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INTRODUCTION
This is the Rest in Playlist for Friday, October 6th, 2023, featuring recording artists from around the world who passed away recently. It seems this week the ethereal orchestra needed some percussion, because the Reaper picked off four drummers from America, England, and South Africa. We’ve also got international artists from Norway, Lebanon, and India, and for classical fans, some piano and harpsichord. 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:
[01 Oct 2023] Ricky Wolff, 78, South African musician (White Plains).
Our first artist this week is Ricky Wolff, a South African musician who passed on October 1st at the age of 78. Wolff sang lead for a one-hit wonder bubblegum pop group from England called White Plains… or did he? After reaching #13 on the US charts, for years it was believed session singer Tony Burrows sang lead on the hit song “My Baby Loves Lovin’” which ranks as the #62 song for the year 1970. In time, it was proven that Wolff, did, in fact sing this song.
White Plains – My Baby Loves Lovin’
Headliner:
[30 Sep 2023] Russell Batiste Jr., 57, American drummer (The Meters, Vida Blue, Papa Grows Funk), heart attack.
Our first of four drummers headlines the show this week. Russell Batiste Jr. played drums since the age of four and died on September 30th from a heart attack at age 57. He was a standout in the New Orleans music scene, having performed with artists such as Harry Connick Jr., Champion Jack Dupree, Robbie Robertson, and Maceo Parker. Here he is with a funk band that grew organically from players meeting at jam sessions, this is Papa Grows Funk with “Do U Want It?”
Papa Grows Funk – Do U Want It_
Main Stage:
[29 Sep 2023] Ron Howden, 78, English drummer (Nektar).
Our Main Stage this week is all about the drums. We start off with Englishman Ron Howden, who joined the non-corporeal drum corps on September 29th at the age of 78. He was one of the founding members of the progressive rock group Nektar, which enjoyed its greatest success in the 1970s and renewed attention in the 2000s. Here’s a track from their 1973 album Sounds Like This, called “Good Day.”
Nektar – Good Day
[27 Sep 2023] Dom Famularo, 70, American drummer.
Now let’s get down to just the drums. Dom Famularo, who passed on September 27th at age 70, was an American drummer who became renown as one of the great drum instructors. Famularo was called Drumming’s Global Ambassador due to the many places he visited and the vast number of people that heard him speak each year. He shared the stage with great drummers like Steve Gadd, Terry Bozzio, Will Calhoun and Chad Smith. Here he is showing off some chops with “Diz Iz Dom.”
Dom Famularo – Diz Iz Dom
[01 Oct 2023] Julian Bahula, 85, South African drummer, composer and bandleader (Jabula).
To South Africa we go for our final drummer this week. Julian Bahula was drummer and bandleader for the group Jabula. He left us on October 1st at the age of 85. He emigrated from Pretoria to England in 1973, and from there he helped popularize South African music, arranging British performances for other South Africans like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. Here he is with Jabula performing “Jabula Happiness.”
Jabula – Jabula Happiness
International Stage:
[28 Sep 2023] Stephen Ackles, 57, Norwegian musician.
On the International Stage we start in Scandinavia, where Norway’s Stephen Ackles has died at age 57 on September 28th. Ackles was inspired by the American rock’n’roll of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, with whom he would later go on to work with, as well as Elton John, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, and Waylon Jennings. This is Stephen Ackles with “Hey You!”
Stephen Ackles – Hey You!
[28 Sep 2023] Najah Salam [ar], 92, Lebanese singer and actress.
We move to Lebanon for music from singer Najah Salam, who died on September 28th at the age of 92. She was born in Beirut in 1931 and recorded her first songs in 1949. By 1952, she made her debut as a film actress. She became quite popular singing patriotic music in Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, where she emigrated and became a citizen in 1974 when civil war broke out in Lebanon. Here she is singing “Baadon Bibali.”
Najah Salam – Baadon Bibali
[27 Sep 2023] Ramla Beegum, 77, Indian Mappilapattu singer and Kadhaprasangam artist.
Closing our International Stage we have India’s Ramla Beegum, who left us on September 27th at age 77. She was a Mappilapattu singer, a genre of Muslim folk music dating back to 1607. Here she is singing “Arimulla.”
Ramla Beegum – Arimulla
Headliner:
[30 Sep 2023] Russell Batiste Jr., 57, American drummer (The Meters, Vida Blue, Papa Grows Funk), heart attack.
We’re going to sneak our headliner, Russell Batiste Jr., back onstage for another shot of drums. In the early 2000s, Batiste teamed up with bassist Oteil Burbridge from The Allman Brothers Band and keyboardist Page McConnell from Phish to form an electronic trio called Vida Blue – yes, named after the Oakland A’s lefthander from the 70s. Here they are with “Where’s Popeyes.”
Vida Blue – Where’s Popeyes
The Amphitheater:
[25 Sep 2023] Anneke Uittenbosch, 93, Dutch harpsichordist.
The Amphitheater this week features our oldest man and oldest woman, and they’re both keyboardists. Anneke Uittenbosch died on September 25th at the age of 93. She was a harpsichord player from the Netherlands. Here she is performing a piece from Sonata No. 6 in Eb Major by Bach.
Anneke Uittenbosch – Sonata No. 6 in Eb Major, F5 Il. Largo
[30 Sep 2023] Russell Sherman, 93, American classical pianist.
Over in the United States, we lost pianist Russell Sherman on September 30th, also at the age of 93. Sherman taught classical piano at the New England Conservatory for over fifty years. He began piano lessons at age 6 and by age 15 was playing professionally. Here he is performing Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Russell Sherman – Piano Concerto in Am, Op.54 Il. Intermezzo Andante grazioso
Encore:
[30 Sep 2023] Russell Batiste Jr., 57, American drummer (The Meters, Vida Blue, Papa Grows Funk), heart attack.
All right, one more bit of beat from our headliner, Russell Batiste Jr. In 1989, Art Neville brought back together his band The Meters, which had formed in 1965 and was one of the foundational bands of the funk genre, with Batiste on drums. Now rechristened The Funky Meters, they performed through the 2000s and became one of the most sampled groups by hip-hop artists. Here they are performing live in 2012 with their #4 R&B hit from 1969, “Cissy Strut.”
The Meters – Cissy Strut
Closing:
And that’s the Rest in Playlist for Friday, October 6th, 2023. Join us here next week for a tribute to the latest artists to cross over to eternity. Catch up on every year of Rest in Playlist back to 2016 on Spotify and RadicalRuss.com. For Rest in Playlist, I’m “Radical” Russ Belville reminding you to seize the day, it may be your last.
