Legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers didn’t die from coronavirus, but his passing on March 30, at 81 years old, happened right when the new pandemic reality was setting in. Would all the news be sad now?
Withers was responsible for such soul-balming classics as ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Just the Two of Us’ and ‘Lovely Day.’ He won multiple Grammys and was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
I’m not at all familiar with John Prine’s music, but when he died earlier this month after contracting coronavirus, I knew full well that the world had lost a legend.
I knew in large part because some of my favorite artists (Miranda Lambert, Lucinda Williams, Jason Isbell and Brandi Carlile) posted heartfelt tributes to the man that made it clear he was not just an immense talent but something akin to a family member.
Of all the recent deaths of musical artists, through coronavirus or otherwise, the one that hit me hardest was the loss of Adam Schlesinger. The former Fountains of Wayne bassist/songwriter died at just 52 years old due to complications from COVID-19.
I’ve been a big Fountains of Wayne fan since I first heard their album Utopia Parkway back in 1999. 2003’s Welcome Interstate Managers is one of the best pop albums ever recorded. Schlesinger, along with co-writer/lead singer Chris Collingwood, crafted note-perfect, clever, alternately funny and poignant tunes about everyday life. If you aren’t familiar with FOW, now’s a perfect time to get started.
Our next dearly departed musical artist is Manu Dibango, a saxophonist who hailed from Cameroon and released a famous funk song that inspired one of Michael Jackson’s hits. Dibango succumbed to the coronavirus in late March at 86 years old.
Dibango had a long career spanning multiple genres, but he is best remembered for the song ‘Soul Makossa.’ The track will sound familiar even if you’ve never heard it before because its sound was adopted by so many others, from 70s funk acts to modern day hip-hop artists.
It’s been eight years since the last Wallflowers album, 2012’s Glad All Over. The band hasn’t broken up, per se, but frontman Jakob Dylan remains the only original member, as various other musicians have cycled in and out of the lineup.
Essentially, The Wallflowers is a vehicle for the songs Dylan (the sole songwriter) deems appropriate for the full band treatment. Contrast their work to Dylan’s two solo albums, which were entirely acoustic affairs.
Meet Me In Montauk 