John Rostill was an English musician and songwriter who is perhaps best remembered as the second bassist for one of England’s most successful rock groups, the Shadows. With 69 UK charting singles (including 17 #1s) they have been recognized as England’s third most successful charted singles act in history. Only Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley sit above them. They are also credited for being one of the very first and most influential rock bands to come to prominence in the years leading up to the Beatles. After playing around London, at times backing such visiting acts as the Everly Brothers, Rostill was hired by the Shadows as a replacement for original bassist, Brian Locking. He played with the band from 1963 to 1968. After the group broke up in 1968, Rostill performed in Tom Jones’ touring band during the early ’70s. He was also a successful songwriter, having been recorded by Presley and Olivia Newton-John (“Let Me Be There,” “If You Love Me, Let Me Know,” and “Please Mr. Postman”). By late 1973, the Shadows had reformed and Rostill was about to join back with them when tragedy struck. On November 26, 1973, John Rostill, 31, was accidentally electrocuted while working in his home studio.
Nick Drake was an English singer-songwriter who in spite of selling in the neighborhood of just 5000 copies of each of his albums when released, went on to become one of the most influential and respected artists of his generation. Drake came to relative prominence during the British folk movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Oft compared to the likes of Syd Barrett, Donovan and Van Morrison, Drake released just three albums between 1969 and 1972. They barely registered a blip back then, and the fact that Drake resisted performing live or granting interviews did nothing to help them find their audience. Suffering from depression and insomnia for much of his life, Drake let those demons populate his dark songs. During Drake’s final month’s, he became very reclusive, avoiding friends and family. Mental illness had obviously taken hold of Drake’s spirit. On November 25, 1974, Nick Drake, 26, died of an overdose of antidepressants in his parents home. Local officials ruled it a suicide, though many close to him and with him during his final days strongly believe it was an accidental overdose. Interest in Drake’s music continued to grow throughout the ’80s and ’90s as popular artists like Lucinda Williams, Elliott Smith, REM’s Peter Buck, and Robert Smith and of the Cure began citing him as an influence. His songs also began finding new fans from numerous film and TV placements, including the usage of “Pink Moon” in a popular Volkswagen commercial in 2000.
Freddie Mercury (Born Farrokh Bulsara)
September 5, 1946 – November 24, 1991
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Freddie Mercury would become one of rock’s most beloved and dynamic performers as the lead singer of Queen. When Mercury was 17, he and his family fled Zanzibar to London due to the Zanzibar Revolution. Mercury had been performing in bands since his school days, and he wasn’t about to stop when he got to London. When he graduated from college in the late ’60s, he played in a handful of bands until he joined up with Brian May and Roger Taylor and later John Deacon, in what would soon be called Queen. The band became one of the biggest musical acts during the ’70s and ’80s thanks in part to Mercury’s operatic voice and jaw dropping showmanship. One show in particular, Queen’s comeback of sorts during the Live Aid concerts of 1985, has been called the greatest live performanc in the history of rock music. Mercury wrote many of the band’s biggest hits, including “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Are The Champions,” “Killer Queen,” and arguably their greatest, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In the spring of 1987, Mercury was reportedly diagnosed with AIDS, though it wouldn’t be officially announced publicly until November 23, 1991. Freddie Mercury died the next day of bronchial pneumonia as a result of AIDS.
Kenny MacLean is best remembered as the bassist for Canadian new wave band, Platinum Blonde. Initially formed as a Police tribute band, Platinum Blonde went on to become one Canada’s most popular bands of the the era, selling in the multi-platinum status and earning two Juno nominations. During the ’90s, MacLean released a couple of solo albums and earned a Most Promising Male Vocalist Juno nomination. He went into music education during the 2000s, forming his own teaching academy in 2006. Kenny MacLean, 52, died of natural causes related to his heart on November 24, 2008.
Michael Lee (Born Michael Pearson)
November 19, 1969 – November 24, 2008
Michael Lee was a respected English drummer who, after a short career as the with ’90s rock band, Little Angels, began recording and touring with many of the era’s greatest musicians. His first gig of magnitude came in 1991 when he toured as part of the Cult’s band. In 1993, he began working with Robert Plant on record and on tour. That lead to a Led Zeppelin reunion of sorts when Plant began collaborating with Jimmy Page as Page and Plant. While working with Plant, Lee co-wrote “Please Read the Letter” which won a Grammy for Plant and Alison Krauss in 2009. Throughout his career, Lee also collaborated with a reconfigured Thin Lizzy, Quireboys, Lenny Kravitz, Ian Gillan, and Echo & The Bunnymen. Michael Lee died of an epileptic seizure in his home at the age of 39.
Roy Acuff was a country musician, singer, songwriter, promoter and publisher who was rightfully called, the King of Country Music. Acuff got his start when, in 1932, he was hired to entertain potential customers of a traveling medicine show. He left in 1934 to form his first band, the Crazy Tennesseans with whom he moved to Nashville in 1938. They were soon offered a contract with the Grand Ole Opry. In 1942, Acuff partnered with Fred Rose to open Acuff-Rose Music, which became Nashville’s biggest country music publishing company. The company quickly became very successful by hiring such songwriters as Lefty Frizzell, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and many more. As a performer, Acuff’s career started to falter during the ’50s and ’60s due to the fickle tastes of music fans, but in the early ’70s, he experienced a bit of a comeback thanks to his appearance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. He continued to perform sporadically throughout his later life. Roy Acuff was 89 when he died of heart failure on November 23, 1992.
Donnell “Spade” Cooley
December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969
Photo: Getty Images
Spade Cooley was a western swing fiddle player, band leader and television personality who came to prominence during the 1940s. Born in Oklahoma, Cooley eventually settled in Southern California where he and his band took up residence in the Venice Pier Ballroom. During the first part of the ’40s, the band performed a then-unheard of run of eighteen months. During that time, Cooley released his first of a string of Top 10 singles, “Shame On You.” By the early ’50s, Cooley was a popular face on film and television as well, appearing in almost forty westerns, and hosting his own television program from 1949 to 1959. His career came to an abrupt end in 1961 when he was convicted of beating his second wife, Ella Mae Evans, to death when she told him she wanted a divorce. After serving eight years of his sentence, Spade Cooley was permitted to perform at a sheriff’s benefit concert on November 23, 1969. Following his set, Cooley suffered a fatal heart attack backstage.
Junior Walker (Born Autry Mixon Jr.)
June 14, 1931 – November 23, 1995
Junior Walker was a saxophone player whose band, Junior Walker and the All Stars became part of the Motown family in 1961. In 1965, the band released the Walker penned “Shotgun” which reached the top of the Billboard R&B chart, and hit #4 on the pop chart. The tune became Walker’s signature song even though it was followed by several other hits over the next few years. Walker had another top 5 pop hit with “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” in 1969. In 1981, rock band, Foreigner took tapes of old Walker sax solos to put together their own “solo” to use as the centerpiece of their hit single, “Urgent.” On November 23, 1995, Junior Walker died of cancer at the age of 64.
Robert Lucas was one of four lead singers to front Canned Heat since its inception in 1965. Popular for it’s boogie blues rock anthems like “Going Up The Country” and “On The Road Again,” the band never stopped after the early deaths of it’s co-founders, Al Wilsonand Bob Hite. Lucas fronted the band twice during recent years, first in 1994 for about six years, and then again in 2005 for three years. He left the group to further a solo career which saw the recording of seven albums. Throughout his career, Lucas lent his guitar and harmonica skills to such legends as Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, and Lowell Fulson. On November 23, 2008, Robert Lucas, 46, died of an apparent drug overdose.
Michael Hutchence
January 22, 1960 – November 22, 1997
Michael Hutchence was theinternationally famous and charismatic front man for INXS, one of the most popular bands of the ’80s. Formed in Australia in 1980, the band became stars of their native land by the time their third album, Shabooh Shoobah, was released in 1983. Thanks to infectious tracks like “The One Thing” and “Don’t Change,” the album would prove to be a minor hit in the U.S. as well. By 1985, the band were international superstars thanks to the powerful dance rock of albums, The Swing and Listen Like Thieves. The band’s blend of alternative rock and dance along with Hutchence’s swagger and good looks proved to irresistible to MTV, further cementing their place in rock stardom. During the late ’80s, Hutchence found himself cast in significant roles in a couple of motion pictures, Dogs In Space and Frankenstein Unbound. He also became tabloid fodder due to his relationships with popular actresses, models and singers of the day. The band continued recording and touring through the ’90s, but were not quite repeating the success they found earlier. On November 22, 1997, Michael Hutchence, 37, was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia. Officials ruled the death a suicide by hanging, but the fact that he was found naked and hadn’t left behind a suicide note, some close to him have speculated that he died accidentally during autoerotic asphyxiation.
MC Breed (Born Eric Breed)
1972(?) – November 22, 2008
MC Breed was a Flint, Michigan raised rapper who has been credited as being the first Midwest rapper to break out commercially. Over a recording career that began in 1990, Breed released over a dozen albums from which cames such rap hits as “Aint No Future In You Frontin,” and “Gotta Get Mine” which featured Tupac Shakur. MC Breed, 37, died suddenly of kidney failure on November 22, 2008.
John Osnes was a beloved lounge pianist and singer who first came to prominence in New York City where he played standards and Broadway hits. Over the course of his career, he entertained at private functions held by the likes of Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch and Neil Simon. In 2005, Osnes moved to Los Angeles where he quickly turned The Piano Bar in Hollywood into a favorite entertainment destination for the city’s beautiful people. On November 22, 2008 while walking home from an engagement, Osnes allegedly got into an altercation with a driver he felt came to close to him while walking in a crosswalk. Words and anger ensued and Osnes was allegedly killed during a physical confrontation with the driver. Swedish rapper David Jassey was later arrested for the murder of Osnes.
Alan Gordon was a songwriter many popular songs during the ’60s and ’70s. The list of those who have recorded his songs or co-written with him is staggering. It includes, Three Dog Night, the Turtles, Tammy Wynette, Alice Cooper, Bobby Darin, Freddy Fender, the Ojays, Frank Zappa, and the Lovin’ Spoonful. Two of the biggest hits co-written by Gordon and writing partner, Garry Bonner, were “Happy Together” (the Turtles) and “Celebrate” (Three Dog Night). Alan Gordon was 64 when he died of cancer on November 22, 2009.
Allan Sherman
November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973
Allan Sherman was a popular humorist, television producer and parody singer-songwriter who had a massive top 40 hit with his 1963 novelty single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a song about a child’s rough time at summer camp. It was sung to the tune of “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli. That was followed by another humorous hit, “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.” Such songs were a direct influence on likes of Weird Al Yankovic. Sherman’s career actually began in television. From 1952 to 1967, he was the producer of I’ve Got a Secret, which was based on an idea of his. He began putting out novelty records in the early ’60s. His specialty was taking old folk songs and changing the lyrics to poke fun at his Jewish heritage. One such hit of his was “Sarah Jackman” sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Sherman’s popularity was short lived though, likely due to the fickle tastes of music fans. Some have even specualted that the changing mood in America after the assasanation of John F. Kennedy lead to his decline in popularity. Sherman tended to eat and drink heavily, leading to health problems as he grew older. He suffered from diabetes and lung disease and died of emphysema at the age of 48.
Kevin Dubrow is best remembered as the lead singer of the world famous ’80s metal band, Quiet Riot. The band was formed by guitar great, Randy Rhoadsand Kelly Garni in 1973 with Dubrow coming on board shortly thereafter. After Rhoads left to join Ozzy Osbourne in 1980, the band was relaunched as Dubrow and eventually changed back to the name, Quiet Riot. In 1983, the band released Metal Health, and quickly became one of the era’s most popular rock bands thanks to heavy video play during MTV’s explosive early years. Hits like “Cum On The Noize” and “Metal Health” received heavy video and radio airplay, helping them fill arenas and stadiums across the U.S. and beyond. But by 1987, internal fighting and other factors lead to the departure of Dubrow who formed his own band while the others continued on as Quiet Riot with a different lead singer. Unfortunately, grunge would soon rear its ugly head and cast all such hard rock bands aside for the next several years. Dubrow eventually reunited with yet another line up of the band who, in 2006, released the album Rehab, and began touring again. But on or around November 19, 2007, Kevin Dubrow, age 52, died of an accidental cocaine overdose in his Las Vegas home. Although his body wasn’t discovered until November 25th, the coroner estimated his day of passing likely six days earlier.
Tom Evans is best remembered as founding guitarist and sometime vocalist for British rock band, Badfinger. Evans had been Liverpool when, in 1967, he was asked to join the Iveys, a Welsh band fronted by Pete Ham. Within a year the band was signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records. The Evan’s penned “Maybe Tomorrow” was the band’s first single and cracked the US top 100. In 1969, the band changed its name to Badfinger to record The Magic Christian which included “Come and Get It,” written by Paul McCartney. Evans sang lead on the track which became a top 10 single around the world. One of Badfinger’s follow-up singles was “No Matter What,” another instantly recognizable hit. As a session player, Evans played or sang on John Lennon’sImagine, George Harrion’sAll Things Must Pass, and Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.” Perhaps Evans’ most famous song as a songwriter was the huge Harry Nilsson hit, “Without You,” co-written with Ham. In 1975, Pete Ham committed suicide, putting an end to the original Badfinger. Evans continued on performing in other bands, including a couple of new versions of Badfinger. On November 19, 1983, Tom Evans, 36, took his own life by hanging from a tree in his yard. It has been speculated that he was overwhelmed by disputes over royalties and legal action that could have potentially destroyed him financially.
Doug Sahm was a Texas singer, songwriter and musician who was musical styles covered a wide spectrum, from country to Cajun to blues to western swing to rock. He was Tex-Mex. And he was Americana, some 30 years before the term was coined. A child prodigy, Sahm mastered at least a dozen instruments, his earliest being the guitar, violin and guitar by the time he was five. It was that same year he made his radio debut, and when he was 11, he made his first record. He even performed on stage with Hank Williams Sr. before he turned 12. By the end of the ’50s, Sahm was fronting his own band and touring around the clubs of Texas. In the mid ’60s, he formed the Sir Douglas Quintet, choosing the name as to be less conspicuously American during the British invasion. It only worked until Sahm opened his mouth and the band kicked into their obvious Tex Mex flavored rock ‘n roll. The band did score a top 20 hit in 1965 with “She’s About a Mover.” Three years later they hit again with “Mendocino” which cracked the top 15 and sold in excess of 3 million copies worldwide. Sahm was also a favorite session player and singer throughout his career. He’s recorded with the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and the Grateful Dead. In 1990, Sahm formed the Texas Tornados, a so-called Tex-Mex supergroup with Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez and old friend, Augie Meyers. The group recorded four albums including their Grammy wining debut, Texas Tornados. On November 19, 1999, Doug Sahm, 58, suffered a fatal heart attack while asleep in a Taos, New Mexico hotel room.
Danny Whitten was a guitarist who is best remembered for his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse. He also was a talented songwriter whose “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” was a hit for both Rod Stewart and Rita Coolidge. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Whitten eventually moved to San Francisco and joined a band would morph into the Rockets. The band struggled to find its place in the music industry when in 1969, they found themselves playing at the Whiskey A Go-Go. One particular night, someone in the club took notice and approached the band to see if they would be interested in jamming with him. That person was Neil Young, and before long, he invited the core of the band, Whitten, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, to record with him. It was during the early sessions that they said goodbye to the Rockets and became forever known as Crazy Horse. Whitten’s contributions to Neil Young and Crazy Horse can be heard on such landmark albums as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Goldrush, Tonight’s The Night, and Crazy Horse’s self-titled debut of 1971. It has been said that the sound this band created with Young heavily influenced the grunge sound of the ’90s. Unfortunately, Whitten was struggling with a heroin addiction at the time and his abilities were becoming impaired. Young’s poignant “The Needle and the Damage Done” is reportedly about Whitten. By 1972, Whitten’s addiction was so strong that Young had to fire him from the band. In November of that year, Young bought Whitten a ticket to Los Angeles and gave him money for rehab. Sadly though, Whitten took that money and bought heroin, overdosed and died at the age of 29.
James Alan Hull
February 20, 1945 – November 17, 1995
Alan Hull was the lead singer and primary songwriter for British folk rock band, Lindisfarne. Formed in 1970, Lindisfarne had a handful of UK hit singles including, “Lady Eleanor,” “Meet Me On The Corner,” and “Fog On The Tyne.” Hull stayed active with different formations of Lindisfarne through the ’70s and then continued on basically as a solo artist up until his death. Alan Hull, 50, died suddenly of heart thrombosis while working on a new album.
Dino Valente (Born Chet Powers)
November 7, 1943 – November 16, 1994
Chet Powers was a singer-songwriter who was better known by his professional name, Dino Valenti. Valenti got his start during the early ’60s in the same Greenwich Village coffeehouses and clubs as Bob Dylan, Josh White and Paul Stookey. Valenti soon moved to Los Angeles where he penned perhaps his most famous song, “Get Together” (under Chet Powers). The song would become popularized by Jefferson Starship and the Younbloods. He soon found himself as a member of San Francisco psychedelic rock band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, but after one of several drug arrests, he was kicked out of the band. Valenti did return to the band’s fold in later years, contributing several songs. Valenti underwent brain surgery in 1981, so his future work was limited to local gigs due to the initial brain illness. He was 57 when he died suddenly in his home on November 16, 1994.
John Rostill was an English musician and songwriter who is perhaps best remembered as the second bassist for one of England’s most successful rock groups, the Shadows. With 69 UK charting singles (including 17 #1s) they have been recognized as England’s third most successful charted singles act in history. Only Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley sit above them. They are also credited for being one of the very first and most influential rock bands to come to prominence in the years leading up to the Beatles. After playing around London, at times backing such visiting acts as the Everly Brothers, Rostill was hired by the Shadows as a replacement for original bassist, Brian Locking. He played with the band from 1963 to 1968. After the group broke up in 1968, Rostill performed in Tom Jones’ touring band during the early ’70s. He was also a successful songwriter, having been recorded by Presley and Olivia Newton-John (“Let Me Be There,” “If You Love Me, Let Me Know,” and “Please Mr. Postman”). By late 1973, the Shadows had reformed and Rostill was about to join back with them when tragedy struck. On November 26, 1973, John Rostill, 31, was accidentally electrocuted while working in his home studio.
Nick Drake was an English singer-songwriter who in spite of selling in the neighborhood of just 5000 copies of each of his albums when released, went on to become one of the most influential and respected artists of his generation. Drake came to relative prominence during the British folk movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Oft compared to the likes of 
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Freddie Mercury would become one of rock’s most beloved and dynamic performers as the lead singer of Queen. When Mercury was 17, he and his family fled Zanzibar to London due to the Zanzibar Revolution. Mercury had been performing in bands since his school days, and he wasn’t about to stop when he got to London. When he graduated from college in the late ’60s, he played in a handful of bands until he joined up with Brian May and Roger Taylor and later John Deacon, in what would soon be called Queen. The band became one of the biggest musical acts during the ’70s and ’80s thanks in part to Mercury’s operatic voice and jaw dropping showmanship. One show in particular, Queen’s comeback of sorts during the Live Aid concerts of 1985, has been called the greatest live performanc in the history of rock music. Mercury wrote many of the band’s biggest hits, including “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Are The Champions,” “Killer Queen,” and arguably their greatest, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In the spring of 1987, Mercury was reportedly diagnosed with AIDS, though it wouldn’t be officially announced publicly until November 23, 1991. Freddie Mercury died the next day of bronchial pneumonia as a result of AIDS.
Kenny MacLean is best remembered as the bassist for Canadian new wave band, Platinum Blonde. Initially formed as a Police tribute band, Platinum Blonde went on to become one Canada’s most popular bands of the the era, selling in the multi-platinum status and earning two Juno nominations. During the ’90s, MacLean released a couple of solo albums and earned a Most Promising Male Vocalist Juno nomination. He went into music education during the 2000s, forming his own teaching academy in 2006. Kenny MacLean, 52, died of natural causes related to his heart on November 24, 2008.
Michael Lee was a respected English drummer who, after a short career as the with ’90s rock band, Little Angels, began recording and touring with many of the era’s greatest musicians. His first gig of magnitude came in 1991 when he toured as part of the Cult’s band. In 1993, he began working with Robert Plant on record and on tour. That lead to a Led Zeppelin reunion of sorts when Plant began collaborating with Jimmy Page as Page and Plant. While working with Plant, Lee co-wrote “Please Read the Letter” which won a Grammy for Plant and Alison Krauss in 2009. Throughout his career, Lee also collaborated with a reconfigured Thin Lizzy, Quireboys, Lenny Kravitz, Ian Gillan, and Echo & The Bunnymen. Michael Lee died of an epileptic seizure in his home at the age of 39.
Junior Walker was a saxophone player whose band, Junior Walker and the All Stars became part of the Motown family in 1961. In 1965, the band released the Walker penned “Shotgun” which reached the top of the Billboard R&B chart, and hit #4 on the pop chart. The tune became Walker’s signature song even though it was followed by several other hits over the next few years. Walker had another top 5 pop hit with “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” in 1969. In 1981, rock band, Foreigner took tapes of old Walker sax solos to put together their own “solo” to use as the centerpiece of their hit single, “Urgent.” On November 23, 1995, Junior Walker died of cancer at the age of 64.
Michael Hutchence was the internationally famous and charismatic front man for INXS, one of the most popular bands of the ’80s. Formed in Australia in 1980, the band became stars of their native land by the time their third album, Shabooh Shoobah, was released in 1983. Thanks to infectious tracks like “The One Thing” and “Don’t Change,” the album would prove to be a minor hit in the U.S. as well. By 1985, the band were international superstars thanks to the powerful dance rock of albums, The Swing and Listen Like Thieves. The band’s blend of alternative rock and dance along with Hutchence’s swagger and good looks proved to irresistible to MTV, further cementing their place in rock stardom. During the late ’80s, Hutchence found himself cast in significant roles in a couple of motion pictures, Dogs In Space and Frankenstein Unbound. He also became tabloid fodder due to his relationships with popular actresses, models and singers of the day. The band continued recording and touring through the ’90s, but were not quite repeating the success they found earlier. On November 22, 1997, Michael Hutchence, 37, was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia. Officials ruled the death a suicide by hanging, but the fact that he was found naked and hadn’t left behind a suicide note, some close to him have speculated that he died accidentally during autoerotic asphyxiation.
John Osnes was a beloved lounge pianist and singer who first came to prominence in New York City where he played standards and Broadway hits. Over the course of his career, he entertained at private functions held by the likes of Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch and Neil Simon. In 2005, Osnes moved to Los Angeles where he quickly turned The Piano Bar in Hollywood into a favorite entertainment destination for the city’s beautiful people. On November 22, 2008 while walking home from an engagement, Osnes allegedly got into an altercation with a driver he felt came to close to him while walking in a crosswalk. Words and anger ensued and Osnes was allegedly killed during a physical confrontation with the driver. Swedish rapper David Jassey was later arrested for the murder of Osnes.
Allan Sherman was a popular humorist, television producer and parody singer-songwriter who had a massive top 40 hit with his 1963 novelty single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” a song about a child’s rough time at summer camp. It was sung to the tune of “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli. That was followed by another humorous hit, “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.” Such songs were a direct influence on likes of Weird Al Yankovic. Sherman’s career actually began in television. From 1952 to 1967, he was the producer of I’ve Got a Secret, which was based on an idea of his. He began putting out novelty records in the early ’60s. His specialty was taking old folk songs and changing the lyrics to poke fun at his Jewish heritage. One such hit of his was “Sarah Jackman” sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Sherman’s popularity was short lived though, likely due to the fickle tastes of music fans. Some have even specualted that the changing mood in America after the assasanation of John F. Kennedy lead to his decline in popularity. Sherman tended to eat and drink heavily, leading to health problems as he grew older. He suffered from diabetes and lung disease and died of emphysema at the age of 48.
Doug Sahm was a Texas singer, songwriter and musician who was musical styles covered a wide spectrum, from country to Cajun to blues to western swing to rock. He was Tex-Mex. And he was Americana, some 30 years before the term was coined. A child prodigy, Sahm mastered at least a dozen instruments, his earliest being the guitar, violin and guitar by the time he was five. It was that same year he made his radio debut, and when he was 11, he made his first record. He even performed on stage with 
Alan Hull was the lead singer and primary songwriter for British folk rock band, Lindisfarne. Formed in 1970, Lindisfarne had a handful of UK hit singles including, “Lady Eleanor,” “Meet Me On The Corner,” and “Fog On The Tyne.” Hull stayed active with different formations of Lindisfarne through the ’70s and then continued on basically as a solo artist up until his death. Alan Hull, 50, died suddenly of heart thrombosis while working on a new album.
