In Memoriam: 2014 Passages

Hope everyone had a Happy (and safe) New Year.  Before we kick off 2015, Friday Blues Fix would like to take time to pay tribute to those in the blues world who passed away in 2014.  The list is pretty long, but take the time to check out some of these talented artists that you may not be familiar with.  Hopefully, we didn't leave anyone off the list.

Earnest Joseph "Tabby" Thomas (January 5, 1929 - January 1, 2014):  Baton Rouge blues man/club owner (Tabby's Blues Box)

Jeff Strahan (April 4, 1960 - January 15, 2014):  blues/rock singer/guitarist/keyboardist

James Timothy Shaw, a.k.a. The Mighty Hannibal (August 9, 1939 - January 30, 2014):  Georgia R&B/soul artist.

Floyd Taylor (January 25, 1954 - February 20, 2014):  Soul/blues/R&B singer, son of Johnnie Taylor

Hoshal Lee Wright (January 12, 1947 - January 29, 2014):  guitarist (Taj Mahal, Electric Flag, Cass Elliot, the Pointer Sisters).

Willie Lee "Rip" Butler (August 17, 1948 - February 13, 2014):  Mississippi Delta bass guitarist/singer (Wesley Jefferson, Robert "Bilbo" Walker).

Elijah Staley, a.k.a. Carolina Slim (September 15, 1927 - February 16, 2014):  NYC subway musician.

Benjamin "Bud" Spires (May 20, 1931 - March 21, 2014), Bentonia, MS harmonica player, played with Jack Owens, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes)

Floyd Murphy (January 30, 1935 - March 27, 2014):  Memphis guitarist (Junior Parker, Rufus Thomas, Little Geneva), brother of Matt "Guitar" Murphy.

Tim Kaihatsu (December 23, 1945 - April 7, 2014): guitarist (Robert Cray Band, Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, John Lee Hooker)

James Knowles (died April 17, 2014):  drummer (Sugar Blue, Deitra Farr, Carlos Johnson, Bernard Allison, Melvin Taylor)

Janice Scroggins (July 17, 1955 - May 27, 2014):  Portland, OR pianist (Lloyd Jones, Paul Delay, Curtis Salgado, Linda Hornbuckle)

Mabon "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 - June 22, 2014):  Legendary Hi Records guitarist/songwriter

Bobby Womack (March 4, 1944 - June 27, 2014): soul singer/songwriter/guitarist

Nick Charles (died July 1, 2014):  longtime Chicago bassist (Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Son Seals, Buddy Guy, Earl Hooker)

James Govan (September 2, 1949 - July 18, 2014):  Memphis-based soul/blues singer

Johnny Winter (February 23, 1944 - July 16, 2014):  legendary blues/rock guitarist/singer

Richard Dennis Duran, a.k.a. Lynwood Slim (August 19, 1953 - August 4, 2014):  L.A.-based harmonica/flute player/singer

Steve Gannon (November 5, 1947 - August 16, 2014), guitarist (Sugar Pie DeSanto, Jimmy McCracklin, Sonny Rhodes, Birdlegg, Lady Bianca)

Hubert Joe Burns, a.k.a. "Poonanny" (January 6, 1940 - August 17, 2014):  soul/blues performer, "The Blues Comedian"

James Kinds (April 23, 1943 - August 19, 2014):  Midwest/Chicago blues singer/guitarist

Cosimo Matassa (April 13, 1926 - September 11, 2014), New Orleans recording engineer/record label owner, developer of the "New Orleans Sound"

Joe Sample (February 1, 1939 - September 12, 2014) - Houston-born jazz/blues keyboardist (The Crusaders, Creole Joe Band)

Rudy Richard (September 5, 1937 - September 22, 2014):  Baton Rouge guitarist, played on many of Slim Harpo's classic Excello recordings

Linda Hornbuckle (November 22, 1954 - October 4, 2014):  Portland, OR soul/blues/jazz vocalist

Monica Parker, a.k.a. Sista Monica (April 27, 1956 - October 9, 2014):  blues/soul/gospel singer

Jack Bruce (May 14, 1943 - October 15, 2014):  blues/rock bass player/singer (Cream, John Mayall)

Odell Harris (? - October 7, 2014), elusive Mississippi Hill Country Blues singer/guitarist

Michael Coleman (June 24, 1956 - November 2, 2014):  Chicago singer/guitarist (James Cotton, Junior Wells, John Primer)

Finis Tasby (1940 - November 2, 2014):  L.A. blues singer (solo and with the Mannish Boys)

Johnny Dyer (December 7, 1938 - November 11, 2014):  L.A.-based singer/harmonica player (solo and with the Mannish Boys)

Marion "Little Joe" Washington (March 1, 1939 - November 13, 2014):  Houston-based singer/guitarist

Joe Cocker (May 20, 1944 - December 22, 2014):  English rock, blues, and soul singer

Alberta Adams (July 26, 1917 - December 25, 2014):  Detroit blues singer

James Wheeler (August 28, 1937 - December 25, 2014):  Chicago singer/guitarist (solo and with Mississippi Heat)