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INTRODUCTION
This is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, January 5th, 2024, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. I took last weekend off for New Years, but the Reaper just kept on harvesting souls. So, we’re going to catch up on the musicians worldwide who left us at the end of 2023, headlined by one of the great comedy brothers, one of the great tap dancing brothers, and one of the original Dixie Chicks. We’ll visit Jazz Cellar, the Festival Stage, and The Mosh Pit before we’re through. Get ready to expand your musical horizons on this global jam session from the great beyond. Let’s kick things off with our Opening Act.
Opening Act:
[22 Dec 2023] Laura Lynch, 65, American musician (Dixie Chicks), traffic collision.
In 1989, our Opening Act Laura Lynch joined with Robin Lee Macy and sisters Martie and Emily Erwin to form a bluegrass band called The Dixie Chicks. Lynch played bass and sang for the group until 1995, when she was replaced by Natalie Maines. The group rocketed to commercial success, then blacklisted for their comments critical of President Bush. Lynch said she never regretted leaving the group now known as The Chicks. She died on December 22 at the age of 65. Here’s a track with Lynch singing lead, the title track from their third album “Shouldn’t A Told You That.”
Dixie Chicks – Shouldn’t A Told You That
Headliner:
[26 Dec 2023] Tom Smothers, 86, American comedian, musician (Smothers Brothers) and actor (Get to Know Your Rabbit, Serial), lung cancer.
On the day after Christmas 2023 we lost one half of the great Smothers Brothers comedy duo, Tom Smothers. They started as a folk duo but became known for their comedy. Their show on CBS was legendary for being canceled for its anti-Vietnam War stance. Tommy continued his activism, from playing acoustic guitar on John Lennon’s live recording of “Give Peace a Chance” to winning awards for his free speech and civil liberties activism. He was 86 years old and is survived by his brother Dick, age 85. Here’s the Smothers Brothers with Tommy’s never-ending complaint about maternal favoritism.
The Smothers Brothers – Mom Always Liked You Best
The Jazz Cellar:
[29 Dec 2023] Maurice Hines, 80, American dancer, singer and actor (The Cotton Club).
We lost another of a beloved set of brothers last year. Two decades after his sibling Gregory passed, tap dancing great Maurice Hines died on December 29th at age 80. Born to a tap dancing father, Maurice and Gregory were tapping from the ages of 5 and 2, respectively. Where Gregory took his talents to film, Maurice spent most of his career on stage, debuting on Broadway in 1954 and performing through 2013. He was also quite the singer, as you can tell from his cover of this Nat King Cole classic, “L-O-V-E.”
Maurice Hines – L-O-V-E
[18 Dec 2023] Lewis Pragasam [ms], 66, Malaysian jazz fusion drummer, heart attack.
Next up, we have Malaysia’s Lewis Pragasam, a jazz fusion drummer known for forming the group Asiabeat in 1979. He passed away on December 18th at the age of 66. This is Asiabeat with “Monsoon.”
Asiabeat, Lewis Pragasam – Monsoon
[29 Dec 2023] Les McCann, 88, American jazz pianist, pneumonia.
We close the Jazz Cellar with one of the greats, pianist Les McCann. He got his big break in winning a singing contest in the Navy that led to an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. His career took off in the 1960s as he began fusing jazz with soul and funk rhythms, even landing on the Billboard pop charts. McCann died on December 29th at the age of 88. Here he is with a hopping rendition of the Ike & Tina classic, “River Deep, Mountain High.”
Les McCann – River Deep, Mountain High
Main Stage:
[28 Dec 2023] Tommy Talton, 74, American guitarist (We the People, Cowboy).
Over to the Main Stage we go, where things have gotten a little psychedelic. First, we have Tommy Talton, the guitarist for the late-60s Orlando garage rock band We the People. They didn’t chart much outside regional success in Florida and were disbanded by 1970. Talton then went on to join a southern rock band in Jacksonville called Cowboy that played through 1977, then reunited in the 2000s. Talton left us on December 28th. Here’s the biggest single of We the People’s called “Mirror of Your Mind.”
We the People – Mirror Of Your Mind
[19 Dec 2023] Russell Hunter, 76, British drummer (Pink Fairies, The Deviants).
We hop across the pond for Britain’s Russell Hunter, the drummer for the group Pink Fairies, as well as the late 60’s proto-punk band The Deviants. Hunter expired on December 19th at the age of 76. Here is The Deviants with “Garbage.”
The Deviants – Garbage
[11 Dec 2023] Zahara, 36, South African singer (“Phendula”, “Loliwe”), liver disease.
Closing the Main Stage, we venture to South Africa, where alcoholic liver disease has cut short the promising career of 36-year-old Zahara. She began singing in choir at age 6 and was busking for a living in her teens. At 24, she released her first album, and she went on to win numerous South African Music Awards. Here’s the title track from that debut album, “Loliwe.”
Zahara – Loliwe
Festival Stage:
[14 Dec 2023] Pedro Henrique, 30, Brazilian gospel singer, heart attack.
Gospel singer Pedro Henrique of Brazil is our youngest performer on the Rest in Playlist. On December 14th, the 30-year-old died onstage of a heart attack during a live performance at a private event. He leaves behind his wife and two-month-old daughter. Here is Henrique performing “Vai Ser Tão Lindo.”
Pedro Henrique – Vai Ser Tão Lindo
[18 Dec 2023] Pilarín Bueno [es], 79, Spanish Aragonese jota singer.
Off to Spain we go, where Pilarín Bueno, the beloved Aragonese jota singer has passed on December 18th. His career began with winning first prize in a jota singing competition. He was a member of important groups such as Raza Aragonesa , Educación y Descanso and Amigos del Arte. Here he is with Rondalla, performing “El Cantarico.”
Pilarín Bueno, Rondalla – El Cantarico
[16 Dec 2023] Óscar Agudelo, 91, Colombian musician, complications from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Back to South America where we meet our oldest performer, 91-year-old Oscar Agudelo from Colombia. He was acknowledged to be the finest Colombian proponent of la canción sureña, a style of southern Colombian music related to tango that gained prominence in the 1950s. This is “La Cama Vacia.”
Óscar Agudelo – La Cama Vacia
Mosh Pit:
[30 Dec 2023] Klee Benally, 48, American musician (Blackfire) and activist.
We’ve got an interesting mix of harder stuff this week in the Mosh Pit. First, 48-year-old Klee Benally, one third of the Native American family punk rock group Blackfire, passed away on December 30th. They gained the attention of The Ramones and were active from 1989 through 2011. This is their protest song, “Mean Things Happenin’ in This World.”
Blackfire – Mean Things Happenin’ in This World
Closing:
And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, January 5th, 2024. Join us here next week as we begin to chronicle the musicians, singers, and songwriters to pass in 2024. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in
