THEY WILL BE MISSED

Review By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

Another year has come and gone. In 2008 we lost a number of music legends. N2Entertainment.net looks back at those we loved to listen to. While this list is far from all-encompassing, it does provide an overview of those we will miss. And while they may be gone, they won't be forgotten.

MUSICIANS

AL WILSON--Died: April 21,
Al Wilson, 68, (pictured) was one of the kindest and unassuming singers I've met. He grew up in my hometown, San Bernardino. And I remember seeing him perform as a youngster at an annual event in "Berdoo" called the National Orange Show. But over the years I made a point to catch Wilson's soulful shows whenever I could. I was fortunate to interview the talented singer. My last sit down interview with him was about four years ago at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. One of the things that struck me most about Wilson was his absolute love of performing. He sincerely enjoyed playing at large or small venues. He never tired of his fans and gave them quite a show. He had his share of favorite songs. He was especially fond of "The Snake" which was a Johnny Rivers and Oscar Brown Jr. song. However, it became a big cover hit for Wilson in 1968. Wilson also covered River's "Poor Side of Town" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Lodi." But it was his own monstrous, signature 1974 chart-topping record "Show & Tell" which audiences loved and which camped out on the U.S. pop singles chart for several weeks. "Show & Tell" was produced by songwriter Jerry Fuller and first recorded by balladeer Johnny Mathis. But there was just something incredibly crazy-sexy-cool in the way Wilson worked that tune. Wilson died in Fontana, California from kidney failure.

ISAAC HAYES--Died: Aug. 10
Hayes was a phenomenal person and musician. He is best known as the first African-American composer to win an Oscar for "Best Original Song" with the theme song from Shaft (1972). Hayes, 65, died of an apparent stroke.

LEVI STUBBS--Died: Oct. 17
Four Tops front man whose distinctive voice was heard on Motown classics as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" and "Baby I Need Your Loving." "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out" (1966) went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart. In a solo turn, Stubbs, 72, memorably provided the voice of Audrey II, the mysterious plant in the 1986 film version of the Broadway musical "Little Shop of Horrors." Stubbs died in his sleep in Detroit, Michigan.

NORMAN WHITFIELD--Died: Sept. 16
Songwriter and producer who co-wrote a string of Motown classics including "War," "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)," and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Whitfield, 66, died in Los Angeles, California at age 66.

JHERYL BUSBY--Died Nov. 4
Busby was president and chief executive (1988-95) of Motown Records and developed the careers of Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, and Queen Latifah. After his Motown tenure, Busby, 59, was head of the urban division at DreamWorks Records (1998-2001) and later worked at Def Soul Classics, a division of Def Jam Records. He was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Malibu, California.

SEAN LEVERT--Died: Mar. 30
One-third of the '80s rhythm-and-blues trio LeVert, and son of lead O'Jays singer Eddie Levert. He suffered from high blood pressure and had been hallucinating in jail. He died at a hospital less than an hour after he was taken there from the jail, in Cleveland, Ohio.

GERALD WIGGINS--Died: Jul.13
A Jazz pianist who along with his trio recorded with Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, and Zoot Sims and performed with Lena Horne and Nat ("King") Cole. Wiggins, 86, also was the vocal coach for Marilyn Monroe. Wiggins died in Tarzana, California.

WAYNE FROST--Died: Apr. 3
Hip-hop pioneer, also known as '"Freeze Frost" and who along with the "Rock Steady Crew" starred in 1983 movie "Flashdance."
He died in New York City at age 44.

JERRY WEXLER--Died: August 15 Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a prolific music journalist turned producer and a major player in the music scene throughout the 1950s and 1980s and credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues." Signed some of the biggest acts in music including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield and Bob Dylan. Wexler was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Wexler died from congestive heart failure.[1] Asked by a documentary filmmaker several years before his death what he wanted on his tombstone, Wexler replied "'More bass."

LAWRENCE LLOYD BROWN SR.--Died: Apr. 6
Original member of R&B group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Brown Sr. is known for songs including "I Miss You," "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," and "Wake up Everybody." Brown died of a respiratory condition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at age 63.

ANTHONY JOSEPH BEN--Died: Jan. 4.
An accomplished percussionist. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles toured and recorded at Capital Records with the singing group The Sylvers. He joined the group A Taste of Honey and recorded 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' with the duo. A tragic car accident led to glaucoma and eventually led to blindness.He was 65 years old.

MIRIAM MAKEBA--Died: Nov. 10
Affectionately referred to as "Mama Africa," the South African singer died after a concert in Italy at the age of 76. She was the first African woman to win a Grammy Award and used her musical platform to create awareness of apartheid.

ANDRE YOUNG JR.--Died: Aug. 23
Young was the son of Grammy-winning rap impresario and multiple platinum record producer Dr. Dre (born Andre Young Sr.). Andre Jr., 20, was found unresponsive by his mother at their home and died unexpectedly in Woodland Hills, California.

FREDDIE HUBBARD--Died: Dec. 29
One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Freddie Hubbard's musical influence spanned generations. Hubbard was born in Indianapolis and mastered the mellophone and French horn at an early age. During the 1960's Hubbard's recordings included collaborations with jazz greats like Herbie Hancock ("Maiden Voyage"), Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch," John Coltrane's "Ascension," Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil" and his own classic, "Ready for Freddie." He won a Grammy in 1972 for best jazz performance by a group for the album "First Light." In 2006, The National Endowment for the Arts honored Hubbard with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Hubbard, 70, suffered a heart attack last month and had been hospitalized since.

CEDELLA BOOKER--Died: Apr. 8
Booker was a powerful gospel-reggae singer and the mother of Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley. Booker, 81, died in her sleep in Miami, Florida.

IRENE REID--Died: Jan. 5
Reid toured and recorded with Count Basie's band and was a Broadway star in "The Wiz" playing the evil witch. Reid, 77, died of cardiac arrest.

LEROI MOORE--Died: Aug. 19
The talented Moore was a saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band. Lead singer Matthews credited Moore with arranging many of his songs. Complications from an all-terrain vehicle he was riding contributed to his death. Moore was 46.

SHAKIR STEWART--Died: Nov. 1
Former executive vice president who succeeded Jay-Z as head of the legendary hip hop music label Def Jam Recordings, founded in the mid-'80s. Stewart, 33, signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the label before being named last June to the post, in which he oversaw the development of new talent, managed producers, and guided the label's vision. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Marietta, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb.

STEPHEN "STATIC" GARRETT--Died: Feb. 25
This talented singer/rapper and producer was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static wrote songs for Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Destiny's Child, Brandy and JoJo. He died of complications from a medical procedure in Louisville, Kentucky at age 33.

BUDDY MILES--Died: Feb. 26
Miles was a prolific drummer and played with the legendary Jimi Hendrix in his short-lived group, Band of Gypsies. He also was featured as lead singer in the claymation commercials featuring the California Raisins in the '80s. Miles suffered from congestive heart failure and died in Austin, Texas. He was 60.

CLYDE OTIS--Died: Jan. 25
Not only was Clyde Otis a major songwriter and record producer, but he was also one of the first black executives at a major record company. He hit pay dirt and topped the charts in 1956 when Nat King Cole recorded his song "That's All There Is to That." Otis produced songs for Brook Benton including "It's Just a Matter of Time," which he and Benton wrote together. Otis died in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 83.

CHRIS ANDERSON--Died Feb. 4
One of the most respected jazz pianists around who influenced Herbie Hancock. Anderson was born in Chicago with limited vision and the congenital condition known as brittle bone disease. At age 20 he was blind due to cataracts. He died of a stroke in New York City at age 81.

PERVIS JACKSON--Died: Aug. 18
You can't listen to a Spinners song without appreciating the rich bass of Jackson. He was one of the original group members and contributed to numerous hit records for them. Jackson, 70, died of brain and liver cancer in Detroit, Michigan.

BO DIDDLEY--Died: June 2, 2008
Diddley was one of rock music's most influential guitarists, He had been ill for the last few years. Diddley, 79, died of heart failure in Archer, Florida.

JIMMY MCGRIFF--Died: May 24
McGriff, a prominent blues organist, made a name for himself in the 1960s after recording an instrumental version of "I've Got a Woman."
McGriff, 72, died in New Jersey from heart failure.

JIMMY SLYDE--Died: May 16
Slyde's smooth moves carried him from swing and bebop to Broadway (Black & Blue [1989]) and movies, including "Tap" (1989) and "The Cotton Club" (1984). Slyde, 80, died in Hanson, Massachusetts.

JOHN BRUNIOUS--Died: Feb. 12
Dixieland jazz trumpeter, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's leader and senior member. Hurricane Katrina flooded Brunious' New Orleans apartment to the ceiling in August 2005. The Dixieland jazz trumpeter was rescued by a passing boat but was among the thousands stranded without food or water at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for five days before being evacuated. All six of his trumpets were lost in the flood. Brunious, 67, died of a heart attack in Orlando, Florida, where he had been living since the storm.