Passings 2007: Music

Grand Ole Opry star ("Girl on the Billboard.") Jan. 1.

Ace steel guitar player with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Jan. 6.

Versatile tenor saxophonist; won 11 Grammys. Jan. 13.

Lead singer for Spaniels doo wop group ("Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight.") Jan. 16.

Member of 1960s folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas ("California Dreamin'.") Jan. 19.

Pulitzer-winning Italian composer ("The Consul," "Amahl and the Night Visitors"); founded Spoleto arts festivals. Feb. 1.

Motown's first bandleader; three-time Grammy winner with the Funk Brothers. Feb. 2.

A mainstay of the blues and folk scene in the 1950s and 1960s who influenced Bob Dylan. Feb. 2.

Member of the Spinners ("Could It Be I'm Falling in Love.") Feb. 2.

Big-voiced singer; one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s ("That Lucky Old Sun.") Feb. 6.

Oscar-winning songwriter ("Mona Lisa," "Buttons and Bows.") Feb. 15.

Singer who was an important figure in the folk music renaissance of the 1960s. Feb. 25.

Jazz drummer; bandleader for "The Dick Cavett Show." Feb. 27.

Lead singer for the band Boston ("More Than a Feeling.") March 9. Suicide.

Singer; teamed with Bing Crosby on "Silver Bells." March 16.

R&B singer and songwriter known for "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)." March 19.

Founded acclaimed Boys Choir of Harlem. March 23.

Country singer ("Skip a Rope.") March 24.

Drummer with Louis Armstrong. April 1.

Hawaiian crooner ("Tiny Bubbles"); entertained tourists. April 14.

Founded gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds. April 17.

Jazz pianist, composer known for complex post-bop style. April 20.

Did his dead-on Boris Karloff impression in the novelty hit "Monster Mash." April 25.

Ebullient master cellist who fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents. April 27.

"The Tonight Show" musician whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson. April 28.

Singer with the Platters ("The Great Pretender.") April 30.

Jazz vocalist ("He's a Real Gone Guy.") June 8.

Singer with the doo wop group the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight.") June 18.

Mariachi singer, actor during Mexican cinema's Golden Era. June 19.

Marshall Tucker Band member; wrote ``Fire on the Mountain.'' June 29. Cancer.

Opera diva with a dazzling voice, bubbly personality. July 2.

Wrote haunting lyrics to "Unchained Melody." July 2.

His spirited saxophone made "Yakety Sax" a hit. July 3.

French opera great. July 5.

American soprano; became a leading opera singer in Austria. July 17.

Tenor known for his agile voice. July 18. Apparent suicide.

Poet, recording artist ("The Blue Oneness of Dreams.") July 18.

Songwriter ("For Once in My Life.") July 23.

Renowned jazz bassist. July 29.

Irish singer; starred with the Clancy Brothers during the folk music boom. Aug. 1.

Singer, songwriter; produced Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." Aug. 4.

Singer turned TV host turned impresario who parlayed game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire. Aug. 12. |

Jazz drummer whose rhythmic innovations defined bebop. Aug. 16.

His Manhattan club CBGB served as birthplace of punk rock. Aug. 28.

Rockabilly pioneer billed as "The Female Elvis." ("Will You Willyum.") Sept. 3.

Opera superstar hailed as "king of the high C's." Sept. 6. |

Jazz keyboardist; one of the creators of jazz-rock fusion with Weather Report ("Birdland.") Sept. 11.

Member of singing family made famous by "The Sound of Music." Oct. 11.

She topped the charts in the 1950s ("Till I Waltz Again With You.") Oct. 17.

South African reggae star. Oct. 18. Shot in apparent carjacking attempt.

Grand Ole Opry star; helped launch the career of Dolly Parton. Oct. 28.

Patriarch of singing Osmond family. Nov. 6.

Country singer, bandleader ("The Wild Side of Life.") Nov. 6.

Mother of Kanye West. Nov. 10, after undergoing plastic surgery.

One of Philadelphia's hottest DJs during heyday of
rock 'n' roll. Nov. 17.

Lead singer for heavy metal band Quiet Riot
("Cum on Feel the Noize.") Found Nov. 25.

Rapper with the Texas hip-hop group Underground Kingz ("Super Tight.") Found Dec. 4.

Avant-garde German composer; pioneer of electronic music. Dec. 5.

Role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his image as the man who abused former wife Tina Turner. Dec. 12. |

Singer/songwroters whose gentle, poignant hits ("Longer," "Leader of the Band") helped define soft-rock. Dec. 16. Cancer.

Jazz pianist whose hard-driving swing and
melodic improvisations were hugely influential. Dec. 23.