We lost Melanie Safka last week. Like many great musicians from the 1960s-1970s, she was an iconic musician whose work made an indelible mark on my consciousness. I loved her music, but…
Category: Obituaries
RIP: Sam D. Carlson, bassist of The Regents, creator of PNWBands.com
On November 2, 2023, we lost Sam D. Carlson, a man I consider a hero. Sam was a veteran that proudly served his country. As I mentioned in a 2015 post, Sam…
RIP: Fanita James of the Dreamers- Blossoms
Last month on Thursday, November 23rd – Thanksgiving day, Fanita James, another great musician passed away after a long illness. Fanita’s first recordings were with Richard Berry in 1954. Fanita was part…
RIP: Gary Hobish – musician, producer, recording engineer
The first time I met Gary Hobish was at a NRBQ concert at Don Quixote’s in Felton. My friend Mick Gray introduced me to him as “someone (I) should absolutely meet.” Gary…
RIP: Annette Williams of The Dreamers / The Blossoms
We recently learned that Annette Williams, a founding member of the Dreamers, passed away on August 1st. The Dreamers were the band that backed up Richard Berry for his first solo recordings…
RIP: Jud Cost, music historian, journalist & friend of LOUIE
We just lost another one. Jud Cost just passed away on March 17. Jud was a dedicated music historian / journalist that wrote about music that he loved. Jud was truly a…
In Memoriam – folks we lost in 2022
As the dust has settled from 2022, we pause to commemorate some friends and kindred spirits that left us last year. My friend Paul Kauppila was a major music nerd in the…
RIP: Steve West, original guitarist for Paul Revere & the Raiders
As I woke up on Thursday morning, the first thing I saw on Facebook was this post… “I’m very sorry to tell you that Steve West, who as a 16 year old…
RIP: Barry Rillera, guitarist of Rhythm Rockers, Righteous Bros, more..
Imagine being part of one of the first rock ‘n’ roll / rhythm ‘n’ blues bands in your county….. back when this kind of music was often marginalized by the general public,…
RIP: Scott Long – musician, promoter, multi-talent
Two months ago, we lost our friend Scott Long.