Category Archives: RIP

News, appreciation and memories of some music figures who died

Retiring T.O. Music Pix (for now)

  November 7, 2013 - 6:06 pm | ,
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Note: I can still be contacted by email: website  (at)  to-music.ca As is apparent to anyone who has visited the website, or subscribed to my newsletter or Twitter feed, this site is retired… at least for now. I originally set up the website in May of 2005, originally as a place to store the growing number of concert photos I’d been taking.  The first newsletter went out in January, 2006. By my count, there were 165 newsletters over that time, plus numerous blog posts, articles and tweets. But it just became too time-consuming, especially squeezing this in along with a … Continue reading →

Achilla Orru: Tribute in Globe & Mail & UPDATE re: April 7 event

  March 18, 2013 - 9:28 pm | , ,
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A wonderful tribute to the late Achilla Orru (see post below) in the March 19 Globe & Mail‘s “Lives Lived“. Written by his friend & fellow Ugandan-Canadian Opiyo Oloya, who is also known by all African music supporters in the Toronto area. Many harried Toronto subway commuters likely never knew his name, where he came from, his mother tongue, or his deepest love. To them, Achilla Orru Apaa-Idomo was the blind black man with the sweet voice who played music on the funny-looking instrument in the station. Tribute/Fundraiser, April 7 A tribute to, and fundraiser for his wife and children will … Continue reading →

New events added

  March 7, 2013 - 10:18 pm | ,
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A few new events have been added to the Events calendar, including Apr. 7: Tribute to, and fundraiser for the late Achilla Orru (and his family) Mar. 14: Kae Sun May 25: Bonga & Don Nikas bring Angolan music to The Opera House Some more Small World Music Asian Music Series events More to come. Femi Kuti in town July 3. And don’t forget Oliver Mtukudzi on April 6!

RIP King Achilla Orru Apaa-idomo

  February 10, 2013 - 2:18 pm | , , ,
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Written while listening to Achilla’s 2004 CD, Dho-Mach (Sacred Gift)… The Ugandan and Canadian world music communities received sad news this past week, that lukeme player Achilla Orru passed away at the age of 53. apparently as the  result of heart disease. Some information about his passing is on this page, written by Davies Bagambiire. This page contains some biographical & music information. Achilla’s wife, Rose, lives in Uganda, but had just recently been granted a visa to enter Canada. There are fundraising efforts beginning to help her and their three sons  (aged between 2 and 6) to get to Canada. … Continue reading →

“Appalled by Dick Clark”: Joe Boyd on Clark’s Bandstand beginning

  April 21, 2012 - 5:37 pm | , , , ,
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He may not be hip, but he was clean Two very, very different rock & roll figures died within a day of each other this past week, and have each received, in their own way, extensive media & internet coverage. Below is one take on Dick Clark. One of the news stories I read about Clark noted that he had taken over a local Philadelphia music and dance TV show, “Bandstand” after the original host had been fired. In the opening chapter of his excellent memoir, White Bicycles: making music in the 1960’s, Joe Boyd describes just what happened. (see … Continue reading →

From the Twitter- & other -verses

  April 1, 2012 - 12:47 pm | , , ,
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A few odds and ends collected or sent on Twitter (and other sources) recently.  See @tomusicpix A retweet from @RootsMusicCanada Fair enough. RT @alannealottawa: Kiran Ahluwalia wasn’t impressed that presenter didn’t attempt her last name #cbcjunos http://yfrog.com/ny3sgsaj Via  @RealWorldRec: Creole Choir of Cuba recording ‘Tande’ in the Wooden Room at @RealWorldStudio http://youtu.be/fHBQ-jzgNBU (Creole Choir is better known in Toronto as Grupo Vocal Desandann) 60 years ago: the first rock & roll concert & first rock & roll riot. Alan Freed in Cleveland: http://t.co/0CyVP0uh via Assoc. Music Parents “I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my … Continue reading →

Earl Scruggs, RIP

  March 29, 2012 - 11:37 pm | , ,
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No doubt the most influential banjoist in the world died on March 28, at the age of 88. The website Bluegrass Today, is not surprisingly filled with appreciations of Scruggs’ career, including this article by David Morris, titled “A Legend’s Biggest Moments”. Here’s the irony of being asked to write about the highlights of Earl Scruggs’ career as king of the banjo and a bluegrass pioneer: What doesn’t make the cut as one of his top achievements would be the crowning moment for just about every other picker. Read more here. Scruggs’ signature tune, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, was first recorded … Continue reading →

Musical losses in Sudan & North Carolina

  February 22, 2012 - 2:18 pm | , ,
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RIP: Sudanese singer and musician Mohammed Osman Wardi died Feb 18 at the age of 80. More here Live in Addis Ababa, 1993:   And halfway across the world, North Carolina fiddler Joe Thompson died Feb. 21 at 93. More here Thompson was the prime inspiration for the Carolina Chocolate Drops who will be releasing a new album next month. As the “bio” piece on their website notes: In the summer and fall of 2005, three young black musicians, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson, made the commitment to travel to Mebane, N.C., every Thursday night to sit in … Continue reading →

Etta James & Johnny Otis

  January 26, 2012 - 4:14 am | , , , ,
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It’s been more than a week since the deaths of those two giant figures of American R&B: Johnny Otis, and his greatest discovery, Etta James. My initial comments on Otis’ death are in a post below, and they’ve both received significant media coverage, especially James, although Lynn Crosbie in the Globe & Mail this week wondered why it took her death for James to receive such wide recognition. “But if she is such a legend, why was she not pushed forward more in her life?” There was nothing simple, or easily mainstreamed, about the way James sang. Pure soul is … Continue reading →

RIP, Johnny Otis

  January 20, 2012 - 4:26 am | , , , ,
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A giant of American popular music died on January 17 at the age of 90. Johnny Otis discovered, produced, recorded Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Esther Phillips and so many others; He helped create the R&B sound in the 1950’s and kept many of its early stars touring and performing through the 60’s and 70’s. Otis was the son of Greek immigrants, but as an obituary in the LA Times noted, ” in the 1920s, Otis decided as a youth that he’d rather be black”, and, according to one YouTube commenter he claimed “I was Greek by birth but black … Continue reading →