Josie Quick on Facebook, 2/19/16: It is with great sadness the we learn of the passing of our former drummer, Rob Chamberlin. Rob performed with Perpetual Motion for several years, and appeared on our Christmas CD, “Christmas Time is Here”. Due to his dedication to excellence, he declined to appear on our last two albums because of the neuromuscular disease he suffered from. Rob continued to perform with us until he was no longer able to. His wry sense of humor, musical sensitivity, and impeccable time is missed. Rest in Peace, Rob.
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JOHNNY SECREST, SINGER FOR COLORADO BANDS THE QUIET ROOM AND LEVIATHON
From his fiancé Lisa Marie Jones: Johnny Lee Secrest was born in Colorado on January 15, 1966. He died in Denver on February 20, 2016 at the age of 39. Johnny started his career in music at a young age. At 22 he was the lead singer of Salem Spade, that went on to to have a successful career. He was in a lot of successful bands: The Quiet Room, Leviathon, Havoc (not Denver band Havok), Sanctum (in Arizona), and many more.
He knew all the headaches that went with the music industry and the corporate powers that be!
We had a lot in common in this area since I had worked with Atlantic and Geffen records back in the 80’s. Plus I, too, was a musician!
May you rest in peace, my love! The Johnny I knew, as his fiancee and having lived together for the past year, was a good man who loved with all his heart not only me but the three children he leaves behind. In the last four years, he had some extremely awful things happen to him that plagued his mind constantly, to the point where he could no longer deal with the pain.
I know he had a lot of friends on the local music scene as well as around the world. He was my best friend, my fiancee and we had planned on spending the rest of our lives together, growing old and enjoying our grandchildren!
His children are Sierra, 22; Riley,14, and his son Elijah, 10.
To Johnny, I will always love you! Your angel, best friend, and fiancée–
LisaMarie
[A fund raiser for the family is being planned in the near future as there was no life insurance to help with final expenses. We’ll keep you updated.]* * * * *
SONNY JAMES, 16 #1 HIT COUNTRY SONGS IN A ROW
James Hugh Loden (87) (5/1/28 – 2/22/16), known professionally as Sonny James, was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, “Young Love”. Dubbed the “Southern Gentleman” for his congenial manner, his greatest success came from ballads about the trials of love. James had 72 country and pop charted releases from 1953 to 1983, including an unprecedented five-year streak of 16 straight Billboard #1 singles among his 26 #1 hits. Twenty-one of his albums reached the country top ten from 1964 to 1976. James was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
James Hugh Loden was born on May 1, 1928 to Archie Lee ‘Pop’ Loden and Della Burleson Loden, who operated a 300 acres (120 ha) farm outside Hackleburg, Alabama. His parents were amateur musicians, and his sister Thelma Lee Loden Holcombe also played instruments and sang from an early age. By age three he was playing a mandolin and singing and was dubbed “Sonny Boy”. In 1933 the family appeared on a radio audition which resulted in their being offered a regular Saturday slot on Muscle Shoals, Alabama radio station WMSD-AM. About this time the parents volunteered to raise an Alabama girl named Ruby Palmer, and soon Ruby was also part of the musical group, and the singing Loden Family, later billed as Sonny Loden and the Southerners, was soon playing theaters, auditoriums and schoolhouses throughout the Southern United States.
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During the summer of 1950, James worked with a band, sometimes singing but he was most useful as a guitar player on the Memphis, Tennessee radio station WHBQ. His work at the radio station was interrupted near the end of the summer when James’ National Guard unit was activated to participate in the Korean War.
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On September 9, 1950, his Alabama Army National Guard unit was sent to Korea, returning home in the fall of 1951. Loden was honorably discharged and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he signed with Capitol Records with the help of Chet Atkins, with whom he had previously roomed.
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Following his long streak of #1 hits, James is also remembered for his 1975 #6 song “A Little Bit South of Saskatoon” that was in the 1977 Paul Newman hockey comedy Slap Shot.
Top of the charts
In late 1956 James released “Young Love”, a 45 rpm single for which he would forever be remembered. As the first teenage country crossover single, it topped both the US country and pop music charts in January to February 1957. Record sales could have been higher if Capitol Records had anticipated the exposure on popular-music charts; they had ordered only enough copies of the record to satisfy the anticipated country-music demand, and were therefore unable to supply most of the requests for records. The track peaked at No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. It sold well over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. He gained more exposure with an appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show and the Bob Hope Show.
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Later, James had his first #1 Billboard hit since Young Love – topping the country charts with the song he co-wrote with Bob Tubert, You’re The Only World I Know. His next five releases peaked on the Billboard country charts at 2, 1, 3, 1, and 2 (though all five of them hit #1 on either Billboard, Record World or Cashbox).
With his musical style now refined and his “sound” on records and on personal appearances produced to be immediately identifiable, Sonny James was set to begin what became his legendary streak of 16 straight #1 singles – an uncontested record which no other solo recording artist has surpassed in any genre.
Billboard #1 streak
Beginning in 1967 with “Need You” and ending with “Here Comes Honey Again” in 1971, James recorded 16 straight #1 country singles. His career #1 total was 26, the last coming with 1974’s “Is It Wrong (For Loving You)”. During his career had 72 charted releases.
Personal life and death
In July 1957 Sonny married Doris Shrode in Dallas, Texas. . . . James died on February 22, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 87 of natural causes.
In 1957, James became the first country recording artist to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1961, honoring his contribution to the music industry, James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6630 Hollywood Blvd.
In 1967, along with Bobbi Gentry, James hosted the first CMA Awards show.
From 1969 thru 1971, Sonny became the first country artist to achieve a feat previously not done in the country music industry: In the middle of his highly successful run of sixteen consecutive #1 hits, of the next seven singles that James released, five had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&B artists Ivory Joe Hunter, Brook Benton & Clyde Otis and Jimmy Reed. Those five songs were Since I Met You Baby, It’s Just A Matter of Time, Endlessly, Empty Arms, and Bright Lights, Big City, all of which hit #1 on the Billboard country charts.
In 1969, Billboard magazine named Sonny James Country Music’s Artist of the Year.
In February 1971, James was the first country artist whose music went into space; he made a special music recording for the crew of Apollo 14. They later presented him with one of the small American flags that they had carried to the Moon.
In 1973, James produced Marie Osmond’s first three albums. The first single “Paper Roses” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart less than one month after her 14th birthday. Osmond thus became the youngest female and overall youngest solo artist to ever reach the No. 1 position on that chart, a record that still stands as of 2015.
In 1987, Sonny was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
In June 2001, honored with the Male Golden Voice Award. In November 2001 received the Master Achievement Award /
In June 2001, honored with the Male Golden Voice Award. In November 2001 received the Master Achievement Award / R.O.P.E. Award. In June 2002 honored by the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame and Country Radio Broadcasters with the Career Achievement Award.
On November 6, 2006, he appeared on television for the first time in nearly 20 years when presenter Kris Kristofferson announced on the ABC television network’s Country Music Association Awards that Sonny was to be one of its newest inductees. Sonny’s acceptance speech opened with the words, “I want to thank my Good Lord for the career He has given me.”
In May 2007, Sonny James and his Southern Gentlemen were officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,
In 2009 James was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
On August 15, 2015, exactly 51 years to the day when he first teamed up with The Southern Gentlemen in 1964, James was inducted into The Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame. Gary Robble, one of The Southern Gentlemen, accepted the award on behalf of James and all of The Southern Gentlemen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_James
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PAUL GORDON, KEYBOARDIST FOR THE B-52s
Paul Christian Gordon (1963 – February 18, 2016) was an American musician, composer, and producer. A keyboardist and guitarist, he was a member of New Radicals and the keyboardist for the B-52’s from 2007 until his death in 2016.
Gordon was born Paul Christian Gordon in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1963.
Gordon worked with Natasha Bedingfield, Goo Goo Dolls, The B-52’s, Danielle Brisebois, New Radicals, Prince, Jennifer Nettles, Lisa Marie Presley, Charles and Eddie, The Devlins, Eran DD, Jeffrey Gaines, John Gregory, Nona Hendryx, Carly Hennessy, The Juliet Dagger, Jill Jones, Chaka Khan, Lila McCann, Mandy Moore, Jenny Muldaur, Trine Riene, Wild Orchid and David Yazbek.
Gordon also composed music for both television and film soundtracks. His clients included The Fox Network, ABC Family and Spike TV. Some of the compositions he wrote or co-wrote include the themes for Digimon, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Power Rangers Wild Force, the Great Pretenders and Stripperella.
Gordon was married to Jennifer Lysak Gordon. They had two sons.
On February 18, 2016, Gordon died in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 52, from an unspecified illness. It was reported on the B-52’s Facebook page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gordon_(musician)
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VI SUBVERSA, SINGER/GUITARIST OF THE BRITISH PUNK BAND POISON GIRLS
Frances Sokolov (80) (6/20/35 – 2/19/16), better known by her stage name Vi Subversa, was the singer and guitarist of British anarcho-punk band Poison Girls.
Subversa was born of East European Jewish parents. She spent two years in Israel in the late 1950s working in a ceramic pottery in Beersheba under Nehemia Azaz, before returning to the United Kingdom. She had two children, Pete Fender (born Daniel Sansom, 1964) and Gem Stone (born Gemma Sansom, 1967), who both became members of the punk bands Fatal Microbes and Rubella Ballet.
Subversa’s first public performance was at The Body Show at Sussex University in 1975. In 1979, at 44 years old and a mother of two, she released her first single with the Poison Girls. Her lyrics were written from a radical feminist punk perspective.
She is featured in the documentary film She’s a Punk Rocker.
Subversa’s last musical venture was with the cabaret trio Vi Subversa’s Naughty Thoughts, which she formed with Michael Coates and Judy Bayley. She played her final live performance with Naughty Thoughts at Brighton’s Green Door Store on 5 December 2015, with The Cravats.
Subversa’s son Pete Fender announced on Facebook February 19, 2016 that she had died, following a short illness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi_Subversa
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HARALD DEVOLD, NORWEGIAN JAZZ MUSICIAN
Harald Devold (51) (5/13/64 – 2/19/16) was a Norwegian jazz musician (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone and flute) from Vadsø, Finnmark. He is also known as bouth big band organizer, music producer and music political activist. He was born raised in Langevåg, Sula, Møre og Romsdal.
Devold received his musical education at Norwegian Academy of Music. He was known for his versatility as musician and has since the 1980s been one of Norway’s most commonly used freelance musicians. He was a driving force for the big band Oslo Groove Company receiving the 1990 Spellemannprisen.
Devold settled in Vadsø (1995) and then worked as head of Scene Finnmark, which inter alia disposes regional musician groups LINK and Ensemble Noor. He was a music producer for Scene Finnmark. He helped to initiate a number of productions, which toured the Barents Region and played a key role for establishing contacts between Norwegian and Russian musicians. Among these productions, we find artists like Angélique Kidjo, Morten Abel, Frode Alnæs, Hallgeir Pedersen, Kai Somby, Sondre Lerche, Mari Boine, Petter Carlsen, Marte Heggelund, Ivar Thomassen, Marit Hætta Øverli, Inga Juuso, Anne Grete Preus, Hector Bingert and Knut Kristansen. As a musician, he has also collaborated with various Sami artists, such as Siellu Dalkas releasing an album in 2006. Devold was selected in 2005 as Chairman for Norsk Jazzforum (NJF). On February 19, 2016 he died from cancer at the age of 51.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Devold
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
February 2016
23: Rey Caney, 89, Cuban musician; Johnny Murphy, 72, Irish musician and actor (The Commitments, Into the West, Angela’s Ashes), respiratory failure.
22: Sonny James, 87, American country singer-songwriter (“Young Love”); Hans Reffert, 69, German musician and composer.
21: Pascal Bentoiu, 88, Romanian composer; Piotr Grudzinski (pl), 40, Polish guitarist (Riverside).
20: Ole Erling (dk), 77, Danish musician; Ove Verner Hansen, 83, Danish actor and opera singer, heart attack.
19: Harald Devold, 51, Norwegian jazz musician, cancer; Vi Subversa, 80, British musician (Poison Girls).
18: Paul Gordon, 52, American musician (New Radicals, The B-52’s); Brendan Healy, 59, English actor and musician, cancer; Pantelis Pantelidis, 32, Greek singer-songwriter, traffic collision.
16: Piero Buscaroli, 85, Italian musicologist.