Wednesday, March 20, 2019

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO: Tributes To The Fallen




In my recent post updating the list of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's Featured Performers to date, I lamented the unfortunate fact that we're so often prompted to spotlight a beloved performer because that particular cat has just departed our mere mortal realm. I was curious to see how many of our Featured Performers were featured in memoriam. Here's the complete list again, with the memorial honorees highlighted in bold.

1.4.5.
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
The Animals
The Archies
Paul Armstrong
The Bangles
Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd
Jim Basnight
The Bay City Rollers [2 times]
The Beach Boys
The Beatles [3 times]
Chuck Berry
The Bevis Frond
Big Star
Hal Blaine
Joe Bompczyk
David Bowie
The Buzzcocks
Glen Campbell
The Catholic Girls
Alex Chilton
The Dave Clark Five [3 times]
The Clash
Gene Clark/The Byrds
Cocktail Slippers
Paul Collins
Cotton Mather
The Creation
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Devo
The Dickies
Fats Domino
The Dukes of Stratosphear
The Easybeats
The Equals
The Everly Brothers
The Flamin' Groovies
The Flashcubes [8 times]
The Fleshtones
Gary Frenay
The Bobby Fuller Four
Game Theory
Go Home Productions
The Go-Go's
Lesley Gore
Rachael Gordon
The Grip Weeds [2 times]
George Harrison [3 times]
Herman's Hermits
John Hiatt
The Hollies
Buddy Holly
The Hoodoo Gurus
Parthenon Huxley/P. Hux
The Isley Brothers
Joe Jackson [2 times]
The Jam
Jefferson Airplane [2 times]
The Jellybricks
Joan Jett
Davy Jones
Tommy Keene
The Kinks [3 times]
KISS [3 times]
The Knack [2 times]
The Knickerbockers
Arthur Lee/Love [2 times]
John Lennon [5 times]
Circe Link
Nick Lowe
Lyres
Mad Monster Party
The Marlowes
Adam Marsland/Cockeyed Ghost
Norm Mattice [1.4.5./The Richards/Dress Code]
Paul McCartney [4 times]
The Monkees [8 times]
Michael Nesmith
The Pandoras
The Partridge Family
The Pengwins
Pezband
Wilson Pickett
Gene Pitney
Pop Co-Op
The Poptarts
The Pretenders
Prince
Suzi Quatro
The Ramones
The Raspberries
Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground
Paul Revere & the Raiders
The Rolling Stones
The Romantics
The Rubinoos
The Runaways
Kelley Ryan/astroPuppees
Screen Test
The Searchers
Bob Seger
The Sex Pistols
The Shocking Blue
Shoes
The Small Faces
The Smithereens [2 times]
Squeeze [2 times]
The Spinners
The Spongetones
Ringo Starr
Sweet
Johnny Thunders
Peter Tork
The Tragically Hip
The Trend
The Turtles
The Dwight Twilley Band
Vegas With Randolph
Chris von Sneidern
Mary Weiss/The Shangri-Las
Lou Whitney/The Skeletons/The Morells
The Who
John Wicks/The Records [2 times]
X-Ray Spex [2 times]
XTC
The Zombies [2 times]



So: Syd Barrett, Chuck Berry, Hal Blaine, David Bowie, Pete Shelley, Glen Campbell, Alex Chilton, Fats Domino, Phil Everly, Scott Miller, Lesley Gore, George Harrison, Davy Jones, Tommy Keene, Norm Mattice, David Cassidy, Wilson Pickett, Gene Pitney, Prince, Lou Reed, Gord Downie, and Lou Whitney. I annotated this from memory, so there may be some mistakes. I didn't highlight any act that we featured prior to a performer's passing, even if we subsequently did another feature In Memoriam. The Joe Bompczyk feature was a living tribute, if I remember right, done shortly before this Buffalo musician's passing. The Peter Tork tribute was done years ago, and not connected to the recent death of The Monkees' bassist; on the Sunday nights after the deaths of Tork, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty, Ian McLagen, and Joey Ramone, we did extended tributes to each without having them as Featured Performers that week. I think Love was a Featured Performer while Arthur Lee was still alive, and then again upon his passing. I think. And, of course, we've done a number of features on performers who left us years before This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio existed, from Buddy Holly through Paula Pierce of The Pandoras. Today's post merely looks back on performers we were moved to honor in the immediate aftermath of losing them. 



It's a sad truth that we will have an ever-growing number of opportunities to feature more of our heroes, as the time comes for each of them to leave this world behind. But we're going to continue to try honoring them while they're still with us, too.


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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-OpRay PaulCirce Link & Christian NesmithVegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie FlowersThe SlapbacksP. HuxIrene PeñaMichael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave MerrittThe RubinoosStepford KnivesThe Grip WeedsPopdudesRonnie DarkThe FlashcubesChris von SneidernThe Bottle Kids1.4.5.The SmithereensPaul Collins' BeatThe Hit SquadThe RulersThe Legal MattersMaura & the Bright LightsLisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.

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