Don Hill was a popular New York City club manager and owner who helped make the Cat Club, and later his own Don Hill’s nightclub THE places to be seen for rock stars and celebrities of every stripe. Born and raised in New Jersey, Hill was just 18 when landed his first Manhattan job at Kenny’s Castaways. In 1985, he took over management of the Cat Club and began booking talent like G.G. Allin, Poison, Soundgarden and L.A. Guns – it was the first place most New Yorkers caught a glimpse of these acts. The Cat Club stage also played host to David Bowie and Peter Frampton during the ’80s. In 1993, he opened Don Hill’s which again, became and still is, the hangout of choice for many of rock’s elite. Don Hill was 66 when he passed away on March 31, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Mel McDaniel was a successful country music artist who scored several hits during the 1980s. Born and raised in Oklahoma, McDaniel was one of millions of kids who were inspired to make music after witnessing Elvis Presley on television. Thankfully for us, he remained faithful to that dream. McDaniel eventually landed in Nashville where, during the mid ’70s, he landed a deal with Capitol Records. By the late ’80s, McDaniel had released such hit records as “Louisiana Saturday Night,” “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” and the Bruce Springsteen-penned, “Stand On It.” In 1996, he was seriously injured when he took a fall from a Lafayette, Louisiana stage and never fully recovered. He then suffered a major heart attack in 2009. But it was ultimately cancer that took Mel McDaniel’s life on March 31, 2011. He was 62.
Harley Allen was a country singer and highly sought-after songwriter. Born to bluegrass legendRed Allen in Dayton, Ohio, Allen eventually landed in Nashville and began releasing a string of albums with his brothers, the Allen Brothers, and on his own. In 2002, his voice could be heard on the Grammy-winning “Man Of Constant Sorrow” from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. As an in-demand songwriter, Allen penned or co-wrote charting records for the likes of Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss and many many more. His “The Baby” ended up being a huge hit for Blake Shelton. Harley Allen died of lung cancer on March 30, 2011. He was 55.
DJ Megatron (Born Corey McGriff) DOB Unknown – March 27, 2011
Corey McGriff, who was known professionally as DJ Megatron, was an up-and-coming radio and television personality who is perhaps best remembered as a DJ on New York City’s Hot97, and for his regular appearances on BET’s 106th and Park. Over the course of his young rising career, McGriff also worked at KISS-FM in New York, HOT 97.7 in Boston, and 100.3 The Beat in Philadelphia. He also dabbled in acting, appearing in such films as Blood Of A Champion and State Property 2. In the early hours of March 27, 2011, Corey McGriff was shot and killed near his Staten Island home. No other information was immediately released.
Henrik Fryman is perhaps best remembered as the longtime bassist for Swedish punk/metal legends, Disfear. In 1990, Fryman joined Anti-Bofars, and within a year, the band re-christened themselves as Disfear and went on to become one of the foundations of D-beat, a sub-genre of hardcore that borrowed heavily from both punk and British metal. Over the next twenty years, Disfear released several albums on such labels as Relapse and Osmose while touring with such bands as GBH and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. On March 25, 2011, Henrik Fryman died following a long battle with cancer.
Kevin Foley is perhaps best remembered as the bassist for Tommy Stinson’s post Replacements band, Bash & Pop. Formed in 1992, the band released one moderately successful album, Friday Night Is Killing Me before disbanding in 1994. The album is a must-have for core Replacements fans and those of the mid ’90s Minneapolis rock scene. Bash & Pop also included Foley’s brother, Steve Foley who died suddenly in 2008. Kevin Foley was 52 when he also died unexpectedly on March 24, 2011. Although cause of death was not immediately released, it has been reported that family members believe a heart condition might have been to blame.
Frankie Sparcello was the recent bassist for the re-formed New Orleans groove metal band, Exhorder. Originally formed in 1985, Although pioneers of a sound that would later include the likes of Machine Head, White Zombie, and Pantera, Exhorder never quite reached the level of success found by those bands. After the group’s original bassist left in 1990, Sparcello signed on to replace him. Exhorder soon disbanded, but would later reunite with Sparcello coming back into the fold in 2010. Frankie Sparcello passed away on March 22, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Zoogz Rift (Born Robert Pawlikowski) July 10, 1953 – March 22, 2011
Zoogz Rift was an experimental rock musician and professional wrestling personality. Musically influenced by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, Rift began making records at the tail end of the ’70s. He recorded for Snout and later, the influential SST Records. Described as experimental and free-form, Rift’s music found an audience with fans of less conventional rock music. His involvement with professional wrestling included a run as Vice President of the Universal Wrestling Federation and as host of the online wrestling program, Puke-A-Mania, a weekly review of the goings-on of the WWE and TNA leagues. Zoogz Rift was 57 when he passed away on March 22, 2011. His death was attributed to diabetes.
Thanks to Mike Woodford and Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the help
Loleatta Holloway November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011
Loleatta Holloway was a beloved soul and disco singer who, over the course of a career that spanned more than 40 years, landed numerous singles on the pop, R&B and dance charts. Her hits included such dance floor fillers as “Love Sensation” and “Hit and Run,” as well as the soulful ballad, “Cry To Me.” But it might have been her powerful vocal parts (sampled) in Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch’s 1991 #1 smash “Good Vibrations” that she is most often associated with. The song would signal a comeback for Holloway and help propel Marky Mark (aka Mark Wahlberg) to an eventual world class film career. It was Holloway’s original recording of “Love Sensation” that is predominantly featured on the record. Holloway began her career as a Gospel singer in Chicago, at one time even singing with the great Albertina Walker. In the ’70s she began making soul records and by the end of the decade she was delivering disco hits. That continued until disco took a back seat to new wave and hair metal during the mid to late ’80s. And then as hip-hop and sampling took hold in the ’90s, Holloway was back in vogue. She continued recording and performing live well into the 2000s. On March 21, 2011 Loleatta Holloway passed away following a brief illness. She was 64.
Joseph “Pinetop” Perkins July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011
Pinetop Perkins was a Delta blues pianist and singer whose remarkable career spanned from the 1920s until his passing in 2011. At 97, he was one of the last surviving original Delta bluesmen who were still playing and releasing records. In March of 2011, he became the oldest person to ever win a Grammy. It was for Joined At The Hip that he recorded with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Perkins began his career as a guitarist, but was forced to switch to piano after he injured the tendons in one of his arms. By the 1950s, he was touring with Earl Hooker. He also made his first record, “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” at Sam Phillips’ legendary Sun Studios in Memphis. Perkins moved to Chicago in 1968 and within a year, he was hired by Muddy Waters to replace Otis Spann in his band. Perkins played with Waters for more than a decade. It wasn’t until 1988 – and countless vinyl appearances as a sideman – that Perkins finally released his first album, After Hours. He went on to record several more over the next three decades. In 2004, while driving in La Porte, Indiana, 94-year-old Perkins was struck by a train – yes a TRAIN – and although his car was demolished, he walked away with minor injuries. Perkins continued to perform a couple shows nearly every week in Austin where he had eventually settled. Pinetop Perkins passed away on March 21, 2011.
Harley Allen was a country singer and highly sought-after songwriter. Born to bluegrass legend 
Corey McGriff, who was known professionally as DJ Megatron, was an up-and-coming radio and television personality who is perhaps best remembered as a DJ on New York City’s Hot97, and for his regular appearances on BET’s 106th and Park. Over the course of his young rising career, McGriff also worked at KISS-FM in New York, HOT 97.7 in Boston, and 100.3 The Beat in Philadelphia. He also dabbled in acting, appearing in such films as Blood Of A Champion and State Property 2. In the early hours of March 27, 2011, Corey McGriff was shot and killed near his Staten Island home. No other information was immediately released.
Henrik Fryman is perhaps best remembered as the longtime bassist for Swedish punk/metal legends, Disfear. In 1990, Fryman joined Anti-Bofars, and within a year, the band re-christened themselves as Disfear and went on to become one of the foundations of D-beat, a sub-genre of hardcore that borrowed heavily from both punk and British metal. Over the next twenty years, Disfear released several albums on such labels as Relapse and Osmose while touring with such bands as GBH and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. On March 25, 2011, Henrik Fryman died following a long battle with cancer.
Frankie Sparcello was the recent bassist for the re-formed New Orleans groove metal band, Exhorder. Originally formed in 1985, Although pioneers of a sound that would later include the likes of Machine Head, White Zombie, and Pantera, Exhorder never quite reached the level of success found by those bands. After the group’s original bassist left in 1990, Sparcello signed on to replace him. Exhorder soon disbanded, but would later reunite with Sparcello coming back into the fold in 2010. Frankie Sparcello passed away on March 22, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Zoogz Rift was an experimental rock musician and professional wrestling personality. Musically influenced by 
Loleatta Holloway was a beloved soul and disco singer who, over the course of a career that spanned more than 40 years, landed numerous singles on the pop, R&B and dance charts. Her hits included such dance floor fillers as “Love Sensation” and “Hit and Run,” as well as the soulful ballad, “Cry To Me.” But it might have been her powerful vocal parts (sampled) in Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch’s 1991 #1 smash “Good Vibrations” that she is most often associated with. The song would signal a comeback for Holloway and help propel Marky Mark (aka Mark Wahlberg) to an eventual world class film career. It was Holloway’s original recording of “Love Sensation” that is predominantly featured on the record. Holloway began her career as a Gospel singer in Chicago, at one time even singing with the great 
Pinetop Perkins was a Delta blues pianist and singer whose remarkable career spanned from the 1920s until his passing in 2011. At 97, he was one of the last surviving original Delta bluesmen who were still playing and releasing records. In March of 2011, he became the oldest person to ever win a Grammy. It was for Joined At The Hip that he recorded with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Perkins began his career as a guitarist, but was forced to switch to piano after he injured the tendons in one of his arms. By the 1950s, he was touring with 
The Music's Over 