Remembering music’s dear departed

I remember Bobby Vee. He was one of the last pop idols during the early ’60s, pre-British Invasion period. Like most stars of the time, he was cute in a wholesome way. 

He was discovered on Feb. 3, 1959, which is known as the day when the music died in pop history. That was when a plane crash killed young music stars Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in one fatal swoop. A fourth Dion DiMucci of Dion and The Belmonts opted not to take the flight to their gig. A call went out to volunteers who could perform at the scheduled show. The 15-year-old Bobby showed up with his band and did Buddy Holly songs.

Vee continued on to bigger successes most notably hit songs like Rubber Ball, Take Good Care Of My Baby, More Than I Can Say and others. He died last Oct. 24 of complications from Alzheimer’s at the age of 73. 

Here are more music stars who I am sure their fans remember at this time: Nov. 3: Nolyn Cabahug, 59, renal failure. Popular tenor best remembered for his work in Noli Me Tangere and La Traviata.

Dec. 13, 2015: Luigi Creatore, 94, pneumonia. Producer, songwriter.  Honeycomb, Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Can’t Help Falling In Love. Dec. 17, Emil Sanglay, 62, heart attack. He composed Penpen de Sarapen and Uhaw Na Lupa and was an expert with native Filipino instruments. Dec. 31: Natalie Cole, 65, heart failure.  Singer, actress. Sophisticated Lady, Unforgettable, Miss You Like Crazy, Someone That I Used To Love.

 Jan. 7: Kitty Kallen, 94, old age. One of the first artists to sell millions of records of songs like Little Things Mean A Lot, The Chapel In The Moonlight, If I Give My Heart To You. Jan. 10: David Bowie, 69, liver cancer. Singer, songwriter, musician, Space Oddity, Starman, Heroes and actor, Labyrinth, The Hunger. Jan. 11: Rene Angelil, 73, throat cancer. Entertainment manager and husband of Celine Dion. Jan.18: Glen Frey, 67, complications after intestinal surgery. Musician, songwriter, member of the Eagles, Hotel California, Heartache Tonight, actor, Jerry Maguire. Jan. 28: Signe Toly Anderson, 74, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Paul Kantner, 75, multiple organ failure and septic shock. Musicians, singers, songwriters, members of Jefferson Airplane. Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, Greasy Heart.

Feb. 3: Maurice White, 74, complications from Parkinson’s disease. musician, songwriter, arranger, producer, founder and the man behind the sound of Earth Wind & Fire. September, After The Love Is Gone.  Feb. 15: Vanity, 57, renal failure. Singer, actress, model, evangelist.  Also known as the partner and protegée of Prince.

March, 2016.  Mar. 4: Joey Marie Feek, 40, cervical cancer. Country and Christian music singer who was half of Rory + Joey with her husband. Their last album together, Hymns That Are Important To Us is one of the year’s big sellers. Mar. 8: George Martin, 90, old age. Music producer, composer and arranger popularly known as The Fifth Beatle for his work in the recordings of the boys from Liverpool. Aside from the Beatles songs, he also won acclaim for Candle In The Wind, Live And Let Die, Walk Away, Ferry Across The Mersey and other hits. Mar. 10: Keith Emerson, 71, suicide by gunshot. Keyboardist of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Black Moon, Lucky Man. His work on the Moog Synthesizer led to many useful developments. Mar. 16: Frank Sinatra Jr. 71, heart attack. Singer, actor and son of the legendary Frank Sinatra. He was on a Sinatra Sings tour when he died. Mar. 29: Patty Duke, 69. Award-winning actress, The Miracle Worker, TV star, The Patty Duke show, and singer, Why Don’t They Understand, Theme from the Valley of The Dolls.

April 3: Gato Barbieri, 83, pneumonia. Free jazz composer and tenor sax artist famous for the theme from the movie Last Tango in Paris. Merle Haggard, 79, pneumonia. Singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-Grammy winner and one of America’s most loved country music artists. April 21: Prince, 57, accidental overdose of painkiller fentanyl.  Academy Award and Grammy-winning singer, composer, multi instrumentalist, arranger, producer, actor, known for Purple Rain, Kiss, Little Red Corvette and other hits.

May 12: Julius La Rosa, 86, natural causes. Singer, Anywhere I Wonder, Three Coins In The Fountain, radio and TV star, Arthur Godfrey Show, Another World. 

June 10: Christina Grimmie, 22, shot at a fan meet. Singer discovered in the show The Voice. June 17: Attrel Cortes, 46, renal disease, (AKA) Prince Be, vocalist of P.M. Dawn known for Set Adrift On Memory Bliss and Looking Through Patient Eyes. June 28: Scotty Moore, 84, age-related diseases. Guitarist and engineer acknowledged as having given Elvis Presley’s early recordings their distinctive sound. Inventor of power chording. 

July 24: Marni Nixon, 86, breast cancer. Singer, actress. Her crystalline soprano sang for Deborah Kerr in The King and I, for Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and others.

Aug. 4: Snaffu Rigor, 69, lung cancer. Composer and record producer. Among his hits were Bulag Pipi Bingi, Bato Sa Buhangin and T.L. Ako Sa ‘yo. Aug. 19: Lou Pearlman, 62, cardiac arrest. Talent manager and record producer. Among his acts were the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync. 

Sept. 17: Charmian Carr, 73, complications from dementia. Singer and actress who played eldest daughter Liesl in The Sound of Music.