In Memoriam Nov. 2024: Producers Quincy Jones and Shel Talmy, 2 Bee Gees drummers, others
November’s music losses include Quincy Jones, British Invasion producer Shel Talmy, two Bee Gees Drummers, progressive rock lyricist Peter Sinfield and others.
Quincy Jones Jazz musician, songwriter, arranger, conductor, producer, and record company executive Quincy Jones passed away November 3 at age 91. Jones, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and winner of 28 Grammy Awards, produced ten Lesley Gore Top 40 hits in the ‘60s and Michael Jackson’s string of hit albums in the ‘70s and ‘80s: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.
Jones made his Top 40 debut as a recording artist in 1978, with the funky dance number “Stuff Like That,” featuring vocals by Ashford & Simpson and Chaka Khan, from his A&M album Sounds…and Stuff Like That.
In 1981, Jones’ Top 10 album The Dude produced a pair of Top 20 ballads sung by James Ingram, “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways.”
In late 1989, Jones’ album Back on the Block was released on his Qwest label, spawning his sole gold single as a recording artist, “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite),” featuring guest vocalists Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, and Barry White. The smooth recording topped the R&B chart.
Earlier this year, in our Fabulous Flip Sides series, we interviewed Leslie Mandoki about his entourage Mandoki Soulmates’ 2024 album A Memory of Our Future. Here is Mandoki’s tribute to Jones, “Dear Quincy, my dear friend, you were the greatest! You gave us all so much and will always remain a shining star in our memory. Quincy Jones was a style-defining, style-transcending, and a musical genius. I met Quincy in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and then we frequently ran into each other at the Grammy Awards ceremonies, where he was so frequently and deservedly honored. After the death of Jack Bruce, my dear friend and founding member of our Mandoki Soulmates band, it was Quincy who steered me to the great Richard Bona as Jack’s successor on bass. We also often talked about the genius of our Soulmates band member Cory Henry. Quincy always had a great eye for up-and-coming world-class artists, to whom he was both a mentor and role model. Whenever I worked with world-class artists who had also worked with Quincy, such as Lionel Richie and Chaka Khan, the conversation always came around to Quincy’s singular genius both as a pure musician and as a pillar of the music business. Thank you, dear Quincy, for the inspiration, the great recommendations, and for your friendship. Rest in peace, you are immortal in our memories."
Click here to read Goldmine’s extensive November 2024 tribute to Quincy Jones
In January, Goldmine will share more on Jones when we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the multi-platinum fundraising single “We Are the World” by the studio group he assembled, U.S.A. for Africa.
Shel Talmy Producer Sheldon “Shel” Talmy passed away November 13 at age 87. The Chicago native moved to the U.K. in 1962, and is best known for producing early songs for the British Invasion bands The Kinks and The Who. Talmy’s Kinks songs include the U.S. Top 20 ‘60s hits “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night,” “Tired of Waiting for You,” “A Well Respected Man,” and “Sunny Afternoon.”
Talmy’s Who productions include and “I Can’t Explain,” “My Generation,” and “The Kids are Alright.”
Some more of Talmy’s key production credits from the ‘60s include “Friday On My Mind” by The Easybeats and “Summer Song” by Chad and Jeremy. In 1979, Talmy moved back to the U.S. and in recent years, served as the executive producer for the Fifth Estate, alongside the group’s drummer Ken Evans, who told Goldmine, “I spoke with Shel most recently about six months ago. He helped us a lot and we will miss him.”
Click here to read Goldmine's November 2024 tribute and 2023 interview with Shel Talmy
Colin Peterson Bee Gees ‘60s drummer Colin Peterson passed away November 18 at age 78, four days after the death of the Bee Gees ‘70s drummer Dennis Bryon. Peterson was the group’s drummer from 1967 through the end of the decade. The Bee Gees’ initial run of Top 20 hits were “New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones),” “To Love Somebody,” “Holiday,” and “(The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts,” with Peterson providing a steady beat throughout that song.
The string of Bee Gees hits continued with “Words,” “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You,” and “I Started a Joke,” with Peterson providing a steady build to the bridges on the latter.
In the spring of 1969, the Bee Gees’ double album Odessa was released, featuring the single “First of May.” The second side opened “Marley Purt Drive,” covered the following year by Maurice Gibb’s wife Lulu. The Bee Gees’ original version had a touch of a country sound with Peterson’s drumming being prominent from the initial beats and throughout the recording.
Peterson continued to play with the group on half of their next album, Cucumber Castle, with Maurice Gibb playing drums on the other half of the songs, following Peterson’s departure.
Dennis Bryon Bee Gees ‘70s drummer Dennis Bryon passed away November 14 at age 75, four days before the death of the Bee Gees ‘60s drummer Colin Peterson. Bryon was the group’s drummer from 1973 through 1980. While Peterson was drumming for the Bee Gees in the late ‘60s, Bryon was doing the same for the band Amen Corner, who had a British hit with “Bend Me, Shape Me,” which was a Top 5 gold single in the U.S. by The American Breed.
Bryon joined the Bee Gees in 1973 for what has become known as the Bee Gees’ disco era, with eight No. 1 gold or platinum singles, including a song the group used as an exciting concert finale, “You Should Be Dancing,” with Bryon enthusiastically pounding away.
During Bryon’s Bee Gees era, the group was featured on the best-selling double-album soundtrack of all time, Saturday Night Fever, with a string of hit singles beginning with the ballad “How Deep Is Your Love.” Its flip side, was “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down,” propelled by Bryon’s energetic strength, originally included on the the group’s Children of the World album and also featured on Here at Last…Live.
Peter Sinfield King Crimson and ELP lyricist Peter Sinfield passed away November 14 at age 80. Sinfield was a co-founding member of King Crimson, writing lyrics for the band’s early albums including In The Court of the Crimson King with Greg Lake on vocals. The title tune reached No. 80 in 1970.
Lake left King Crimson and co-founded Emerson, Lake & Palmer, with Sinfield providing lyrics on ELP’s Love Beach album and some of Lake’s solo performances, including the orchestrated “C’est La Vie” from ELP’s Works album, where each member had a solo side on the double-album.
Sinfield’s lyrics for Lake’s “I Believe in Father Christmas” are heard every holiday season when Christmas rock songs receive airplay.
Andy Paley The Paley Brothers’ Andy Paley passed away November 20 at age 72. In the ‘70s, Paley and his younger brother Jonathan formed the duo, The Paley Brothers. They toured in support of their self-titled 1978 album on Sire, opening for artists as diverse as Patti Smith and Shaun Cassidy. The album featured the single “You’re the Best.”
Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records, signed on Paley as a producer, and his production work included Brian Wilson’s self-titled 1988 album, co-writing three songs: “Night Time,” “Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight,” and “Rio Grande.”
Gary Frenay from The Flashcubes told Goldmine, “Andy was a truly amazing musician and a sweet and funny guy. We met briefly in the late ‘70s in Boston at a post-gig party for The Flashcubes. I was then reintroduced to him about 15 years ago in L.A. by our mutual friend, Tom Kenny. They had become songwriting partners for Tom's SpongeBob SquarePants animated show, and that evolved into the live band, Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas. Andy contributed to our most recent Flashcubes' album, Pop Masters, joining us with his brother Jonathan on our version of their classic Paley Brothers song, ‘Come Out and Play.’ We often spoke about another collaboration, but were never able to make it happen. The last time I saw him was about six weeks ago at his last gig, performing with Tom & the Hi-Seas at the Center for the Arts in Homer, New York. I felt lucky to have connected with him, to have made some music together, and to have become friends.”
Mike Pinera Blues Image/Iron Butterfly’s Mike Pinera passed away November 20 at age 76. Pinera was first heard on Blues Image’s 1970 Top 5 gold single “Ride Captain Ride,” which he co-wrote, sang, and played guitar on. In Pinera’s 2023 Goldmine interview, he explained, “A lot of disc jockeys were playing ‘Ride Captain Ride’ non-stop around the country. I was in the transition from Blues Image to Iron Butterfly after Iron Butterfly’s guitarist Erik Braunn left the group. In 1970, the tour had both Atco acts Iron Butterfly and Blues Image on the bill, so I would play songs with Blues Image first, take a break, and then do the Iron Butterfly songs, so it was fun to hear ‘Ride Captain Ride’ being played all over American radio during that tour.”
Pinera joined Iron Butterfly in time for their 1970 album Metamorphosis, writing and co-writing songs, including the 14 minute finale “Butterfly Blue,” which was almost as long as the group’s best known number, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”
When Goldmine interviewed Pinera in 2023, the main focus was promoting Pinera’s new Blues Image album from Michael Franklin’s Solar Music, called Next Voyage, which opened with a new version of “Butterfly Blue,” included a new recording of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” and ended with a suite built around “Ride Captain Ride.”
Click here to read Goldmine's 2023 interview with Mike Pinera
Leah Kunkel Singer-songwriter Leah Kunkel, born Leah Cohen, passed away November 26 at age 76. Kunkel was the younger sister of Naomi Cohen, aka Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas, and the wife of studio drummer Russ Kunkel from the late ‘60s through the early ‘80s. Beginning in the ‘70s, Kunkel was a successful background singer on albums by Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and many more.
Kunkel moved from the background to foreground, recording two albums for Columbia in 1979 and 1980, and the single “Step Right Up.”
In the ‘80s, Kunkel joined forces with Renee Armand and Marty Gwinn Townsend as the vocal trio The Coyote Sisters, with two albums beginning in 1984, and two singles in the Adult Contemporary Top 40, of which “Straight from the Heart (Into Your Life)” also made the pop Top 100.
Harry Williams Bloodstone vocalist Harry Williams passed away November 22 at age 80. The Kansas City R&B group debuted in the Top 40 in 1973 with the smooth platinum single “Natural High,” which reached No. 10.
The following year, Bloodstone returned to the Top 40 with Williams’ composition “Outside Woman.”
Chuck Woolery The Avant-Garde’s Chuck Woolery passed away November 23 at age 83. The Avant-Garde entered the Top 40 in the fall of 1968 with Woolery’s composition “Naturally Stoned.” In the following decade, Woolery began his successful career in game shows as the original host of Wheel of Fortune, and was best known for his eleven-year run as the host of Love Connection, which premiered in 1983.
Vic Flick British guitarist Victor “Vic” Flick passed away in November 14 at age 87. Flick performed with John Barry in The John Barry Seven in the ‘50s. Beginning in the early ‘60s, Barry became known for James Bond film themes and employed Flick on guitar, creating an edgy sound to match the Bond image.
Flick also played on Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual,” Peter and Gordon’s “A World Without Love,” and “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy)” for the A Hard Days Night film soundtrack, along with George Martin’s orchestra.
Tyka Nelson Minnesota Twin Cities singer-songwriter and sister of Prince, Tyka Nelson, passed away November 4 at age 64. In 1988, Nelson’s “Marc Anthony’s Tune” reached No. 33 on the R&B chart from her debut album Royal Blue. Nelson had recently announced her retirement.
Ella Jenkins Grammy awarded singer-songwriter, Ella Jenkins, called "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song," passed away November 9 at age 100.
In early November, we learned of the October passing of Linda LaFlamme.
Linda LaFlamme It’s a Beautiful Day co-founding composer and keyboardist Linda LaFlamme passed away October 23 at age 85. LaFlamme, along with her then husband, vocalist, violinist, and band leader David LaFlamme, co-wrote three songs for the San Francisco band’s self-titled debut album: “White Bird,” “Hot Summer Day,” and “Girl With No Eyes.” The group’s drummer, Val Fuentes, told Goldmine, “Linda was a creative force, for sure. Another one of us has gone.” The song “Girl With No Eyes” features Linda LaFlamme on keyboards, David LaFlamme on vocals and violin, who passed away in 2023, and Pattie Santos on vocals, who passed away in 1989.
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