In Memoriam

[winston]

Reverend Peter Gomes is gone far too soon. His was a voice that needed to be heard far and wide in this country. I loved his book, “The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart”. RIP

[dryrunguy]

I don't know how much this qualifies, but Frank Buckles, the last living US veteran of WWI, died Sunday at the age of 110.

The only remaining known WWI mobilized people worldwide are an Australian man who is 109 and a British woman at 110.

I find this sort of sad... the end of a living memory of a major event (at least from a certain perspective, but how much longer will it take for it to be totally gone given the ages we are talking about).

It definitely qualifies, James. I was struck by this when I heard the news yesterday and felt precisely the same way as you.

[craighickman]

I don't know how much this qualifies, but Frank Buckles, the last living US veteran of WWI, died Sunday at the age of 110.

The only remaining known WWI mobilized people worldwide are an Australian man who is 109 and a British woman at 110.

I find this sort of sad... the end of a living memory of a major event (at least from a certain perspective, but how much longer will it take for it to be totally gone given the ages we are talking about).

Wow, wow, wow.

Thanks, James. I had no clue.

[shtexas]

Former Alice In Chains Bassist Mike Starr: In Memoriam

Posted 40 minutes ago by Kyle Anderson in Music


On Tuesday afternoon (March 8th), former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead in Salt Lake City, Utah. The founding member of the seminal Seattle band was 44 years old and had struggled with addiction his entire life. His passing sent shockwaves through the rock world, and his death has devastated friends, fans and his former bandmates. In recent years, Starr had become more famous for his stint on "Celebrity Rehab" than he ever was as a musician, but his legacy as a key member of Alice in Chains should not be understated.

The core sound of Alice in Chains was as much about Starr as it is about Jerry Cantrell's guitar sludgy guitar licks or late singer Layne Staley's wails from the crypt. The low end of the sonic spectrum was not as important to a lot of the other bands who came up during that era (Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament always seemed like he'd be more comfortable in a jam band, while Nirvana four-stringer Krist Novoselic mostly provided color for Kurt Cobain's guitar riffs, "Come As You Are" notwithstanding), but in order to nail Alice in Chains' particular brand of brutality, Starr's bass was key. The brutality on the low end was terrifying, and the punch of early Alice in Chains hits like "Man in the Box" would be impossible without Starr's muscular chops.

Star shared writing credit on two songs in the AIC catalog: "It Ain't Like That" from Facelift and "Rain When I Die" from Dirt. "It Ain't Like That" is a typical grinder, but "Rain When I Die" is something else entirely. Star's bass opens and anchors the song with a Ginsu-sharp bass roll that provides a bed for some Cantrell riffing before the main hook kicks in. "I think it's gonna rain when I die," Staley moans in the chorus. There's certain a storm front moving through the rock world today.

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/03/09/m...ice-in-chains/

I also knew him better from Celebrity Rehab. He seemed more in control than many of the others. Sad...

[Jtdrum10]

Alice in Chains is one of my favorite bands of all time. This is such sad news

[jjnow]

I just saw on Hardball that Washington Post journalist David Broder died today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...T2011030902919

[oploskoffie]

Nate Dogg Dead: Rapper Nathaniel D. Hale Reportedly Dies At 41

Nate Dogg is dead, according to a report in his hometown Long Beach Press Telegram, which cited a family announcement.

Friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg appeared to confirm the news by tweeting, "RIP NATE DOGG" and later "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met."

TMZ says they have confirmed the report but did not indicate how.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_836364.html

[JTContinental]

Nate Dogg Dead: Rapper Nathaniel D. Hale Reportedly Dies At 41

Nate Dogg is dead, according to a report in his hometown Long Beach Press Telegram, which cited a family announcement.

Friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg appeared to confirm the news by tweeting, "RIP NATE DOGG" and later "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met."

TMZ says they have confirmed the report but did not indicate how.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_836364.html

Poor Nate Dogg has been in poor health for a few years now--he had a couple of pretty serious strokes.

[hurricanejeanne]

Nate Dogg Dead: Rapper Nathaniel D. Hale Reportedly Dies At 41

Nate Dogg is dead, according to a report in his hometown Long Beach Press Telegram, which cited a family announcement.

Friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg appeared to confirm the news by tweeting, "RIP NATE DOGG" and later "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met."

TMZ says they have confirmed the report but did not indicate how.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_836364.html

Just saw this on CNN before I turned to tennis. This makes me feel old.

RIP.

[ptmcmahon]

Regulators!

I remember in junior high...whether or not you liked this song was enough to judge if you were "cool" or not

[Moose]

Soul singer Loleatta Holloway dies aged 64


American soul icon Loleatta Holloway, best known for her 1980 hit "Love Sensation," has died at the age of 64, her manager confirmed.

Chicago-born Holloway had been battling a short period of ill health and died from heart failure late Monday, her manager Ron Richardson told music website spinningsoul.com.

Holloway, who was also known for disco song "Hit and Run," successfully sued UK dance act Blackbox for a share of royalties from the group's 1989 number one single "Ride On Time," which sampled "Love Sensation" without credit.

Her work has also been sampled by Whitney Houston, for the star's 2009 hit "Million-Dollar Bill," and by US singer-turned actor Mark Wahlberg for his 1991 number one "Good Vibrations," with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch



Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/nationa...#ixzz1HKs1Wo52

[Moose]

Seems like most of the reflections on Loleatta that have been offered up refer primarily to her work being sampled in other hits, but she was a huge club presence on her own right on the gay club scene in the 70s. "Dreaming", "Hit And Run", "Love Sensation", "Worn Out Broken Heart" were all huge club hits.

My favorite thing she ever did was the duet with Dan Hartman on "Relight My Fire". I still remember the first time I heard that song, at a club called Rainbows in Philly, which was one of those places that lasted for about 5 years, but at its peak, was the hottest dance club in Center City. To this day I still remember being drenched in sweat after 10 minutes of ridiculously feverish dancing with the guy I was dating at the time. I was 19, it was late summer 1979. The song opened up with this six minute instrumental section called "Vertigo" that was like prep work for the final four minutes when a gospel like piano started playing, the beats revved up to about 135-140 BPM, and people started dancing insanely when Loleatta came in over Dan's vocals with her "Strong Enough to walk on through the night". It was absolutely anthemic.

To this day, that song puts about as much joy in my heart as anything I hear on the radio.

Dan Hartman died of AIDS some years back, now hopefully Loleatta and he can perform again in that great big disco in the sky

[dryrunguy]

Without question, Loleatta was one of the greatest raw talents in the music industry. Had a voice that was instantly recognizable, gritty, and a pure pleasure to hear. Though she never came to my attention until Good Vibrations. At which point I was compelled to do more listening to her previous work.

This really makes me sad. Rest in peace.

[jjnow]

It's not my style of music, but I can appreciate a powerhouse voice regardless of genre.

RIP.

[Moose]

It is also a reminder of another era when you read the line about Holloway suing Blackbox over their sampling of "Love Sensation".

That Blackbox album was huge, both in clubs and on the radio - remember "Everybody Everybody", "Ride On Time", "Strike It Up" - you heard then non-stop in the very early 90s. But they were basically Italian house music producers and a model, who stole borrowed the vocals of Martha Wash, Loleatta Holloway and others for their music. They were sued by Holloway and Martha Wash, and ended up having to admit to what they did. Which was, in Wash's case, to put a "large" talented woman (who many thought was less marketable due to her look) in the studio to record a song, and then put an incredibly attractive model in the video to lip synch the tune. Groups like Snap! and C&C Music Factory did the same thing. It all probably came to a head not only with the lawsuits, but the whole Milli Vanilli situation.