Big Maybelle
Music
Age 47
May 1, 1924 - January 23, 1972
Evergreen Memorial Park / Bedford Heights / Ohio / USA / North America
Her impressive stature matching the sheer soulful power of her massive vocal talent, Big Maybelle was one of the premier R&B chanteuses of the 1950s. Her deep, gravelly voice was as singular as her recorded output for Okeh and S...
Biggs, E. Power
Music
Age 70
March 29, 1906 - March 10, 1977
Mount Auburn Cemetery / Cambridge / Massachusetts / USA / North America
From the late 1930's on, Mr. Biggs was a dominant figure in the U.S. in arousing interest in serious organ music and in changing the style of its performance. Through his concert tours, weekly recitals over Columbia Broadcasting S...
Black, Bill
Music
Age 39
September 17, 1926 - October 21, 1965
Forest Hill Memorial Park - Midtown / Memphis / Tennessee / USA / North America
When Elvis Presley cut his first ground-breaking single "That's All Right, Mama" he was backed by Sun Studio musicians Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass. With D. J. Fontana later added as drummer, the four hit the road...
Blackwell, Scrapper
Music
Age 59
February 21, 1903 - October 7, 1962
New Crown Cemetery / Indianapolis / Indiana / USA / North America
Scrapper Blackwell, together with Leroy Carr are arguably the two most underrated blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s. What is undeniable is the two together created some of the most recorded blues classics including How Long, ...
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Music
Age 36
September 24, 1893 - December 19, 1929
Blind Lemon Jefferson Memorial Cemetery (the former Wortham Black Cemetery) / Wortham / Texas / USA / North America
Neglected and ignored until recently by his own home state, Blind Lemon Jefferson is nonetheless revered internationally as a seminal figure in the history of the blues with 89 classic blues songs recorded in just 4 years time.
Bloomfield, Michael
Music
Age 37
July 28, 1943 - February 15, 1981
Hillside Memorial Park / Culver City / California / USA / North America
Michael Bloomfield was an American guitarist and composer who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, as he rarely sang before 1969. Respect...
Bolan, Marc
Music
Age 29
September 30, 1947 - September 16, 1977
Golders Green Crematorium / London / United Kingdom / Europe
As the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for T Rex, Marc Bolan captivated generations with his strutting music and hyper-sexual charisma. Sporting makeup, glitter, a top hat with flowing locks of gorgeous hair, Bolan was on th...
Bonham, John
Music
Age 32
May 31, 1948 - September 25, 1980
St. Michael and All Angels Church Rushock / Droitwich / United Kingdom / Europe
John Bonham was and remains the greatest, most influential Rock Drummer of all-time and best known as the drummer for Led Zeppelin. Describing the style of John Bonham's drumming instantly conjurs up visions of the thunderous powe...
Bono, Sonny
Music
Age 62
February 16, 1935 - January 5, 1998
Desert Memorial Park / Cathedral City / California / USA / North America
Singer, songwriter, actor and entertainer Sonny Bono began his career struggling to write songs while working as a waiter, a construction worker, a truck driver and a butcher's helper. In his 20's he immersed himself in the music ...
Booker, James
Music
Age 43
December 17, 1939 - November 8, 1983
Providence Memorial Park / Metairie / Louisiana / USA / North America
Booker was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist whose unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. John described Booker as "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever ...
Boon, D.
Music
Age 27
April 1, 1958 - December 22, 1985
Green Hills Memorial Park / Rancho Palos Verdes / California / USA / North America
D. Boon was a pioneer of the punk scene in the early 1980s in Los Angeles, California. As singer, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock trio the Minutemen, D. Boon mixed funk, punk, metal, country and a healthy dose...
Borge, Victor
Music
Age 91
January 3, 1909 - December 23, 2000
Putnam Cemetery / Greenwich / Connecticut / USA / North America
Victor Borge was a Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in both North America and Europe. His blend of music and comedy earned him the nickname "The Clown Prince of...
Boswell, Connee
Music
Age 68
December 3, 1907 - October 11, 1976
Ferncliff Cemetery / Hartsdale / New York / USA / North America
Connee Boswell was an American jazz female vocalists, and first starting performing with her sisters as the trio The Boswell Sisters in the 1920s and 1930s. They became a highly influential singing group due to their recordings an...
Brahms, Johannes
Music
Age 63
May 7, 1833 - April 3, 1897
Der Wiener Zentralfriedhof / Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234 / Vienna / Austria / Europe
Johannes Brahms was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber en...
Brockie, Dave
Music
Age 50
August 30, 1963 - March 23, 2014
Hollywood Cemetery / Richmond / Virginia / United States / North America
Dave Brockie was a Canadian-American musician, songwriter, performer and mastermind / lead singer of the heavy metal band GWAR, in which he performed as Oderus Urungus. If you've never seen or heard GWAR, then imagine if KISS had ...
Broonzy, Big Bill
Music
Age 55
June 26, 1903 - August 15, 1958
Lincoln Cemetery / Blue Island / Illinois / USA / North America
Big Bill Broonzy was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist and was one of the few country blues musicians of the '20s and '30s to find success when the music evolved into an electric, urbanized form. From his initial ...
Brown, Clifford
Music
Age 25
October 30, 1930 - June 26, 1956
Mt. Zion Cemetery / Wilmington / Delaware / USA / North America
Clifford Brown was only 25 when he died in a car accident in 1956, yet the rich body of work he left behind sealed his reputation as one of the greatest trumpet players who ever lived. Quincy Jones even described Brown as one of t...
Brown, Dennis
Music
Age 42
February 1, 1957 - July 1, 1999
National Heroes Park / Kingston / Jamaica / North America
If Bob Marley was the King of Reggae, then Dennis Brown certainly earned his title of Crown Prince of Reggae. Brown's musical career began at age nine and he is credited with over 70 albums and touring relentlessly throughout the ...
Brown, Les
Music
Age 88
March 14, 1912 - January 4, 2001
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery / Los Angeles / California / USA / North America
Les Brown was an American musician, big band leader and composer best known for his nearly seven decades of work with the big band Les Brown and His Band of Renown (1938-2001). The Band of Renown began in the late 1930s, initially...
Buchanan, Roy
Music
Age 48
September 23, 1939 - August 14, 1988
Columbia Garden Cemetery / Arlington / Virginia / USA / North America
Roy Buchanan was an blues guitarist and a pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two later solo albums that made it to the Billboard chart. ...