Jerry Wexler

Etta James dies at 73; acclaimed blues and R&B singer

2012-01-20 16:06:00

Etta James, the earthy blues and R&B singer whose anguished vocals convinced generations of listeners that she would rather go blind than see her love leave, then communicated her joy upon finding that love at last, died Friday. She was 73. She died at...

Jerry Leiber dies at 78; lyricist in songwriting duo Leiber and Stoller

2011-08-23 00:00:00

Jerry Leiber, who with his songwriting partner, Mike Stoller, created a songbook that infused the rock 'n' roll scene of the 1950s and early '60s with energy and mischievous humor, has died. He was 78. Leiber, the words half of the duo, died Monday at...

RIP Jerry Leiber: half of one of rock's great songwriting teams

2011-08-22 16:35:54

Jerry Leiber appreciation: A songwriter who helped change pop music

2011-08-23 21:36:19

Solomon Burke dies; singer's voice was as big as his soul

2010-10-11 00:00:00

Solomon Burke, a pioneering singer-songwriter of so-called sweet soul music whose powerful ballads in the 1960s were a major influence on a generation of rock, R&B and pop vocalists, has died. He was in his early 70s. Burke died early Sunday morning of...

Cornell Dupree dies at 68; versatile guitarist

2011-05-13 00:00:00

Cornell Dupree, a versatile guitarist whose long, productive career included performances and recordings with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Miles Davis and Lena Horne, died Sunday at his home in Fort Worth. Dupree, who had emphysema, was...

Roger Nichols dies at 66; engineer gave Steely Dan its distinctive sound

2011-04-13 00:00:00

Roger Nichols, the recording engineer who gave the music of Steely Dan the lustrous sheen that became the popular group's sonic signature, died Saturday at his Burbank home after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer, his family said. He was 66....

Producer Arif Mardin celebrated in documentary 'The Greatest Ears in Town'

2010-06-29 16:35:50

Pop music and jazz figures

2008-12-28 00:00:00

Pop music and jazz figures Bob Popescu, 77; co-owner of Catalina Bar & Grill, turned the Los Angeles club into one of the top jazz venues in the country (Jan. 5) Ken Nelson, 84; longtime Capitol Records talent scout had an ear for country music (Jan. 6)...

Ray Ellis dies at 85; arranger worked with Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis, Doris Day, scores of others

2008-11-05 00:00:00

Ray Ellis, the versatile pop music arranger who wrote the charts for hits by the Four Lads, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis, has died. He was 85. Ellis, a longtime resident of Ojai, died Oct. 27 of liver cancer at an assisted-...

The Queen holds court with new release

2007-10-02 00:00:00

Despite distinguished work by Jill Scott, D'Angelo and other neo-soul artists in recent years, no single album captured the heart and intensity of classic soul music as fully as Angie Stone's "Mahogany Soul." Stone's 2001 CD reflected the spirit of Ray...

Jerry Wexler, 91; influential music producer coined 'rhythm and blues'

2008-08-16 00:00:00

Jerry Wexler, the influential Atlantic Records producer who coined the term "rhythm and blues" before helping shape that sound into one of the most powerful musical forces of the 1950s and '60s, died Friday morning at his home in Sarasota, Fla. He was 91....

Duane Allman died in a 1971 motorcycle crash at age 24. Jerry Wexler eulogized Allman by saying, "This young and beautiful man who we love so dearly but who is not lost to us, because we have his music, and the music is imperishable."

2011-11-23 09:52:57

Etta James performs at the House of Blues in 1999. She coaxed esteemed RB producer Jerry Wexler , who had been pivotal in the careers of Aretha Franklin , Ruth Brown, Otis Redding and numerous others, out of retirement to oversee her 1993 album "The Right Time." At the time, Wexler said, "I've

2010-03-23 13:05:35

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio congresswoman, Aug. 20 Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died on Aug. 20 after having a brain hemorrhage, a Cleveland Clinic official said. She was 58.

2008-08-20 17:50:13