Big Joe Duskin was part of a tradition of boogie woogie piano players that harks back to the 30’s, including such legends as Meade Lux Lewis, Freddie Slack, Albert Ammons, and Pete Johnson. Big Joe passed away recently, May 6 at age 86, one day before he was scheduled to have both legs amputated from the effects of severe diabetes. The Alabama-born Duskin lived in Avondale Ohio, and was presented by Cincinnati's mayor with a Key To The City in 2004, in …

Hank Medress, a founding member of the Tokens, passed away from lung cancer on June 23. He was 68. Back in 1955, he and 3 school buddies from the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn founded the Linc-Tones, soon to be re-named the Tokens. The original group included Neil Sedaka who went solo in 1960 and was replaced with Jay Siegel who sang most of the leads. The quartet also included brothers Mitch and Phil Margo. In 1961, they scored a huge #1 hit with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" a re …

Jimmy "T99" Nelson whose recording career spanned over 50 years died from cancer on Sunday July 29th in a Houston nursing home. He was 88. Nelson learned the "ins-and-outs" of performing and singing from Big Joe Turner. His passing means those mid-century R&B pioneers are fast becoming an extinct breed. His earlist hit, 1951’s "T-99 Blues" (named after a Texas highway) stayed on the R&B charts for twenty-one weeks and reached #1. In 1952, Nelson had another RPM hit …

Lee Hazlewood died peacefully at his home outside Las Vegas, USA, after a three year struggle with renal cancer surrounded by family and Friends from around the world. He was 78. He succeeded in a music industry he was dismissive of, and is most famous for his work with Nancy Sinatra he wrote and produced many of her biggest hits, including "These Boots Were Made For Walking", "Sugartown", "Summer Wine", and "Some Velvet Morning". Hazlewood started his musical care …

Janis Martin who passed away on Sep 3 at age 67 was known as "The Female Elvis". It was a hard-earned title and most aficionados of the genre consider her the first female rock 'n' roller. Back in 1955, just after Elvis signed on with them she recorded on RCA "Will You Willyum" b/w the self-penned B-side "Drugstore Rock ‘n’ Roll" that became her signature song. . It sold 750,000 copies and charted both Pop & Country. Only 15 at the time, Janis considered Ruth Brown her p …