by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)
Here’s a playlist of music artists who died this year. Although their beautiful voices and talents were lost in 2020, we can enjoy them for years to come.
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Musicians are often our collective voices, sharing ideas and feelings through their lyrics and melodies that the rest of us struggle to express. It’s why the deaths of musicians are often difficult to process.
It’s hard to say goodbye to the people who made the art and culture that define our times and speak so directly to us. This collection features soul, hip-hop, country, jazz, and other artists that have been taken by COVID-19, long illness, natural causes, gun violence, and overdoses.
- R.I.P. Rock and R&B Music Legend Little Richard, 87
- R.I.P. Grammy Winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Bill Withers, 81
- R.I.P. Pamela Hutchinson, 61, Grammy Award-Winning R&B Singer from The Emotions
- Country Star Charley Pride Takes His Place in History
- MUSIC MONDAY: “Time Tough”- A Tribute to Reggae Legend Toots Hibbert (LISTEN)
- R.I.P. Jazz Piano Legend McCoy Tyner, 81
- MUSIC MONDAY: “I Can See Clearly Now” – A Playlist Tribute to Johnny Nash (LISTEN)
- My Boy Lollipop: Millie Small & The Women of Ska and Reggae
- Black Art: A Tribute to Wallace Roney and Ellis Marsalis
- The Panther: A Tribute to Manu Dibango
There’s only one way into this world, yet they keep making up new ones to take us out. But I digress. Please enjoy this collection of music that will resonate for eons by folks we’ve lost on this trying trip around the sun.
An early Happy New Year to you all. I can’t scrape 2020 off the bottom of my proverbial shoe fast enough.
Stay safe, sane, and kind you all.
