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Mind Coffee: 2016 a truly bad year for musical losses

FILE - In this June 5, 2007 file photo, singer David Bowie accepts the lifetime achievement award at the 11th Annual Webby Awards in New York. Sotheby's is to sell more than 200 pieces from David Bowie's extensive art collection, including works by Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The musician, who died in January 2016, was an avid collector, and served on the editorial board of Modern Painters magazine. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File) FILE - In this June 5, 2007 file photo, singer David Bowie accepts the lifetime achievement award at the 11th Annual Webby Awards in New York. Sotheby's is to sell more than 200 pieces from David Bowie's extensive art collection, including works by Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The musician, who died in January 2016, was an avid collector, and served on the editorial board of Modern Painters magazine. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)

By Shawn Ryan December 15, 2016 3 min read

Sixteen days left and the new year can’t come soon enough.

Been a rough year: David Bowie dies from liver cancer. Glenn Frey dies from arthritis, pneumonia and colitis. Guy Clark dies, body worn out from cancer. Maurice White dies from Parkinson’s disease. George Martin dies at 90.

Shawn Ryan

Merle Haggard dies of pneumonia. Prince dies from a drug overdose. Keith Emerson commits suicide. Leon Russell dies months after heart bypass surgery. Leonard Cohen dies of cancer. Greg Lake dies of cancer.

And this list doesn’t include Scotty Moore, Paul Kantner, Ralph Stanley, Sonny James, Steve Young, Dale Griffin, Jimmy Bain, Lonnie Mack, Bernie Worrell, Pete Fountain and a host of others.

Upshot? It was a real bad year for musicians. Death came not just to ones we’ve been hearing for decades; it came to so many who influenced so many others. Sure, most of these musicians were getting up in years, often 70 years old or more, but these days that’s nowhere near standing on the edge of your grave.

For some, the flood of 2016 deaths brings a reaction of “Well, a lot of musicians die every year.” That’s true. But this year was quantitatively worse

Let’s look at 2015, for instance. The biggest names who died were B.B. King, Ben E. King, Ornette Coleman, Allen Toussaint, Scott Weiland and Lemmy Kilmister. Known names and some with serious influence in their various genres. Sad deaths, to be sure.

But Bowie inspired a generation of teenagers and musicians, showing them that you could be anything – or anyone – you wanted and, even then, you could change yourself at will. George Martin was the “fifth Beatle,” and without him it’s doubtful the band would have reached their inspirational heights. A list of singers/songwriters influenced by Guy Clark would fill a book. Maurice White founded, led and wrote music for Earth, Wind and Fire, and did anyone in the late ’70s NOT dance to their music? Prince was well Prince. And what do you say about Glenn Frey and the Eagles that hasn’t been said in the 100 million or so albums they sold?

Wishing no ill or a jinx on anyone, here’s a list of some musicians who are in the same age bracket as many who died this year:

Bob Dylan: 75; Paul McCartney: 74; Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: 73; Dolly Parton: 70; Pete Townshend: 71; Roger Daltrey: 72; David Gilmour: 70; Willie Nelson: 83; Loretta Lynn: 84.

This is only a small batch of names, so it’s almost a given that someone in this group isn’t going to make it through 2017. But let’s hope the list is smaller than 2016.

Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.