In Memorium

Note: This Memorium covers the period from 2023 to the Present

• Dickie Betts (The Allman Brothers Band)

  Dickie was the co-lead guitarist alongside Duane Allman and wrote and collaborated on some of the Band's biggest hits like "Ramblin' Man" and "Sweet Home Alabama" He pioneered an innovative two-guitar approach with Duane Allman, weaving intricate harmonized guitar lines and melodic improvisation unlike anything heard before.

  His soloing style blended Blues, Rock, Country, Jazz, and Appalachian folk influences into a seamless, lyrical approach focused on melodic phrasing and major scale runs over minor chord changes.

  His instrumental compositions like "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Jessica" showcased his gift for melodic, almost fiddle-like lead guitar lines influenced by his father's bluegrass fiddle playing.

  Betts' unique blending of diverse styles into a signature sound... his brilliant melodic phrasing and improvisational skills, along with iconic compositions and songwriting cemented his influence across Rock, Blues, and Jam Band Guitarists for generations.

• Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group)

  Pioneering the use of distortion and feedback: Beck was one of the first guitarists to extensively use distortion and feedback effects, creating a raw and aggressive guitar tone that laid the groundwork for heavy metal. His work with the Yardbirds and on albums like Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969) with the Jeff Beck Group pioneered this heavy blues-rock sound

  Innovative guitar techniques: Beck was renowned for his innovative guitar playing techniques, including creative use of the whammy bar, volume swells, and developing a unique hybrid picking style. His fast, intricate playing and unconventional approaches influenced countless guitaristsAdvancing jazz-rock fusion:

  Beck's landmark 1975 album Blow by Blow, produced by George Martin, was highly influential in the jazz-rock fusion genre. It featured Beck's guitar work taking the place of a lead vocalist in an all-instrumental format that blended rock with jazz elements.

  Inspiring and influencing other guitarists: Beck is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. His unique style, tone, and fearless experimentation have inspired and influenced generations of guitarists across genres like heavy metal, jazz-rock, and blues-rock

  Collaborations with music legends: Throughout his career, Beck collaborated with many iconic artists like Roger Waters, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, and Joss Stone, showcasing his versatility and leaving an indelible mark on their music.

Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

In 1964, Rossington met Ronnie Van Zant and Bob Burns while playing in rival baseball teams. After Burns was injured by a ball hit by Van Zant, the trio decided to jam together, leading to the formation of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Originally called The Noble Five, the band later changed their name to The One Percent before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969, with Rossington, Van Zant, Burns, Allen Collins, and Larry Junstrom as founding members.

Rossington played lead guitar on Lynyrd Skynyrd's iconic songs like "Tuesday's Gone" and the slide guitar solo on "Free Bird," which became the band's signature tune.

He co-wrote the hit song "Sweet Home Alabama" along with Van Zant and Ed King. Rossington's main guitar was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, which he named "Berniece" after his Mother.

David Crosby (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young)

Crosby co-founded The Byrds in 1964 and was instrumental in developing their signature sound, blending rock with folk, jazz, and world music influences. He co-wrote several of their hits like "Eight Miles High" and introduced bandmates like Roger McGuinn to artists like John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar. However, creative tensions led to his dismissal from the band in 1967.

After leaving The Byrds, Crosby teamed up with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash to form the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968. Their debut album introduced Crosby's songwriting talents with classics like "Guinnevere" and "Long Time Gone." The addition of Neil Young expanded the group to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and they achieved massive success with albums like Déjà Vu.

Crosby had a prolific solo career, releasing several acclaimed albums like If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971) and Croz (2014). He was known for his distinctive vocal harmonies, innovative guitar tunings, and poetic, introspective lyrics. Despite personal struggles with addiction and legal issues, Crosby remained musically active until his death, collaborating with younger artists.

Gordon Lightfoot

Lightfoot's career spanned over six decades, during which he released 20 studio albums and penned hundreds of songs, including iconic hits like "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind," "Early Mornin' Rain," and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." His music blended folk, pop, and rock elements, helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s.

Some of Lightfoot's most celebrated works were deeply autobiographical and explored themes of Canadian identity, such as "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (1967), which depicted the construction of the transcontinental railway. His 1975 hit "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" chronicled the sinking of a Great Lakes ore freighter, becoming one of his signature songs.

Lightfoot's songs have been covered by numerous renowned artists, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, and Johnny Cash, attesting to his widespread influence and songwriting prowess.

Tina Turner

Turner was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, and grew up in a sharecropping family. She began her music career in the late 1950s, performing with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm band, and later became the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The duo achieved mainstream success in the 1960s and 1970s with hits like "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary", for which they won a Grammy.

After enduring years of domestic abuse from her husband Ike, Turner mustered the courage to leave him in 1976. She rebuilt her career as a solo artist, achieving global stardom with her 1984 album "Private Dancer" and its lead single "What's Love Got to Do With It". Her remarkable comeback and survival story made her a symbol of resilience and empowerment for generations of women.

Turner's powerful vocals, electrifying stage presence, and signature wigs and dance moves influenced countless artists across genres. She won 8 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice – once with Ike Turner and again as a solo artist. Her life story was adapted into the biopic "What's Love Got to Do With It" (1993) and the musical "Tina" (2018).

Turner passed away at her home in Switzerland at the age of 83, leaving behind an indelible legacy as one of the greatest live performers and most inspirational figures in music history.

Randy Meisner

Meisner co-founded The Eagles in 1971 along with Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Bernie Leadon, after previously being a member of the country-rock band Poco. He was The Eagles' bassist and provided high-harmony Vocals. He co-wrote and sang lead vocals on their hit song "Take It to the Limit" from their 1975 album One of These Nights.

As the bassist, he provided the foundational low-end for the band's signature sound on their first five albums - Eagles (1972), Desperado (1973), On The Border (1974), One of These Nights (1975), and Hotel California (1976) After leaving The Eagles in 1977, Meisner pursued a solo career, releasing a few albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s but with limited commercial success.

His Vocals were an integral part of the Eagles' vocal blend, complementing the lead voices of Henley and Frey. The Eagles, themselves, acknowledged Meisner as "an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band."

Robbie Robertson

He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s, playing a crucial role in Dylan's transition to electric rock music. As a member of The Band from 1964 to 1976, he wrote or co-wrote many of their most famous songs, capturing the spirit of Americana through his evocative lyrics and blending of roots music styles like folk, country, blues, and gospel.

His solo albums like "Robbie Robertson" (1987) and "Storyville" (1991) featured hits like "Showdown at Big Sky," "Sweet Fire of Love," and "Go Back to Your Woods," earning him critical acclaim and Grammy nominations.

Robertson drew inspiration from 19th-century American folk songs, literature like Carl Sandburg, and his travels through the American South, infusing The Band's music with a sense of heritage and regional authenticity that became a hallmark of Americana.

Producers like Dave Cobb credit Robertson as "one of the godfathers of Americana" whose approach of mixing rock with country while maintaining a rural, storytelling aesthetic paved the way for much of the Americana made today.

Eric Carmen

His early band The Raspberries were pioneers of the power pop genre that influenced many later Classic Rock Bands. Songs like "Go All the Way" are considered "power pop masterpieces" and had a major influence on the Classic Rock Sound.

His biggest hits like "All by Myself," "Hungry Eyes," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," and "Go All the Way" are regarded as classic rock staples from the 1970s. His ballads like "All by Myself" and "Hungry Eyes" became iconic hits featured in classic films like Dirty Dancing and Bridget Jones's Diary.

His melodies and songwriting drew heavily from classical composers like Rachmaninoff, giving his music a timeless and sophisticated quality associated with Classic Rock.

While some of his music incorporated other styles like disco, his overall body of work, especially his earlier material with The Raspberries, is firmly rooted in the classic rock genre and its evolution from 1960s rock

Duane Eddy

Eddy was one of the first Classic Rock Guitarists to become a star instrumentalist, making his twangy guitar style pioneering and hugely impactful. His distinctive "twangy" sound, produced by his signature Gretsch 6120 hollow-body guitar and a pronounced tremolo effect, became his trademark.

Eddy's innovative guitar tone blended elements of rock 'n' roll and country music, which is a hallmark of the rockabilly genre. His sound was described as having a "rugged masculinity" that captured the attitude and energy of rockabilly music.

This innovative guitar tone was a defining element of his hit instrumental rock songs like "Rebel Rouser," "Ramrod," and "Movin' N' Groovin'" in the late 1950s. Artists like George Harrison, Hank Marvin, and The Ventures cited Eddy as a major influence due to his distinctive guitar sound.

Surf rock artists were directly inspired by Eddy's innovative use of guitar effects like reverb and tremolo to create his signature atmospheric and twangy tone.

Many early surf bands like The Ventures and Dick Dale covered and adapted Eddy's hit songs like "Forty Miles of Bad Road," "Ramrod," and "Movin' N' Groovin'"

Richard Tandy

Richard Tandy was an English musician best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). He played a crucial role in shaping ELO's signature sound with his extensive use of various keyboards, including the Minimoog, Clavinet, Mellotron, and piano.

He joined ELO in 1971 initially as a bassist, transitioning to become a full-time keyboardist after the departure of Roy Wood in 1973. His keyboard palette included synthesizers like the Minimoog, Clavinet, Mellotron, Yamaha CS80, ARP 2600, Polymoog, and grand piano.

Tandy's keyboard work was an integral part of ELO's sound, particularly on albums like A New World Record, Out of the Blue, Discovery, and Time. He collaborated extensively with ELO frontman Jeff Lynne on various projects, including solo albums, soundtracks, and other artists' records that Lynne produced.

He was the longest-serving member of ELO, remaining with the band from 1971 until their initial disbandment in 1986, Tandy reunited with Lynne in 2012 to record a live set of ELO's hits, and performed with the reformed ELO (billed as Jeff Lynne's ELO)

David Sanborn

Sanborn was an American alto saxophonist renowned for his contributions to jazz, pop, and R&B music. He was one of the most commercially successful and influential saxophonists since the 1980s, known for his distinctive sweet-tart tone and versatility across genres.

Born in Tampa, Florida, Sanborn contracted polio as a child, leading him to take up the saxophone to strengthen his breathing. He studied music at Northwestern University and the University of Iowa, where he was influenced by saxophonist J.R. Monterose. Sanborn began his career as a session musician, playing on albums by artists like David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and James Taylor.

Throughout his career, Sanborn collaborated with numerous artists across genres, including the Allman Brothers Band, Ween, and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live band and a regular guest on Late Night with David Letterman. Sanborn's versatility and influence on pop, R&B, and crossover musicians earned him recognition as "the most influential saxophonist on pop, R&B, and crossover Classic Rock Artists."

John Barbata

John Barbata was an American drummer renowned for his work with several iconic rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. He played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of The Turtles, contributing his drumming skills to their chart-topping hit "Happy Together" and other popular songs like "Elenore" and "She'd Rather Be With Me."

After The Turtles disbanded, Barbata joined Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, performing on their live album "Four Way Street" and the classic protest song "Ohio." He then became the drummer for Jefferson Airplane's final studio album "Long John Silver" and live album "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland" in 1972-1973.

When Jefferson Airplane evolved into Jefferson Starship, Barbata was a founding member and played on their hit albums like "Red Octopus" and "Spitfire," featuring songs such as "Miracles" and "Ride the Tiger." He remained with the band until a severe car accident in 1978 forced him to leave.

Beyond his work with these renowned groups, Barbata also collaborated with other artists like Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, and the Everly Brothers, cementing his status as a highly sought-after session drummer. He retired from the mainstream music industry in the early 1980s but continued performing locally and released two albums with his wife.

Mike Pinder

Mike Pinder was one of the five founding members of The Moody Blues in 1964, along with Denny Laine, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, and Clint Warwick. He played keyboards and was known for his innovative use of the Mellotron, an early sampling instrument, which gave The Moody Blues their distinctive sound on hits like "Nights in White Satin.

Pioneering the Mellotron's symphonic sound: Pinder, along with the Moody Blues' recording engineer and producer, devised techniques to make the Mellotron's sound flow in lush, symphonic waves rather than with its typical abrupt cutoffs. This symphonic Mellotron sound became a defining characteristic of the Moody Blues' albums from 1967-1972 and the nascent progressive rock genre.

Pinder was part of the core lineup that recorded the band's classic albums from 1967's "Days of Future Passed" through 1972's "Seventh Sojourn." Though he released a few solo albums, Pinder did not formally reunite with The Moody Blues again until their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2018.

Doug Ingle

In 1966, Ingle co-founded the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly in San Diego, California. He was the lead vocalist, organist, and primary composer for Iron Butterfly's classic 1967-1969 lineup.

Ingle wrote Iron Butterfly's iconic 17-minute song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which was released in 1968 on their album of the same name. The song's unusual title was a misinterpretation by drummer Ron Bushy of Ingle slurring the words "In the Garden of Eden" while drunk. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" became a massive hit, reaching #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 30 million copies worldwide.

Ingle remained with Iron Butterfly until 1971, appearing on albums like Heavy, Ball, and Metamorphosis. After Iron Butterfly's initial breakup, he toured occasionally with former bandmates but did not participate in the 1975 reunion.

If anyone wants to recognize others I have not shown, please comment and I will review for addition... with all my respect... Willie