In Memoriam 2014... The Great Gig in the Sky

I've not posted lately. But, I was thinking recently while watching the Grammy's memoriam segment earlier this month, to reflect on these and other great contributors to music we lost in 2014. To the great gig in the sky... 

• Joe Cocker, 12/22/2014: Known for his gritty, iconic voice, legendary British rock and soul singer Joe Cocker had a record-breaking career that spanned over 40 years. He passed away in late December at the age of 70.
• Ian McLagan, Keyboardist for the rock bands Small Faces and Faces, Ian McLagan, died of a stroke in Austin, Texas. The English musician, who also collaborated with The Rolling Stones, was 69 years old.
• Bobby Keys, 12/2/2014: Longtime Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys passed away after a battle with cirrhosis. He was 70 years old. Before his death, Keys spent 40 years with The Rolling Stones, and also recorded with the likes of John Lennon, Joe Cocker, Barbra Streisand, B.B. King, Carly Simon, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. 
• Jack Bruce, 10/25/2014: Former Cream musician Jack Bruce died at the age of 71. The Scottish bass player suffered from liver failure. Bruce released many memorable classic rock songs such as "Sunshine of Your Love," "White Room," and "SWLABR." alongside Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker as Cream, and released 14 solo albums as well. Prior to his work with Cream, Bruce performed with Charlie Watts, who went on to join The Rolling Stones.
• Paul Revere, 10/4/2014: The leader of legendary 1960s rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders died at his home in Idaho at the age of 76. Born Paul Revere Dick, he led the band  and had a number of hits in the 60s and 70s including "Hungry" and "Indian Reservation." He was fondly known as the "madman of rock 'n roll."
• Dick Wagner, 7/30/14: Dick Wagner, a guitarist for Alice Cooper and Lou Reed, has from a lung infection. The musician, who also wrote songs with KISS and Aerosmith, was 71.
• Tommy Ramone, 7/12/14: Tommy Ramone, the drummer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band The Ramones, has died of cancer of the bile duct. An emigre from Hungary, Ramone (who was born Erdelyi Tamas) was a recording engineer before taking up with The Ramones. Though he only played on the first three albums, he was considered seminal in the formation of the group's sound. He was 65.
• Johnny Winter, 7/16/2014: Legendary guitarist Johnny Winter died in Europe while on tour. He's known for his work on"Highway 61 Revisited," "Johnny B. Goode" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. 
• Paco de Lucía, 2/25/14: Paco de Lucía, a renowned Spanish flamenco guitar player, has died of a heart attack. He was 66.
• Franny Beecher, 2/24/14: Franny Beecher, the guitar player for Bill Haley & His Comets, has died at 92.
• Maria Franziska von Trapp, 2/18/14: Maria von Trapp, part of the musical family who escaped Nazi-occupied Austria and became the real life story behind the musical The Sound of Music, has died at 99.
• Bob Casale, 2/17/14: Bob Casale, a founding member of the band Devo, has died of heart failure. The guitar player for the cult-favorite band played on every album the band put out and was part of the band from its inception. He was 61.
• Pete Seeger, 1/27/2014 - Legendary American folk singer Pete Seeger passed away of natural causes. Seeger, whose body of work included the songs "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" influenced generations of singer-songwriters, was 94 years old.
• Phil Everly, of the pop group The Everly Brothers.  passed away of lung disease on January 3. Everly is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 74 years old.
• Casey Kasem, although he was not a pop musician, was the host of the American Top 40 Radio countdown playing all of the Billboard top pop hits through the decades. Casey passed away on June 15 at the age of 82 years old.
• and to the many others...

I was first introduced to Paco de Lucia's talent on an album titled Friday Night in San Francisco 1981 with John McLaughlin and Al DeMeola. 

 Paco de Lucia