We say goodbye to four giants of music, who’ve left us in recent weeks.
Ronnie Hawkins, rock and roll pioneer, Arkansas showman who drifted north to Canada, started The Hawks who became The Band and launched Americana.
Bob Neuwirth, close confidante of Bob Dylan during the electric amphetamine days. Neuwirth cowrote Mercedes Benz with Janis Joplin.
Vangelis, started in the late 60s Greek band Aphrodite’s Child. Vangelis Papathanassiou became a synthesiser wizard, composer of film scores, who did Chariots of Fire and had hits with Jon and Vangelis.
Andy Fletcher played synthesiser for Depeche Mode, shaping a sound that changed the guitar and drums paradigm that dominated rock for so long. Andy was also the business brain of the band.
