age of 78, and singer-songwriter Lisa Marie, who died of cardiac arrest on Jan. 12 at the age of 54.
The Sri people are gone, but their light will never be forgotten. Recently, Billboard magazine compiled a list of musicians who have passed away so far in 2023 for the public to remember and commemorate.
Dave Jolicoeur (1968-February 12, 2023)
De La Soul's Trugoy the Dove (also known as Dave) recently passed away due to illness, the legendary New York hip-hop trio confirmed by the spokesperson, and first reported his death last Sunday (February 12).
With a career spanning more than 30 years, De La Soul is known as one of the most innovative and eclectic groups in hip-hop, and the group was founded in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island. Dave and his members Posdnuos and Maseo met in high school and impressed local producer Prince Paul, who released their demo tapes, and they later struck a deal with Tommy Boy Records.
In 1989, De La Soul's debut album "3 Feet High and Rising" reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Hot Albums chart and No. 24 on the Billboard 200 chart, including the breakthrough single "Me Myself and I", which topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and reached number 34 on the Hot 100. and was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the Grammys. "3 Feet High and Rising" is often considered the beginning of alternative hip-hop.
Burt Bacharach (12 May 1928 – 9 February 2023)
Bacharach, one of the most accomplished pop music composers of the 20th century, died last Wednesday (February 9) at his home in Los Angeles. The music maestro wrote 52 Top 40 hits, including "Alfie," "Walk on By," "Promises, Promises," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "What the World Now Needs Is Love," and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?."
In the sixties and seventies, Bacharach achieved unassailable status by collaborating with numerous pop, R&B and soul artists. His music transcends age boundaries and has a wide audience, and his fresh musical style throws the listener off balance as much as possible, but is very moving, and he breaks the mold with uplifting melodies that contrast with the usual bittersweet lyrics. Bacharach's songs have also been sung by mainstream artists such as Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney, Tom Jones, Carpenters and BJ Thomas, among hundreds of others.
Barrett Strong (5 February 1941 – 29 January 2023)
Barrett Strong died in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 29, at the age of 81. He co-wrote some of Motown's most enduring hits with various collaborators, but mostly with the late Norman Whitfield. These include "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by Undisputed Truth, and a wealth of material from Temptations – "I Wish It Would Rain", " Just My Imagination", "Cloud Nine", "Psychedelic Shack", etc., for which Barrett Strong also won a Grammy.
In addition to the Grammys, Barrett Strong received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Songwriters Association in 1990 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.
Tom Verlaine (1949.12.13-2023.1.28)
Tom Verlaine died after a brief illness at the age of 73. The legendary guitarist's speaking representative and founding member of the band Television confirmed the news to the media.
Born in Thomas Miller in 1949 and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Verlaine moved to New York City in 1968 and took his stage name. He formed the band Television and later became a major figure in New York's CBGB punk rock scene in the '70s, establishing early residencies at Lower East Side clubs with band members Richard Hell, Billy Ficca and Richard Lloyd. Before the band Television disbanded in 1978, he brought his signature guitar work and songwriting to two albums, Marquee Moon in 1977 and Adventure in 1978.
After Verlaine's death, Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of musician Patti Smith, posted a heartfelt personal condolence on Instagram.
David Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 19, 2023)
Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby died Jan. 19 at the age of 81, a source close to his family who confirmed the news to the media.
A member of The Byrds, Crosby has been a seminal figure in folk-rock for six years, and he has also had a prolific solo career, especially releasing new music at an almost frenetic pace in recent years. Crosby received 10 Grammy nominations in his lifetime, including Best Musical Film for "Remember My Name," but CSN's Best New Artist award was the only time he won it.
Van Conner (March 17, 1967 – January 17, 2023)
Rock band Screaming Trees lost another member, and Van Conner died Jan. 17 at the age of 55 after a long illness and pneumonia.
Van Conner formed the band Screaming Trees in 1984 with his brother, lead singer Mark Lanangan (who died last February at the age of 57) and drummer Mark Pickerel after they met in high school over a shared taste for punk and classic rock music. The following year, Screaming Trees recorded their first EP, Other Worlds, in their hometown of Ehrensburg, Washington.
Among Van's other endeavors, he formed Solomon Grundy as lead vocalist and released an album with the band in 1990. During his tenure at Screaming Trees, he also performed live with Dinosaur Jr. After Screaming Trees disbanded in 2000, Van reformed the band VALIS and Ox, and occasionally performed as a musician for artists or band accompaniment.
C.J. Harris (January 28, 1991 – January 15, 2023)
Singer C.J. Harris, who participated in the 2014 American idol season, died on January 15 at the age of 31. According to Variety, the Jasper, Alabama native was rushed to a local hospital after a medical emergency, and the Walker County Coroner's Office later confirmed his death.
Harris competed in the 13th season of the singing competition, initially auditioning in Salt Lake City for judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. to sing "Soulshine" by the Allman Brothers. After passing the Hollywood round, the hopeful contestant was wildcarded by the public in the semifinals and earned a chance to enter a live show with his soulful singing of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me."
Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023)
Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, died of Jan. 12 cardiac arrest at age 54 after being hospitalized earlier in the day, her mother said in a statement.
Just a few days ago, she was in Graceland, Tennessee, to mourn the 88th anniversary of her father's birth. Lisa Marie Presley had two albums in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, To Whom It May Concern (No. 5 in 2003) and Now What (No. 9 in 2005). To Whom It May Concern's single "Lights Out" was critically acclaimed and reached Billboard's adult pop charts (No. 18) and pop charts (No. 34) in 2003.
Robbie Bachman (1954 – January 10, 2023)
Robin "Robbie" Bachman, co-founder and drummer of the 1970s rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, died Jan. 10 at the age of 69. Bachman's older brother, BTO frontman Randy Bachman, made the announcement in a Jan. 10 statement.
Formed in 1973, the band born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (also known as the BTO) blazed a trail in the avant-garde rock and disco era with a string of punching AM radio rock songs, including Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "You Ain."
BTO released their self-titled debut album in May 1973, but it was their second album, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II in December 1973, that broke their record in the US, thanks to the iconic hits "Takin' Care of Business" and "Let It Ride". The band's third release, 1974's Not Fragile, reached number one on the Billboard album chart.
Jeff Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023)
Jeff Beck, a member of The Yardbirds and founder of the Jeff Beck Group band, and one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time, died Jan. 10 at the age of 78.
The British rocker brought his bold and powerful guitar style to Yardbirds in 1965, when he joined the British band to replace Eric Clapton on the recommendation of his fellow musician Jimmy Page. He spent 20 months in the band, working on the 1966 album Roger the Engineer.
After being fired from Yardbirds, Jeff Beck recorded several singles produced by Mickie Most, including "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and "Tallyman". He went on to form his own band, Jeff Beck Group, which included vocalist Rod Stewart, bassist Ronnie Wood and drummer Nicky Hopkins, which released two albums together, Truth in 1968 and Beck-Ola in 1969.
Throughout his career, he has won eight Grammys, received 17 nominations, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo singer in 2009.
Gordy Harmon of The Whispers (1943 – January 5, 2023)
Gordy Harmon, founding member of the beloved R&B band The Whispers, died Jan. 5 at the age of 79. News of his death was originally reported by ABC7, which reported that the soul musician had left peacefully in his sleep and that his family believed he had died of natural causes and was not seriously ill.
Gordy Harmon formed The Whispers in 1964 with twin brother Wallace and band members Walter Scott, Marcus Hutson and Nicholas Caldwell in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. During Harmon's time with the band, The Whispers took over the R&B scene with albums like Life and Breath and 1972's The Whispers' Love Story, which climbed to number 34 on Billboard's top R&B/hip-hop album charts.
Alan Rankine (May 17, 1958 – January 2, 2023)
Alan Rankine, co-founder of Scottish pop band The Associates, died on Jan. 2 at the age of 64.
Founded in 1979 by Rankine and singer Billy McKenzie, The Associates were first known in their native Scotland for unauthorized covers of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging." After that, they signed with the Fiction Records label.
The duo released their debut studio album, The Affectionate Punch, in 1980 and became an integral part of the British neo-pop movement. The following year, they released a follow-up compilation called Fourth Drawer Down, which eventually led to three more albums: 1982's "Sulk", "Perhaps" in 1985, and "Wild and Lonely" in 1990.
Later in his life, Rankine worked as a producer for artists such as the Cocteau Twins, Paul Haig and The Pale Fountains. He also released three solo albums, including The World Begins to Look Her Age in 1986, She Loves Me Not in 1987 and The Big Picture Sucks in 1989.
Gangsta Boo (August 7, 1979 – January 1, 2023)
According to reports from Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and others, Gangsta Boo, a pioneer southern female rapper and former member of hip-hop band Three 6 Mafia, has died at the age of 43. She was found dead at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, around 4 p.m. on Jan. 1. At press time, the cause of her death had not been announced. Shortly after news of her death, Three 6 Mafia DJs Paul and Juicy J took to Instagram to pay tribute to their former band members.
Born on August 7, 1979 in Memphis' Whitehaven district, Boo joined the local hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia in 1994 at the age of 15, founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous. That same year, she recorded her first solo song with the band, Cheefa Da Reefa, which set the tone for the Memphis girl. She later released her most popular hit single "Where Dem Dollas At?", a selection from her debut album, Inquiring Minds (1998).
Boo has undergone several transformations throughout her career – changing her name to Lady Boo in 2001 and releasing several solo albums; In 2013, before the death of band member Lord Inframe in December of that year, she joined Da Mafia 6ix; In 2014, she and La Chat, another heroine of Mafia 6ix, also recorded "Witch" together.