Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004)
Charles was a singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as
one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and
was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius."
Charles (Chuck) Frank Mangione
(November 29, 1940 – July 22, 2025)
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Chuck Mangione, a Grammy-winning
jazz musician best known for his 1978 hit single "Feels So Good,"
died Tuesday in his sleep at his Rochester home of natural
causes. He was 84 years old.
Connie Francis (Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero)
(December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025)
(Hollywood Reporter) - Pop singer Connie Francis died
Wednesday. A cause of death has not been revealed,
but Francis had been hospitalized earlier this month
after experiencing what she described as "extreme pain."
She underwent a series of tests and examinations while
in intensive care and was later transferred to a private
room.
Francis on the January 31, 1959, cover of
Cashbox magazine.
On July 9, 1962, folk singer Bob Dylan walked into a studio and
recorded the song that would make him a star: “Blowin’ In The
Wind.”
“This here ain’t no protest song or anything like that, ’cause I
don’t write no protest songs.” That was how Dylan introduced
one of the most eloquent protest songs ever written when he
first performed it
publicly. It was the spring of his first full year in New York City,
and he was onstage at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village,
talking about “Blowin’ In The Wind,” a song he claims to have
written in just 10 minutes.
Dylan’s recording of “Blowin’ In The Wind” would first be released
nearly a full year later, on his breakthrough album, The Freewheelin’
Bob Dylan.
This was not the version of the song that most people would first
hear, however. That honor went to the cover version by Peter, Paul
and Mary—a version that not only became a smash hit on the pop
charts, but also transformed what Dylan would later call “just
another song” into the unofficial anthem of the civil rights
movement.
Bob Dylan (84)
New York City born Huey Lewis sang lead and played harmonica
for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, until being forced into
retirement due to hearing loss in 2018; he also wrote or co-wrote
many of the band’s songs.
The band is perhaps best known for their third, and best-selling,
album Sports, and their contribution to the soundtrack of the
1985 feature film Back to the Future. Lewis previously played
with the band Clover from 1972 to 1979.
