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R. I. P.
to some music V.I.P.s
Some were my favorites, some not. They all will be missed.
No, I do NOT remember who they all are.
Sorry for any innacuracies. It's amazing how much conflicting information can be found and how many pages called "biographies" don't list DOBs or DODs.

Mark Jacobson
January 1951 - April 2011
A Very Important Person to me - one of my oldest and dearset friends. We shared a lot of music and music experiences together. The hours spent in my room listening to new album after new album... I will never be able to listen to much of this stuff without thinking about him, which is just fine with me - especially some of the slightly more obscure artists/albums we got turned onto thogether: Sweet Thursday, Mark-Almand Band, Goose Creek Symphony, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Firesign Theater, A Child's Garden Of Grass, Zobo Funn Band. Of course we also listened to the more mainstream contemporary, progressive music like The Dead, David Bromberg, The Band, Cream, The Doors, Zeppelin, Moody Blues...Shit, the list goes on forever. Mark worked for WLIR during their heyday and we saw many Tuesday night Live concerts @ Ulrtra Sonic Recording Studio in Hempstead. Yeah, he's a music VIP all right. I can't believe I will never see him or speak with him again.

Michael Rothbard
Anyone who’d been to IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington, NY, knows Michael. He’s responsible for some of Long Island's best concerts. He was a friendly, gracious, and welcoming man. I took a workshop (TV production & editing) run by Michael sometime around 1980. Decades later I had the chance to speak with him at one of the IMAC concerts and I mentioned the workshop. His first question was: “did you enjoy it?” I did!
Newsday WFUV Blog


Well THIS really sucks! Very glad I got to see him @ The Iridium. I regret that it was only once.
Less Paul - He put the V.I. in V.I.P.
June 9, 1915 - August 13, 2009

"This is the only thing that I am sure of, and that's all that lives is gonna die..." On my Top Ten favorites for almost forty years.
Arthur Lee
April 7, 1945 - August 3, 2006
  

"...And when the band you're in starts playing different tunes..." On July 11, 2006, David Bowie said: "I can't tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the sixties will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also, along with Anthony Newley, he was the first guy I'd heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."
Syd Barrett
January 6, 1946 - July 7, 2006

 

*Anyone who influenced the BEATLES, as well as other musicians, is surley a music VIP.
**Not a "music" VIP, but certainly a recording VIP. Along with Richard Pryor, one of my all-time favorite comedians.

2012
Tony Ardolino
1/12/55 - 1/6/12
   Etta James
1/25/38 - 1/20/12
Johnny Otis
12/28/21 - 1/17/12
      

2011
Gerry Rafferty
4/16/47 - 1/4/11
   Michael "Wurzel" Burston
10/23/49 - 7/9/11
Don Kirshner
4/17/34 - 1/17/11
   Alphonso "Fonce" Mizell
1/15/43 - 7/11/11
Gladys Horton
1944 - 1/26/11
   Sidney "Sid" Cooper
11/2/18 - 7/18/11
Gary Moore
4/4/52 - 2/6/11
   Amy Winehouse
9/14/83 - 7/23/11
John Studebaker "Jack" Hardy
11/23/47 - 3/11/11
   Bill Morrissey
11/25/51 - 7/23/11
Joseph William (Joe Willy) "Pinetop" Perkins
7/7/13 - 3/21/11
   Dan Peek
11/1/50 - 7/24/11
Phoebe Snow
7/17/50 - 4/26/11
   Nick Ashford
5/4/42 - 8/22/11
Gil Scott-Heron
4/1/49 - 5/27/11
   Jerry Lieber
4/25/33 - 8/22/11
Clarence Clemons
1/11/42 - 6/18/11
   Dobie Gray
6or7/26/40 - 12/7/11

2010
Teddy Pendergrass
3/26/50 - 1/13/10
   Pete Quaife
12/31/43 - 6/24/10
Kate McGarrigle
2/6/46 - 1/18/10
   Daniel Cho
?? - 7/6/10
Lynn Taitt
6/22/34 - 1/20/10
   Tuli Kupferberg
9/28/23 - 7/12/10
Dale Hawkins
8/22/36 - 2/13/10
   Andy Hummel
1/26/51 - 7/19/10
Doug Fieger
8/20/52 - 2/14/10
   Al Goodman
3/31/43 - 7/26/10
Tom "T Bone" Wolk
12/24/51 - 2/28/10
   Richard "Scar" Lopez
5/18/45 - 7/30/10
Leslie Duncan
8/12/43 - 3/12/10
   Mitch Miller
7/4/1911 - 7/31/10
Alex Chilton
12/28/50 - 3/17/10
   Bobby Hebb
7/26/38 - 8/3/10
Johnny Maestro
5/7/39 - 3/25/10
   Phelps "Catfish" Collins
1944 - 8/6/10
Herb Ellis
8/4/21 - 3/28/10
   Richard Hayward
2/6/46 - 8/12/10
Malcolm McClaren
1/22/46 - 4/8/10
   Kenny Edwards
2/10/46 - 8/18/10
Dave Fisher
7/19/40 - 5/7/10
   George David Weiss
4/9/21 - 8/23/10
Lena Horne
6/30/17 - 5/9/10
   Eddie Fisher
8/10/28 - 9/22/10
Ronnie James Dio
7/10/42 - 5/16/10
   Joan Sutherland
11/7/26 - 10/10/10
Ali-Ollie Woodson
9/12/51 - 5/30/10
   Solomon Burke
3/21/40 - 10/10/10
Tony Peluso
3/28/50 - 6/5/10
   Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet)
1/15/41 - 12/17/10
Ken Brown
1940 - 6/9/10
   Bernie Wilson
7/12/46 - 12/26/10
Jimmy Dean
8/10/28 - 6/13/10
   BillyTaylor
7/24/21 - 12/28/10

2009 is not looking like a good year.

2009
Ron Asheton
7/17/48 - 1/6/09
   Jay Bennett
11/15/63 - 5/24/09
Leroy "Hog" Cooper
8/31/28 - 1/15/09
   Ko Ko Taylor
9/28/28 - 6/3/09
David "Fathead" Newman
2/24/33 - 1/20/09
   Kenny Rankin
2/10/40 - 6/7/09
Billy Powell
6/3/52 - 1/28/09
   Bob Bogle
6/16/34 - 6/14/09
Hank Crawford
12/21/34 - 1/29/09
   Sky Saxon
1937-1947?? - 6/25/09
John Martyn
10/11/48 - 1/29/09
   Michael Jackson
8/29/58 - 6/25/09
Dewey Martin
10/30/42 - 1/31/09
   Fayette Pinkey
??/??/48? - 6/27/09
Lux Interior
10/21/46 - 2/4/09
   Gordon Waller
6/4/45 - 7/17/09
Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez
2/2/33 - 2/9/09
   Willy DeVille
8/27/50 - 8/6/09
Molly Bee
8/18/39 - 2/11/09
   Rashied Ali
7/1/35 - 8/12/09
Estelle Bennett
7/22/41 - 2/11/09
   Les Paul
6/9/15 - 8/13/09
Coleman Mellett
5/27/74 - 2/12/09
   Ellie Greenwich
10/23/40 - 8/26/09
Gerry Niewood
4/6/43 - 2/12/09
   Jim Carroll
8/1/49 - 9/11/09
Louie (Louis) Bellson
7/6/24 - 2/14/09
   Mary Travers
11/9/36 - 9/16/09
Joe Cuba
4/22/31 - 2/15/09
   Dickie Peterson
9/12/46 - 10/12/09
Kelly Groucutt
9/8/45 - 2/19/09
   Al Martino
10/7/27 - 10/13/09
Randy Bewley
7/25/55 - 2/25/09
   Michael Rothbard
- 10/30/09
Hank Locklin
2/15/18 - 3/8/09
   Eric Woolfson
3/18/45 - 12/2/09
Uriel Jones
6/13/34 - 3/24/09
   James Gurley
12/22/39 - 12/20/09
(England) Dan Seals
2/8/48 - 3/25/09
   Vic Chesnutt
11/12/64 - 12/25/09
Bud Shank
5/27/26 - 4/2/09
   Rowland S. Howard
10/24/59 - 12/30/09
Ean Evans
1960/1961? - 5/6/09
  
Glad 200
 9 is over!

2008
John Stewart
9/5/39 - 1/19/08
   Jerry Wexler
1/10/17 - 8/15/08
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi *
1/12/18 - 2/5/08
   Le Roi Moore
9/7/61 - 8/19/08
Buddy Miles
9/5/47 - 2/26/08
   Richard Wright
7/28/43 - 9/15/08
Mike Smith
12/6/43 - 2/29/08
   Norman Whitfield
5/12/40 - 9/16/08
Jeff Healay
3/25/66 - 3/2/08
   Neil Hefti
10/29/22 - 10/11/08
(Norman) Hurricane Smith
2/22/23 - 3/3/08
   Levi Stubbs
6/6/36 - 10/17/08
Ola Brunkert
9/15/46 - 3/17/08
   Merl Saunders
2/14/34 - 10/24/08
Neil (Stanley) Aspinall
10/10/41 - 3/24/08
   Jimmy Carl Black
2/1/38 - 11/1/08
Danny Federici
1/23/50 - 4/17/08
   Miriam Makeba
4/4/32 - 11/9/08
Eddy Arnold
5/15/18 - 5/8/08
   Mitch Mitchell
7/9/47 - 11/12/08
Bo Diddley
12/30/28 - 6/2/08
   Odetta (Holmes)
12/31/30 - 12/2/08
Al Wilson
6/19/39 - 4/21/08
   Eartha Kitt
1/17/27 - 12/25/08
George Carlin **
5/12/37 - 6/22/08
   Delaney Bramlett
7/1/39 - 12/27/08
Artie Traum
4/3/43 - 7/20/08
   Freddie Hubbard
4/7/38 - 12/29/08
Isaac Hayes
8/20/42 - 8/10/08
      

2007
SneakyPete Kleinow
8/20/34 - 1/6/07
   Hank Medress
11/19/38 - 6/18/07
Alice Coltrane
8/27/37 - 1/12/07
   Beverly Sills
5/25/29 - 7/2/07
Michael Brecker
3/29/49 - 1/13/07
   Lee Hazelwood
7/9/29 - 8/4/07
Denny Doherty
11/29/41 - 1/19/07
   Max Roach
1/10/24 - 8/16/07
Billy Henderson
8/9/39 - 2/2/07
   Luciano Pavarotti
10/12/35 - 9/6/07
Joe Hunter
11/19/27 - 2/2/07
   Joe Zawinul
7/7/32 - 9/11/07
Frankie Lane
3/30/13 - 2/6/07
   Porter Wagoner
8/12/27 - 10/28/07
Ray Evans
2/4/15 - 2/15/07
   Robert Goulet
11/26/33 - 10/30/07
BillChinnock
11/12/47 - 3/7/08
   Kevin Dubrow
10/29/55 - 11/25/07
Brad Delp
6/12/51 - 3/9/07
   Ike Turner
11/5/31 - 12/12/07
Don Ho
8/13/30 - 4/14/07
   Dan Fogelberg
8/13/51 - 12/16/07
Bobby Boris Pickett
2/11/38(40) - 4/25/07
   Oscar Peterson
8/15/25 - 12/23/07
Tommy Newsom
2/25/29 - 4/28/07
      

2006
Lou Rawls
12/1/35 - 1/6/06
  Arif Mardin
4/15/32 - 6/25/06
Wilson Pickett
3/18/41 - 1/19/06
   Syd Barrett
1/6/46 - 7/7/06
Cindy Walker
7/20/18 - 3/23/06
   Arthur Lee
4/7/45 - 8/3/06
Buck Owens
8/12/29 - 3/25/06
   Maynard Ferguson
5/4/28 - 8/23/06
Gene Pitney
2/17/41 - 4/5/06
   Danny Flores
3/8/29 - 9/19/06
June Pointer
11/30/53 - 4/11/06
   Freddy Fender
6/4/37 - 10/14/06
Desmond Dekker
7/16/41 - 5/25/06
   Ahmet Ertegun
7/31/23 - 12/14/06
Vince Welnick
2/21/51 - 6/2/06
   James Brown
5/3/33 - 12/25/06
Billy Preston
9/2/46 - 6/6/06
      

2005
Spencer Dryden
4/7/43 - 1/11/05
  Luther Vandross
4/20/51 - 7/1/05
Jimmy Griffin
8/10/43 - 1/11/05
  Long Jonn Baldry
1/12/41 - 7/21/05
Jim Capaldi
8/24/44 - 1/28/05
  Ibrahim Ferrer
2/7/27 - 8/6/05
Keith Knudsen
2/18/48 - 2/8/05
  Vasser Clements
4/25/28 - 8/17/05
Jimmy Smith
12/8/25 - 2/8/05
  Robert Moog
5/23/34 - 8/21/05
Tyrone Davis
5/4/38 - 2/9/05
  RL Burnside
11/23/26 - 9/1/05
John Raitt
1/10/17 - 2/20/05
  Clarence Gatemouth Brown
4/18/24 - 9/10/05
Chris Curtis
8/26/41 - 2/28/05
   Paul Pena
1/26/50 - 10/1/05
George Scott
1929 - 3/9/05
   Harold Leventhal
5/24/19 - 10/4/05
Bobby Short
9/15/24 - 3/21/05
   Link Wray
5/2/29 - 11/5/05
Paul Hester
1/8/59 - 3/26/05
   Chris Whitley
8/31/60 - 11/20/05
Johnnie Johnson
7/8/24 - 4/13/05
   Richard Pryor
12/1/40 - 12/10/05
John Fred Gourrier
5/8/41 - 4/15/05
      

2004
Dave Blood
??/??/?? - 3/10/04
   Elmer Bernstein
4/4/22 - 8/18/04
Jan Berry (Jan & Dean)
4/3/41 - 3/26/04
   Johnny Ramone
10/18/51 - 9/15/04
Robert Quine
12/30/42 - 6/5/04
   Skeeter Davis
12/30/31 - 9/19/04
Ray Charles
9/23/30 - 6/10/04
   Bruce Palmer
9/9/46 - 10/1/04
Rick James
2/1/48 - 8/6/04
   Artie Shaw (Arthur Arshawsky)
5/23/1910 - 12/30/04

2003
Maurice Gibb
12/22/49 - 1/12/03
   Barry White
9/12/44 - 7/4/03
Johnny Paycheck
5/31/38 - 2/20/03
   Sam Philips
1/5/23 - 7/30/03
Edwin Starr
1/21/42 - 3/2/03
   Warren Zevon
1/24/47 - 9/7/03
Hank Ballard
11/18/27 - 3/3/03
   Johnny Cash
2/26/32 - 9/12/03
Little Eva
6/29/45 - 4/9/03
   Sheb Wooley
4/10/21 - 9/16/03
Nina Simone
2/21/33 - 4/21/03
   Robert Palmer
1/19/49 - 9/25/03
Felice Bryant
8/7/25 - 4/22/03
   Elliot Smith
8/6/69 - 10/22/03
Noel Redding
12/25/45 - 5/11/03
   Bobby Hatfield
9/10/40 - 11/5/03
June Carter
6/23/29 - 5/15/03
   Arthur Conley
1/4/46 - 11/17/03
Mickie Most
6/20/38 - 5/30/03
  
Don Gibson
4/31/28 - 11/17/03
Herbie Mann
4/16/30 - 7/1/03
   Michael Kamen
4/15/48 - 11/18/03

2002
John Jackson
2/25/24 - 1/20/02
  John Entwistle
10/9/44 - 6/28/02
Peggy Lee
5/26/20 - 1/22/02
   Rosemary Clooney
5/23/28 - 6/29/02
Dave Van Ronk
6/30/36 - 2/10/02
   Gus Dudgeon
9/30/42 - 7/21/02
Waylon Jennings
6/15/37 - 2/13/02
   Lonnie Donigan
4/29/31 - 11/3/02
Dee Dee Ramone
9/18/52 - 6/5/02
   Joe Strummer
8/21/52 - 12/23/02

2001
John Fahey
2/28/39 - 2/22/01
  Chet Atkins
6/20/24 - 6/30/01
John Philips
8/30/35 - 3/18/01
   Fred Neil
3/16/36 - 7/7/01
John Lewis (MJQ)
5/3/20 - 3/29/01
   Mimi Farina (Baez)
4/30/45 - 7/18/01
Joey Ramone
5/19/51 - 4/5/01
   Betty Everett
11/23/35 - 8/19/01
Perry Como
5/16/12 - 5/12/01
   Isaac Stern
7/21/20 - 9/22/01
John Hartford
12/30/37 - 6/6/01
   George Harrison
2/25(24)/43 - 12/1/01
John Lee Hooker
8/27/15 - 6/21/01
   Rufus Thomas
3/26/17 - 12/16/01

2000
Nat Adderley
11/25/31 - 1/2/00
  Tito Puente
4/20/23 - 5/31/00
Josh Clayton-Felt
1967 - 1/19/00
   Roscoe (Mercer)
5/25/27 - 8/00
Screamin Jay Hawkins
7/18/29 - 2/12/00
   Steve Allen
12/26/21 - 10/30/00
Ian Dury
5/12/42 - 3/27/00
   Kirsty MacColl
10/10/59 - 12/18/00

1999
Charles Brown
9/13/22 - 1/21/99
  Doug Sahm
11/6/41 - 11/18/99
Dusty Springfield
4/16/39 - 3/2/99
   Charlie Byrd
9/16/25 - 11/30/99
Joe Williams
12/12/18 - 3/29/99
   Rick Danko
12/29/42 - 12/10/99
Boxcar Willie
9/1/31 - 4/12/99
   Grover Washington Jr.
12/12/43 - 12/17/99
Al Hirt
11/7/22 - 4/27/99
   Hank Snow
5/9/12 - 12/20/99
Mel Torme
9/13/25 - 6/4/99
   Curtis Mayfield
6/3/42 - 12/26/99
Hoyt Axton
3/25/38 - 10/26/99
      

1998
Sonny Bono
2/16/35 - 1/5/98
  Wendy O'Williams
5/28/49 - 4/4/98
Junior Wells
12/9/34 - 1/15/98
   Linda McCartney
9/24/42 - 4/17/98
Carl Perkins
3/9/32 - 1/19/98
   Frank Sinatra
12/12/15 - 5/14/98
Carl Wilson
12/4/46 - 2/6/98
  Roy Rogers
11/5/11 - 7/6/98
Falco (Johann Holzel)
2/19/57 - 2/6/98
   Gene Autry
9/29/07 - 10/2/98
Tammy Wynette
5/5/42 - 4/6/98
   Bryan MacLean
9/25/46 - 12/25/98
1997
Townes Van Zandt
3/7/44 - 1/1/97
  Bobby Helms
8/15/33 - 6/19/97
Randy California
2/20/51 - 1/2/97
   Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
5/20/59 - 6/26/97
Tony Williams
12/12/45 - 2/23/97
   Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn
10/13/48 - 8/16/97
Notorious BIG
5/21/72 - 3/7/97
   Derek Taylor
5/7/32 - 9/8/97
Laura Nyro
10/18/47 - 4/8/97
   John Denver
12/31/47 - 10/12/97
Jeff Buckley
11/17/66 - 5/29/97
   Stephan Grapelli
1/26/08 - 12/1/97
Ronnie Lane
4/1/46 - 6/5/97
   Nicolette Larson
7/17/52 - 12/16/97

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