obits
Andre Harrell, Uptown Records Founder, Dies at 59
Andre Harrell, the music executive who founded Uptown Records and gave a young Sean Combs his first job, has died. He was 59. According to the New York Times, Harrell died on May 7 at his home in West Hollywood. His ex-wife, Wendy Credle, told the Times that the cause was heart failure. DJ D-Nice revealed the news of Harrell’s death on Instagram Live last night (May 8) during the latest round of his Club Quarantine series. Harrell’s career started in 1983 when he worked for Russell Simmons’ burgeoning Def Jam Records. In 1986, Harrell left to form Uptown Records. The label became influential for its discovery and ushering in of the New Jack Swing sound. The label broke artists like Guy (featuring Teddy Riley), Al B. Sure, Jodeci, Heavy D and the Boyz and Father MC. Mary J. B...
John Erhardt, Guitarist for Wussy and Ass Ponys, Dies at 58
There are two kinds of people: Those who will tell you Wussy is one of the greatest rock bands of this era, and those who’ve never heard of them. This week was a very sad one for the former, as Wussy (and ex-Ass Ponys) guitarist and pedal steel player John Erhardt has died at age 58. His bandmates confirmed the news that he died on Monday in a Facebook post earlier today (May 7), noting “The details aren’t ours to know or share so as a courtesy please don’t inquire.” The post also credits Erhardt with encouraging both bands to stick with their unconventional names: I remember getting home from a practice one night where we’d discussed it and getting a call from John, who let me know that “we’re not changing our name…it’s chicken shit.” So we kept Ass Ponys and drifted through major label l...
Ty, Mercury Prize-Nominated British Rapper, Dies at 47
U.K. hip-hop artist Ty has died, according to The Guardian. He was 47. The Guardian reported that he died from complications due to COVID-19. The rapper was born Ben Chijioke, to Nigerian immigrants in London. In 2001, he released his debut album Awkward, and his breakthrough sophomore effort Upwards won him a larger audience and eventually a Mercury Prize nomination alongside Amy Winehouse and Franz Ferdinand. Chijioke went on to collaborate with such kindred spirits as De La Soul, Bahamadia, and Arrested Development’s Speech over the course of three more full-lengths: Closer, Special Kind of Fool, and A Work of Heart, his final solo effort in 2018. Ty was also a member of the group KingDem along with Rodney P and Blak Twang. [embedded content] [embedded content] [embedded content]
Music World Mourns Loss Of Jamaican Vocalist Millie Small
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Millie Small, a Jamaican singer who found global fame as a teenager, has died and the music world is joined in mourning. Small became the first artist from Jamaica to have a single chart on both the American and British charts. Small was born on October 6, 1946, in Clarendon, Jamaica, and raised primarily in Kingston as she pursued a musical career. At 12, Small won the Opportunity Hour vocal competition that sparked her interest in singing full-time. In the early 1960s, Small, under the guidance of her manager Chris Blackwell, moved to London where she recorded her version of Barbie Gay’s “My Boy Lollipop.” The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and landed on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 chart. In many circles and rightfully so, S...
