Death notices and obituaries
/TORONTO/ A Canadian and international icon renowned as much for his quirky stage getup (a top hat, dark sunglasses and a face swathed in surgical bandages), pioneering Toronto music Jeff “Nash The Slash” Plewman has died at the age of 66, according to various sources. Cause of death was not immediately known. When he retired…
/// Robbie “The Blues Butcher” Bellmore, who passed away at just 57 years of age sometime earlier this week while vacationing in Cuba, was a sparkplug harmonica player and singer who added a lot of energy and audience appeal to a band. But he’ll be missed by his musical friends as much for his upbeat…
from Toronto Moon TV for subscribers only: The Blues Butcher live at Wise Guys September 24, 2011, Copyright 2011 by Gary 17, Toronto Moon This link takes you to a special private video posted on public Toronto Moon TV channel on YouTube.
from the County Music Association of Ontario March 2014 newsletter: Ontario lost another seasoned, professional musician/artist recently: Canadian Zepher’s Garth Bourne. Two of his friends and former band-mates wanted to pay tribute to his passing. by Rob MacArthur: I met Garth Bourne at a Durham Music Society function. I was playing in a band with…
It wasn’t a sudden, shocking tsunami of social media posts fracturing the day that spread the news about the death of Dale B. Robertson on Friday, February 28. But rather, like the life of the unassuming piano tech/player itself, gradually, by ones and twos, as people heard the news, came a growing realization that a…
According to a post on his Facebook page the afternoon of Thursday January 9, ‘Acoustic Planet’ radio host Steve Clarke has passed away at his home in Erin, Ontario. The announcement, which did not include a cause of death, said he died on Wed. January 8. While the information contained in the Facebook posting appears…
The Canadian musical community was shocked on September 26 to learn of the passing of songwriter Joe Mavety. A vibrant, talented artist, he passed away while in hospital having “routine” tests performed to try to determine why he had been feeling under the weather. A diverse and high-profile career that included an extended stint…
Another seminal Canadian musician has passed, reports theobserver.ca. Ken Palmer, the mandolin player for The Dixie Flyers, an acclaimed and award-winning Bluegrass band for over 35 years, died in hospital early on October 30. He had contracted pneumonia after having a heart transplant last week, the report by London Free Press music writer James Reaney…
According to TO songwriter Kyp Harness, Canadian folksinger Sam Larkin passed away on Monday, October 28. Further details are not yet available and the news has not been confirmed by other sources. With the exception of a post of condolence made at 14: 23 today by Wayne Hodgson, there have been no posts on Larkin’s…
There’ll be one less enthusiastic supporter of live Rock music and local bands in audiences from Scarborough to Etobicoke from now on. Ardent fan of live music and witty, charming Facebook aficionado Marilyn Legge passed away at home in her sleep the morning of Saturday, October 19, her family has reported on her Facebook profile.…
I was too burned out after hosting the Saturday, October 5 six-hour marathon SongStage concert for the SongTown Toronto Music Festival at Black Swan Tavern to be able to make it to either of these memorials on Sunday, October 6. But others who did have posted photos on Facebook. Here are links to some: …
It’s more than a little ironic that the day before a memorial planned at El Mocambo for Reggie “The Bouncer Poet” Bovaird the club was holding an afternoon public meeting to discuss “how to get this historic venue back on the map”. Organized by the club’s new-again owner Sam Grosso (after selling his shares in…
St. Peter might have some new competition for his job deciding who is and who isn’t worthy of entrance through the Pearly Gates. Reggie “The Bouncer Poet” Bovaird, has just passed away, his close friends on Facebook have posted early in the morning on Sunday, September 29. The throat cancer that, with such cruel irony,…
Toronto guitarist and songwriter Joe Mavety has died in hospital in Toronto, where he as having an assessment done of his medical condition, two of his friends have reported on Facebook. According to the post he developed a lung hemorrhage while at Princess Margaret Hospital and died at approximately noon yesterday, Wednesday, September 25. Best…
Response to the memorial concert for the late James Gray, scheduled to happen tonight (Mon. August 19) at Dakota Tavern has been so overwhelming that the organizers and club have extended the event by adding a second night Tues. August 20. The lineup represents an astonishing diversity of genres, indicative of the eclectic talent of…
According to veteran Mandala singer George Olliver, his good friend and Toronto scene musical veteran Bobby Dupont has passed away. Dupont was known to be ailing for some time but was able to perform with Olliver at George’s 50th Anniversary show put on by SongTown.ca in April at St. Clement Hall in East York. Dupont…
A date has been set for a tribute show to honour multi-instrumentalist and iconoclastic individualist James Gray. The event will be held at Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Ave. at Dundas St. W. in Toronto) on Monday, August 19. In a message posted on Gray’s Facebook page, musicians are asked to message Glenn Milchem via Facebook…
According to several sources and posts on his Facebook page, former keyboardist with Blue Rodeo, accordion player and eccentric occasional jam host James Gray has died of a heart attack. The news first broke on Facebook around 10 a.m. today, Tues. August 6, 2013. A sometimes awkward personality, Gray was also a very humourous fellow…
A large crowd of fellow musicians, fans, family and friends of the late Brian Maxim gathered 3-7 on Sat. July 27 at Birchmount Tavern in Scarborough to remember the affable and fun-loving Rock singer and songwriter. As reported earlier, Brian passed away July 12 after a long battle with cancer. The crowd included members of bands…
Rock singer the late Brian Maxim, who passed away on Fri. July 12 after a long battle with cancer, had a lot of musical friends. As the singer for MOXY early in the century, a member of the Classic Albums Live troupe for several years and frontman for the iconic Stumblin’ Blind that was part of the scene…
It’s been ten years since Brian Michael Maxim left the band MOXY after four years as its lead singer in a re-formed version of the seminal 70’s group. But for many fans, he remains as much identified with the hard Rock band as its original singer, Buzz Shearman, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle…
