January 1, 2021
It’s was a tough year for just about everyone, but the country music community was hit especially hard in 2020.
While we look forward to a better year in 2021, it’s also a good time to reflect back on 2020 and remember all it has taken a lot from us. Singer, songwriters, reporters, radio show hosts, band members, and many others who impacted country music positively have gone as well.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everybody that we lost this year, but a chance to celebrate the lives of some of the more notable musicians who have died this year. Here are a few of their greatest songs to remember them by.
We’ve got some in-person music for you this week, Houston! And on top of good tunes, this week we are highlighting an annual toy drive organized by a local artist. Nosa Edebor known in the music scene by his stage name Nosaprise has been bringing joy to quite a few Houston kiddos for more than a decade and a half now, and even a pandemic won t stop him from continuing the tradition. As this year draws to a close, I hope you consider giving back – if you’re in a position to do so, of course – and Trills The Season offers a great option for supporting this city we all love so much.
Died: October 23, 2020 JERRY Jeff Walker, who has died aged 78, was a country singer who stayed true to his outlaw spirit, even as he penned what became a classic of the American songbook. Walker wrote Mr Bojangles following a night in a New Orleans drunk tank, where he encountered the old street dancer who became its inspiration. Walker first recorded the song for his debut 1968 album of the same name. Since then, Mr Bojangles has been covered by a multitude of artists, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who had a hit with it in1970. Others who recorded it include Neil Diamond, Bobbie Gentry, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and Edwyn Collins. The song became a central part of Sammy Davis Jnr’s act, while composer Philip Glass incorporated it into his opera, Einstein on the Beach. It was Nina Simone’s version, however, that Walker said he liked best.