FAREWELL

Below are brief tributes to some recent losses from across the world of music

Sly Dunbar

Born: 10 May, 1952

Died: 26 January, 2026

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Ralph Towner

Born: 1 March, 1940

Died: 18 January, 2026

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Bob Weir

Born: 16 October, 1947

Died: 10 January, 2026

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Perry Bamonte

Born: 3 September, 1960

Died: 25 December, 2025

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Chris Rea

Born: 4 March, 1951

Died: 22 December, 2025

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Joe Ely

Born: 9 February, 1947

Died: 15 December, 2025

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Steve Cropper

Born: 21 October, 1941

Died: 3 December, 2025

His early bands evolved into the Stax Records house band, based in Memphis, where a multi-racial band was not the norm. Cropper later became the label's A&R man. The house band played on many songs released by Stax (such as "Dock of the Bay" and "Soul Man"), but also, as Booker T and the M.G.s, released their own records - "Green Onions" etc. He left Stax in 1970, relocated to LA and set up his own label. He joined a reformed M.G.'s; then he joined the Blue Brothers Band (appearing in the 1980 film). Later he moved to Nashville, and joined a reformed Blues Brothers Band. The rest of his long career was a mixture of recording, producing and touring, playing with anyone and everyone who played guitar, most of whom he had influenced.

Jimmy Cliff

Born: 30 July, 1944

Died: 24 November, 2025

The second Jamaican in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he did as much as the first one (Bob Marley) to popularise reggae internationally. He just did it a different way, often arranging pop and mainstream hits in a reggae version, and appearing in films. A songwriter, he was famously covered by Springsteen (""Trapped") and John Lennon ("Many Rivers To Cross"), but his own versions of his own songs are what we will remember - "You Can Get It If You Really Want It" and "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" are the ones I think of when I think of him.

Gary 'Mani' Mounfield

Born: 16 November, 1962

Died: 20 November, 2025

Not only the bassist in the Stone Roses, but also in Primal Scream. He joined the Roses after a chance meeting in Manchester with the rest of the band (he had already worked with John Squire). His rhythmic bass lines became an integral part of the Roses' distinctive sound (sort of acid meets rave meets harmonious folk-rock) that made the band the Madchester band. A happy person, with a passion for Man U (his dad had been a chef for the team), he is gone way too soon.

Gilson Lavis

Born: 27 June, 1951

Died: 5 November, 2025

Not a great picture - apologies - but it puts Gilson where he was always happiest, on the drums and holding the whole thing together. Initially a session and pick-up drummer, he was the drummer with Squeeze twice (1976 - 82, 1985 - 92), with his alcoholism causing both departures. Retreating to Lincolnshire he got sober, became a portrait artist (mainly of music celebrities) and was lured out of retirement by Jools Holland, in whose Rhythm & Blues Orchestra he played for 30 years till retiring last year

Lô Borges

Born: 10 January, 1952

Died: 2 November, 2025

Not someone I had heard of till last week, so thanks to my cousin Lance in Vancouver for pointing me to the obituary in The Guardian (and, of course, to his music). A Brazilian guitarist and songwriter, he was a founder of Clube da Esquina, a group of musicians from the state of Minas Gerais. He co-authored the eponymous album in 1972 with Milton Nascimento. His compositions were widely recorded in Brazil - and he was even cited as an influence by Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.

Donna Jean Godchaux

Born: 22 August, 1947

Died: 2 November, 2025

A session singer at the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with credits on at least two #1 singles, she moved to California, married, and with her husband Keith joined the Grateful Dead, where Keith filled the gap left by Tom Constanten and Pigpen. The only woman ever to be a member of the Dead, she and Keith were with the band from 1972 to 1979, when their increasingly fractious marriage became too much for the band to stand. Keith died in a car crash in 1980. Donna remarried, started her own band, and remained part of the Dead's network of spin-off bands; she also worked on a number of the Dead's archival projects.

Jack DeJohnette

Born: 9 August, 1942

Died: 26 October, 2025

Classically trained on piano, he took up drumming as a teenager. He often played both keyboards and drums on albums, and in later life also did solo piano tours. A jazz drummer who played with all the greats (Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans etc) he also understood rock n' roll's need for drumming with a groove, and its potential impact on jazz, which influenced his work with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis (Bitches Brew) when they were exploring similar possibilities.

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Dave Ball

Born: 3 May, 1959

Died: 22 October, 2025

While best known as the half of Soft Cell that played the synth, he had a life after pop fame as a synth pioneer and a collaborator in a wide range of electronic and experimental music projects. He co-founded new groups such as The Grid, Other People, and Psychic TV. He was also an engineer, re-mixer and producer. He reunited often with Marc Almond - their last album was finished just before Dave's death.

Ace Frehley

Born: 27 April, 1951

Died: 16 October, 2025

The original guitarist with KISS, he had two spells with the band (1973-82, 1996 - 2002). This being KISS, and he being The Spaceman, his guitar had many special effects, none of which disguised the fact that he really could play. Self-taught, he was a big fan of British invasion bands, especially Cream and The Who. In between KISS, and after, he had a successful solo career. and released his last record just last year

John Lodge

Born: 20 July, 1943

Died: 10 October, 2025

Far more than just the singer in a rock'n roll band. Although not a founding member of the original Moodies line-up as a Brum R&B outfit, he was there when they re-invented themselves as prog rock pioneers, and with Justin Hayward and Graeme Edge he was there till the band called it a day in 2018. Thereafter he was still active, and his death was unexpected. Keen on sport, and an affable soul whose faith (he was an evangelical Christian) and strong family life gave him a grounding quite unlike that of many in the rock business.

Chris Dreja

Born: 11 November, 1945

Died: 25 September, 2025

A founder and ever-present in The (original) Yardbirds, where he played rhythm guitar behind a series of ace lead guitarists: Clapton, Beck, and Page. He switched to bass after the departure of Paul Samwell-Smith, and when the Yardbirds broke up Jimmy Page asked Chris to be the bassist in his new band. He declined, as he had decided to become a photographer; he took the back cover photograph of Page's new band, Led Zeppelin, on their first LP. He kept his music going, and when the Yardbirds reformed in1992 he was there, and stayed till medical problems forced his departure in 2013.

Jeff Beck

Born: 24 June, 1944

Died: 10 January, 2023

One of the three great guitarists (with Page and Clapton) who came from a small corner of Surrey, he is probably beyond categorisation - "Jeff Beck" was his category. After getting into R&B and playing with a number of London/Surrey bands, Page (a friend from his teenage years) recommended him to the Yardbirds as Clapton's replacement. They had most of their hits during his short tenure, before he was fired. A perfectionist, he was never to play again in any major band but his own, and ploughed his own musical furrow, playing everything, with everybody. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame both with The Yardbirds and as a solo artist.

Danny Thompson

Born: 4 April, 1939

Died: 23 September, 2025

A multi-instrumentalist who settled on the double bass, he was a founding member of Pentangle. He used the double bass he bought in 1964 (he called her Victoria) throughout his career, which combined session work with stints with Alexis Korner, John Martyn, and Richard Thompson, as well as a number of pentangle revivals. He also released four well-received solo albums. He was still active last year, playing at Richard Thompson's 75th birthday celebration. Like his unrelated namesake, Danny was a convert to Islam.

Jeff Beck

Born: 24 June, 1944

Died: 10 January, 2023

One of the three great guitarists (with Page and Clapton) who came from a small corner of Surrey, he is probably beyond categorisation - "Jeff Beck" was his category. After getting into R&B and playing with a number of London/Surrey bands, Page (a friend from his teenage years) recommended him to the Yardbirds as Clapton's replacement. They had most of their hits during his short tenure, before he was fired. A perfectionist, he was never to play again in any major band but his own, and ploughed his own musical furrow, playing everything, with everybody. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame both with The Yardbirds and as a solo artist.

Sonny Curtis

Born: 9 May, 1937

Died: 19 September, 2025

His roots were in bluegrass, but he became an accomplished rock 'n roll singer and songwriter in the 1950s and 60s, as a member of the Crickets, who he joined just before Buddy Holly's death (he had worked with Holly before the Crickets began). He was a member of the band, on and off, for nearly 60 years, right up to their 2016 farewell concert, taking time off for his solo career. His songs (such as 'Walk Right Back' and 'I Fought The Law') were widely covered. He was equally at home in country as well as rock.

Viv Prince

Born: 9 August, 1941

Died: 8 September, 2025

An accomplished jazz drummer he found his way to rock through session work. Courted by a number of rock bands, he joined (in 1964) the Pretty Things, with whom he lasted less than two years. His wildness was worsened by drink and drug habits, and he became increasingly unreliable. He was still a good enough drummer to be used by many bands through the late 60s, but his career tailed off thereafter. He is often cited as the man who mentored Keith Moon's madcap antics; he also claimed that he had belonged to the Hell's Angels for a while, before being thrown out for his bad behaviour.

Jeff Beck

Born: 24 June, 1944

Died: 10 January, 2023

One of the three great guitarists (with Page and Clapton) who came from a small corner of Surrey, he is probably beyond categorisation - "Jeff Beck" was his category. After getting into R&B and playing with a number of London/Surrey bands, Page (a friend from his teenage years) recommended him to the Yardbirds as Clapton's replacement. They had most of their hits during his short tenure, before he was fired. A perfectionist, he was never to play again in any major band but his own, and ploughed his own musical furrow, playing everything, with everybody. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame both with The Yardbirds and as a solo artist.

Rick Davies

Born: 22 July, 1941

Died: 6 September, 2025

The co-founder of Supertramp, and its only ever-present member. Supertramp were massive in the late 70s, with Davies co-writing (and co-singing) with Roger Hodgson, but the pair eventually started writing on their own, and Hodgson left the band in 1983, after which it became less commercial, more prog, and eventually folded in the late 80s. Davies led various reunions, but Supertramp played its final gig in 2012. A European tour in 2015 was announced, but never happened, due to Davies' medical problems.

Mark Volman

Born: 19 April, 1947

Died: 5 September, 2025

As a teenager, with his friend Howard Kaylan, he was in a band that evolved quickly into The Turtles, who found instant pop success with catchy tunes and memorable harmony vocals. When The Turtles folded in 1970, Mark and Howard found themselves unable to play under their own names, so re-invented themselves as Flo and Eddie, and soon found themselves in The Mothers of Invention. They then had a long career both in their own band and as in-demand backing singers.

Simultaneously, Volman had a second career as an academic, having achieved his undergraduate degree in his 40s, and going on to be a professor of Fine Arts, Music and Business, and Communications.

Jeff Beck

Born: 24 June, 1944

Died: 10 January, 2023

One of the three great guitarists (with Page and Clapton) who came from a small corner of Surrey, he is probably beyond categorisation - "Jeff Beck" was his category. After getting into R&B and playing with a number of London/Surrey bands, Page (a friend from his teenage years) recommended him to the Yardbirds as Clapton's replacement. They had most of their hits during his short tenure, before he was fired. A perfectionist, he was never to play again in any major band but his own, and ploughed his own musical furrow, playing everything, with everybody. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame both with The Yardbirds and as a solo artist.

Photo credits

Joe Ely, Ron Baker (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kingsnake), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Steve Cropper, Alberto Cabello, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jimmy Cliff, Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Gary Mounfield, public domain, donated by author Katherine Barton, as edited by Gaz Davidson

Gilson Lavis, CC BY-SA 3.0,author Threefoursixninefour at English Wikipedia, extracted from another file: Sam Brown 2006.jpg

Lô Borges, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, author Selphox

Donna Jean Godchaux, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic, author Matt Tillett

Jack DeJohnette, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic, author Ric Brooks

Dave Ball, public domain publicity picture

Ace Frehley, public domain from an advertisement for Kiss's Alive II

John Lodge, CC-BY-SA-2.0, author Derek Russell, https://www.flickr.com/photos/184778751@N03/48913886871/in/dateposted-public/