In 2021, as in the year before, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to take from us many musical greats, preying especially hard on the elders of the community. But even without the virus, it was a tough year. Many luminaries within the wide sphere of the music community left us.
Below are just some of the many artists and music industry influencers we lost in 2021, more than 200 in all. They are arranged alphabetically, the person’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 2021.
We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.
Richie Albright—2/9—Drummer for Waylon Jennings
Keith Allison—11/17—Member of Paul Revere and the Raiders and solo artist
Robert Altman—9/?—Rock music photographer for Rolling Stone and others
Joey Ambrose—8/9—Saxophonist with Bill Haley and His Comets
Razzy Bailey—8/4—Country singer
Chris Barber—3/2—Influential English jazz musician
Tom Beaudry (aka Kelly Green)—9/3—Lead singer for Detroit rock band Frijid Pink
Evette Benton—11/6—Vocalist on Spinners hit “Games People Play”
Byron Berline—7/10—Fiddler who was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers and played on the Rolling Stones’ “Country Honk”
Jim Bessman—6/22—Veteran music journalist
Jay Black—10/23—Lead vocalist of Jay and the Americans on hits such as “This Magic Moment,” “Come a Little Bit Closer” and “Cara Mia”
Tim Bogert—1/13—Bassist with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice
Mick Bolton—1/1—Keyboardist with Mott the Hoople and Dexys Midnight Runners
Duke Bootee—1/13—Rapper who wrote Grandmaster Flash hit “The Message”
Perry Botkin Jr.—1/18—Composer, producer, arranger, and musician who worked with Bobby Darin, Harry Nilsson, others
Sérgio Brandão—4/2—Brazilian bassist who played on recordings by George Benson, Sergio Mendes and others
Jerry Brandt—1/16—Owner of New York City concert venue The Ritz
Lizzie Bravo—10/4—Teenage Beatles fan who sang on the group’s “Across the Universe”
Leslie Bricusse—10/19—Songwriter who co-wrote lyrics to “Goldfinger”
Gil Bridges—12/8—Rare Earth saxophonist
Vic Briggs—6/29—Lead guitarist of Eric Burdon and the Animals from 1966-68
Bruce Bromberg—12/26—Blues record producer
Sheila Bromberg—8/17—Harpist on the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home”
Steve Bronski—12/7—Co-founder of British dance trio Bronski Beat
Ed Bruce—1/8—Country singer/songwriter; author of “Mammas Don’t Let your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
Jerry Burgan—3/30—Guitarist/vocalist with We Five (“You Were on My Mind”)
James Burke—2/19—Singer with the Five Stairsteps (“O-o-h Child”)
Ron Bushy—8/29—Iron Butterfly drummer (“In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida”)
Ron Campbell—1/22—Director of Beatles cartoon series
Ray Campi—3/11—Rockabilly singer/musician
Ralph Carmichael—10/18—Arranger for Nat King Cole
Alan Cartwright—3/4—Bassist for Procol Harum in the ’70s
Malcolm Cecil—3/28—Producer for Stevie Wonder, designer of TONTO synthesizer
Phil Chen—12/14—Bassist who worked with Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and members of the Doors
Louis Clark—2/13—Orchestrator for Electric Light Orchestra
Sanford Clark—7/4—Country and rockabilly singer, best known for the 1956 hit “The Fool”
Maureen Cleave—11/6—British journalist to whom John Lennon stated that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus now.”
Charles Connor—7/31—Drummer in Little Richard’s band the Upsetters
Bruce Conte—8/8—Guitarist for Tower of Power in the 1970s
Billy Conway—12/19—Drummer of Morphine
Gary Corbett—7/14—Co-writer of Cyndi Lauper hit “She Bop,” and member of Cinderella
Chick Corea—2/9—Legendary jazz keyboardist and composer
Ron Cornelius—8/18—Session musician on albums by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and others
Paul Cotton—8/1—Guitarist/vocalist for Poco
Johnny Crawford—4/29—Early ’60s hitmaker (“Cindy’s Birthday” went top 10 in 1962), actor on The Rifleman and member of the Mickey Mouse Club
J.D. Crowe—12/24—Influential bluegrass banjoist
Kenny Daniel—11/21—Leader of ’60s band Kenny and the Kasuals
Sarah Dash—9/20—Member of LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”)
John Davis—5/24—Singer with Milli Vanilli
Prince Markie Dee—2/18—Rapper with the Fat Boys
Deezer D—1/7—Hip-hop artist and actor
Little Walter DeVenne—1/16—Radio personality in the Boston area
Morris “B.B” Dickerson—4/2—Bassist and vocalist with War
DMX (Earl Simmons)—4/9—Rapper
John Drake—8/29—Lead singer on the Amboy Dukes’ early recordings, including “Journey to the Center of the Mind”
Melvin Dunlap—9/13—Bassist for the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Bill Withers and others
Graeme Edge—11/11—Co-founder and drummer of the Moody Blues
Bill Elliott—6/7—Member of Splinter duo, who recorded for George Harrison’s Dark Horse label
Pee Wee Ellis—9/24—Saxophonist for James Brown, Van Morrison and others; co-writer of “Cold Sweat”
Les Emmerson—12/10—Leader of Canada’s Five Man Electrical Band and writer of their hit “Signs”
Don Everly—8/21—Older half of the Everly Brothers, member of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Anne Feeney—2/3—Folk singer
Related: David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Prince were among the stars we lost 5 years earlier
Vicente Fernández—12/12—Popular Mexican singer
Bobby Few—1/6—Jazz pianist
Rich Fifield—11/18—Guitarist for the ’60s surf band the Astronauts
Mike Finnigan—8/11—Hammond B-3 organist who played with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bonnie Raitt and many others
Bob Fisher—9/7—British record company executive and music journalist
Michael Fonfara—1/8—Keyboardist with Lou Reed, Foreigner, others
George “Commander Cody” Frayne—9/26—Pianist, vocalist and leader of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (“Hot Rod Lincoln”)
Denny Freeman—4/25—Austin-based roots multi-instrumentalist
Marty Fried—9/1—Drummer for the Cyrkle (“Red Rubber Ball”)
Dave Frishberg—11/17—Jazz pianist
Curtis Fuller—5/8—Jazz trombonist
Grady Gaines—1/29—Saxophonist in Little Richard’s 1950s band
Jim Gallagher—11/20—Drummer for the Astronauts (“Baja”)
Henry Goldrich—2/16—Owner of Manny’s Music retail store in New York
John Goodsall—11/11—Guitarist with Brand X, Atomic Rooster
Larry Goshorn—9/14—Guitarist/vocalist with Pure Prairie League
Milford Graves—2/12—Jazz drummer
Tom Gray—10/?—Keyboardist/songwriter of The Brains (writer of “Money Changes Everything”)
Nanci Griffith—8/13—Texas-born singer-songwriter
Sally Grossman—3/12—Wife of rock manager Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, etc.)
Margo Guryan—11/10—Co-writer of Spanky and Our Gang hit “Sunday Mornin'”
Tom T. Hall—8/20—Country singer and composer (“Harper Valley P.T.A.”)
Slide Hampton—11/20—Jazz trombonist
Connie Hamzy—8/21—Groupie immortalized in Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re An American Band”
Larry Harlow—8/20—Salsa musician
Barry Harris—12/8—Jazz pianist
John Hartman—12/29—Original drummer for the Doobie Brothers
Jon Hassell—6/26—Trumpeter and composer who recorded with Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Ry Cooder and others
Bruce Hawes—2/17—Songwriter for the Spinners and others
Roger Hawkins—5/20—Drummer in Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a.k.a. the Swampers
Don Heffington—3/23—Drummer who worked with Lone Justice, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and others
Monte Hellman—4/20—Director of Two Lane Blacktop and other films
Tony Hendra—3/4—Actor who played the manager in This is Spinal Tap; editor/writer for National Lampoon
Herbie Herbert—10/26—Manager of Journey and other bands
Dusty Hill—7/28—Bassist of ZZ Top
John Hinch—4/29—Original drummer of Judas Priest
Billy Hinsche—11/20—Member of the ’60s pop trio Dino, Desi and Billy, musician with the Beach Boys and others
Gary “Chicken” Hirsh—8/17—Drummer of Country Joe and the Fish
Paul Jackson—3/18—Jazz bassist (Herbie Hancock, others)
Stonewall Jackson—12/4—Veteran country singer
Sandra Jaffe—12/27—Co-founder of New Orleans’ Preservation Hall
Robert “Bob” James—2/?—Singer in the band Montrose
Howard Johnson—1/11—Tuba player with the Band, Taj Mahal, others
Joey Jordison—7/26—Founding drummer of Slipknot
Mark Josephson—3/2—Founder of New Music Seminar and Rockpool
Kangol Kid—12/18—Member of hip-hop group UTFO
Julius Karpen—5/27—Manager of Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin)
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison—7/23—Rock music journalist/author, and romantic partner of Jim Morrison
Tawny Kitaen—5/7—Model and actress who appeared in several popular ’80s rock videos
Bob Koester—5/12—Founder of Chicago jazz and blues label Delmark Records
Ken Kragen—12/14—Producer and manager who organized the “We Are the World” charity single and “Hands Across America”
Jeff LaBar—7/14—Cinderella guitarist
Rick Laird—7/4—Bassist with the Mahavishnu Orchestra
Alan Lancaster—9/26—Status Quo guitarist
David Lasley—12/9—Singer-songwriter who worked with James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, others
John Lawton—6/29—Singer with Uriah Heep, Lucifer’s Friend and other bands
James Levine—3/9—Conductor and Music Director of the New York City Metropolitan Opera
David Cutler Lewis—6/8—Keyboardist with Ambrosia (“Biggest Part of Me”)
Joe Long—4/21—Bass guitarist with the Four Seasons
Kenny Malone—8/26—Drummer on country hits by Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and others
Julian “Junior” Mance—1/17—Jazz/blues pianist
Philip Margo—11/13—Co-founder of the Tokens (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”)
Jon Mark—2/10—Singer-songwriter-guitarist with the Mark-Almond Band, John Mayall, others
Tony Markellis—4/29—Bassist in Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo band
Biz Markie—7/16—Rapper known as the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop”
Gerry Marsden—1/3—Singer with Gerry and the Pacemakers
Pat Martino—11/1—Jazz guitarist
Barry Mason—4/16—British songwriter whose hits included “Delilah,” “The Last Waltz,” “Here It Comes Again” and “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes”)
Bob Matthews—9/?—Sound engineer for the Grateful Dead
Elliot Mazer—2/7—Producer of Neil Young, others
Ellen McIlwaine—6/23—Singer-songwriter-guitarist
Fritz McIntyre—8/?—Keyboardist with Simply Red
Ali McKenzie—4/29—Lead singer of the U.K. ’60s group the Birds, which also included Ronnie Wood
Les McKeown—4/20—Lead singer of the Bay City Rollers
Marilyn McLeod—11/24—Co-writer of “Love Hangover” for Diana Ross
Robin McNamara—10/21—Recording artist who had a hit with “Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me”
Bhaskar Menon—3/4—CEO of EMI Music Worldwide and Capitol Records; promoted Dark Side of the Moon, the Concert for Bangla Desh, etc.
Buddy Merrill—12/?—Guitarist on The Lawrence Welk Show and solo recording artist
Don Miller—1/11—Singer with the Vogues
Mike Mitchell—4/16—Guitarist in the Kingsmen; played the solo on “Louie Louie”
Paul Mitchell—12/20—Co-founder of the R&B group the Floaters (“Float On”)
Paddy Moloney—10/12—Leader of the traditional Irish band the Chieftains
Bob Moore—9/22—Bassist for Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, others
Misty Morgan—1/1—Country singer (“Tennessee Bird Walk”)
George Mraz—9/16—Jazz bassist
Dec Mulligan—11/2—Guitarist with the Beau Brummels (“Laugh Laugh”)
Juan Nelson—4/16—Longtime bassist with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Michael Nesmith—12/10—Founding member of the Monkees and pioneering country-rock artist
Sammy Nestico—1/17—Composer and arranger for Count Basie
Rupert Neve—2/12—Electronics engineer and designer of audio equipment
Ian North—2/28—Member of pop-punk band Milk ‘n’ Cookies
Paul Oscher—4/18—Blues musician who played in Muddy Waters’ band
Johnny Pacheco—2/15—Latin music musician and arranger
Melvin Parker—12/3—Drummer for James Brown
Dean Parrish—6/8—Soul singer (“Tell Her”)
Lee “Scratch” Perry—8/29—Reggae producer/artist and dub pioneer
Ralph Peterson Jr.—3/1—Jazz drummer
Dee Pop—10/8—Drummer for New York City post-punk band the Bush Tetras
Bob Porter—4/10—Jazz producer and radio personality
Nolan Porter—2/4—R&B singer
Lloyd Price—5/3—Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted R&B singer (“Personality,” “Stagger Lee”)
James Purify—1/22—Half of the James and Bobby Purify R&B duo (“I’m Your Puppet”)
Mick Rain—8/?—Drummer for Pezband
Danny Ray—2/2—Emcee and “cape man” for James Brown’s live show
Freddie Redd—3/17—Jazz pianist/composer
Rickie Reynolds—9/5—Lead guitarist for Black Oak Arkansas (“Jim Dandy”)
Mick Rock—11/17—Photographer who shot David Bowie, Lou Reed, Queen and many others
Jimmie Rodgers——1/18—Early rock ‘n’ roll singer (“Honeycomb”)
Johnny Rogan—1/21—Author of books on the Byrds, Neil Young, Van Morrison and Ray Davies, plus others
Brian Rohan—3/23—Attorney for Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other San Francisco rock luminaries
Kal Rudman—12/1—Disc jockey and publisher of the music industry trade publication Friday Morning Quarterback
Barry Ryan—9/28—British pop singer (“Eloise”)
Julz Sale—9/22?—Lead singer of British post-punk band Delta 5 (“Mind Your Own Business”)
Phil Schaap—9/7—Jazz disc jockey and producer
Al Schmitt—4/27—Producer/engineer for Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Jefferson Airplane and many others
Ralph Schuckett—4/4—Keyboardist/songwriter who played with Todd Rundgren, Lou Reed, Carole King, others
Gary Scruggs—12/1—Bassist in the Earl Scruggs Revue, led by his father, the bluegrass banjo legend
Thione Seck—3/14—Senegalese singer and musician
Robbie Shakespeare—12/8—Prolific reggae bassist
Shock G—4/22—Rapper (Digital Underground)
Joe Simon—12/13—Soul singer with eight Top 40 hits, including “The Chokin’ Kind”
Patrick Sky—5/27—Singer-songwriter popular in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene
Dr. Lonnie Smith—9/29—Jazz organ innovator
Johnny Solinger—6/26—Singer for Skid Row
Stephen Sondheim—11/26—Giant of American musical theater
Phil Spector—1/16—Producer who worked with the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers, the Crystals, the Beatles, the Ramones and others
Listen to “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner, one of Phil Spector’s classic ’60s productions
Powell St. John—8/?—Songwriter whose compositions were recorded by Janis Joplin and others; member of the band Mother Earth
Michael Stanley—3/5—Cleveland-based leader of the Michael Stanley Band
Pervis Staples—5/6—Co-founder of the Staple Singers
Robby Steinhardt—7/17—Founding member of Kansas, who played violin and sang
Jim Steinman—4/19—Songwriting collaborator with Meat Loaf (Bat Out of Hell albums), others
Tom Stevens—1/24—Bassist with the Long Ryders
Warren Storm—9/7—Cajun “swamp-pop” rocker
Gene Summers—2/17—Rockabilly singer
Sylvain Sylvain—1/13—Guitarist with New York Dolls
Greg Tate—12/7—Music critic and musician with Burnt Sugar
Ralph Tavares—12/8—Co-founder of R&B group Tavares
Gene Taylor—2/20—Pianist with the Blasters, Canned Heat, others
B.J. Thomas—5/29—Hitmaker behind such classics as “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling”
Dennis Thomas—8/7—Co-founder and saxophonist of Kool and the Gang
Sue Thompson—9/23—Pop and country singer, popular in the early ’60s (“Norman,” “Paper Tiger”)
Brian Travers—8/22—Saxophonist for UB40
Ronnie Tutt—10/16—Drummer for Elvis Presley’s TCB Band, and for Neil Diamond, Jerry Garcia Band, Billy Joel, and more
U-Roy—2/17—Reggae pioneer
Hilton Valentine—1/29—Original guitarist of the Animals
Johnny Ventura—7/28—Dominican singer and salsa bandleader
Bunny Wailer—3/2—Original member of reggae legends the Wailers
Ed Ward—5/3—Music journalist who worked at Rolling Stone, Creem and other publications, and wrote books on Mike Bloomfield and rock history
Charlie Watts—8/24—Rolling Stones drummer
Jim Weatherly—2/3—Songwriter (“Midnight Train to Georgia”)
George Wein—9/13—Founder of the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Chuck E. Weiss—7/20—Singer-songwriter and inspiration for Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love”
Tommy West—5/2—Producer of Jim Croce and recording artist
Mary Wilson—2/8—Co-founder of Motown powerhouse trio The Supremes
Ronnie Wilson—11/2—Co-founder the the funk group the Gap Band
Terence “Astro” Wilson—11/6—Founding member of UB40
Willie Winfield—7/27—Lead vocalist for the ’50s doo-wop group the Harptones
Walter Yetnikoff—8/8—President of CBS Records in the ’70s and ’80s
Gary Yoder—8/?—Member of the Bay Area psychedelic groups Kak, the Oxford Circle and Blue Cheer
Rusty Young—4/14—Poco steel guitarist
Wanda Young—12/15—Singer with Motown group the Marvelettes
Peter Zinovieff—6/?—British synthesizer pioneer
Related: Musicians who died in 2020
Non-Musicians
Hank Aaron—1/22—Baseball great
Ed Asner—8/29—Earned the most performance awards for the Primetime Emmys, as TV’s “Lou Grant”
Eve Babitz—12/17—Author and visual artist
Ned Beatty—6/13—His first of more than 160 film acting roles was in 1972’s Deliverance
Frank Bonner—6/16—Actor on WKRP in Cincinnati
Rennie Davis—2/2—Activist; member of the “Chicago 7”
Joan Didion—12/23—Author who chronicled California life
Bob Fass—4/24—Radio personality on New York’s WBAI who helped establish the concept of free-form radio
Lawrence Ferlinghetti—2/22—Renowned poet and founder of City Lights Books
Watch: Lawrence Ferlinghetti appeared at the Band’s Last Waltz concert
Siegfried Fischbacher—1/13—Half of magician duo Siegfried and Roy, who worked with wild animals
Sonny Fox—1/24—Children’s TV show host
Hal Holbrook—1/23—Actor
Larry King—1/23—Broadcasting legend
Watch Larry King interview Frank Sinatra
Cloris Leachman—1/27—Actress
Norm Macdonald—9/14—Comedian and SNL “Weekend Update” anchor
Gavin MacLeod—5/29—Actor on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Love Boat
John Madden—12/28—NFL coach and broadcaster
Jackie Mason—7/24—Rabbi-turned-comedian
Christopher Plummer—2/5—Actor
Tanya Roberts—1/4—Actress in Charlie’s Angels and James Bond film A View to a Kill
Mort Sahl—10/26—Comedian and social satirist
Willard Scott—9/4—Today‘s personable weatherman
George Segal—3/23—Actor
Felix Silla—4/16—Cousin Itt on the ’60s sitcom The Addams Family
Cicely Tyson—1/28—Actress
Melvin Van Peebles—9/21—Actor and director
Jessica Walter—3/24—Actress
Watch Jessica Walter in Play Misty for Me
Rusty Warren—5/26—Groundbreaking bawdy comedienne popular in the ’50s and ’60s
Betty White—12/31—Beloved actress, just days shy of her 100th birthday
Clarence Williams III—6/4—Actor on The Mod Squad
Michael K. Williams—9/6—Actor in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire
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8 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationWhat about “Whodini rapper Ecstasy John Fletcher dies aged 56”??
Not to be disrespectful but there’s a number of people in the music section that really belong in the non-musicians section, such as Connie Hamzy, and all the rappers and hip-hop folks who are actually more akin to street poets than they are musicians.
We put anyone who is related to the music business in the music section.
These lists start earlier and earlier. We’re not even halfway through November yet. I hope you continue update this list by the end of December.
Missed Billy Hinche of Dino,Desi and Billy
He’s included now. Thanks.
And what about Janoś Kobor, the leader of Hungarian band OMEGA most popular band of Eastern Europe for 40 years…? Autor of the hit “Girl with pearls in her hair”.
There are so many……..