WYEP pays tribute to the artists we lost in the summer of 2024.
May 5
Richard Tandy | 76
Keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist who played with Electric Light Orchestra and was a frequent collaborator of frontman Jeff Lynne.
*Inductee, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
May 7
Steve Albini | 61
Musician, audio engineer and producer, who founded the influential alternative rock bands Big Black and Shellac, and is best known for engineering acclaimed albums like the Pixies' "Surfer Rosa," PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me," and Nirvana's "In Utero," as well as his outspoken and controversial opinions.
May 8
John Barbata | 79
Drummer known for his work as a band member and session musician with 1960s and 1970s rock bands including The Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane, and Jefferson Starship.
May 9
Dennis Thompson | 75
Drummer and last remaining member of the 1960s Detroit proto-punk hard rock band MC5.
*Inductee, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
May 12
David Sanborn | 78
Six-time Grammy award-winning saxophonist whose music fused jazz, instrumental pop, and R&B who played on a wide range of albums for artists including Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, and the Eagles.
May 15
John Hawken | 84
Keyboard player and member of The Nashville Teens, the Strawbs and Spooky Tooth.
May 16
Randy Fuller | 80
Singer, songwriter, and bassist, and baseball player who once tried out for the Pittsburgh Pirates, best known for his role in 1960s rock group The Bobby Fuller Four with his older brother, Bobby Fuller.
May 18
"Spider" John Koerner | 85
Prominent figure in the 1960s folk music boom, guitarist and vocalist in the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, and early mentor to Bob Dylan.
May 22
Charlie Colin | 58
Bassist and founding member of the band, Train.
May 24
Doug Ingle | 78
Lead singer, organist, and last remaining classic lineup member of psychedelic hard rock band Iron Butterfly, known for their 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."
May 27
Michael Cercone
Guitarist and member of Pittsburgh new wave band The Silencers who played a major role in reforming the band in recent years.
May 31
Ed Mann | 70
Longtime percussionist for Frank Zappa.
June 3
Brother Marquis | 58
Rapper and longtime member of the hip hop group 2 Live Crew, who pioneered the Miami bass sound.
June 11
Françoise Hardy| 80
Singer and actor who became one of the most prominent figures in the French yé-yé pop movement during the 1960s.
June 13
Angela Bofill | 70
R&B soul singer and songwriter best known for songs such as "This Time I'll Be Sweeter," "Angel of the Night," and "I Try."
June 18
James Chance | 71
Saxophonist and singer of the Contortions and Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, who was a pioneering figure in the No Wave movement of the late 1970s.
Sandy Posey | 80
Pop and country singer who had four hit singles in the 1960s including "Born a Woman," "What a Woman in Love Won't Do," and "Single Girl."
June 24
Shifty Shellshock | 49
Co-founder and frontman of rap-rock group Crazy Town known for their 2000 hit single “Butterfly."
June 27
Kinky Friedman | 79
Country singer, satirist, columnist for "Texas Monthly," and one-time independent candidate for Texas governor in 2006.
July 2
Tom Fowler | 73
Bassist for Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention.
July 6
Joe Egan | 77
Singer and songwriter who co-founded and co-fronted the Scottish band Stealers Wheel with Gerry Rafferty, and co-wrote their 1973 hit "Stuck In the Middle with You."
July 9
Joe Bonsall | 76
Tenor singer and longtime member of country group The Oak Ridge Boys from 1973 to 2023.
July 10
Dave Loggins | 76
Singer-songwriter best known for his 1974 hit "Please Come to Boston" and his 1984 duet with Anne Murray, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do."
July 11
Shelley Duvall | 75
Actress and producer who starred in the musical film "Nashville," and sang on the soundtrack of "Popeye," as well as recording several albums for children
July 16
Bernice Johnson Reagon | 81
Song leader, composer, and civil rights activist who co-founded The Freedom Singers and the vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock.
July 17
Happy Traum | 86
Folk singer and guitarist who was a fixture of the Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s and later, the Woodstock music community of the 1970s and 1980s.
July 20
Jerry Miller | 81
Songwriter, guitarist and singer who was a founding member of the 1960s rock band Moby Grape.
July 21
Evelyn Thomas | 70
Singer best known for her disco hit “High Energy" which was influential in the "hi-NRG" dance music movement.
July 22
Duke Fakir| 88
Tenor singer and last remaining original member of one of Motown's most successful vocal groups the Four Tops.
*Inductee, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
John Mayall | 90
Blues and rock musician, songwriter, and producer who formed the group John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, which fostered the careers of many artists including Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood, and has been called the "Godfather of the British blues."
*Inductee, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
July 25
Mark 'Whitey' Cooper
Drummer for Norman Nardini and longtime member of the Pittsburgh music scene who also played a zombie in George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead."
July 28
Mick Underwood | 78
Drummer who collaborated with several notable musicians and groups, including Peter Frampton, as well as Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, and Roger Glover of Deep Purple.
