A tribute to artists who have left us during 2020

Sadly it's the time of year that we need to look back and pay respects to artists we have lost in 2020. In a year where we have lost household names like Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Kirk Dougas, Barbara Windsor, Vera Lynn, Trini Lopez, Deigo Maradona, Kenny Rogers, Helen Reddy, Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals) and Terry Jones (Monty Python), I'll dedicate this post to soul related artists we have lost in the last year and post one or two tracks for each as a memorial.  The blessing is that there have been no particularly premature deaths with youngest being Pamela Hutchinson at 61 and oldest Candido at 99.

I've already posted obituaries for several artists this year: Betty Wright, Bill Withers, Little Richard, Rance Allen and Len Barry.

Marty Grebb (The Buckinghams) 1 January 2020 (74)

Marty Grebb is 2nd on left

The Buckinghams formed in 1966 and disbanded in 1970.  They had 5 US Top 10 hits in between 1966-67.  Mary Grebb was a multi-talented musician who worked with many of the greats including Eric Clapton. He released 2 solo albums in 1999 and 2009.

The primary track I've selected is one written by Marty Grebb, recorded by The Buckinghams,  'You Misunderstand Me', a non-album track from 1968 on the flip side to 'Back In Love Again'.

Their best recording, for me by a country mile, is 'Don't You Care', what was called a 'floater' back in the day.  The sort of melodic, anthemic, tune that echoed around large all-nighter dance halls.  I've only just noticed that on the label credits it lists J. Holvay, that's James Holvay who was with The Mob.  I received a Chrsitmas card from James many moons ago (around 2000 if memory serves) along with a CD containing some demo material he had just recorded and we played a track called 'Hot 'N Heavy Love' which was very Curtis Mayfield influenced. I'll have to dig both out and post them.  I don't believe that any of the tracks were ever  released.

Most of The Buckingham's earlier material was garage, but if you like blue-eyed tunes then the flip side to 'Don't You Care', 'Why Don't You Love Me', 'You Are Gone' (flip to 'Mercy., Mercy, Mercy'  and 'Makin' Up, Breaking' Up' (flip on 2nd pressing of 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy'), and 'And Our Love'  (flip to 'Hey Baby')  may appeal to you.

Lorraine Chandler 2 January 2020 (73)

She was predominantly a writer with Jack Ashford on many Detroit recordings, but did release several 45s in the 60s.  She generally used her real name Ermastine Lewis for her writing credits.  My personal favourite is 'What Can I Do' released on Jo Armstead's Giant label.

Robert Parker 19 January 2020 (89)

He reached the ripe old age of 89 and is probably best known for 'Barefootin'' he recorded when he was 36. It's his crossover classic on Nola 'Caught You In A Lie' that I have chosen.

Barbara Martin  4 March 2020 (76)

One the the original members of The Supremes from 1960-62, pictured on left in photo above.  She recorded only their first album 'Meet The Supremes' but is not on the sleeve, only Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and  Florence Ballard are on the cover photo.  She shared lead vocals with Ross on '(He's) Seventeen'.

Manu Dibango 24 March 2020 (86)

Sadly a victim of COVID in March 2020 aged 86. From Camaroon, he is best known for 'Soul Makossa' in 1972, but had a record played on UK dancefloors around 1976 called 'Big Blow'.

Bob Andy 27 March 2020 (75)

Bob Andy's real name was Keith Anderson. When I was pretty young and before I really got into soul music I flirted with reggae in the late 60s/early 70s when it was very much in vogue (probably owing to the skinhead youth culture adopting reggae music), so the song I've chosen to remember Bob Andy is the #5 UK hit with Marcia Griffiths (Bob & Marcia) 'Young Gifted And Black', (their interpretation of a song written by Nina Simone and Wlldon Irvine - Simone (1969) and Aretha Franklin (1972) also recorded the song).  The link has live footage of them performing the track.  They had another #11 hit with 'Pied Piper' in 1971.

Bill Withers 30 March 2020 (81)

Please visit link to full obituary

My personal favourite Bill Withers track is probably 'Lovely Day', followed closely by 'Harlem'.

Vaughan Mason 3 April 2020 (69)

Mainly a disco / post disco / electro artist who's material is not of great interest to me personally, but may be to lovers of 'that' 80s sound. Best known for 'Bounce, Skate, Rock , Roll'.  I've selected 'Feel My Love' from 1983.

Patrick Gibson (Gibson Brothers) 4 Aprl 2020 (64)

Gibson Brothers were a French based West Indian group who burst onto the Disco scene in the late 70s with 'Cuba'.  They had a series of UK pop hits after this with another 2 Top 10 entries with 'Oh What A Life', and 'Que Sera Mi Vida' (one we use to mock as Kiss My Ass Sweet Vera).  Patrick Gibson was singer and drummer who was another victim of Covid.

Hamilton Bohannon 24 April 2020 (78)

I first became aware of Hamilton Bohannon in the early 70s with 'South African Man', followed by 'Foot Stomping Music', and 'Disco Stomp' all bass heavy 'stompers'. He had a massive hit with 'Let's Start The Dance' however, it is the flip side to South African Man, 'Have A Good Day' that I've selected as it may not be that well known.

Millie Small 5 May 2020 (72)

Had a world-wide #2 hit with 'My Boy Lollipop' in 1964 at just 16.  That would be 'too obvious' to post so I've chosen 'Killer Joe' from 1966.

Hillard 'Sweet Pea' Atkinson 5 May 2020 (74)

Was best known as lead singer with 'Was Not Was'. He released an album and a few singles in the early 80s.  The best known is his cover of the Four Tops 'Don't Walk Away'

Little Richard 9 May 2020 (87)

Please visit link to full obituary

A huge discography to choose from, but it has to be his Northern Soul monster first played at The Torch 'I Don't Want To Discuss It'  and 'A Little Bit Of Something' both on Okeh from 1967.

Betty Wright 10 May 2020 (66)

Please visit link to full obituary

It's criminal that Bessie Regina Norris (Betty Wright) was virtually unknown to the general record buying public in UK with only 4 chart entries and only 2 were Top 40, 'Shoorah, Shoorah' (#27) and 'Where Is The Love' (#25). 'Pain' (#42 1986) and 'Keep Love New' (#71 1989) were the other two.  What happened to 'Clean Up Woman' and 'Tonight's The Night' and her many other US hits?

I'm going to choose an early minor US hit 'Girls Can't Do What Guys Do' from 1968 and an album only modern soul play 'Keep Feelin'' from her 1976 Exposion album.

Bonnie Pointer  8 June 2020 (69)

Patricia Eva Pointer left the Pointer sisters in 1977 to pursue a solo career, her biggest hit being a cover of The Elgins 'Heaven Must Have Sent You' in 1979.  The 'hit' version is a hideous disco version but she did do another version more sympthetic to the original which I've linked to.

Tami Lynn 26 June 2020 (77/78)

Had a UK Top 10 hit in 1971 with a re-issue of 'I'm Gonna Run Away From You', originally released on Solid Gold in 1964,  which was primarily driven by the demand on Northern Soul dancefloors.  I've selected a later release from 1971 'That's Understanding' taken from her 'Love Is Here And Now You're Gone' LP, and produced by Wardell Quezurgue and John E. Abbey - founder and editor of Blues & Soul magazine.

Marvin Brown (The Softones) 3 Jul 2020 (66)

Marvin Brown was the lead singer (tenor) of the 70s sweet soul group The Softones from Baltimore, he had previously been with The Unicefs briefly. He released a solo single in 1987 which was a cover of The Delfonics' 'La La Means I Love You'. He left The Softones in mid 80s and, apparently, in early 2000s formed a group called The Fonics with ex Softone Steve Jackson and ex Delfonic Johnnie Jonson and performed around Baltimore area as a Delfonics tribute group.

Wayne Fontana 6 August 2020 (74)

Glyn Geoffrey Ellis took his name  from Elvis' drummer D.J. Fontana and formed The Mindbenders in 1963.  They recorded a cover of Major Lance's 'Um Um Um Um Um Um' which reached #5 on UK pop chart and followed it up with their bigest hit 'The Game Of Love' (#1 US, #2 UK), but it's his solo outing from 1966 on the flip side to 'Pamela Pamela', 'Something Keeps Calling Me Back' he's best known for in Northern Soul circles.

Ronald Bell (Kool & The Gang) 9 September 2020 (68)

Khalis Bayyan was co-founder of Kool & The Gang with his brother Robert 'Kool' Bell who died in 1985.  Their first 45 was released in 1969 and called Kool And The Gang, it reached #59 Hot 100 and #19 R&B.  The only track I can recall ever played on Northern Soul dancefloors was from mid 70's (1976) when New York Disco sounds were 'crossing over', it also featured in the 1977 movie 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Open Sesame'.

Edna Wright 12 September 2020 (75)

Younger sister of Darlene Love and was married to Greg Perry. She was lead singer of Honey Cone and also recorded as Sandy Wynn's 'A Touch Of Venus' in 1964 which was a huge Northern Soul sound on Champion, the same label as Gloria Jones' 'infamous' Tainted Love.  The track I have chosen is the title track fom her 1977 solo album 'Oops, Her I Go Again'.  Apparently she turned down the opportunity of replacing Diana Ross in The Supremes in 1969 as she wanted to join Holland Dozier Holland at Hot Wax to be in the group Honey Cone.

Pamela Huchinson (The Emotions) 28 September 2020 (61)

Pamela Rose Hutchinson joined The Emotions briefly from 1977 for the album Rejoice replacing her older sister Jeanette when she left when pregnant. Despite having recorded since 1964, the group peaked in 1976 with #1 Best Of My Love, soon followed in 1979 with a collaboration with Earth Wind  & Fire on disco classic 'Boogie Wonderland', however, they never again entered the Hot 100.  It's not abundantly clear which recordings Pamela definitley performed on but one she did for sure was 'Don't Ask The Neighbors', the follow up single to 'Best Of My Love',  so I've attached a clip from Soul Train with the group being interviewed by Don Cornelius, Pamela is on the left, she would have only been about 17 or 18 at the time.  I have to say after watching this clip how under-rated and overlooked this group was!

Johnny Nash 6 October 2020 (80)

I guess, like me, the first song that enters your mind when his name is mentioned is 'I Can See Clearly Now' from 1972, 16 years after his first recording in 1956.   His only other US Top 10 hit was earlier in 1968 with double-sider 'Hold Me Tight / Cupid'. He never again made Top 10 in US but had 6 Top 10 hits in UK with Hold Me Tight, You Got Soul, Cupid, I Can See Clearly Now, There Are More Questions Than Answers and Tears On My Pillow and just missed with Stir It Up (#13).  However, many of his mid 60s recordings have been 'rediscovered' on UK NS scene such as 'Good Goodness' c/w 'You Never Know' and '(I'm So Glad) You're My Baby' and the flip side 'Stormy' from 1967.  He also had a couple of other 45 only (i.e. non-album) tracks in 1970 '(What A) Groovey Feeling' and  'Falling In And Out Of Love'.

Spencer Davis 19 October 2020 (81)

Famous of course for The Spencer Davis Group who had hits such as 'Keep On Running', 'Somebody Help Me', 'Gimme Some Lovin'' and 'I'm A Man' all UK Top 10 hits (#1,#1,#2,#9 respectively) between 1965-67.  It was the flip side to 'When I Come Home' released between 'Somebody Help Me' and 'Gimme Some Lovin'' in 1966, that was spun on NS dancefloors, an instrumental called 'Trampoline'.

Roy Head 21 September 2020 (79)

His first and biggest hit, was 'Treat Her Right' as Roy Head & The Traits on the much loved Back Beat label which has turned up many great tunes played on NS dancefloors.  He was a bit of al all-rounder performing Rock n Roll, R&B, blue-eyed soul and country and ewas inducted into The Rockabilly Hall Of Fame in 2007. Other tracks worth checking out include 'Turn Out The Lights', a flipside to 'Broadway Walk' on Mercury from 1968; 'Don't Cry No More' (originally recorded by Bobby Bland) the flip to 'To Make A Big Man Cry' from 1966, 'She's About A Mover' and 'Soul Train' (reminds me of Robert Parker's - Barefootin'') from 1970 'Same People' LP and 'I Want Some Action' on Mercury 1969.

Rance Allen 31 October 2020 (71)

Please visit link to full obituary

I posted a complete discography of Rance Allen's recordings in the obituary above, but the song that springs to mind is the under-rated 'Peace Of Mind' from 1977 which appears on the same album ('Say My Friend') as the classic 'Reasons To Survive'.

Len Barry (Leonard Borisoff) 5 Nov 2020 (78)

Please visit link to full obituary

I know it's basically a pop song, but I've always liked '1-2-3', very Motownesque.  I hadn't, until now, investigated whether anyone else has recorded it (apart from Deon Jackson), and am surprised that there are at least 55 cover versions with some notable artists such as Sarah Vaughn, Leon Haywood, Herbie Mann & Tamiko Jones and some MOR versions - one by Jack Jones! It is also noteworthy that it is credited as an adaptation of HDH penned Ask Any Girl by The Supremes - so no wonder it sounds very Motownesque!

However, of most interest are his unreleased recordings of some Northern Soul classic which didn't see the light of day until around 2007 on That Philly Sound label: I'll Always Need You, When You Call Me Baby, I'm In Love and Love, Love,Love.

Candido Camero Guerra 7 Nov 2020 (99)

Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist Candido died barely 6 months before his 100th birthday (22 April).  Best known for his latin disco anthem 'Jingo' flipped with the equally good 'Dancin' & Prancin' and also 'Thousand Finger Man' all from his 4 track album 'Dancin' & Prancin' on Salsoul from 1979.