Neil Sedaka died last Friday.

He was one of the most distinctive pop acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s before the advent of The Beatles overturned everything.

His many songwriting credits include Stupid Cupid, a 1958 hit for Connie Francis, and Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain and Tenille, 1975.) (Is This the Way to) Amarillo (1971) eventually became a big hit for Tony Christie – aided by Peter Kay’s video – in 2005.

Sedaka’s own hits include Calendar Girl, Little Devil, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.

He kind of reinvented himself as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s with a more adult-oriented approach.

Here’s a live performance from 1975.

Neil Sedaka: Laughter in the Rain

This one was a hit for The Carpenters but this is a Sedaka performance-

Neil Sedaka: Solitaire

Though he had an earlier hit with I Go Ape this was the song which really announced him in the UK in 1959.

Neil Sedaka: Oh! Carol

Neil Sedaka: 13/3/1939 – 27/2/2026. So it goes.

Esteemed drummer, SlyDunbar, died last month.

Along with bassist Robbie Shakespeare he formed a rhythm section much in demand.

The list of people he played with or for is extensive (see link.)

This is possibly the earliest of his recordings I became aware of.

Dave and Ansel Collins: Double Barrel

Lowell Fillmore (Sly) Dunbar; 10/5/1952 – 26/1/2026. So it goes.

Not quite Dunfermline’s finest but the band launched the career of guitarist Stuart Adamson, later of Big Country fame. Lead singer Richard Jobson became a TV presenter.

Skids: Into the Valley

Squeeze’s drummer from their early years of hits, Gilson Lavis, has died. He was a member of the band from 1976–1982 and again from 1985–1992 and played on all their tracks recorded during those times. He also later played for Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

This is Take Me I’m Yours, Squeeze’s first hit, from 1978.

Squeeze: Take Me I’m Yours

David Leslie Gilson Lavis: 27/6/1951 – 5/11/202. So it goes.

I can’t say that Kiss were ever really my thing (that goes for heavy metal in general) but they were significant and had an unmistakably distinctive look.

It’s nevertheless sad that their classic lead guitarist Ace Frehley died last week.

This is one of his compositions (from 1978.)

Kiss: Cold Gin

Paul Daniel (Ace) Frehley: 27/4/1951 – October 16/10/2025. So it goes.

Supertramp’s singer, keyboardist and co-composer Rick Davies died last week.

Supertramp were not quite prog rockers and eventually drifted into a more ‘pop’py sound.

This song was the B-side of the band’s first UK hit single, Dreamer, but became the hit in the US. Unlike most of Supertramp’s songs (mostly written by singer and guitarist Roger Hodgson with contributions by Davies) this was fully composed by Davies.

Supertramp: Bloody Well Right

Richard (Rick) Davies: 22/7/1944 – 6/9/2025. So it goes.

Singer/songwriter Bobby Whitlock, who worked with many rock music luminaries over the years, has died.

He came to Eric Clapton’s attention when he was with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends was a founder member of Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton and others. He was of the opinion that that band was the best on the planet, “better than anybody.”

He was a major contributor to their LP Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the only one the band managed to complete, co-writing six songs with Clapton and was the sole writer of Thorn Tree in the Garden.

Derek and the Dominos: Thorn Tree in the Garden

The band’s first single was Tell the Truth.

Derek and the Dominos: Tell the Truth (Single Version)

Clapton thought it was too fast (it does undeniably have energy) and it was re-recorded for the album.

This is a reworking of the song Whitlock made for his second solo album.

Bobby Whitlock: Tell the Truth

Robert Stanley Whitlock: 18/3/1948 – 10/8/2025. So it goes.

Despite the fact that he had health problems it was still a surprise to hear of the death of Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne since he had appeared on stage at the band’s final concert only a few weeks ago, albeit from a sitting position.

His band has a claim to be the founders of heavy metal. Whatever, they certainly had a profound influence on the genre.

I featured their – perhaps untypical – song, Changes, here.

This was the first track on their second LP, Paranoid, which gave them their first and biggest hit.

Black Sabbath: War Pigs

John Michael (Ozzy) Osbourne: 3/12/1948 – 22 /7/2025. So it goes.

(For some reason this didn’t appear as scheduled on Friday 18^th) so I’ve rescheduled it for today.

Dave Cousins, singer, songwriter and main man of The Strawbs, died last week.

I featured their first UK hit, Lay Down, here.

Their biggest hit, Part of the Union, wasn’t written by Cousins but also wasn’t entirely typical of their output.

Their only other top 40 hit was this one.

The Strawbs: Shine on Silver Sun

David Joseph (Dave) Cousins (born David Joseph Hindson): 7/1/1940 – 13/7/25. So it goes.

Mick Ralphs, guitarist with Mott the Hoople and Bad Company among others, died last week. He apparently left Mott the Hoople as the songs he was writing were not suited to singer Ian Hunter’s voice.

They found a compatible home with Paul Rodgers, though, when they formed Bad Company along with Simon Kirke and Boz Burrell.

This is a live version of their first hit, which Ralphs wrote.

Bad Company: Can’t Get Enough

Michael Geoffrey (Mick) Ralphs: 31/3/1944 – 23/6/2025. So it goes.