Obituaries: Musicians Pay Tribute to Influential Jazz Vocalist Sheila Jordan

Larry Gillstrom, lead guitarist and founding member of popular Regina heavy metal band Kick Axe, died on Aug. 4, after a battle with cancer. He was aged 70.

Under the name, Hobbit, the band formed in 1974, comprising Gillstrom (guitar), Victor Langen (bass guitar) and his brother Gary Langen (drums, lead vocals). In 1976 they changed the name to Kick Axe. After several line-up changes (including the addition of Gillstrom's brother Brian), they relocated to Vancouver and started recording, but didn't release their debut album, Vices, until 1984.

In a Music Express feature in 1984, Keith Sharp summed up the group's career to that point, reporting that "Established in Vancouver after spending more than five years whistle-stopping between Alberta and the Prairies, Kick Axe spent the last three years honing their writing skills while battling to play original songs in a basically top-40 market.

"It's been a frustrating eight years but we've survived by writing original songs," explained Brian Gillstrom to Sharp at the time. "As soon as you stop writing and revert to covers - you're dead."

"Gillstrom, his lead-guitar playing brother Larry, twin lead-guitarist Ray Harvey, bassist Victor Langen and an assortment of frontmen had made some initial vinyl breakthroughs. The were the only Canadian group selected to the Playboy Nightflite compilation album and also placed a track on the Seeds 2 'homegrown album' compiled by Vancouver's CFOX radio station.

"However, the big break came when Winnipeg entrepreneur, Garry Stratychuk saw the new-look lineup, offered to manage them and put them in touch with Spencer Proffer, head of Pasha Records.

"'I knew Garry from when he ran a record shop in Regina,' said Brian Gillstrom. 'He had a good track record with Streetheart and I knew he had the connection with Pasha (which had released Streetheart's Dancing with Danger).'"

Vices came out on Spencer Proffer's Pasha Records, and gained critical support. Kick Axe opened up tours for such acts as Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Scorpions, and Pasha label-mates Quiet Riot. A cover of Humble Pie's "30 Days in the Hole" appeared on the Up the Creek movie soundtrack in 1984 and on the first of two MuchMusic compilation albums, promoting the network's weekly Power Hour program.

Vices was Kick Axe's biggest commercial success, reaching No. 126 at the Billboard 200 album charts. Such singles as "Heavy Metal Shuffle," "On the Road to Rock," "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "Rock the World" also had moderate success.

The band's follow-up album, Welcome to the Club, was released in 1985, and included a handful of guest stars. Their next album, Rock the World, dubbed a return to their heavy metal roots, was released in 1986, to little recognition, and, in 1988, dropped by their record label, Kick Axe broke up.

In 2003, they re-emerged with the album Kick Axe IV, with Larry Gillstrom still in the lineup and founding member Gary Langen returning to the fold. In 2008 Gary Langen was replaced with new vocalist Daniel Nargang, formerly of the Regina metal band Into Eternity.

Kick Axe continued to play Canadian tour dates and rock festivals over many years. In July 2023, almost 20 years since their last release, Kick Axe released a new single with Nargang on vocals, "Blackout Crazy," followed by "Run to the Thunder."

During a recent interview with the Regina Leader-Post, Gillstrom announced that Kick Axe had finished recording an upcoming album, one he called something of a return to the band’s roots.

On Aug. 11, Kick Axe posted this on Instagram: “Larry maintained a positive and upbeat attitude as he quietly fought a courageous battle with cancer, all while performing live shows with Kick Axe in 2024. Along with Kick Axe performances in Calgary and Winnipeg; Larry’s final show was on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 in his beloved hometown of Regina, where it all began."

“Larry was truly a wonderful, inspirational person and musician who will be missed by his family, band mates, friends and fans worldwide,” Kick Axe wrote. In their tribute, the band encouraged fans to “crank up your favourite Kick Axe song or album... and of course Stay On The Road To Rock Forever!”

The statement added that details regarding a celebration of life would be provided at a later date.

David Holcroft, an Ontario vocalist formerly in the groups Light and Cedar Creek, died on Aug. 2, of drowning in a boating accident. He was 74. The news was reported by country music historian Larry Delaney (Cancountry).

Delaney notes that "David Holcroft, Ron Spearman, Don Edmunds and Ken Harnden were Belleville/Kingston, Ontario-based vocalists who originally had performed as the Gospel music group Light; and were later founding members of the country/gospel vocal group Cedar Creek."

Cedar Creek released one album, 1981's After Tonight. It was recorded at four studios, including The Music Mill in Nashville and Grant Avenue in Hamilton. Guest musicians included such noted Nashville players as Charlie McCoy and David Briggs.

International

Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson), a legendary American jazz vocalist and educator, died on Aug. 11, at age 96.

In its obituary, Variety notes that "Jordan's cool and supple voice carried her name through decades of jazz recordings, performance and education.

"A virtuoso singer and improvisor who was often overlooked during her lifetime, at least partially due to an aversion to self-promotion, her 1963 debut album, Portrait of Sheila, in particular is widely regarded as a classic. Jordan released more than two dozen albums over the course of her career, including Portrait Now, released earlier this year."

During a tough childhood growing up in Detroit, Jordan became enamored with jazz after hearing Charlie Parker on a jukebox in high school. “I put my nickel in, and up came [Charlie “Bird” Parker], playing ‘Now is the Time,’ and I said that’s the music,” she told NPR. “That’s the one I’ll dedicate my life to.”

At one stage, Jordan's family relocated to a coalmining area in Pennsylvania, where Sheila would sing for miners in the bars. One tune she would perform was the classic "You Are My Sunshine," and, by coincidence, in 1962 she guested on a famous version of that tune by the George Russell Sextet, one of Jordan's first notable appearances on record.

In an interview with Billboard Canada, Canadian jazz luminary Jane Bunnett, a longtime friend of and collaborator with Jordan, recalls that "Sheila performed the legendary George Russell version of that song when she performed at Art of Jazz in Toronto. She told us that when she was dating George she took him to that coal miners bar with the piano and started singing it, and that inspired George to reimagine the song."

According to Variety, "Jordan left Detroit to 'go chase Bird,' as she described, in New York. She eventually befriended Parker — 'He was very, very wonderful to me,' Jordan said of Parker — and she would later marry one of his close collaborators, Duke Jordan; they have a daughter together but divorced in 1962."

Jordan was the first vocalist to release an album on the storied jazz imprint, Blue Note, with Portrait of Sheila, but waited over a decade to release a sophomore album, Confirmation.

She spent the following decades performing around NYC with some of jazz’s best-known names, including Parker and Charles Mingus, but life as a solo mother hampered her career, as she worked as a secretary to support her daughter, Tracey Jordan.

She eventually began releasing albums at a steady pace from the late 1970s (25 in total) and continued performing into recent months. Her latest album, Portrait Now, was released earlier this year

Over the years she also appeared as a featured vocalist on albums by Carla Bley, Cameron Brown, George Gruntz, Bob Moses and Roswell Rudd, among others, and taught jazz vocal workshops at the City College of New York and other institutions.

Jordan was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2012, and in 2014, her biography, Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan by educator Ellen Johnson, was released.

Jordan collaborated with Jane Bunnett on the latter's 1993 album, The Water Is Wide, at the start of what became a deep friendship between Bunnett, her husband Larry Cramer and Jordan.

Bunnett tells Billboard Canada that "after that record, Sheila continued to perform with us. There was a concert at Harbourfront in Toronto, and a CBC show called Let's Cool One. It featured performers that Larry would interview, and Sheila was terrific. We brought her up here for Art of Jazz, and she had a really strong presence in Toronto.

"I also recall when we brought Sheila up to Maynooth in the Algonquin in Ontario for a performance at the library. Sheila was part Cherokee and she really connected with one Indigenous woman there."

Calling Jordan "a huge inspiration and one of the great bebop singers," Bunnett paid tribute to her by recording a song, "The Only One (For Sheila Jordan)," on her Juno-winning 2008 album Embracing Voices, featuring Kellylee Evans. Bunnett tells Billboard Canada that "Sheila was a huge inspiration and a mentor for me. It is hard to be a musician with longevity, and she'd continually tell me not to give up."

Jordan was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2012, and in 2014, her biography, Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan by educator Ellen Johnson, was released.

A memorial service for Jordan will be held in New York City at a later date.

A frequent visitor to Toronto, Jordan had a major impact on that city's jazz scene and artists. Many quickly responded with affectionate social media tributes.

Commenting on a Facebook post, popular Toronto jazz vocalist Ori Dagan declared that "There will never be another performer like Sheila: her shows would ALWAYS make the audience laugh AND cry! She had an incredible way of making everyone on stage and in the room feel appreciated.

"She was also one of the very first vocal jazz educators in history — her workshops were absolutely legendary in their ability to transform lives; she was careful to always be positive and to 'never break a singer’s spirit.' She was unbelievably generous, kind and genuine. She often would say 'I’m not a diva or a star…I just want to be a jazz ambassador and help get this music and its message out to as many people as possible. As long as I can keep doing that I am happy.'"

"I am really grateful to all the music, wisdom and inspiration Sheila shared with us. I’ll miss her so much but I know she is in a better place now, singing in heaven with her friends Charlie Parker, Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy and so many others. Rest in Peace, dearest Sheila."

On Facebook, the JazzInToronto group posted this: "Beloved jazz legend Sheila Jordan has passed away at age 96. The treasured vocalist and educator loved performing in Toronto and was closely connected to our city’s jazz community. Our condolences to Sheila’s family, friends and fans."

Montreal-based musician, producer, manager, agent and label executive Jean-Pierre Leduc (Justin Time Records) offered this Facebook tribute: "It’s hard to put into words what Sheila Jordan meant to me. She was above all a great friend, and also at various times a client. We did some memorable concerts in far flung places.

"Sheila was also the reason I had the privilege of representing the great Mark Murphy. She called me one day when no one would work with him (astoundingly), imploring me to take a chance. It turned out to be one of the most profound experiences, being on the road and in studio with this utter master, at his summit in fact, we can now say. So I saw what Sheila hoped I’d see.

"For Justin Time, for the live album we issued, Winter Sunshine, I suggested we include Sheila’s hilarious in between song banter, which is the secret to its charm. I’m still stunned by the news of Sheila’s passing. She was one in a million, a dear friend, an important and meaningful artist in our milieu, and loved by so many people she touched."

Bobby Whitlock, an American keyboardist and singer-songwriter best known as co-founder of supergroup Derek and the Dominos, died on Aug. 10, at the age of 77, following a brief battle with cancer, his manager Carol Kaye confirmed to Variety.

A Billboard obituary reports that the Memphis-born Whitlock "made history as the first white artist signed to Stax Records when he was still a teenager in the mid-1960s. During his time with the legendary label, he performed alongside soul greats including Booker T. & the MG’s and Sam & Dave.

"In 1968, Whitlock joined Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, a group whose collaborators included future Derek and the Dominos members Eric Clapton, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. During this period, Whitlock also contributed to Clapton’s 1970 self-titled debut album and played organ and piano on George Harrison’s landmark 1970 release, All Things Must Pass.

"Later that same year, Clapton, Whitlock, Radle and Gordon formed Derek and the Dominos. Whitlock co-wrote half the tracks on the band’s first and only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, including 'Bell Bottom Blues' and 'Tell the Truth.' Derek and the Dominos embarked on a U.S. tour in support of the album, with Elton John serving as their opening act."

Elton John wrote in his autobiography that “It was their keyboard player Bobby Whitlock that I watched like a hawk. He was from Memphis, learned his craft hanging around Stax Studios and played with that soulful, deep Southern gospel feel.”

Derek and the Dominos split in 1971 while in the midst of recording their sophomore album. Whitlock then released a string of solo albums in the 1970s, beginning with his self-titled debut, which featured contributions from all the members of Derek and the Dominos, as well as Harrison. He followed it later that same year with Raw Velvet.

As a session musician, Whitlock also appeared on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., Dr. John’s The Sun, Moon & Herbs, and Stephen Stills & Manassas’ Down the Road.

Whitlock released additional solo music throughout the 1970s and returned in the 1990s, he returned to making solo music, while often collaborating with his musical partner and future wife, CoCo Carmel.

Judy (Judith Mary) Bailey, a New Zealand-born, Australian-based jazz pianist, composer and lecturer, died on Aug. 8, at age 89.

After studying piano, Bailey moved to Australia in 1960, spending most of her time in Sydney. She performed on TV, music venues such as the El Rocco, and on many recordings, working with Tommy Tycho's orchestra on the Seven TV Network.

Her debut recording was 1962 album The Wind, credited to The Errol Buddle Quartet featuring Judy Bailey, and she went on to release 11 albums under her own name.

An extensive profile in NZ music website Audioculture noted that "Bailey’s prowess at composition and orchestration has seen her write for small jazz ensembles, big bands, and also large orchestras. In the 1990s she increasingly wrote works that integrated jazz and classical; among the results were Two Minds, One Music (for symphony orchestra and jazz big band), Australiana Suite (for jazz big band), and Out of the Wilderness (for symphony orchestra and jazz soloist, James Morrison).

Bailey was a senior lecturer in jazz composition and jazz piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was also musical director of the Sydney Youth Jazz Ensemble (Jazz Connection). In 1973, Bailey became the pianist on the ABC children's radio show Kindergarten.

In 2017, rapper Rick Ross with producer Bink sampled Bailey's "Colour of My Dreams" from the Judy Bailey Quartet album Colours. The sample was used on Ross's track "Santorini Greece" on the album Rather You Than Me.

She was the first recipient of an APRA award for jazz composition in 1985 and, in 2014, Bailey was inducted into The Hall of Fame at The Australian Jazz Bell Awards. She received an Order of Australia medal in 2004.

Graham Fenton, lead vocalist of popular English rockabilly band Matchbox, died on Aug. 10, at at the age of 76.

Matchbox formed in 1971, and Fenton joined in 1978, remaining with the band until his death. The group appeared in the 1980 film Blue Suede Shoes which detailed the revival of 1950s rock 'n' roll music scene at the time.

The band's biggest hits include "Rockabilly Rebel" (1979), "Midnite Dynamos" (1980), a cover of The Crickets' "When You Ask About Love" (their only top five hit) and "Over the Rainbow" (1980).

Their last single, 1983's "I Want Out," from their album, Crossed Line, was produced together with Kirsty MacColl.

In 1989, Graham Fenton put together a band with Iain Terry, Bob Burgos, Howard Gadd and Greg Gadd. They called themselves Graham Fenton's Matchbox. They recorded six albums in the early 1990s.

The most popular Matchbox line-up reformed in 1995, and the band have been playing live all over Europe since their comeback. They recorded one album since that reunion.