Local Vocalist “Screamin’ Mimi Manchester – a/k/a Caroline Townsend — Passes
Caroline Townsend, who was one of the original Strolling Scones, left on Nov. 28. There is no doubt that the Strolling Scones band would not have been what it was without Caroline playing her role as “Screamin’ Mimi Manchester”. Her quick witted humor was integral in shaping the story of the band’s tragic accident, the freezing and thawing, and the tangled web of backstory that formed the “bios” of the different band members, who ultimately became the characters in the musical Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s The Strolling Scones. Caroline was a natural when it came to performing. Many of you will remember her lighthearted stage presence that radiated an infectious joy. Every rehearsal was a celebration of life and music. She left the band in 2008 to go to nursing school and shine her healing light in a different direction. Beloved by all who came into contact with her, Caroline was a very special individual who will be much missed. Follow the above link to see a memorial slide show of her life which includes some live performance video. The soundtrack is all recordings that she sang on, including the lead vocal on “You Better Hold On”.
Our musical, Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s The Strolling Scones, is, in it’s way, a tribute to the musical luminaries of the 60’s and the profound effect they had on shaping the music, fashion, and political cultures of that time – an influence that still carries through to the present. Some of them crossed over way too young, some of them have stayed with us and stayed musically vital. Of those, we lost 2 hugely influential ones in the latter part of 2014 – Jack Bruce on Oct. 25 and Joe Cocker on Dec. 22. Fortunately, they both left volumes of recorded music to entertain and inspire the ages.
From the Strolling Scones’ Newsletter of January 8, 2015
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Timothy Drummond, Renowned Bassist, Dies
Timothy Lee Drummond (20 April 1940 – 11 January 2015) was an American musician born in Canton, Illinois. Drummond’s primary instrument was bass guitar and he toured and recorded with many notable artists including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Ry Cooder, J. J. Cale, Lonnie Mack, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Albert Collins, Joe Henry, Jewel, Essra Mohawk, and many others.
Drummond co-wrote songs with many of the artists he worked with, including: “Saved” (Bob Dylan), “Who’s Talking” (J.J. Cale), “Saddle Up The Palomino” (Neil Young), and “Down In Hollywood” (Ry Cooder). He often played as part of the session rhythm duo Tim & Jim with drummer Jim Keltner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Drummond
From Joe Henry on Facebook, 01/11/15:
Very sad this hour to learn of the passing of my old and dear friend, the great bassist Tim Drummond. His sprawl was immense, having played with a diversity of seminal artists – from James Brown to Conway Twitty, through to Ry Cooder and Neil Young, and in the latter pair’s most significant periods. As well, he gave up and held down gospel’s supreme and funky authority in service to Bob Dylan, when gospel was the scrambling poet’s preferred delivery system.
Tim was the bassist on my own second album, “Murder of Crows” in 1988, and did in that moment what no musician I had long admired had yet done: he treated me like a peer. And it changed me.
Rest easy, Timmy. Put on those fur slippers and glide.
From Essra Mohawk on Fb 01/12/15:
My old friend, phenomenal bass player, Tim Drummond, has passed away. We collaborated on my 1999 album “Essie Mae Hawk Meets the Killer Groove Band”. His bass playing was impeccable.
Article: Tim Drummond, Bassist for Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Dead at 74 Rollingstone.com
http://www.rollingstone.com/…/tim-drummond-bassist-neil-you…
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Gospel Singer/Songwriter Andrae Crouch Passes
Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as “the father of modern gospel music” by contemporary Christian and gospel music professionals, Crouch was known for his compositions “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power”, “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory)” and “Soon and Very Soon”. In secular music, he was known for his collaborative work during the 1980s with Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Quincy Jones as well as conducting choirs that sang on the Michael Jackson hit “Man in the Mirror” and Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”. Crouch was noted for his talent of incorporating contemporary secular music styles into the gospel music he grew up with. His efforts in this area were what helped in paving the way for early American contemporary Christian music during the 1960s and 1970s.
Crouch’s original music arrangements were heard in the films The Color Purple and Disney’s The Lion King, as well as the NBC television series Amen. Awards received by him include seven Grammy Awards, being inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998, and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.
Andraé Edward Crouch was born, along with his twin sister, Sandra, on July 1, 1942 in San Francisco, California to parents Benjamin and Catherine (neé Hodnett) Crouch. When he was young, Crouch’s parents owned and operated Crouch Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business, as well as a restaurant business in Los Angeles, California. In addition to running the family’s businesses, Crouch’s parents had a Christian street-preaching ministry and a hospital and prison ministry. When Crouch was 11, his father was invited to speak for several weeks at a small church as a guest preacher. Crouch’s father and the church’s congregation encouraged the young boy to play during the services. At the piano, Crouch found the key in which the congregation was singing and started to play. After this, Crouch honed his piano-playing skills and, in time, wanted to write his own music. When he was 14 years old, he wrote his first Gospel song.
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Crouch was hospitalized in early December 2014 for pneumonia and congestive heart failure. As a result, his December tour was postponed. He was hospitalized again on January 3, 2015 in Los Angeles, as the result of a heart attack. Crouch died five days later at Northridge Hospital Medical Center on January 8, 2015, at the age of 72. On the same day, his sister, Sandra, released the following statement: “Today my twin brother, womb-mate and best friend went home to be with the Lord. Please keep me, my family and our church family in your prayers. I tried to keep him here but God loved him best.”
Following Crouch’s death, Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith told Billboard Magazine, “…I’ll never forget hearing Andraé for the first time. It was like someone had opened a whole new world of possibilities for me musically. I don’t think there is anyone who inspired me more, growing up, than Andraé Crouch. The depth of his influence on Christian music is incalculable. We all owe him so much and I’ll forever be grateful for the times we got to work together.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrae_Crouch
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
January 2015
13: Trevor Ward-Davies, 70, British bassist (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), cancer.
12: Clifford Adams, 62, American trombonist (Kool & the Gang), liver cancer; Frank Glazer, 99, American pianist and composer; A. J. Masters, 64, American singer and songwriter, prostate cancer; Yoko Nagae Ceschina, 82, Japanese classical music philanthropist; Elena Obraztsova, 75, Russian mezzo-soprano.
10: Tim Drummond, 74, American bassist (Bob Dylan, Neil Young).
9: Popsy Dixon, 72, American musician (The Holmes Brothers), bladder cancer.
8: Andraé Crouch, 72, American gospel singer; Curtis Lee, 75, American singer (“Pretty Little Angel Eyes”), cancer; Ray McFall, 88, British nightclub owner (The Cavern Club).
6: Lawrence Gushee, 83, American musicologist; Lance Percival, 81, British actor (That Was the Week That Was, The Beatles) and singer (“Shame and Scandal in the Family”).
5: King Sporty, 71, Jamaican-American reggae musician.
4: Pino Daniele, 59, Italian singer and songwriter, heart attack; Lance Diamond, 68, American singer; Joe Guercio, 87, American orchestra leader (Elvis Presley).
From http://www.wikipedia.com