Allen Klein was a record company executive and powerful artist manager during the 1060s. Known as a ruthless businessman, many artists benefited from his abilities to get them better record deals and higher royalties. His client list included Bobby Darin, Herman’s Hermits, Sam Cooke, and most famously, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. His relationships with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles would eventually sour, ending in lawsuits. Some Beatles fans reportedly blamed tensions caused by Allen for driving the band apart. Allen Klein died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 77.
Barry White (Born Barrence Carter)
September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003
A young Barry White was going down a wrong path when he heard Elvis Presley on the radio while serving four months in prison for burglary. He was seventeen at the time, and music became his salvation. After leaving gang life behind, White became a successful songwrither, producer, arranger and performer. In 1969, White hit gold by producing a group called Love Unlimited Orchestra. A string of hits followed, with their “Love’s Theme” hitting the top of the pop charts in 1974 becoming, arguably, the first disco hit ever. White’s rich bass voice would become synonymous with all that was sexy in the ’70s and beyond. Hits like “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Baby” and “Never, Never Give You Up” followed and endeared him to fans thanks to his romantic blend of soul and orchestra. His career slowed down somewhat during the ’80s and part of the ’90s until he was introduced to a whole new generation thanks to an animated appearance in a 1993 episode of The Simpsons. A handful of hits followed throughout the ’90s, as did numerous placements of his songs on popular television shows, including Alley McBeal on which he appeared twice. He was awarded two Grammys for 1999 release, Staying Power. White was plagued with health problems in his later years due in part to high blood pressure. He suffered a stroke in May of 2003 and passed away two months later. He was 58.
As the charismatic front man for the Doors, Jim Morrison exemplified all that is rock music. In life and in death, his impact on popular culture cannot be denied. Moving to Los Angeles in 1964, Morrison enrolled in UCLA’s film school where he met Ray Manzarek. The following year they formed the Doors with Robbie Krieger and John Densmore. In 1967, the Doors signed with Elektra Records and were soon invited to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show where Morrison’s use of the lyric “higher” instead of “better” maddened Sullivan enough to forever ban them from the show. If anything, that only added momentum to the Doors’ ascent, and by the time of their second release, they were one of the most popular bands in the world. The Doors continued to record several now-classic rock albums and blow away concert audiences along the way. By 1969 though, Morrison’s physical appearance had dramatically changed…the once leather-wearing rock god was now a husky bearded mountain-of-a-man more closely resembling a lumberjack than a rock star. And his performances were becoming more erratic as well. One concert in Miami ended with a warrant out for Morrison’s arrest on indecent exposure charges after he tried to incite a riot out of the crowd. He was later exonerated of those charges. Morrison moved to Paris in April of 1971 with long-time companion Pamela Courson. On July 3, 1971, Courson found Morrison dead in his bathtub, but under French law, no autopsy was conducted. The coroner claimed to have found no evidence of foul play and ruled it heart failure. Of course, there have been numerous articles and books written about Morrison’s mysterious death. Some say suicide, while others claim that Courson was responsible either accidentally or intentionally. While still others believe he staged the whole thing and is alive and well somewhere.
Brian Jones was a multi-instrumentalist who is most famously known as founding member and guitarist for the Rolling Stones. By the age of 17, Jones was already adept at the clarinet and saxophone and had taken up the guitar. While in high school, Jones got his then 14 year-old girlfriend Valerie Corbett pregnant and was forced to leave the school in shame. When he announced to Corbettthat he wanted her to have an abortion, she refused and broke up with him for good. After the child’s birth, Corbett gave him to an infertile couple who apparently never learned the identity of the boy’s father. Corbett later married a friend ofJones. By the early ’60s, Jones was in London where he became immersed in he local blues scene, playing with the likes of Alexis Korner, Jack Bruce and Bill Wyman. In a short time, he was forming the nucleus of what would become the Rolling Stones who played their first gig on July 12, 1962. When the group eventually began recording, it was Jones’ exceptional abilities on various instruments that would help define the Rolling Stones sound. As the band’s fame and fortune grew, tension between Jones and the other members followed the same trajectory. By all accounts, his growing addiction to various drugs and alcohol didn’t help. By the summer of 1968, Jones was barely contributing to the band’s recordings, his final participation being on Beggars Banquet before parting ways the following year. By all appearances, his life was on a downward spiral due to his drug dependency, his estrangement from the band that he had created, as well as his growing legal and financial troubles. On the night of July 3, 1969, Brian Jones was found unconscious (and perhaps dead) at the bottom of his swimming pool. As expected, there are many theories about the mysterious death of Brian Jones. Was it suicide? An accident? Did his bad heart or liver simply give out as the coroner stated? Or was he perhaps murdered by a worker at the house? Years later, that builder, Frank Thorogood allegedly confessed to the murder on his deathbed. Although that “confession” was made to one-time Rolling Stones driver, Tom Keylock, many doubt its validity since there were no witnesses to the “murder” or the “confession.”
Donald McPherson was the founding lead singer of R&B vocal trio, the Main Ingredient. Formed in 1964, the group scored a few top 40 R&B hits during the late ’60s. Strickened with leukemia, Donald McPherson died just days short of his 30th birthday in 1971. He was replaced by Cuba Gooding, Sr. who sang lead on such later hits as “Everybody Plays The Fool.”
Johnny Copeland was a Texas Blues singer and guitarist who released his first of many albums in 1956. In his early days, Copeland was very popular along the live circuit, performing with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, Sonny Boy Williamson and Freddie King, but unfortunately that didn’t translate in record sales for him. In the early ’80s however, Copeland moved to New York City and signed with respected blues label, Rounder Records who went on to release a series of critical and commercial successes for him. Copeland, along with Robert Cray and Albert Collins won the Best Traditional Blues Album in 1987 for their Showdown!. Johnny Copeland died on July 3, 1997 of complications from an earlier heart transplant. His daughter, Shemekia Copeland has carried on the family name as a popular blues performer.
Although he was proficient at a number of wind instruments, Colin Cooper is best remembered as the lead singer and saxophonist for UK blues rock band, Climax Blues Band. Often included in lists of “one hit wonders,” Climax Blues Band had a big one with their 1976 release, “Couldn’t Get It Right.” The single landed in the Top 10 of the British singles charts and later, #3 on the US pop charts. It continues to receive significant airplay on U.S. classic rock stations to this day. Cooper died of cancer at the age of 68.
Rudy Vallee was a popular band leader, singer, musician and actor who is, by most accounts, the first of what we would call “crooners.” He became so popular during the ’30s and ’40s that his appearances would stir up an immediate frenzy not seen again until perhaps Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. His mostly female crowds were so loud, he began using a megaphone to sing through the microphones. That megaphone became his trademark. Vallee also acted in several films opposite the likes of Claudette Colbert and Jane Russell. Vallee continued to work well into the ’80s when he actually opened for the Village People on a few occasions. Rudy Vallee died of natural causes at 84 on July 3, 1986.
Homer “Boots” Randolph
June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007
Boots Randolph was an American horn player whose saxophone was a major part of what is know in country music as the “Nashville Sound.” But perhaps his biggest legacy is his tune, “Yakety Sax,” which is known the world over as the Benny Hill theme song. During a career that spanned the better part of four decades, Randolph shared the stage with countless A-List performers and played on recordings by the likes of Elvis Presley, Al Hirt, Roy Orbison, REO Speedwagon, Jerry Lee Lewis and Brenda Lee. Boots Randolph died of a brain hemmorhage at the age of 80.
Noel Sayre was a respected young violinist from the Columbus, OH area. Born in West Virginia, Sayre studied muisic at Ohio University. He played with the West Virginia and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestras. After moving permanently to Columbus in the mid ’90s, Sayre played with rock band, Pretty Mighty Mighty before forming his own band, the Black Swans. Sayre reportedly suffered a heart attack while swimming in a community swimming pool. He passed away after being on life support at an area hospital. He was 37.
Mississippi Fred McDowell
January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born outside of Memphis and picked up the guitar at the age of 14. By his early 20s, McDowell was playing dances in and around Memphis, mastering the art of the slide guitar. In the late ’50s, he was exposed to a larger audience thanks to recordings he made for folklorist, Alan Lomax. He was a direct influence on Bonnie Raitt, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, the Rolling Stones and countless others. McDowell died of cancer at the age of 67.
Born in Russia, Natasha Shneider, was a multi-instrumentalist and singer for, most notably, ’90s rock band Eleven. Shneider moved to the United States, where her band, with former Red Hot Chili Pepper, Jack Irons and husband, Alain Johannes, had a few minor hits through the early ’90s thanks to their hard alternative rock sound that was part grunge and part funk-metal. In later years, Shneider and Johannes lent their talents on recordings by No Doubt, Chris Cornell, and Queens Of The Stone Age, with whom they also toured. Natasha Shneider lost her battle with cancer on July 2, 2008.
Bobby Ubangi (Born Benjamin Womack)
1974 – July 1, 2009
Photo By Chad Radford
Bobby Ubangi was an Atlanta garage band guitarist and singer as well as the city’s most ardent cheerleader for such local heroes as Black Lips and Deerhunter. Over the years he’s play and/or sang in such bands as the Gaye Blades, the Lids, Bobby and the Soft Spots and Carbonas. Ubangi died in hospice care after a year-long struggle with cancer.
Philip “Snakefinger” Lithman
June 17, 1949 – July 1, 1987
Philip Lithman, or as he was known professionally, Snakefinger was an English multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his collaborations with the Residents. Although he came out of the British blues scene, Lithman’s guitar fret work had more in common with Robert Fripp than John Mayall. In 1971, Lithman moved to San Francisco where he hooked up with avant-garde art rockers, the Residents to perform in their live band. Over the next few years would move back to the UK and then back to California where he shopped around a light rock album and eventually hooked back up with the Residents. In 1982, Lithman put together his own backing band called the Vestal Virgins. It was with this band that Lithman was performing in Austria on July 1, 1997. Midway during the show, Lithman died of a heart attack.
Rushton Moreve (Born John Morgan)
November 6, 1948 – July 1, 1981
Rushton Moreve played the bass for Los Angeles rock band, Steppenwolf in the late ’60s and again in 1979. He was also the co-writer of one of the band’s biggest hits, “Magic Carpet Ride.” While on the road with the band in 1969, Moreve announced that he would not go back to Los Angeles for a television date because his wife had convinced him that there would be a major earthquake that would cause California to sink into the ocean. John Kay immediately fired Moreve, and California stayed where it was. He returned to the band in 1978. On July 1, 1981, Rushton Moreve died of injuries he sustained in an earlier motorcycle accident. He was 32.
Luther Vandross was one of America’s most successful R&B singers during the ’80s and ’90s, selling over 25 million albums and scoring eight Grammy wins. In the early part of his career, Vandross sang back up for the likes of Robert Flack, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand. By 1981, Vandross was on his way to becoming a superstar in his own right. The new decade saw him release hit after hit with songs like “Never Too Much,” “A House Is Not A Home,” and “Stop The Love.” But perhaps his biggest legacy is his 1989 recording of Terry Steele’s “Here And Now,” one of the most popular wedding songs out there. In 1985, tragedy struck in the form of a fatal car accident. While at the wheel, Vandross crossed a center divider and crashed into two oncoming vehicles, killing one of his passengers. Vandross pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and later reached an out-of-court financial settlement with the victim’s family. Vandross continued to stay active through the ’90s and into the early 2000’s. Suffering from diabetes and hypertension, Vandross suffered a stroke in early 2003. He suffered a fatal heart attack on July 1, 2005.
Mel Galley is best remembered as a guitarist for David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. Galley joined the band in 1982, contributing to their most fruitful years. His guitar can be heard on such hits as “Here I Go Again” and “Crying In The Rain.” Galley later had to leave the group due to a bad arm injury made worse by a botched surgery. For a time, he likely could never play the guitar again, but was able to come back thanks to a device he had fitted over his hand. Prior to his stint with Whitesnake, Galley played alongside Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes in a band called Trapeze. Galley died of esophagus cancer at the age of 60.
Dennis Brown was a Jamaican reggae star who, over the course of his astonishing 30-year career made over 75 albums. He was much respected by peers and fans the world over for his lovers rock style of reggae. One fan in particular carried tremendous weight within the community, that being Bob Marley, who called Brown “the crown prince of reggae.” Literally growing up in the center of Jamaica’s music scene, the young Brown would witness then and future reggae stars going to and from recording sessions. Bitten by the bug, Brown was just 11 years old when he recorded his first hit, a cover of the Impressions’ “No Man Is An Island,” and by 13, he was releasing his first album. By 1975, Bob Marley was calling him the best reggae singer in the world, and by the time he turned 22, he was already considered a reggae legend the world over. Sadly, ganja wasn’t Brown’s only mind recreation of choice as he developed an addiction to cocaine, perhaps say some, due to the phenomenal recording and performance pace he kept throughout his career. That addiction would prove fatal when he was rushed to the hospital with what turned out to be a collapsed lung. Dying on the operating table on July 1, 1999, many believe the typically non-fatal condition became deadly because of his substance abuse.
Phyllis Hyman was an American R&B singer who first came to prominence as Norman Connors’ duet partner on his 1975 cover of the Stylistics’ “Betcha By Golly Wow.” Throughout her career, Hyman scored several R&B hits including a Top Ten hit with “Can’t We Fall In Love Again” in 1981. That same year, Hyman received a Tony nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her work in Sophisticated Ladies. In 1985, she recorded the theme song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Hyman reportedly suffered from personal and financial troubles and took her own life by overdose at the age of 45.
Richard “Pistol” Allen
August 12, 1932 – June 30, 2002
Richard “Pistol” Allen was a drummer for Motown’s Funk Brothers, the acclaimed session band the provided the sound for many of the greatest songs in American history. His shuffle style drumming could be heard on such classics as the Supremes’ “Baby Love,” Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” and the Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself.” During the ’50s, Allen began playing in clubs throughout Detroit, and it was there that he befriended Motown’s legendary drummer, Benny Benjamin who ultimately helped him get into the Motown family in 1961. In 2002, Allen was a key figure in the critically acclaimed documentary on the Funk Brothers, “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown.” He died of cancer a short time later.
Allen Klein was a record company executive and powerful artist manager during the 1060s. Known as a ruthless businessman, many artists benefited from his abilities to get them better record deals and higher royalties. His client list included Bobby Darin, Herman’s Hermits, Sam Cooke, and most famously, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. His relationships with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles would eventually sour, ending in lawsuits. Some Beatles fans reportedly blamed tensions caused by Allen for driving the band apart. Allen Klein died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 77.
Born in Russia, Natasha Shneider, was a multi-instrumentalist and singer for, most notably, ’90s rock band Eleven. Shneider moved to the United States, where her band, with former Red Hot Chili Pepper, Jack Irons and husband, Alain Johannes, had a few minor hits through the early ’90s thanks to their hard alternative rock sound that was part grunge and part funk-metal. In later years, Shneider and Johannes lent their talents on recordings by No Doubt, Chris Cornell, and Queens Of The Stone Age, with whom they also toured. Natasha Shneider lost her battle with cancer on July 2, 2008.
Philip Lithman, or as he was known professionally, Snakefinger was an English multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his collaborations with the Residents. Although he came out of the British blues scene, Lithman’s guitar fret work had more in common with Robert Fripp than John Mayall. In 1971, Lithman moved to San Francisco where he hooked up with avant-garde art rockers, the Residents to perform in their live band. Over the next few years would move back to the UK and then back to California where he shopped around a light rock album and eventually hooked back up with the Residents. In 1982, Lithman put together his own backing band called the Vestal Virgins. It was with this band that Lithman was performing in Austria on July 1, 1997. Midway during the show, Lithman died of a heart attack.
Dennis Brown was a Jamaican reggae star who, over the course of his astonishing 30-year career made over 75 albums. He was much respected by peers and fans the world over for his lovers rock style of reggae. One fan in particular carried tremendous weight within the community, that being 
