The year 2020 was brutal. The Covid-19 pandemic took from us many musical greats, preying especially hard on the elders of the community. But even without the virus, it was a tough year.
Below are just some of the many artists we lost in 2020. They are arranged alphabetically, the artist’s name followed by the death date and a brief description of who they were.
If an artist’s name is highlighted in blue, you can click on it to be taken to Best Classic Bands’ full obituary of that artist.
Below the list of musical artists, we’ve also noted several other prominent figures whose lives were lost in 2020.
We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.
Rance Allen—10/31—Gospel artist
Tony Allen—4/30—Pioneering Afrobeat drummer with Fela Kuti, others
Sweet Pea Atkinson—5/5—Singer with Was (Not Was)
Frankie Banali—8/20—Quiet Riot drummer
Len Barry—11/5—Singer of the ’60s hits “Bristol Stomp” (with the Dovells) and “1-2-3.”
Bucky Baxter—5/25—Pedal steel guitarist for Bob Dylan, others
Harold Beane—2/1—played wah-wah guitar on Isaac Hayes’ “Walk On By”
Ronald Bell—9/9—Kool and the Gang co-founder
Bob Biggs—10/17—Founder of Los Angeles punk label Slash Records
Martin Birch—8/9—Producer of Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, others
Hamilton Bohannon—4/24—Drummer/percussionist for Motown artists; producer, bandleader in disco era
Claude Bolling—12/29—French jazz pianist
Julian Bream—8/14—Classical guitarist
Harold Budd—12/8—Avant-garde composer who worked with Brian Eno, others
Johnny Bush—10/16—Country artist/songwriter, wrote “Whiskey River”
Edd Byrnes—1/8—77 Sunset Strip actor and singer of “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb”
Buddy Cage—2/5—Pedal steel guitarist for New Riders of the Purple Sage
Cándido—11/7—Conga player who was named an NEA Jazz Master (full name: Cándido Camero)
Jimmy Capps—6/1—Nashville session guitarist and longtime Grand Ole Opry member
Steve Martin Caro—1/14—Vocalist with the Left Banke, of “Walk Away Renee” fame
Pete Carr—6/27—Muscle Shoals session guitarist
Paul Chapman—6/9—Guitarist with UFO
Jeff Clayton—12/17—Jazz saxophonist
Jimmy Cobb—5/24—Jazz drummer; played on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album
Freddy Cole—6/27—Jazz pianist/vocalist, brother of Nat “King” Cole
Richie Cole—5/2—Jazz saxophonist
Simon Coxe—9/8—Synthesizer pioneer with ’60s band Silver Apples
Max Crook—7/1—Keyboardist on Del Shannon’s hit “Runaway”
Charlie Daniels—7/6—Southern rock pioneer, session musician, producer
Mac Davis—9/29—Songwriter for Elvis Presley, singer of “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me”
Spencer Davis—10/19—Leader of British band that scored with the Steve Winwood-sung “Gimme Some Lovin'” and “I’m a Man”
Tommy DeVito—9/21—Member of the original Four Seasons
Manu Dibango—5/24—African musician known for 1972 hit “Soul Makossa”
Joe Diffie—3/29—Country singer/songwriter
Gloria Dobbins—9/21—Founding member of the Marvelettes, wrote “Please Mr. Postman”
Carl Dobkins, Jr.—4/8—Singer of 1959 hit “My Heart is an Open Book”
Terry Doran—4/18—Longtime Beatles associate
Judy Dyble—7/12—Founding member of Fairport Convention
Justin Townes Earle—8/23—Singer-songwriter, son of Steve Earle
Cleveland Eaton—7/5—Jazz bassist
Paul English—2/11—Drummer for Willie Nelson
Bent Fabric—7/28—Composer and artist behind the early ’60s instrumental dance hit “Alley Cat”
Pat Fairley—8/11—Co-founder of Marmalade; played acoustic guitar on “Reflections of My Life”
Steve Farmer—4/7—Amboy Dukes member; co-wrote “Journey to the Center of the Mind”
Majek Fashek—6/1—Nigerian reggae singer
Tom Finn—6/27—Co-founder of the Left Banke, of “Walk Away Renee” fame
Snooky Flowers—3/9—Saxophonist; was member of Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues Band
Wayne Fontana—8/6—Singer of 1965 British Invasion hit “Game of Love”
Andy Gill—1/1—Guitarist with the Gang of Four
Ivry Gitlis—12/24—Israeli classical violinist who played with Yoko Ono on The Rolling Stones Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus
Marty Grebb—1/1—Musician with Buckinghams, Chicago, others
Peter Green—7/25—Co-founder of Fleetwood Mac
Dave Greenfield—5/3—Keyboardist with the Stranglers
Albert Griffiths—12/15—Co-founder of reggae group the Gladiators
Henry Grimes—4/17—Jazz bassist
Steve Grossman—8/13—Jazz saxophonist
Tommy Hancock—1/1—Known as the “Godfather of West Texas music”
Andre Harrell—5/8—Music business executive
Alex Harvey—4/4—Country songwriter/musician; wrote Kenny Rogers’ “Reuben James”
Gordon Haskell—10/16—King Crimson member in 1970; later a singer-songwriter
Roy Head—9/21—Singer of 1965 hit “Treat Her Right”
Jimmy Heath—1/19—Jazz saxophonist with the Heath Brothers
Ken Hensley—11/4—Uriah Heep founding member
Frederick “Toots” Hibbert—9/11—Reggae pioneer who led Toots and the Maytals
Bones Hillman—1-7—Bassist of Midnight Oil
Rupert Hine—6/5—British musician who produced albums for Tina Turner, others
Steve Holland—8/2—Early Molly Hatchet guitarist
W.S. “Fluke” Holland—9/23—Drummer for Johnny Cash for more than four decades
Tony Hooper—11/18—Guitarist for the Strawbs
Jan Howard—3/28—Country singer
Brian Howe—5/6—Bad Company frontman in late ’80s/early ’90s
Pamela Hutchinson—9/18—Singer with the Emotions (“Best of My Love”)
Kenny Jeremiah—12/4—Co-founder of the Soul Survivors (“Expressway to Your Heart”)
Willie K—5/19—Hawaii-based guitarist/performer
Mory Kanté—5/22—Guinean singer
Ryo Kawasaki—4/13—Japanese jazz fusion guitarist
Lee Kerslake—9/19—Drummer for Uriah Heep, Ozzy Osbourne
Hal Ketchum—11/23—Country singer
Frank Kimbrough—12/30—Jazz pianist
Astrid Kirchherr—5/13—Photographer known for early Beatles images
Lee Konitz—4/15—Jazz alto saxophonist
Ivan Kral—2/2—Guitarist/songwriter, member of Patti Smith Group
Bob Kulick—5/28—Guitarist/producer who worked with Kiss, Lou Reed, others
Dave Kusworth—9/19—Member of British band Jacobites
Bunny Lee—10/6—Jamaican reggae producer
Bobby Lewis—4/28—“Tossin’ & Turnin’” hitmaker
Tony Lewis—10/20—Singer/bass guitarist for the Outfield
Buzzy Linhart—2/13—Singer/songwriter/musician whose songs were recorded by Bette Midler, others
Little Richard—5/9—Rock ’n’ roll pioneer whose influence spanned generations
Mike Longo—3/22—Jazz pianist
Trini Lopez—8/11—Singer of ’60s hits “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree”
Walter Lure—8/21—Guitarist in Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
Vera Lynn—6/18—Veteran British singer, famous for “We’ll Meet Again”
Lynn Evans Mand—2/6—Singer with the Chordettes (“Mr. Sandman”)
Ray Mantilla—3/21—Latin percussionist
Johnny Mandel—6/29—Composer of theme from M*A*S*H
Carl Mann—12/16—Rockabilly singer who recorded for Sun Records
Benny Mardones—6/29—Singer of hit song “Into the Night”
Ellis Marsalis—4/1—New Orleans pianist; father of Wynton, Branford, etc.
Barbara Martin—3/4—Pre-fame member of the Supremes
Moon Martin—5/11—Singer/songwriter; wrote “Bad Case of Loving You”
Phil May—5/15—Frontman of England’s Pretty Things
Lyle Mays—2/10—Jazz pianist; best known for his work with Pat Metheny
Michael McBride—11/9—Raspberries drummer in 1974-75
Sid McCray—9/9—Original singer of the Bad Brains
Mickey McGee—7/20—Drummer with Linda Ronstadt, Flying Burrito Brothers, others
William McEuen—9/24—Manager/producer of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Phyllis McGuire—12/29—Member of the sibling vocal group the McGuire Sisters
Alan Merrill—3/29—Singer/songwriter; best known for writing “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll”
Miss Mercy—7/27—Member of the Frank Zappa-produced group the GTOs
Ian Mitchell—9/1—Bay City Rollers bassist
Joseph “Mojo” Morganfield—12/10—Blues artist, son of Muddy Waters
Ennio Morricone—7/6—Italian film score composer (The Good, The Bad & The Ugly)
Dave Munden—10/15—Original member of the Tremeloes (“Silence is Golden”)
Todd Nance—8/19—Founding drummer of Widespread Panic
Johnny Nash—10/6—Reggae-pop singer with a #1 hit, “I Can See Clearly Now”
Bob Nave—1/28—Keyboardist for the Lemon Pipers, of “Green Tambourine” fame
Lennie Niehaus—5/28—Film composer; jazz saxophonist, arranger
Jamie Oldaker—7/16—Drummer for Eric Clapton, others
David Olney—1/18—Folk singer/songwriter
Keith Olsen—3/9—Producer of Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar, others
K.T. Oslin—12/21—Country singer whose biggest hit was “80’s Ladies”
Robert Parker—1/19—R&B singer, best known for the hit “Barefootin’”
Gary Peacock—9/4—Jazz bassist who played with Keith Jarrett, others
Neil Peart—1/7—Drummer for Rush
Charli Persip—8/23—Jazz drummer
Lucky Peterson—5/17—Blues musician
Phil Phillips—3/14—”Sea of Love” singer
Bucky Pizzarelli—4/1—Jazz guitarist
Bonnie Pointer—6/8—Member of the Pointer Sisters
Joe Porcaro—7/6—Jazz drummer
Genesis P-Orridge—3/14–British musician/composer; vocalist with Throbbing Gristle
Francis Rocco Prestia—9/30–Tower of Power bassist
Charley Pride—12/12—First Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
Steve Priest—6/4—Bassist for the glam band the Sweet
John Prine—4/7—Singer-songwriter who’d recently received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Helen Reddy—9/29—Singer of “I Am Woman” and “Delta Dawn”
Alto Reed—12/30—Saxophonist in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band
Harold Reid—4/24—Bass singer with country group the Statler Brothers
Al Rex—5/24—Played double bass with Bill Haley and His Comets on “See You Later, Alligator”
Emitt Rhodes—7/19—Singer-songwriter with the Merry-Go-Round and solo
Tony Rice—12/25—Influential and prolific bluegrass guitarist/vocalist
Bill Rieflin–—3/24—Drummer for King Crimson and other bands
Claudio Roditi—1/18—Brazilian jazz trumpeter
Kenny Rogers—3/22—Leader of the First Edition, then a highly successful country-pop solo artist
Wallace Roney—3/31—Jazz trumpeter
Annie Ross—7/21—Jazz singer (Lambert, Hendricks and Ross)
Rudy Salas—12/29—Tierra and El Chicano guitarist
Jorge Santana—5/14—Frontman of Latin-rock band Malo
Jan Savage—8/5—Guitarist for the L.A. ’60s band the Seeds (“Pushin’ Too Hard”)
Adam Schlesinger—4/1—Award-winning songwriter and founding member of Fountains of Wayne
Florian Schneider—5/6—Kraftwerk co-founder
Matthew Seligman—4/17—Bassist for British band the Soft Boys
Joseph Shabalala—2/11—Founder of South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Bob Shane—1/26—Founding member of folk group the Kingston Trio
Billy Joe Shaver—10/28—Country singer-songwriter whose songs were covered by Johnny Cash, the Allman Brothers Band and Elvis Presley
Jack Sherman—8/19—Early Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist
Jerry Slick—3/17—Drummer of San Francisco band the Great Society
Millie Small–5/5—Jamaican singer best known for “My Boy Lollipop”
Viola Smith—10/21—One of the first professional female drummers, she worked from the ’20s to the ’70s
Maynard Solomon—9/28—Founder of Vanguard Records
Mike Somerville—2/28—Guitarist and songwriter for Head East
Geoff Stephens—12/24—British songwriter whose compositions included “Winchester Cathedral,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” and more
Mark Stone—9/26—Original Van Halen bassist
Chad Stuart—12/20—Half of the British Invasion-era duo Chad and Jeremy
Ira Sullivan—9/21—Jazz saxophonist and trumpeter
Doug Supernaw—9/26—Country artist
Keith Tippett—6/14—British jazz and prog keyboardist; performed with King Crimson, others
Willie Torres—8/13—Singer with the Joe Cuba Sextet
Jim Tucker—11/12—Founding member and rhythm guitarist of the Turtles
Sean Tyla—5/17—Leader of British bands Ducks Deluxe and the Tyla Gang
McCoy Tyner—3/6—Jazz pianist best known for his work with John Coltrane
“Blue” Gene Tyranny—12/12—Jazz pianist (real name: Robert Sheff) who briefly played with Iggy and the Stooges
Eddie Van Halen—10/6—Influential lead guitarist of Van Halen
Howard Wales—12/7—Keyboardist who recorded the album Hooteroll? with Jerry Garcia
Jerry Jeff Walker—10/23—Singer-songwriter, composer of “Mr. Bojangles”
Pete Way—8/14—UFO founding bassist
Steve Weber—2/7—Holy Modal Rounders member
Eric Weissberg—3/22—Multi-instrumentalist best known for “Dueling Banjos”
Leslie West—12/23—Mountain frontman and hard rock guitar hero
Ian Whitcomb—4/19—English pianist and singer known for the mid-’60s hit “You Turn Me On”
Bruce Williamson—9/6—Latter-day member of the Temptations
Hal Willner—4/7—Producer of numerous tribute albums and themed concerts
Wes Wilson—1/24—San Francisco-based rock poster artist
Bill Withers—3/30—R&B singer whose hits included “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Baron Wolman—11/2—Rock photographer who shot many iconic ’60s artists
Betty Wright—5/10—”Clean Up Woman” singer
Edna Wright—9/12—Singer of Honey Cone (“Want Ads”)
Eugene Wright—12/30—Bassist in the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Notable Non-Music Deaths Below the Links
Notable Non-Music Deaths
Orson Bean—2/7—Actor
Honor Blackman—4/5—Actress in James Bond classic Goldfinger
Chadwick Boseman—8/28—Actor in Black Panther and other films
Wilford Brimley—8/1—Actor in Cocoon and Quaker Oats commercials
Kobe Bryant—1/26—Basketball great
Sean Connery—10/31—Bond. James Bond
Olivia de Havilland—7/26—Gone With the Wind actress
Kirk Douglas—2/5–Actor
Milton Glaser—6/26—Illustrator, designer of ‘I Love NY’ Logo, classic Bob Dylan poster
Ian Holm—6/19—Actor
Roy Horn—5/8—Half of the magic act Siegfried and Roy
Terry Jones—1/21—Monty Python actor
Larry Kramer—5/27—Playwright and AIDS activist
Tom Lester—4/20—Green Acres actor (Eb)
Diego Maradona—11/25—Argentinian soccer player
Curly Neal—5/15—Harlem Globetrotters basketball player
Ken Osmond—5/18—Actor known for his role as Eddie Haskell in Leave it to Beaver
Regis Philbin—7/24—TV personality
David Prowse—11/28—Played Darth Vader in the Star Wars films
Carl Reiner—6/29—Actor
Diana Rigg—9/10—Actress best known for her role as Emma Peel in The Avengers
Joel Schumacher—6/22—Film director
Tom Seaver—9/2—New York Mets pitcher
Jerry Stiller—5/11—Actor/comedian
Alex Trebek—11/8—Who was the beloved host of Jeopardy!?
Dawn Wells—12/29—Actress who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island
Fred Willard—5/15—Actor
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18 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationThanks Fer remembrance & memories….
I no clue that Willie K was even sick, until I read this yesterday. Great Hawaiian musician!!
He battled lung cancer for about 3 years. so sad , a great loss to the Maui music scene .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlshCMYdeuI
He put up a valiant fight and performed through out most of his treatment . his last performance was Feb 14 , 2020 at Mulligans https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWillieK/videos/579606892753250/
Not included on this list is Sid McCray of Bad Brians.
Thanks for letting us know. We’ve added him to the list.
Rock in Peace to my friend Eddie Van Halen. Thanks for the memories…and the firsts.
I had no idea that Eddie Van Halen was 65, he looked nowhere near that. So sad. I knew he had cancer. Great axe man. R.I.P. Eddie. You will always be missed.
Jymie Merrit, jazz bassist, died in April
Alan Merrill was everything. Talk about a hidden treasure of Rock n Roll, despie writing the definitive song about it. Wonderful warm, generous, immensely talented man who had so much left to do. Miss him forever 🙁
2019 and 2020….to date, has brought so much heartaches and losses to, not only the Acting World and Music Industry, the World in general.
Most heartbreaking for me were the losses of Pete Way from UFO, Neil Peart from Rush, Martin “The Headmaster” Birch….Producer of soooo many great Rock, Hard Rock and Metal Bands.
The hardest one of all was losing Eddie Van Halen the day after my Birthday.
My 40+ years of playing was, is and will always be influenced so much by him.
I cannot begin to put into words how devastating it is to me and cannot imagine how lost Wolfie, Alex and the rest of his family and close friends/Bandmates must feel.
PLEASE……HURRY UP AND END 2020.
Rid the World of this Pandemic and the sadness the entire Planet is enduring this year.
Flat out…..this year has really sucked!!!
The wonderful Steve Priest from one of the most misunderstood and underrated rock bands of all time. Such character and talent and certainly not a bassist you would forget easily! Rock in heaven with Brian and Mick my darling ❤️
What about Jimmy Capps? NASHVILLE — Jimmy Capps, a versatile guitarist who played on some of the biggest country hits of the 1970s and ’80s and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry’s house band for more than five decades, died here on Monday. He was 81. His son Mark confirmed the death but did not specify the cause. Jun 4, 2020
Also notable was Jimmy Capps playing on so many of the “Country Family Reunion” shows. He was a favorite of the many C&W stars that showed up
Viola Smith ‘Fastest Girl Drummer in the World’ Died at 107 on October 21, 2020. We should never forget the real roots of our music today!
And no mention of Cardiacs’ Tim Smith?
Let’s watch as the commentors make it about them.
Tony Hooper – not just a guitarist. He’s really known for his lovely voice! One of the best in the entire folk-rock genre. He only composed about 7 Strawbs songs, but all were amazing!
Rebecca LUKKER