New Musicians and Artists in Rock & Roll Heaven in 2015, Part Four

Join us all day today as we celebrate and salute the contributions of those who have died in 2015:

Lesley Gore died February 16, 2015  of lung cancer in Manhattan, New York at age 68.

  Gore churned out 19 hits in her five-year career, including the #1 "It's My Party", "Judy's Turn To Cry" and "She's A Fool".

 

 

But perhaps Gore's greatest contribution that will be remembered long after her death is this song. 

Craig Gruber, bassist for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, who also worked with elite guitarist Gary Moore among others, died May 5 of prostate cancer.  Gruber was 63.  

William Guest of Gladys Knight & the Pips, who was later the CEO of Crew Records, died December 24, 2015 of congestive heart failure in Detroit, Michigan.

Knight & the Pips were a highly successful family act from Atlanta, Georgia with 42 career hits, including the #2 smash "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye). 

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.

Their biggest career hit was the #1 classic "Midnight Train To Georgia".

 

Eddie Hoh, drummer with the Mamas & the Papas at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the Monkees and Donovan and Stephen Stills, died November 7, 2015 at age 72 in Westmont, Illinois.

When legendary guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills and songwriter, producer and musician Al Kooper got together to record the 1968 album Super Session, the drummer they called was Eddie Hoh.

Jørgen Ingmann ("Apache" in 1961) died March 21, 2015 in Denmark at age 89.  (Note:  some websites insist Ingmann died at the age of 83.  He was 89, according to Denmark Radio.)

Louis Johnson, that great bass guitar sound behind the Brothers Johnson died May 21, 2015 at age 60.

 

Due to his distinctive style, Johnson was nicknamed "Thunder-Thumbs".  Johnson began playing slap bass after Larry Graham brought it into the mainstream with his work for Sly & the Family Stone. 

In addition to being a part of hits like "Strawberry Letter 23", "I'll Be Good To You" and "Stomp!" with the Brothers Johnson, Louis was an in-demand bassist for Michael Jackson ("Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"), Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Herb Alpert, Jeffrey Osborne, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Michael McDonald, Grover Washington, Jr. and Earl Klugh.