Happy Music Monday! Unlike last year, Scott hasn't needed a new RIP post every other day. But we've still lost a few notable music legends since January, so we sadly need to say goodbye. Let's get started, shall we?
Without David Axelrod records Dr. Dre would never have built that gangsta sound that changed hip hop forever. That alone could have been enough to make him a music legend. But flip through Axelrod's production credits and you'll see a man who made a lasting contribution to the world of pop, jazz, soul, and beyond. He did enough for one life but I'm still sorry to lose him.
More goodbyes ahead, sadly.
Even if you don't know the name, you know the sound. John Wetton was maybe the most important part of Asia (and pretty important to other groups too) and his voice/sound/style has become a kind of symbol of that era. If you're a prog person, you'll miss him dearly.
Al Jarreau was a rare crossover artist. Keeping one foot in jazz, he could still pivot the other to pop as needed. Also, the man had an armful of Grammy Awards and he sang the Moonlighting theme. He must have been doing something right.
It's okay if you hadn't heard of this African musician before. But now you've got a chance to make up for that. Onyeabor has a very cool, very interesting sound that attracted fans like David Byrne and, of course, me. He'll be missed.
I found Larry Coryell by accident, back in the days of Napster. I don't remember what I was trying to download, but I loved what I found. Coryell was mostly known as a jazz guitarist, but this piece really blows a lot of rockers out of the water. He passed just after finishing a performance, meaning he was a musician until the very very end.
There's a bonus today, because I can't end Music Monday without playing respect to one of the founding members of the Ohio Players. What else is there to say after that? That's PEAK cool.
Scott saluted Chuck Berry here but otherwise skipped a few notable RIPs for space. Feel free to add your goodbyes to the comments, as always. Also let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.