10 music legends we lost in the 10s

As we enter the 20s, it should be noted that recorded music for the general public is less than a century old. In fact, though records were available for home use in the 1930s, the Great Depression prevented the majority of the population from owning a player. Therefore, record albums wouldn’t be commonplace in North American households until the 40s.

And in every one of the decades that followed the advent of Rock n’ Roll in the 50s, an almost seismic shift occurred in musical culture and technology. So when I use the term music “legends”, it is with intended emphasis. Remarkable talents are born and lost every day, but in these last 10 years, we have surrendered some of the most impactful figures in the history of recorded music to the afterlife. Some younger than others, but all commonly left a set of footprints for others to follow.

So while it is impossible to summarize the careers of such prodigious artists in a paragraph, this list instead attempts to answer the question of “Why?”. What makes these artists so special in relation to those who might appear to have had a more noteworthy presence. The following are game-changing entities that altered the very landscape that resulted in how we consume music today.

Aretha Franklin: Singer, songwriter, pianist, activist, diva, and the undisputed Queen of Soul. Let’s put it this way: If a good singer-songwriter spent their life pouring every joyful, loving, and heart-wrenching experience into one monumental song, Franklin could instantly re-interpret it so that no one would remember who wrote it. Example: Otis Redding, an incomparable legendary icon himself, wrote and originally recorded the song Respect. Just say that word in a musical context and all you’ll hear is Aretha. Her version. Her song. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”! Aretha possessed a powerful aura when she sang. The moment she opened her lips on stage, people would stop doing their jobs. Even the birds would stop chirping (Hyperbole. Or is it?). One could only wait for the inevitable massive inhale so that they could say “DAMN!”. The word I use is “captivating”. Her effect on stylistic arrangement, phrasing, and vocal possibilities are unequaled, and her legacy is irreversible.

BB King: “King of the Blues”. Singer, songwriter, producer, but who are we kidding? It all comes down to style. His proficiency and creativity on electric Blues guitar made him an innovator. All of the things that notable luminaries from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr. do or did with a guitar, can be traced back to King. So in fact, he didn’t just influence artists. He influenced the influencers. He learned guitar at age 10 and as soon as he could afford her, “Lucille” (his Gibson guitar) became his companion for life. And when I say “for life”, I mean he was playing almost 200 shows a year in his 70s. And when he finally succumbed to illness, just months before he died (at age 89), they had to cancel the last leg of the tour he was still on. King was just a multi-dimensional figure whose endowments continue to inspire, even in his absence.

Chuck Berry: “The Father of Rock n’ Roll”. Chuck’s original fans are in the twilight of their 70s, so it may be hard to convey to someone younger, say… in their 50s, just what he meant to Rock in it’s infancy. Like BB. King but with his own unique groove, Chuck did things with an electric guitar and his equally electrifying persona, that changed the future. He delivered a series of “riffs” (Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over Beethoven) so identifiable that they, for a time, defined the sound. He essentially added the Rhythm to the Blues that became R & B. In fact, Chuck’s influence on Classic Rock, Punk, Rockabilly, Ska, and their respective evolvements, is like a catalytic spice that enhances the flavour of all the other ingredients. So you’re never quite sure what it is, but you know it’s delicious. Chuck Berry gave us that.

David Bowie: The quintessential game changer. He pole-vaulted over the boundaries of songwriting, production, performance, gender, and art in general. A true prodigy, David Robert Jones’ music teachers described the 9 year-old as “vividly artistic”. He studied art, music and design as a child before starting a band at 15, and by age 16, embarked on a full-time music career under the name Davie Jones. But when the Monkees’ (Davey Jones) popularity began to soar, he adopted the name of the intricate combat (Bowie) knife. That is no longer what comes to mind when we hear “Bowie”. His innovative contributions to the arts in every single decade since, are immeasurable and far too extensive to list.

Leonard Cohen: Just like me, he was a good Jewish boy from Montreal. The comparisons end there. Less singer than songwriter, he simply used piano and guitar as a vehicle through which to communicate his true gift: poetry. At one point, he was also a critically-acclaimed novelist. But it was music that fed him, both metaphorically and literally as that was how he ultimately earned his living. He produced a surprisingly extensive body of work that seemed to stimulate endless reinterpretations. Suzanne was covered by the likes of Judy Collins and James Taylor, and the week of Cohen’s passing, there were numerous tributes across the globe. Saturday Night Live opened with Kate McKinnon (as Hillary Clinton) playing her version of his classic 1984 ballad, Hallelujah, which has also been covered by artists like; Rufus Wainwright (in the Movie Shrek), Bob Dylan, John Cale, Jeff Buckley, K.D. Lang, Brandi Carlile, Pentatonix, and campfire guitarists everywhere.

Whitney Houston: Over 200 million records sold at a time when people PAID for records. Daughter of Cissy, cousin of Dionne Warwick, and unofficial goddaughter of Aretha, was born with musical pedigree. That she was especially attractive certainly didn’t hurt. As a model, she graced the pages of numerous publications and became the first woman of colour to earn the cover of Seventeen magazine. But it was her unique gift to interpret and emote a lyric so fiercely that elevated her above here peers. At just 15 years-old, she was singing background for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. At 19, she recorded Hold Me with Teddy Pendergrass (who also coincidentally passed in this decade) which was later included on her self-titled debut album. She then went on to have 7 consecutive number one hits, breaking the record previously held by the Beatles and Bee Gees. Like Aretha, Whitney’s version of Greatest Love of All, originally by George Benson, essentially erased her predecessor’s. And it was that intangible quality that would affect all of the great singers, male and female, that came after.

Lou Reed: The least commercial artist on this list, largely by design, this singer, songwriter, guitarist, poet, and avant-gardiste, seemed to always swim upstream of pop trends. The words “Underground”, “Punk”, and “Alternative” music, all exist in some way due to Lou, and the movement that seemed to unfold around him. Co-founder of The Velvet Underground, he paved the way for artists of any medium. He refused to pander, speaking his poetic rhetoric through songs like Sweet Jane and Walk on the Wild Side, but his waters ran much deeper, and the ripples are being felt still.

Prince: Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, dancer, actor, filmmaker, multi-instrumentalist, and guitar virtuoso supreme! Most fans cannot know a fraction of his creative output in 4 decades: 39 Prince albums from 1978 through 2015 (37 years), plus an additional 6 under different names (not including “The Artist Formerly Known As…”), and 2 posthumous releases. In addition to the groups he produced like Vanity 6 and Wendy & Lisa, there are the hits he wrote under various pseudonyms for artists like The Time, Sheena Easton, and Kenny Rogers. Plus at least a dozen hits by other artists including; The Bangles’ Manic Monday, Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You, and Sinead O’connor’s Nothing Compares To You. He was also wildly covered. Tirelessly prolific, and a true musical genius in ANY sense of the word, Prince raised the bar, and then removed it, irrevocably altering the very perception of artistic production.

Etta James: Jamesetta Hawkins momentarily reinvigorated the Jazz sound to a mainstream audience. But all of Etta couldn’t fit into that one little box. She sang Gospel and Blues, and stumbled into a space between R & B and Rock n’ Roll that would come to be known as “Soul music”. Etta began singing at 5 years-old, and legend has it that her abusive vocal instructor/choir-leader used to punch her in the chest while she sang, forcing her to sing from her gut. The result was an almost over-developed vocal strength for one so young, that some speculate led to her developing a Contralto range, which is unusually low for a female. Like Aretha and Whitney, her version of At Last stands to this day as THE definitive rendition, and has been covered in tribute by the likes of Lou Rawls, Christina Aguilera, Céline Dion, and Beyoncé. There are more, but those names alone carry enough weight to speak to the impression that Etta James left behind.

Maurice White: Founder, leader, songwriter, and brainchild behind the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice was the soul behind some of the most exquisite melodies in all of popular music. In addition to 22 Grammy nominations and countless other honours, he earned induction into the Rock N’ Roll, Songwriter’s, Vocal Group, and NAACP Image Awards Halls of Fame. After attending Chicago Conservatory of Music and playing in some notable bands while still in his teens, White became a session drummer for Chess Records. There, he contributed to hits for artists like; Etta James, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Jackie Wilson, to name just a few. All of that before launching E.W.F. whose body of work speaks louder than the volume of words at my disposal.

Ultimately, as we gaze curiously at the blank canvas of the upcoming 20s, we can say that the 10s arguably took from us, the greatest number of most significant contributors to popular music. Because in addition to those above, we also mourned the deaths of; Amy Winehouse, Teddy Pendergrass, Tom Petty, George Michael, Donna Summer, James Ingram, Bee Gees twins Robin and Maurice, Glenn Frey (Eagles), Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith), Ric Ocasek (Cars), Gil Scott-Heron, Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), and oh so many more.

May the future honour them all.