Streamingoldies > Memories Medley > 2021 Music Deaths Part 2

2021 Music Deaths Part 2

January 6, 2022Memories Medley

We continue our look back at music deaths in 2021 with seven more losses from February, March and April.

By the way, it wasn’t easy to find a Supremes song with Mary Wilson on lead vocal but I did it!

Here is Part 2. Listen and Remember.

Mary Wilson (Supremes) Feb. 8
Gene Summers (50s rockabilly singer) Feb. 17
Alan Cartwright (bassist with Procol Harum) March 4
Jerry Burgan (guitarist with We Five) March 30
Rusty Young (vocalist/steel guitar with Poco) April 14
Mike Mitchell (guitarist with The Kingsmen ) April 16
Les McKeown (lead singer with The Bay City Rollers) April 20

Memories … That’s What We’re All About

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2021 Music Deaths / Part 2

Supremes – Gene Summers
Procol Harum – We Five – Poco
Kingsmen – Bay City Rollers

Comments (8)

  1. Don Doyle

    Day 2 and so many names I am not familiar with. Individuals who gave their talents to produce music that brought listeners so much joy. Although most of the names listed here toiled anonymously their collective efforts are fondly remembered as the soundtrack of our lives. I hope they knew how much pleasure they provided to their audience. Rest In Peace.

    1. Ray (Post author)

      Thanks, Don. We’ll have to slightly disagree on the “anonymous” part. Clearly, Mary Wilson, Mike Mitchell, Les McKeown and Rusty Young were well known artists, and Adam Cartwright held down the bottom for Procol Harum on one of their biggest hits. Jerry Burgan’s guitar on We Five’s biggest hit brought that song to life. Gene Summers was, admittedly, not a household name, but the song that was played was quite popular in 1958.

  2. Fred

    Mary was one of the founders of the Supremes and did sing a few songs but Barry Gordy chose Diana for lead singer I’ve always wondered why!!!! Gene was so good at his style!! Whiter shade of pale is all I remeber from Procal Harum interesting what that song was all about!! We five only rings a bell for this remake!! Louie Louie about a sailor spending 3 days to see a his girl The original is hard to understand and was obscene as I recall!! Ray didn’t the Bayside have a brawl on stage!! I enjoyed getting the cob webs out of my head!! I’ll just think of this as Saturday Night!!! Now I need nap!! Love ya great tunes all you learn to do is rock!!!

    1. Ray (Post author)

      Thanks, Fred.
      I always enjoyed Mary’s voice much more than Diana’s. Procol Harum’s live version of Conquistador reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The original version of Louie Louie by Richard Perry wasn’t a hit but the version from the Kingsmen was tagged as obscene by no less than the governor of Indiana and the FBI, who later admitted they had no idea what lead singer Jack Ely was saying! The Bay City Rollers were involved in a scary situation when hundreds of girls (part of an estimated 50,000 fans) rushed the band in May 1975, as the group appeared as part of an event at Mallory Park in England.

  3. Hawthorne Mary Helen

    Glad you are back…a great byreason to get out of bed

    1. Ray (Post author)

      Thanks, Mary Helen, it’s good to be back. 🙂

  4. Sandy Gaither

    This was awesome Ray, although there are a few artists who passed away that I honestly can say I’m not familiar with. In earlier blogs I have become more familiar, I can’t let that happen again. You have certainly pick some choices today that just had us all jumping all over the place. I love the selection of songs highlighting those artist who are no longer among us. Great collection of memories!

    1. Ray (Post author)

      Thank you, Sandy. 🙂
      I will acknowledge that some of the names on this list might be “obscure” but the music they created will never be forgotten!

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