Five musicians we have recently lost and who left us amazing legacies.

David Bowie:

David Bowie was 69 when he passed away but will be remembered forever. He was one of the great musical artists of the 20^th century, a performer who was not afraid to be himself which was the message he put forward to his generation. He inspired people who weren’t accepted in the mainstream such as the LGBT Community, his music was ground-breaking for its time because he was one of the first to really bring forth the concept album in Ziggystardust and be thought provoking and offending along the way.

Lemmy Kilmister:

Lemmy Kilmister the great frontman and bass player of Moterhead was a rock/heavy metal icon that liked to play music loud and heavy. He also lived the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle like no other rock star could. He sold over 30 million records with Moterhead and his influence is quite paramount in the early development of heavy metal and other musicians like Dave Grohl, Lars Ulrich and Slash all payed respect to his inspiration.

Scott Weitland:

Frontman of Stone Temple Pilots, Weitland was one of the pioneer rock singers of the 90’s grunge era, his vocal delivery was angry and powerful and his lyrics dealt with some painful subjects such as betrayal. His output with S.T.P and other bands is an influential catalogue of music that has inspired younger generations to start bands and sing in an honest and raw way that he did.

Chris Squire:

The Legendary bass player of prog band Yes past away at the age of 67 and will be remembered as one of the great rock bass players of his era with the likes of John Paul Jones and John Entwistle. Squire’s bass playing was a fusion of styles complimenting the music whilst leading the band with fantastic improvisations. Contemporary bass players such as Les Claypool and Squarepusher cited Squire as an influence. He was the only musician in Yes to play on all of their albums and if you really want to listen to what he could achieve on bass I would recommend the songs The Fish and Heart of the Sunrise.

BB King:

The Iconic blues guitarist, singer and songwriter was one the great musicians to really push guitar playing to new heights. Guitarist like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix owe a lot to the way BB King crafted his style. Along with Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker BB King planted the seed for what great bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were to become. King played music for 6 decades and his passing was a reminder of how important the blues was to American music.