Features
In Memoriam: Remembering Those We Lost In 2023
The undisputed
“Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” Tina Turner emerged as a star in the 1960s
as half of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue
but became a superstar on her own terms
as a solo artist in the 1980s with albums
including Private Dancer, with its mega-hit “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”
Her solo career was highlighted by acting roles, an iconic Live Aid appearance
and induction into the
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. (Photo by Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Jeff Beck | Jan. 10
Influential guitar virtuoso who came to prominence as a founding member of The Yardbirds
DAVID CROSBY | JAN. 18
David Crosby, a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as a solo star, was an architect behind the fusion of folk music and rock in the mid- to late 1960s as a core member of two of the most influential groups of the era.
Tom Verlaine | Jan. 28
Co-founder and singer-guitarist of Television, one of the most influential punk rock bands to emerge from New York’s CBGB
Brett Radin | Feb. 24
Artist manager with Knitting Factory Management
Wayne Shorter | March 2
Jazz saxophonist and innovator
Michael Rhodes | March 4
Elite Nashville session bassist and in-demand touring musician
Gary Rossington | March 5
Co-founder and last surviving member of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ryuichi Sakamoto | March 28
Famed Japanese composer and musician
Harry Belafonte | April 25
Groundbreaking singer, actor, activist, humanitarian and global conscience
Gordon Lightfoot | May 1
One of Canada’s most renowned voices to emerge from Toronto’s Yorkville folk club scene in the 1960s
George Moffett | May 14
Founder of Variety Attractions and one of the entertainment industry’s most respected and beloved talent buyers
Andy Rourke | May 19
Influential bassist for England’s The Smiths
Jane Birkin | July 16
British singer and style icon
Tony Bennett | July 21
One of the great pop singers and interpreters of the Great American Songbook over eight decades
Sinéad O’Connor | July 26
An uncompromising
and gifted singer, songwriter
and activist, Ireland’s
Sinead O’Connor was a star from
her 1987 debut album, The Lion
and the Cobra, and became a
sensation in 1990 with her cover of
Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a seething, shattering performance
that topped charts from Europe
to Australia.
Bill Brusca | July 26
Irving Plaza founder and longtime New York City nightlife impresario
Randy Meisner | July 26
Folk-rock bassist, vocalist and co-founder of Eagles and Poco
Sixto Rodriguez | Aug. 8
Detroit singer-songwriter of “Searching For Sugarman” fame
Clarence Avant | Aug. 13
Known as “The Black Godfather,”
Clarence Avant touched careers
from Little Willie John to
Muhammad Ali as a radio entrepreneur,
record label executive, artist manager,
business advisor and more.
A 2021 inductee to the
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,
his influence extended across the
worlds of music, entertainment,
sports and politics.
Robbie Robertson | Aug. 9
Canadian guitarist and frontman for The Band before launching a solo music and film career
Jerry Moss | Aug. 16
Innovative label executive and co-founder of A&M Records
Jimmy Buffett | SEPT. 1
Jimmy Buffett turned a hit single into a
lifestyle empire but was an accomplished songwriter, musician and author known not only
for “Margaritaville” but “Cheeseburger
In Paradise,” “Come Monday,”
“A Pirate Looks At 40” (both a single and book title), and “Son of a Son of a Sailor.”
His fanbase of Parrotheads,
much like the Grateful Dead’s Deadheads,
filled amphitheaters every summer
for decades.
Dwight Twilley | Oct. 18
Singer-songwriter who was an originator of ‘80s power pop with hits like “I’m On Fire”
Mikael Maglieri | Nov. 5
Mikeal Maglieri, a fixture
in the Sunset Strip club scene in Los Angeles and owner of legendary clubs Rainbow Bar & Grill and Whisky a Go Go,
carried on the legacy of his late father
Mario with aplomb. He started
as a bar back and later took on
ownership and management duties
of the historic clubs, which remain
important fixtures at the core of
Hollywood’s live music scene.
Kenny DiCamillo | Nov. 14
Longtime talent agent with WME, who represented artists including Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and more
Annie O’Toole | Nov. 26
Talent buyer who left San Francisco to thrive in Indianapolis and St. Louis with Sunshine Promotions and Live-360
Shane MacGowan | Nov. 30
Influential Irish poet and performer, founder of The Pogues
Denny Laine | Dec. 5
Guitarist and co-founder of Wings and The Moody Blues.