Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

Outside the world of music, the headline death in May was, for me, that of George Wendt — Norm from Cheers. And the best death-related story involves the geniuses of Fox & Friends who contacted Kirstie Alley’s people for comment on the passing of her co-star. Alas, Kirstie was unavailable on account of having died three year ago. Oops!

Meanwhile, it was not a good month for writers of hits by the Carpenters, and Australian band Hoodoo Voodoos lost a second ex-member in consecutive months. For me, the horrible death of the wonderful Jill Sobule and the passing of the man who made the ABBAS sound happen were particularly sad.

 

The Fifth ABBA
ABBA have lost their “fifth member” with the death of engineer Michael B. Tretow, whose studio contributions were a key to the distinctive ABBA sound, bringing to life those multi-layered harmonies, the layered orchestration, and the crisp yet warm productions.

Tretow released a few records in the 1960s and engineered for Björn Ulvaeus’ Hootenanny Singers as well as Agnetha Fältskog, among others. He first worked with Benny Andersson and Ulvaeus in 1970, on their outing as a duo, Lycka. By the time ABBA was formed in 1972, he was firmly part of the project.

Inspired by Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound”, Tretow experimented with tape speed, overdubbing and other studio tricks to achieve a rich, orchestral sound — all that using relatively modest resources in ABBA’s Polar Studios in Stockholm. He remained with ABBA until 1981’s The Visitors, an integral part of the creative process on every one of those timeless hits.

The most astonishing bit of engineering, in my view, is the use of the percussive vocals by Björn and Benny in the intro of Take A Chance On Me, and recurring in the background throughout the song. Their repeated line wasn’t recorded in one take — they had to pause for breath — so it was done in sections, each layered over the last to sound continuous. Today, digital technology would allow them to record it once and loop it as needed. In 1977, the engineer had to do that manually.

After ABBA, Tretow continued to work in music, releasing his own albums (none particularly great) and contributing to various projects as a producer and engineer.

Hear him talk about his work with ABBA.

The Real McCoy
The missing link between 1960s garage rock anthem Hang On Sloopy and Bonnie Tyler’s OTT power ballad Total Eclipse Of The Heart is guitarist Rick Derringer, who has died at 77.

Born Richard Zehringer in Ohio, he first found fame as a teenager with The McCoys, whose 1965 hit Hang On Sloopy — he asked for the song’s original title My Girl Sloopy to be changed — topped the US charts.

By the early 1970s, Derringer had reinvented himself as a solo artist and session guitarist, releasing his signature track Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo in 1973. Derringer became a frequent collaborator with Johnny and Edgar Winter, playing lead guitar on several of their albums and touring extensively.

He played on Streely Dan’s Show Biz Kids, Chain Lightning and My Rival, and on three tracks on Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly (including I.G.Y.), on several Todd Rundgren albums, and on Jim Steinman productions such as Air Supply’s Making Love Out of Nothing At All (his favourite guitar solo; it features on the Roy Bittan Collection), Barbra Streisand’s Left In The Dark, and Total Eclipse Of The Heart.

In the 1980s, he made his name as a producer, working on albums for artists like Weird Al Yankovic, notably on Eat It. In 1985 Derringer produced The Wrestling Album, an album of wrestlers’ theme songs. Among the songs he wrote was Real American, which became Hulk Hogan’s theme song. Barack Obama played it at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner as he unveiled his birth certificate. The song was also used as a campaign song by Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich, and was used in four campaign videos for Donald Trump.

Derringer was an outspoken supporter of Trump.

The Folk-Popster
Thirteen years before Katy Perry invented same-sex attraction in pop music, Jill Sobule had a hit with a song titled I Kissed A Girl, released in 1995. Sobule’s song was a sweet and wry number about a woman’s same-sex crush.

It was difficult to categorise Sobule’s music. Folk-pop might be the best try. In any case, the star of the show were the lyrics which told stories of uneasy romance, gender, growing up and politics, often with humour and a dose of social commentary.

Always underrated, by the mid-2000s Sobule’s commercial appeal had diminished. Still, with a loyal fan base and early adoption of crowdfunding, she continued releasing albums into the 2010s.

Sobule died tragically at the age of 66 in a house fire.

The Spinner
The classic 1972-77 line-up of The Spinners was wiped out last year; now the 1977-2000 line-up is all gone, with the death at the age of 80 of lead singer John Edwards.

Edwards had enjoyed a good career as a solo artist before joining The Spinners, releasing two well-received albums and scoring a number of soul hits, most notably Careful Man in 1974. Edwards featured on Any Major Soul 1973 Vol. 1 and Any Major Soul 1976 Vol. 2.

Having toured with The Spinners, he took up the offer to join the group in 1977 to replace Philippé Wynne. With Edwards on lead, The Spinners had a big hit in 1978 with their cover of the Four Season’s Working My Way Back To You, and in 1980 with a cover of Sam Cooke’s Cupid.

Edwards had to retire in 2000 following a debilitating stroke.

The Daredevil
A few months ago, I posted the Any Major Hits from 1975 Vol. 1 mix; within a couple of days in May we lost two artists who appeared on tracks from that collection. Larry Lee was multi-instrumentalist of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils who wrote the big hit Jackie Blue, on which he also sang lead. He also played on the great If You Wanna Get To Heaven, which recently featured on the Any Major Heaven mix.

Lee served his band as drummer, percussionist, keyboardist, guitar player and vocalist.  He is the band’s fifth drummer to have died — out of six!

The other 1975 hitmaker to depart was Billy Earheart, keyboardist of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, who featured with their one-night stand anthem Third Rate Romance.

The Tunesmith
It was not a good month for people who wrote hits for the Carpenters. First Klaatu drummer Terry Draper, co-writer of Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft, died. A few days later it was Roger Nichols, who co-wrote their big hits Rainy Days And Mondays, We’ve Only Just Begun and I Won’t Last A Day Without You. Previous to that, Nichols and regular collaborator Paul Williams had written the Three Dog Night hit Out In The Country. In 1975, he wrote the tune of the Paul Anka hit Times Of Your Life. Nichols also wrote the theme of the TV series Hart To Hart.

Nichols first tried his hand as a recording artist. In 1968 released a debut album as Roger Nichols and The Small Circle of Friends, produced by Tommy LiPuma and featuring session musicians such as Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman and Lenny Waronker. The album failed to achieve commercial success, but A&M co-owner Herb Alpert recognised Nichols’ potential and recommended him for a position as a staff songwriter. It was during this time that Nichols was introduced to lyricist Paul Williams.

With Williams, Nichols wrote advertising jingles. One of them was for the Crocker Bank, titled “Wedding”, commissioned by an exec who had heard Nichols’ 1968 album. Richard Carpenter heard the commercial one day, recognised the voice of A&M colleague Williams, and asked if there was a full version of the song. There was — it had been recorded in 1970 by Nichols’ friend Smokey Roberds under the name Freddie Allen — and the Carpenters had a mega hit with it. For the original, see The Originals: Carpenters Edition. Watch the Crocker Bank ad below

Incidentally, Anka’s Time Of Your Life also started out as a commercial jingle.

Between 19957 and 2012, Nichols released three more Roger Nichols and The Small Circle of Friends albums.

 

The Jazz Drummer
In the story of Miles Davis, drummer Al Foster takes a special place as the only musician who could straddle the mid-1970s electric fusion sound of On The Corner and Agharta, as well as more traditional acoustic jazz. His close relationship with Davis covered decades. During Davis’ five-year retirement from 19750-80, Foster remained in close touch.

Foster first gained attention in his early twenties, recording with trumpeter Blue Mitchell and saxophonist Sonny Rollins. He went on to swing the sticks for jazz greats such as Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Hugh Masekela, Art Pepper, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver, and Lonnie Liston Smith.

He also released albums under his own name.

The Musicals Legend
With the death at 96 of Charles Strouse, the world of musicals has lost one of its greats. Strouse was the composer of the songs in musicals such as 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie (with songs like Put On a Happy Face, A Lot Of Livin’ To Do and One Last Kiss), 1977’s Annie (Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, Maybe), and 1970’s Applause, the title number of which has become a Broadway anthem.

Strouse wrote the tunes for 30 musicals, and the scores for several films, most notably Bonnie and Clyde (1967). He also wrote the theme song for the 1970s sitcom All In The Family, titled Those Were The Days. And thanks to sampling, he scored a big hip hop hit in 1999 with Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life.

He won three Tony Awards, and an Emmy.

The French Rapper
On May 16, an audience of hip hop fans were preparing for a concert by rapper Werenoi. He didn’t pitch at the venue — he was found dead, apparently from cardiac arrest.
Born Jérémy Bana Owona in Melun, northern France, to Cameroonian parents, he broke big in 2021.

In 2023 and 2024, Werenoi was France’s best-selling artist. His new album, Diamant Noir, had just been released, and his latest song, Piano — a collaboration with Gims, released on May 1 — was among the most-played songs in France.

The Third Reich Survivor
Some singers are included here not for the greatness of their music but for their quite amazing stories. Leila Negra, who has died at the age of 95, had one such story. Born Marie Nejar to a white mother and a Ghanaian father, she grew up in Nazi Germany after her father’s murder by racists in Lithuania. There, she suffered racial discrimination but, with the help of a kind teacher, a Jewish doctor, and sympathetic local police, managed to avoid the very worst of Nazi repression.

Then Goebbels came to her rescue. He needed dark-skinned extras for the extravagant 1942 film Münchhausen, and Leila survived the war by playing stereotyped roles such as servants.
After the war, she was discovered singing informally at a seaside venue, where she worked as a cigarette seller, and launched into a music career. Marketed as a teenage star despite being in her 20s — her childish voice helped — she recorded several hits in the early 1950s, including a duet with the legendary Peter Alexander.

Dissatisfied with her infantilised public image and disconnected from the material written for her, she retired from entertainment in 1957, at the age of 27. She retrained as a nurse and worked in healthcare until retirement.
As always, this post is reproduced in illustrated PDF format in the package, which also includes my personal playlist of the featured tracks. PW in comments.

Jill Sobule, 66, indie singer-songwriter, in a housefire on May 1
Jill Sobule – Too Cool To Fall In Love (1990)
Jill Sobule – I Kissed A Girl (1995)
Jill Sobule – Rainy Day Parade (2000)

Nana Caymmi, 84, Brazilian singer, on May 1

Rémi Charmasson, 63, French jazz guitarist, on May 2

Jack Lancaster, British jazz-fusion and blues rock musician, composer, producer, on May 4
Jack Lancaster feat. Phil Collins – The Whale’s Song (2016)

Squire Parsons, 77, Gospel singer and songwriter, on May 4

James Baker, 71, Australian drummer (Scientists, Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon), on May 5
Hoodoo Gurus – I Want You Back (1984)

Michi Kraus, 39, drummer of German rock band Cat Ballou, announced May 5

Joan O’Brien, 89, actress and country singer, on May 5

Nathan Jerde, drummer of indie rock band The Ponys, on May 5
The Ponys – Fall Inn (2003)

Iñaki Fernández, 66, Spanish rock singer, on May 5

Luigi Lopez, 77, Italian songwriter, singer and producer, on May 6
Riccardo Fogli – Mondo (1976, as writer)

DJ Hazel, 44, Polish DJ and music producer, on May 7

Xatar, 43, Iranian-born German rapper, on May 8

Johnny Rodriguez, 73, country singer and songwriter, on May 9
Johnny Rodriguez – You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me) (1973, also as co-writer)

Nadja Abd el Farrag, 60, German singer and TV personality, on May 9

Stewart Francke, 66, singer-songwriter, on May 8
Stewart Francke feat. Bruce Springsteen – Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me)

Manfred Tauchen, 77, Austrian singer and actor, on May 10

Larry Lee, 78, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter with Ozark Mountain Daredevils, on May 10
Ozark Mountain Daredevils – If I Only Knew (1975, also as co-writer)
Ozark Mountain Daredevils – Oh, Darlin’ (1980, also as writer)

Kafon, 42, Tunisian rapper, on May 10

John Edwards, 80, soul singer (The Spinners), on May 11
John Edwards – Careful Man (1973)
John Edwards – Nobody But You (1976)
The Spinners – Working My Way Back To You (1978)

Al Scramuzza, 97, soul/funk songwriter and label owner, on May 11
Eddie Bo – Hook And Sling (1969, as writer)

Leila Negra, 95, German singer and actress, on May 11
Leila Negra – Toxi Lied (1952)

LGP Qua, c.30, rapper, shot dead on May 11

Ronnie Sessions, 76, country singer, on May 13
Ronnie Sessions – I Bought The Shoes That Just Walked Out On Me (1987)

Billy Earheart, 71, keyboardist of country-rock band Amazing Rhythm Aces, on May 13
Amazing Rhythm Aces – Dancing The Night Away (1976)

Dale Henderson, 59, singer of trash metal band Beowülf, announced May 14

Dharío Primero, 72, Dominican singer, on May 14

Martha Miyake, 92, Japanese jazz singer, on May 14
Martha Miyake – Wave (Vou Te Contar) (1976)

Zeca do Rolete, 80, Brazilian singer and composer, on May 14

Charles Strouse, 96, musicals composer (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie), on May 15
The Poni-Tails – Born Too Late (1958, as co-writer)
Tony Bennett – Put On A Happy Face (1962, as composer)
Andrea McArdle & Orphans – The Hard-Knock Life (1977, as composer)

Terry Draper, 73, Canadian drummer of Klaatu and songwriter, on May 16
Klaatu – Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (1976, also as co-writer. co-lead vocals)
Klaatu – December Dream (1981, also as co-writer)

Teo Ciavarella, 65, Italian jazz pianist, on May 15

Junior Byles, 77, Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter, on May 15
Junior Byles & The Righteous Upsetters – Rub Up Festival ’71 (1971, also as writer)

Dada KD, 56, Ghanaian highlife musician, on May 16

Werenoi, 31, French rapper, on May 16
Werenoi – Guadalajara (2021)

Tony Haseldon, 79, singer and guitarist of soft rock band Le Roux, on May 16
Le Roux – Nobody Said It Was Easy (1982)

Roger Nichols, 84, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, on May 17
Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends – Snow Queen (1968)
Three Dog Night – Out In The Country (1970, as co-writer)
Carpenters – I Won’t Last A Day Without You (1972, as co-writer)

Chris Hager, 67, guitarist of metal band Rough Cutt, announced May 19
Rough Cutt – Don’t Settle For Less (1986, also as co-writer)

Adam Ramey, 31, singer with rap-metal band Dropout Kings, by suicide on May 19

Colton Ford, 62, singer and gay porn actor, on May 19

Roger Beck, 79, guitarist and singer with bluegrass band Harmony Hollow, on May 19

Michael B. Tretow, 80, Swedish engineer, producer and musician, on May 20
Agnetha Fältskog – Sången föder dig tillbaka (1971, as engineer)
Abba – Take A Chance On Me (1977, as engineer)
Abba – One Of Us (1981, as engineer)

Dre Love, 55, US-born Italian singer and rapper, on May 20

Mark Greene, singer with soul group The Moments, announced May 20
The Moments – Not On The Outside (1968, on lead vocals)

David ‘El Guadaña’ Lerma, 61, singer of Mexican rock group Banda Bostik, announced May 20

Frank Gibson Jr, 79, New Zealand jazz drummer, on May 21

James Lowe, 82, singer of The Electric Prunes, producer, on May 22
The Electric Prunes – Get Me To The World On Time (1967)

Daniel Williams, 39, drummer of metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, plane crash on May 22

Lillian Boutté, 75, jazz singer, on May 23
Lillian Boutté – Am I Blue (1989)

Kenny Marco, 78, Canadian guitarist, on May 24
Motherlode – When I Die (1969, as member on lead guitar)

Foday Musa Suso, 75, Gambian musician and composer, on May 25

Simon House, 76, English multi-instrumentalist, on May 25
Hawkwind – Spiral Galaxy 24968 (1975, as member and writer, on mellotron)

Michael Sumler, 71, hypeman and choreographer of Kool & the Gang, car crash on May 25

Gaston, 93, member of French vocal group Les Compagnons de la Chanson, on May 25

Rick Derringer, 77, musician, songwriter and producer, on May 26
The McCoys – Hang On Sloopy (1965, as member)
Rick Derringer – Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (1973, also as writer)
Donald Fagen – The Nightfly (1982, on guitar)

Sherry Bryce, 78, country singer, on May 26

Gigi Canu, 66, guitarist of Italian electronic band Planet Funk, on May 26
Planet Funk – Chase The Sun (2001, also as co-writer)

Brian Kellock, 63, Scottish jazz pianist, on May 27

Freddie Aguilar, 72, Filipino musician and singer-songwriter, on May 27
Freddie Aguilar – Anak (1978)

Jah Fabio, 43, Mexican reggae singer, on May 27

Al Foster, 82, jazz drummer, on May 28
Blue Mitchell – Perception (1965, on drums)
Al Foster Band – The Night Of The Wolf (1976)
Miles Davis – Amandla (1989, on drums)

Alf Clausen, 84, TV and film composer (The Simpsons), on May 29
Alf Clausen – Theme of ‘Alf’ (1986)