In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost in 2018

Ray Thomas (29 December 1941 – 4 January 2018)

Ray Thomas, flautist, vocalist and founding member of the Moody Blues, died January 4 at the age of 76.

Thomas appeared on all of the prog rock band’s albums – including their classic LPs like:

• Days of Future Passed,
• In Search of the Lost Chord,
• A Question of Balance and
• Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Thomas retired from the Moody Blues in 2002 after suffering from a series of health issues. In 2013, Thomas revealed that he was suffering from “in-operable” prostate cancer.

Tony Joe White (July 24, 1943 – October 24, 2018)
strong down

Singer-songwriter Tony Joe White died Wednesday, October 24th.

White had a Top Ten record with “Polk Salad Annie,” in 1969. He was also perhaps best known as the writer of “Rainy Night in Georgia,”. This song was a Number Four pop hit for Brook Benton in 1970. Furthermore, other acts covered this song including:

• Hank Williams Jr.,
• B.J. Thomas,
• Shelby Lynne, and
• as a duet by Conway Twitty and Sam Moore.

White died of natural causes at his home in Leipers Fork, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. He was 75.

Marty Balin (January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018)

Marty Balin died Thursday, September 27 at the age of 76. 

Balin was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the founder and one of the lead singers and songwriters of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.

He co-founded the San Francisco psychedelic rock band in 1965. He played a crucial role in the creation of all their 1960s albums, He contributed to and sang lead on four top-20 hits, including;

• “Miracles” (No. 3, a Balin original),
• “With Your Love” (No. 12),
• “Count on Me” (No. 8), and
• “Runaway” (No. 12)

Balin’s rep confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone, though the cause of death is currently unknown.

Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018)

Aretha Franklin died Thursday, August 16 at the age of 76.

Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was minister. At the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career recording for Columbia Records. She found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as “Respect“, “Chain of Fools“, “Think“, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman“, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)“, and “I Say a Little Prayer“, propelled her past her musical peers. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as “The Queen of Soul“.

Hall of Fame singer, cultural icon and civil rights activist who influenced countless vocalists succumbs to pancreatic cancer.