Dennis Thomas was one of the co-founders of Kool & the Gang.
It’s not clear to me how many writing credits Thomas has in the band’s oeuvre; but he did co-write “Jungle Boogie” (1973).
Tag Archives: American music
RIP Paul Johnson (1971 – 2021)
Paul Johnson was an American DJ and record producer best known for “Get Get Down” (1999).
“Get Get Down” samples “Me and the Gang” (1978) by Hamilton Bohannon.
RIP Gift of Gab (1971 – 2021)
Gift of Gab was an American singer-songwriter working in hip hop music.
MF Doom, who was also born in 1971, died a couple of months ago. Both him and Gift of Gab were known for their multisyllabic rhymes.
The most inspiring figure in hip hop today is Madlib.
RIP Jon Hassell (1937 – 2021)
Jon Hassell was an American composer and trumpet player best known for combining elements of various world music traditions with modern electronic techniques.
His music has a mesmerizing quality.
Of note is his collaboration with Moritz von Oswald (Oswald is the new Laswell).
RIP Frederic Rzewski (1938 – 2021)
Frederic Rzewski was an American composer, best known for The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (1975).
That composition is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”.
RIP Ellen McIlwaine (1945 – 2021)
Ellen McIlwaine was an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a solo singer, songwriter and slide guitarist.
I discovered her via Life:Styles – Kenny Dope (2003) which features her “Jimmy Jean” song, originally released on the album We The People (1973). The congas you hear are, as far as I know, by Cándido Camero.
Her song “Can’t Find My Way Home” is reminiscent of “You Goin’ Miss Your Candyman” (1968) is a song by Terry Callier.
RIP B. J. Thomas (1942 – 2021)
B. J. Thomas was an American singer best known for interpreting the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, a song written by by Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
RIP Roger Hawkins (1945 – 2021)
Roger Hawkins was an American drummer.
He played drums on countless well-known soul, disco, and r&b songs.
He was a co-founder of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in Alabama, a house band like the Compass Point All Stars, Booker T. & the M.G.’s and the Salsoul Orchestra.
Hawkins played drums on “Love Sensation” (1980) by Loleatta Holloway.
RIP Jimmy Scott (1925 – 2014)
This escaped my attention seven years ago.
Jimmy Scott was an American vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
He covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” on his album Holding Back The Years (1998).
RIP Curtis Fuller (1934 – 2021)
Curtis Fuller was an American trombonist known for his work on the American jazz scene between the years 1957 and c. 1980.
Trombonists I admire include Rico Rodriguez, Peter Zummo, Vin Gordon, Don Drummond, Fred Wesley and Willie Colón.