jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 12/30/2019 - Special Edition: In Memoriam 2019

There is a road, no simple highway / Between the dawn and the dark of night / And if you go, no one may follow / That path is for your steps alone. Is this interest remix not displaying correctly? | View it in your browser. Nipsey Hussle at a Warner Bros. Grammy party, Los Angeles, Feb. 7, 2019. He was murdered seven weeks later. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images) Monday - December 30, 2019 Mon - 12/30/19 "There is a road, no simple highway / Between the dawn and the dark of night / And if you go, no one may follow / That path is for your steps alone." -  Robert Hunter, "Ripple" rantnrave:// The musicmakers we lost in 2019 include giants who changed the course of music, cult figures whose artistic ripples caused waves in unexpected places, behind-the-scenes players who performed miracles in the shadows, and way too many bright lights extinguished way too soon. What they all share, and what they all leave behind, are songs, whether they wrote them, like ROBERT HUNTER, ALLEE WILLIS and BUSBEE; played on them, like HAL BLAINE; rapped on them, like BUSHWICK BILL, or lived them, like RIC OCASEK, JUICE WRLD and DAVID BERMAN. Some, like PEDRO BELL (and VAUGHN OLIVER, who died Sunday), showed us what those songs look like. Others, like rock manager ELLIOT ROBERTS, moved the mountains that needed to be moved because they were in the songs' way. The 28 stories below chronicle some of the year's most notable passings. For further reading, here's our much longer, alphabetical list of more than 400 music-related deaths in 2019. May they all rest in peace, and may the mountains no longer be in their way. - Matty Karas, curator who's gonna drive you home tonight? Complex Nipsey Hussle, a True Hometown Hero by Jeff Weiss Nipsey Hussle was an ambassador of Los Angeles, an eternal figure who embodied the true spirit of the city. Rolling Stone The Mystery of Ric Ocasek: 'He Tried for Happiness, But Underneath Was a Lot of Pain' by David Browne The New Wave icon was always an enigmatic presence, and the cool detachment that fueled his hits with Cars came from a very real sense of aloneness. Los Angeles Times Why Jessye Norman was more than a great voice. Much more by Mark Swed The great American opera star Jessye Norman had a voice that commanded the psyche and a mesmerizing presence that could turn silence into meaning. The New York Times Juice WRLD and the Tragic End of the SoundCloud Rap Era by Jon Caramanica The death of the 21-year-old rapper, which comes after those of Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, marks the unsatisfying, rapid conclusion of the decade's most promising musical movement. Vulture Daniel Johnston Was a Hero for the Wounded by Andy Beta One of Austin's strangest, most endearing, and most misunderstood musical icons died this week. His music and his message will continue to greet the dispossessed and depressed, those unable to say how they are feeling or even what they are feeling. The Guardian An evening with João Gilberto, the bright wallflower of bossa nova by Ted Gioia A rare concert in 1998 was a chance to see the great musical pioneer emerge from hiding - and why his glorious talent lifted him beyond pop fads. The Washington Post The story of Dr. John was the story of New Orleans. His music was our home away from home by Travis M. Andrews One song in particular captured the city's pain and hope after Hurricane Katrina. NPR Music The Unlikely Success And Down-To-Earth Soul Of James Ingram by Jason King The gifted songwriter and singer wasn't a born superstar -- but became something of a sleeper hit on the strength of his singing, songwriting and history-making collaborations. NPR Music Robert Hunter's Words Helped Bring Life To The Grateful Dead by Piotr Orlov Robert Hunter was more than another gear spinning within the perpetual motion machine of the Grateful Dead - his songwriting helped define the group's narratives and bloom its philosophies. Rolling Stone That Time Joe Smith Sent the Grateful Dead a Letter Complaining About Their Work Ethic by David Browne The music industry giant who ran three major labels left a legacy of not only forging legendary record deals, but dealing with legendary egos. true love will find you in the end The New Yorker The Drummer Hal Blaine Provided the Beat for American Music by Amanda Petrusich Blaine, who passed away this week, is so peerless, so unquestionably essential to the last half century of American popular music, that it almost feels as though his face should be on currency. Pitchfork How Dick Dale Changed the Sound of Rock Guitar by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Remembering the surf-rock pioneer, who died this weekend at the age of 81. Stereogum Bushwick Bill Was A Rap Giant by Tom Breihan Bushwick Bill died so many times. Some of those deaths were theatrical. At some Geto Boys concerts, there was a mid-show stunt they did at least once. Bill would clutch his chest and collapse. Scarface and Willie D, the two other Geto Boys, would scream for help. Paramedics would swarm the stage. Then Bill would lurch up, grab a microphone, and keep rapping. Pitchfork David Berman Changed the Way So Many of Us See the World by Mark Richardson Remembering the songwriter-poet behind Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, who saw dark humor and strange beauty in almost anything. The Guardian Ginger Baker: a master and monster who split rock music apart by Alexis Petridis The drummer fought his bandmates, alienated his children and lived a life of turmoil - but had an utterly new vision for what rock music could be. The New York Times Allee Willis, 72, Dies; 'Friends' Theme and 'September' Songwriter by Caryn Ganz and Katharine Q. Seelye She also wrote or co-wrote "Neutron Dance" for the Pointer Sisters, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" for the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield, and other hits. Billboard Nashville Music Community Says Goodbye to Busbee, Prepares to Carry His Influence Forward by Tom Roland Much of the Nashville music community -- and particularly Nashville's songwriters -- spent midday at City Winery, sorting through an appropriately complex mix of joy and sorrow during a celebration of life for songwriter-producer Michael Ryan, aka busbee, whose legacy is filled with contradictions. Los Angeles Times The Prodigy's Keith Flint was the face of raving for a generation by August Brown Keith Flint physically embodied the anarchic spirit of the rave, with a charisma that kicked off a revolution in pop music. The FADER The extraterrestrial life of Roky Erickson by Jeff Weiss Roky Erickson, the psychedelic pioneer and 13th Floor Elevators frontman who died last Friday, was the greatest alien left stranded in our midst. Chicago Reader Pedro Bell made art to embody Funkadelic's revolutionary grooves by Steve Krakow The underappreciated genius behind many of Funkadelic's most famous album covers died last month after nine years in a nursing and rehab center. The Undefeated Art Neville was a recognized genius, but not a well-compensated one by Justin Tinsley It's an all-too-common story: A fabulous black musician redefines a genre of music. He's adored and emulated by other musicians, including famous white acts. But the financial rewards, for complicated reasons, don't match up. The Quietus A Self-Willed Mythology: The Lives Of Scott Walker by Ben Graham Pop or rock artists aren't meant to make their greatest works 40-odd years into their careers. Ben Graham looks back at a career in which the man born Noel Scott Engel created one of the great mythic figures in musical history. Los Angeles Times Doris Day, a life in 10 songs by Robert Lloyd Doris Day was one of the great voices of the 20th century, though, as with her acting, the apparent ease with which she performed could hide that fact. Billboard Sulli Was an Outspoken K-Pop Star in an Industry That Would've Preferred She Stayed Quiet by Jeff Benjamin From forward-thinking views on politics, women's rights and sexuality, the late Sulli (real name Choi Jin-ri) can be a symbol of changing times in Korea. Vulture Talk Talk's Mark Hollis and the Language of Silence by Andy Beta It's impossible to imagine what the likes of Radiohead, Spiritualized, Sigur Rós, Slowdive, Explosions in the Sky, and generations of post-rock bands and 21st century producers would sound like without Hollis's meticulous and transcendent example. Slate Crooner José José Was the Soundtrack of Mexican Life for a Half-Century by León Krauze An icon of romantic angst. Yahoo Music How late Muffs frontwoman Kim Shattuck made final album while secretly battling ALS: 'Nothing would stop her from doing what she loved to do' by Lyndsey Parker "She was just like, 'We're making a record. We're finishing it. That's it. Disease be damned.' She never once felt sorry for herself." Neil Young Archives Neil Young Pays Tribute to Elliot Roberts, 'The Greatest Manager of All Time' by Neil Young Never one to think about himself, he put everyone else first. That's what he did for me for over fifty years of friendship love and laughter, managing my life, protecting our art in the business of music. That's what he did. MUSIC OF THE DAY YouTube "Lean on Me" Masters at Work feat. James Ingram "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" — @JasonHirschhorn REDEF, Inc. NY - LA - EVERYWHERE redef.com YOU DON'T GET IT? Subscribe Unsubscribe/Manage My Subscription FOLLOW REDEF ON © Copyright 2019, The REDEF Group