State Champ Radio obituary
Page: 4
Karl Wallinger, who was a short-lived member of Welsh rock band The Waterboys and then helmed his solo project World Party, died Sunday (March 10). He was 66, according to his publicist. No cause of death or place was given.
Wallinger also worked with Sinead O’Connor, had his music covered by Robbie Williams, and was featured on 1994’s Reality Bites soundtrack.
The multi-instrumentalist was born in Prestatyn, Wales, in 1957. After serving as musical director for a West End production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wallinger joined the Michael Scott-led Waterboys for the alternative rock band’s second album, 1984’s A Pagan Place, providing keyboards, percussion and backing vocals. By the time he finished work on their third album, This Is the Sea, which included the Scott/Wallinger composition “Don’t Bang the Drum,” he was done.
Trending on Billboard
In its review of 1985, a Waterboys’ boxed set devoted to the creation This Is the Sea, Mojo describes the fractious, yet fruitful musical dynamic between Scott and Wallinger. “It’s the volatile relationship between [Wallinger] and Scott that forms another key narrative on 1985. Long, stoned sessions at Seaview, Wallinger’s home studio in central London, prove inventive. A first instrumental take on ‘The Pan Within’ is a gorgeous meeting of aesthetics, with Scott – organic, gestural – on piano and guitar, and Wallinger providing rubbery, funky synth bass and drumbox.”
Shortly thereafter, Wallinger left The Waterboys and in 1986 formed World Party, a primarily solo endeavor with Wallinger bringing in a revolving cast of musicians as needed to his atmospheric pop universe.
World Party’s debut album, Private Revolution, spawned what ended up being the act’s biggest hit, the cynical indie-pop anthem “Ship of Fools,” which reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album included a then-unknown Sinead O’Connor on backing vocals and Wallinger then helped O’Connor on her album debut, 1988’s The Lion and the Cobra. Wallinger reissued “Ship of Fools” in 2018 with a new video that included newsreel footage of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Stormy Daniels, refugee camps and environmental crises. The lyric video concluded with the declaration “Now more than ever.”
[embedded content]
World Party’s second album, Goodbye Jumbo, included “Way Down Now,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart, and “Put the Message in the Box” and was nominated for best alternative music performance at the 33rd annual Grammy Awards. World Party’s fourth album, 1997’s Egyptology, included “She’s the One,” which Williams later covered and took to No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Wallinger suffered an aneurysm in 2001 and had to reteach himself to talk and play instruments. Following his recovery, World Party returned to the road, including playing South by Southwest and Bonnaroo in 2006. Their last tour was in 2015, and their last recording was 2012’s Arkeology, a 70-track collection of new and live songs, as well as cover tunes. “It was my homespun attempt at making something interesting,” he told BuzzineNetwork. “On this album there’s lots of different kinds of music…It’s not really one genre which has been one of our problems, actually; we’ve never been able to be marketed to any particular audience. It’s just music really.”
In a 2022 interview with The Big Takeover Show, following the reissue of Egyptology, Wallinger talked about the power of music and what he aimed for as a songwriter: “It’s good to write songs about stuff that people think about, that I thought about … I’ve always thought it should be something to do with healing or finding things out about the world that have truth. It maybe sounds a little idealistic, but it’s what music is about. It’s kind of a pure thing, music. I’m not left or right wing; I don’t even think in terms of that. I just want people to have what they need to get through living on the planet.”
Survivors include his wife, a son and daughter, and two grandchildren.
Vince Power, the legendary Irish impresario who founded the U.K.’s Mean Fiddler Music Group, had a hand in many of Europe’s leading festivals, and was made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work in the live music industry, died Saturday (March 9). He was 76.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Power had the right name for the job. Born into a rural family in 1947 in County Waterford, Ireland, the concert promoter and venue operator founded MFMG in 1982, then a small northwest London country music venue.
He made his move to London at age 16, and initially ventured into the secondhand furniture business, but his love of music led him to invest in that derelict former drinking club in Harlesden. The Mean Fiddler was born, and it proved to be the platform from which he built an empire.
Trending on Billboard
At its peak, the group encompassed some 30 venues and events, including the London Astoria, Jazz Cafe, the Leeds and Reading festivals, Fleadh Festival, and an interest in Europe’s biggest and best-known annual festival, England’s Glastonbury.He sold his stake in MFMG in 2005 to Clear Channel, now Live Nation, and returned to the game with a new live entertainment venture, the Vince Power Music Group, initially comprising a portfolio of London live-music venues, bars and nightclubs.
The following year, in 2006, Power was made an honorary CBE for his “valuable contribution to music.”
Power reentered the festival business with the Day at the Hop Farm fest, and took a controlling interest in Spain’s Benicassim (Vince Power Music Group was hammered by the global financial crisis and went under in 2010).
“I just love organizing festivals,” he told Billboard in 2008. “It’s a challenge again—and I’m not ready to keel over just yet. With the Mean Fiddler, we had a huge amount of stuff which we did—live music festivals, dance festivals, bars, tours—and when I sold it out three years ago, it had got to the stage that it was huge. It was a [public limited company], it [had] £80 million [$158 million] [in revenue], and I lost the sort of touch that I have now, the hands-on touch. I looked at retiring for about two weeks. [laughs] That didn’t really work for me.”
Power is remembered as a music man, and a maverick with a tough-guy image, but in an interview with The Irish Times, he described himself as a “lucky chancer”.
Power never switched off the music, never forget his Irish roots. In recent years, he produced Liverpool Feis festival, billed as “the biggest celebration of Irish culture the city has ever seen.”
As news of his passing spread, the music community paid their respects to the powerful Irish concerts specialist. “I’m going to miss you so very much, my friend in music, in thinking, in dreaming,” writes Welsh singer and songwriter Cerys Matthews, co-founder of Catatonia. “Love you very much.”
Irish Imelda May writes on social media, “So sad to hear of the passing of the great Vince Power. I adored him. He took a chance on me at the start of my career when I needed it most. He was so important to Irish culture and community at home and the UK. He’ll be greatly missed. Love to his family.”
Power is survived by his wife Sharon.
Debra Byrd, who had a long and varied career in music, mostly behind-the-scenes, died on Tuesday, March 5, in Los Angeles. She was 72. No cause of death was given.
Highlights of her career include a top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100; singing behind such stars as Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan and Mary J. Blige; and a long run as a vocal coach on such talent shows as American Idol and The Voice.
Byrd’s career is a reminder that someone can achieve sustained success in the music business even if they never quite attain stardom.
Trending on Billboard
Byrd had a decades-long association and friendship with Manilow. She was a member of the female trio Lady Flash, which backed him in concert and on Broadway, bringing some sass and soulfulness to his show. A recording of his show Barry Manilow on Broadway in 1976-77 became his Billboard 200-topping album Barry Manilow Live! in 1977. Byrd also backed Manilow on Barry Manilow at the Gershwin (1989) and on the primetime network special Arista Records’ 25th Anniversary Celebration (2000). In 1976, Manilow co-wrote and co-produced Lady Flash’s “Street Singin’,” which reached No. 27 on the Hot 100.
“This is one of the saddest days of my life,” Manilow wrote on X. “I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that Debra is no longer with me. She was one of the most wonderful friends I’ve ever had. I will miss you forever, my love. -Barry Manilow”
Byrd may have achieved her most consistent success as a vocal coach on TV shows, sharing her decades of experience with the young contestants. Several of them saluted her on social media following her death.
“She encouraged and supported us from the very beginning,” Jennifer Hudson wrote on Instagram. “I am so grateful for everything she taught us. She will be dearly missed, but her legacy lives on through the music of countless artists she influenced during her lifetime. Rest in peace, Debra.” Hudson competed in Season 3 of American Idol, finishing in seventh place, and has gone on to become an EGOT.
“I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that no one was a better mentor, coach, teacher, or champion to us Idol contestants than Byrd was,” Clay Aiken shared via Deadline. Aiken placed second in season two of Idol. “No one spent more time with us. I’ll never forget her drilling into us how we needed to look right into the camera and connect with the audience at home. She was a light in so many lives. I am so lucky that I got to call her a friend.”
Elliott Yamin, who placed third in season five of Idol, also weighed in on Instagram. “Debra had this indelible spirit about her that radiated any room she occupied. Her passion for life, music and helping others traveled far beyond her own experiences in the business, and into the lives of so many young aspiring singers & hopefuls like me. She was our first vocal coach on the show and I never forgot the positive lasting impression she made on me. Always encouraging and supportive well after our season ended, and all throughout my career! Rest easy Debra Byrd. You are loved!”
Byrd was born on July 19, 1951, in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Kent State University.
Byrd collaborated with Bob Dylan in Australia on his tour, Hard to Handle: Bob Dylan in Concert, where he played with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Byrd was credited as a backup vocalist on Dylan’s “Band of the Hand” (from the film of the same name), which he recorded with Petty and his band. Stevie Nicks also served as a backup vocalist on that track.
She was a vocal coach on the Oscar telecast in 2014. On the telecast four years later, she was a member the choir singing behind Mary J. Blige on her Oscar-nominated song “Mighty River.”
Byrd also lent her talents to film soundtracks, including The Lion King 1 1/2, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride and Sister Act II.
NBC hired Byrd to oversee vocal production for their 2019 Super Bowl tribute to Prince, directed by Spike Lee.
Byrd had the starring role as Da Singer in the national touring company of Broadway’s Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk. Her theatrical credits also include The Human Comedy and André De Shields’ Haarlem Nocturne (both on Broadway in 2004) and the national tour of Ain’t Misbehavin.’
In the academic world, Byrd was chair of the vocal department at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. She also served as an artist in residence at the Berklee College of Music.
No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
Steve Lawrence, the charismatic Grammy- and Emmy-winning crooner who delighted audiences for decades in nightclubs, on concert stages and in film and television appearances, died Thursday (March 7). He was 88.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Lawrence died in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, publicist Susan DuBow announced. He partnered with the late Eydie Gormé, his wife of 55 years, in the very popular act Steve & Eydie.
With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.
Trending on Billboard
“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein. Those people, I related to — what they were writing — because it was much more melodic.”
Lawrence’s smooth stylings were heard on dozens of solo albums, starting in 1953 with an eponymous LP. In 1963, he topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks with the Gerry Goffin-Carole King pop ballad “Go Away Little Girl.” The single became the first in history to reach No. 1 by two different artists, after Donny Osmond recorded his chart-topping version in 1971.
Lawrence also made the top 10 with 1959’s “Pretty Blue Eyes” (No. 9), 1960’s “Footsteps” (No. 7) and 1961’s “Portrait of My Love” (No. 9).
On Broadway, Lawrence starred as Sammy Glick in the long-running What Makes Sammy Run?, a musical adaptation of Budd Schulberg’s novel, and received a best actor Tony nomination in 1964. A year later, he hosted a short-lived CBS variety program, and in the 1970s, he was a semi-regular on The Carol Burnett Show, appearing on more than 2 dozen episodes.
Many will remember Lawrence for his portrayal of manager Maury Sline in The Blues Brothers (1980). When Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) need to quickly raise money to save their childhood orphanage, they turn to Maury to book a gig. Lawrence utters one of the film’s most memorable lines when he hears how much they’re looking for. “Five-thousand dollars?” he sputters. “Who do you think you are, The Beatles?”
He reprised the character in the 1998 sequel Blues Brothers 2000.
Lawrence also played a pal of Steve Martin‘s greeting card writer in The Lonely Guy (1984); was Morty Fine, the father of Fran Drescher‘s character on CBS’ The Nanny; and guest-starred on other series including Night Gallery, Sanford and Son, Murder, She Wrote, Frasier, Hot in Cleveland and Two and a Half Men.
At the height of their popularity in the 1960s and ’70s, Lawrence and Gormé were one of show business’ hottest couples. If a variety show was on TV, it was only a matter of time before Steve & Eydie would be booked for it.
They won an Emmy in 1979 for their NBC special Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin and had fun on game shows, appearing on What’s My Line?, I’ve Got a Secret and Password All-Stars, to name a few.
When they weren’t shining on the small screen, they were wowing fans in concert and at top nightclubs throughout the country. They were a staple in Las Vegas, headlining Caesars Palace, the Sands, the Sahara and the Desert Inn, and the Las Vegas Entertainment Awards honored them four times as Musical Variety Act of the Year.
In 1981, Lawrence realized a lifelong dream when he and his wife performed a series of sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall.
“They are both confident, full-throated singers who show the kind of assured stage presence that can come from years of playing to Las Vegas audiences,” John S. Wilson wrote in his review for The New York Times. “Mr. Lawrence, like so many singers who work in that milieu, uses singing mannerisms that owe a great deal to Frank Sinatra; Miss Gormé has a smoky voice with a powerful projection that enables her to belt out torch songs with a figure that brings such legendary singers as Sophie Tucker up to date.”
Steve Lawrence was born Sidney Liebowitz in Brooklyn on July 8, 1935. The son of a cantor, he grew up singing in synagogue choirs. Music was always a part of his life, but he didn’t know what direction it would take him until the day he listened to his first Frank Sinatra record.
“I must’ve been 15 years old when I heard him. I think I knew [then] what I wanted to do with the rest of my musical life,” he said. “His influence — not only on me, but everyone who came after him — was so indelible, so powerful.”
(Lawrence would hang around with Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, and later, Steve & Eydie opened for Ol’ Blue Eyes on his Diamond Jubilee World Tour. For almost a year starting in 1990, they visited 13 countries for 41 sold-out performances that culminated with a concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden.)
Lawrence attended Thomas Jefferson High School, but books weren’t a priority. He would skip classes to spend his days in Manhattan at the Brill Building, hustling to make connections and pick up some cash singing demos. It was at the songwriting mecca that he first met Gormé; he was entering the building as singer Bob Manning, an acquaintance, was leaving with her.
“Bob said, ‘I want you to meet Eydie Gormé,’” Lawrence recalled in a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “She had her hair in a ponytail, and her ponytail hit me in my face.”
In 1953, they met again when they were each booked to sing on the Steve Allen-hosted Tonight!, a forerunner of The Tonight Show. They started doing duets and two years later collaborated on their first single together: “(Close Your Eyes) Take a Deep Breath”/ “Besame Mucho.”
Lawrence and Gormé were wed at the El Rancho Vegas hotel in December 1957. A few months later, they filled in for Allen with a summer replacement variety series that ran for eight weeks on NBC.
After he spent two years in the U.S. Army, they released three albums in 1960, including Steve & Eydie We Got Us, which won them a Grammy for best performance by a vocal group.
In 1968, they headed to Broadway to star in the original musical Golden Rainbow, and that played for more than 380 performances. (Lawrence closed the first act by singing “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” later made popular by Sammy Davis Jr.)
Though they each enjoyed success as a solo act, audiences seemed to prefer Steve & Eydie together. And they did so until Gormé died of an undisclosed illness in August 2013. “Eydie has been my partner on stage and in life for more than 55 years,” Lawrence said then. “I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing. While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time.”
A year after Gormé’s death, Lawrence released the solo album When You Come Back to Me Again. He had recorded it when she was ill and put it on hold when she died. When it came time to turn his attention back to music, Lawrence thought it only appropriate to dedicate the album to his wife and release it on Valentine’s Day.
“Eydie heard that album, and she thought it was terrific,” Lawrence said. “We were attached at the hip — Steve-and-Eydie. It was like we were one person, to be married that long.”
It was more than two years before Lawrence would return to the stage. On Valentine’s Day in 2016, he performed a selection of Sinatra tunes at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.
Survivors include his son, David, a film and television composer whose credits include the High School Musical films; daughter-in-law Faye; granddaughter Mabel; and brother Bernie. Another son, Michael, died of heart failure in 1986 at age 23.
Donations in his memory can be made to Alzheimer’s Los Angeles here.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Jim Beard, a solo artist and touring keyboardist for Steely Dan for the past 16 years has died at age 63. The news was confirmed by a spokesperson for the group in a statement on Wednesday (March 6) that revealed the pianist, composer, keyboardist, producer and arranger died on March 2 due to complications from a sudden illness; at press time a cause of death had not been announced.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Beard joined the live Steely Dan band in 2008 for the Think Fast Tour and in addition to performing with the long-running jazz-influenced rock group — including at his final show with the band on Jan. 20 in Phoenix, AZ — he was also a touring member of the Eagles on their Long Goodbye tour.
Born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania on August 26, 1960, Beard took clarinet, saxophone and sting bass lessons as a teenager and studied jazz at Indiana University, where he played in a bar band that featured session drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty) and trumpet player Chris Botti.
Trending on Billboard
According to an official bio, after moving to New York in 1985, Beard set off on a prolific career of composing — on tracks by John McLaughlin, Michael Brecker and many others — and toured the world with such jazz greats as Pat Metheny, McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter. He also performed on recordings by Dizzy Gillespie, Al Jarreau, David Sandborn, Dianne Reeves, Meshell Ndegeocello and rock guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, as well as with the Metropole Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as well as composing music for TV and movie scores.
Between tours with Metheny and McLaughlin’s Mahavishu Orchestra, Beard recorded six solo CDs and taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University, the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York and the Sibelius Academy in Finland. Beard’s productions and compositions were nominated for seven Grammy awards, with one win in 2007 for his playing on “Some Skunk Funk” by Randy and Michael Brecker.
Brit Turner, a founding member and the drummer for rock band Blackberry Smoke, died on Sunday (March 3). He was 57 years old. Turner was battling glioblastoma, a form of cancer in the brain, and in November 2022, underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumor. The band confirmed the news of his death via […]
Gina Banfi de Abello, a distinguished figure in vocal coaching, died on Saturday (March 2) at the age of 92. Known for her work in choir and vocal training, Banfi mentored notable artists including Shakira and Colombian singer and composer Nicolás Tovar.
Her son Jaime Abello Banfi confirmed the news on social media on the day of her passing with an image of his mother. “Gina Banfi de Abello, November 26, 1931 – March 2, 2024,” reads the announcement. “Jaime, Mauricio, Beatriz, Maribel and Hugo Abello Banfi, her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren invite you to attend the funeral, Sunday, March 3, 2024.”
In response to the flood of comments he received on his social media channels, Jamie expressed his gratitude in another Instagram post. “I sincerely appreciate hundreds of messages of solidarity and affection received at times when my family and I tried to accept the sad reality of the physical death of my mother Gina Banfi de Abello, who made her transition with lucidity, serenity and full of love and gratitude,” he wrote alongside a photo of his mother. “We are comforted by these messages, as well as the media coverage of her departure, which highlights her contribution as an artist and music educator.”
Trending on Billboard
According to a 2011 interview with Argentinian newspaper La Gaceta, Banfi coached Shakira in 1992, when the then rising star was preparing to sing at Chile’s Viña del Mar International Song Festival at 15 years old.
“She was out of the ordinary. She was something different. When she was very young, she was a belly dancer. She has a gifted talent,” Banfi told La Gaceta. “She has always had that same powerful voice. I taught her some breathing techniques and I prepared her when she went to Viña del Mar and it was a pleasure for me. Since she was a little girl, she expressed herself as she does today. It was an admirable thing for such a young girl.”
Banfi’s journey into music began in her early years, as she turned to studying piano after her endeavors in painting did not pan out. Her home environment was rich with music and art, fostering her passion for the arts from a young age. Over the years, the Barranquilla, Colombia, artist became an integral part of various musical groups, including the Coro Santa Cecilia and Coro Madrigal, showcasing her talent and dedication to choral music.
See the announcement of her passing below:
Cat Janice, a singer-songwriter whose “Dance You Outta My Head” went viral on TikTok earlier this year, died on Wednesday (Feb. 28). She was 31 years old.
Janice’s brother posted the news to her Instagram page, writing in the caption, “This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The statement continued, “We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months. Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you.”
According to the statement, new music will be released posthumously. “Per Cat’s request, there is some more art that she wants to share too. All in due time,” the statement concludes.
Trending on Billboard
Janice was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues, after noticing a lump in her neck, as she explained on TikTok. She underwent surgery, chemo and radiation before being declared cancer-free on July 22, 2022.
Earlier this year, Janice shared with her followers that the cancer had returned, and she entered hospice. The singer then transferred all of her songs to her seven-year-old son Loren, so that all proceeds from the tracks would go to him.
In a devastating TikTok shared on Jan. 6, she revealed that the cancer had “won” and that she’d be releasing one more song, “Dance Outta My Head,” for her birthday that month. “I want my last song to bring joy and fun! It’s all I’ve ever wanted through my battle with cancer.”
“Please please share this, I need to leave this with [Loren]. If there is anything you need to know, is that the only opinion of yourself is your opinion. Love yourself and be gentle with others. I hope to make it through this but if not, to all a good night,” she captioned the post.
Since then, “Dance Outta My Head” topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 dated Feb. 17. “Dance You Outta My Head” concurrently reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for the first time, lifting 11-10. It earned 5,000 downloads Feb. 2-8, good enough for its first week at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales list, and 1.2 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
Rowland Martin Buyincé, uncle to Beyoncé and Tina Knowles‘ older brother, died over the weekend. He was 77 years old. Knowles took to Instagram on Monday (Feb. 26) to announce the news and pay tribute her brother, who was affectionately known as Butch. “My Beautiful big brother Butch went to be with God this weekend. […]
Juana Bacallao, a renowned Cuban singer and cabaret diva who still performed until recently, has died. She was 98. Bacallao died Saturday (Feb. 24) after spending several days at a hospital in Havana, according to a statement from Cuba’s Ministry of Culture. Officials didn’t say why she was hospitalized. Bacallao was known for her husky […]
