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Courtesy Photo
Paul Hann at Winnipeg Folk Festival
FYI
International
Obituaries: Canadian Singer-Songwriter Paul Hann, Stone Roses Bassist Mani
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Jellybean Johnson, a drummer, producer and Prince associate who was a big part of the Minneapolis scene.
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Note: Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff passed away after press time. Head here for news on Cliff and read more in next week's obituaries column.
Paul (Philip) Hann, a folk singer-songwriter and children's entertainer whose debut album launched the famed Stony Plain record label, died on Oct. 30, at age 77. In 2018 he had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a degenerative brain disease.
His official obituary recalls that "Born in West Wickham, England, on July 7, 1948, to Anne and Philip, Paul taught himself the 12-string guitar as a teenager. At 18 years old, he moved to Canada looking for 'a bit of adventure,' with a plan to work as a lumberjack or an oil rigger. Instead, he ended up working in a department store in Edmonton [Woolworth's] and playing music for fun in coffee houses and pubs."
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The Edmonton Journal reports that, during this period, "Hann struck up a lifelong friendship with another budding singer-songwriter, Pete White. A few years shuffling in coffee shops and making connections resulted in Hann recording his debut album, A Fine White Thread, in 1973. Executive produced by White and featuring a cast of local stalwarts, the album was also the very first release on Holger Petersen’s Stony Plain Records."
Holger Petersen informs Billboard Canada that "Paul and I became friends around 1970 when he started performing around Edmonton. With long time co-writer Pete White, they wrote folk/country songs that resulted in Paul’s first album, A Fine White Thread, licensed to London Records in 1973. When I started Stony Plain in 1975 the first artist on the label was Paul Hann. We released four albums by Paul of original material including a reissue of A Fine White Thread."
Stony Plain went on to become a prolific and internationally-acclaimed imprint, while a Juno Award nomination for most promising male artist in 1974 (based on that debut album) led Hann into a productive and successful career.
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Now dubbed the "Cockney Cowboy" for his English roots, Hann released a series of folk-oriented albums in the '70s. His second album, Another Tumbleweed, came out on Stony Plain in 1975.
Petersen tells Billboard Canada that "With Paul's English folk background, we also worked together on albums by Liam Clancy (Clancy Bros.), Will Miller (Irish Rovers) and John Allen Cameron."
Hann's official obituary reports that "in 1976, he met Cathy Crump. Two years later, they got married and they went on to have two children. Now a father, Paul noticed an untapped market for children’s music while out on tour and started writing hits like Snyder the Spider, Brand New Boogaloo Zoo and Bartholomew the Bat."
The Edmonton Journal notes that "Hann had already participated in a children’s album collaboration with John Allan Cameron, Connie Kaldor, Mavis McCauley, and Larry Reese in 1980 called Ice Cream Sneakers, but he really kicked off his career with the kids two years later with Brand New Boogaloo Zoo. He wasn’t the first folk singer to transition to children’s music, but Hann definitely found his own groove.
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"As Mike Hann puts it, his father really had no interest in instructing children on how to behave in his songs. 'It wasn’t ‘brush your teeth and make your bed,’ or any of that kind of thing. It was, for instance, singing songs about animals, but with a folk flair. The thing about my dad’s music is that adults enjoy listening to it as well with their kids, and that’s something I’m super proud of. You know, he was really warm, he saw kids on their level, and they always felt seen.”
Petersen notes that "Paul really found his calling as a successful children’s entertainer. He related to them, was always real and had a great sense of humour."
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Hann would record eight children’s albums, earning another Juno nomination in the process, in 1985, for best children’s album in 1985, for Snyder the Spyder.
He also branched into television with great success, via eight seasons of his TV show Paul Hann & Friends, produced for CFRN in Edmonton. It aired nationally on CTV and YTV, and led to Hann performing with symphonies across Canada.
The Citizenfreak website notes that "The half-hour TV show started as a local series on CFRN-TV, and when the network dropped that station’s very successful Story Time series for children, Paul Hann and Friends immediately took its place, and had an equally successful run.
"It was basically a one-man show, though there were frequent guests and puppeteer Ronnie Burke was a semi-regular. Guests included cartoonist Lynn Johnston, Irish Rovers star Will Millar, Charlotte Diamond, Rick Scott and Norman Foote. Paul would sing two or three songs per show, usually involving the kids, and accompanied himself on the 12-string acoustic guitar.
"After three years as a local show, Paul Hann and Friends joined the CTV network schedule in September 1985. It played on CTV on Saturday mornings at 8:30am and held its place on the schedule for a very successful three years. The series was also picked up by YTV when it first went on the air." Hann moved his family to Victoria in 1985, but he continued to shoot the TV series in Edmonton.
Hann's official obituary notes that "Paul tested out his songs on his beloved children, Michael and Emily, and they made guest appearances on his TV show, album covers and even live on stage with him."
It adds that "Paul eschewed the norms of the day with a cheeky sense of humour. Hann was more than just a star up on stage though. He also worked directly with thousands of children, running songwriting workshops as an artist-in-residence in B.C. and Alberta schools. 'There’s nothing finer than the sound of children’s laughter,' Paul once told a newspaper reporter."
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When his show went off air, Hann developed a curriculum for B.C. and Alberta schools, which he put into practice with week-long artist residencies. “He did this all over Western Canada,” his son Michael told Postmedia. “He would go into schools and write songs with classes, and get the kids to write the verses and choruses. They would do a big school concert at the end, which, over time, included thousands of kids.”
Michael Hann also became a musician, fronting several bands in Victoria and occasionally touring with his dad. The pair played together on Paul Hann's final show, at the Calgary Folk Club on April 15, 2017.
Hann's obituary also reports that "He was generous, gregarious and always up for an adventure. While living in Edmonton, he earned his pilot’s licence. After moving to Victoria in 1985, Paul took up sailing, joined the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and sailed up and down Vancouver Island regularly. After he sold his boat, Paul got into cycling and would crank out 70-kilometre rides in his sixties. In 2015, Paul travelled to Antarctica with his son Michael and completed a true polar plunge."
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A celebration of life will be held for Hann in Victoria in the spring. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this form, where you can also share memories with his family.
His obituary urges that "In lieu of flowers, go outside and take a deep breath of the fresh air, crank your favourite Paul Hann tune, hug your loved ones and set out on an adventure. And always remember, Life Is A Bowl Of Strawberries."
International
Gary “Mani” Mounfield, bassist in two vitally important British bands, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, has died, at age 63.
His passing was first reported by the Manchester Evening News, and confirmed by Mani’s brother Greg on Facebook On Nov. 20. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
A Billboard obituary reports that "The Stone Roses were formed in Manchester in 1983 by Brown and guitarist John Squire. Drummer Alan “Reni” Wren joined the group the following year, and Mani completed the lineup in 1987. The band fused the city’s burgeoning dance scene with a “baggy” psychedelic rock sound and earned widespread acclaim from the British press.
"In 1989, the group released its seminal self-titled debut album, which peaked at No. 5 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart, and went on to inspire a number of bands from the local area such as Oasis. Liam Gallagher said in 2011 that seeing the Roses perform live made him “obsessed with music” and was what made him want to join a band.
"After a lengthy legal dispute with its label, Silvertone, The Stone Roses signed with Geffen in 1991, and three years later, released The Second Coming to mixed reviews. The LP’s labored production put tensions on the group, and Reni left in 1995. A year later, Squire announced he was also departing, leaving Brown and Mani as the sole two members of the group. After a disastrous performance at Reading Festival in 1996, the band called it quits."
That same year, Mani joined renowned Scottish band Primal Scream as its bassist in 1996, remaining in the group until 2011.
Another of his projects was Freebass, a band he formed with fellow Manchester bass players Andy Rourke (formerly of the Smiths) and Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order). They released one studio LP in 2010.
In April 2011, Brown and Squire reconciled at the funeral of Mani’s mother, and The Stone Roses reformed for a number of shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park for June and July 2012. In May 2016 the group released its first single in 20 years, “All for One,” though band tensions derailed plans for a comeback album were eventually scrapped. Despite this, the group toured steadily until 2017, including shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.
On Nov. 14, Mani announced a U.K. speaking tour for the U.K. titled The Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Me – An Intimate Evening With Gary “Mani” Mounfield. The tour was set to begin in September 2026 and run until June 2027.
In his tribute to Mani, The Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis writes that "Mani’s writhing, relentless bass was the Stone Roses’ secret sauce – it taught indie kids how to dance. His love of ‘good northern soul and funk’ was always in evidence and had a lasting impact on alternative music."
"The fluidity of his playing was the secret sauce behind the Stone Roses’ eponymous debut album: it’s him who drives the moment when 'I Am the Resurrection' shifts from Motown stomp into loose-limbed funk, his octave-leaping lines that put a spring in the step of 'Waterfall.'
"Sometimes the sauce wasn’t so secret. On 'Fools Gold, 'the focal point of the song isn’t really the vocal melody or Squire’s wah-pedal-heavy playing, it’s Mani’s writhing, relentless bass. When you think of 'She Bangs the Drums,' the first thing that springs to mind is the bass line."
His peers paid tribute on social media. A huge fan, Liam Gallagher of Oasis said on his X account: “IN TOTAL SHOCK AND ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED ON HEARING THE NEWS ABOUT MANI MY HERO RIP RKID LG”
The Charlatans’ singer Tim Burgess wrote on X, “One of the absolute best in every way – such a beautiful friend.”
Jellybean (Garry George) Johnson, the celebrated drummer of The Time and The Family and a close Prince associate, died on Nov. 21, at age 69. A cause of death has not been reported.
Johnson was also an accomplished guitarist, songwriter and record producer and was a key member of the fertile Minneapolis music scene headed by Prince.
A Billboard obituary notes that "As a member of The Time — and later, Prince’s The Family — Johnson helped establish the funk-rock, new wave and synth-pop hybrid that became known as the Minneapolis Sound. He appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in 1984’s Academy Award-winning Purple Rain and as himself in 1990’s Graffiti Bridge.
The Time had five top 10 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the ’80s and early ’90s (when the chart was called Hot Black Singles), including “777-9311,” “Jungle Love” and “Jerk-Out,” which reached No. 1 in 1990."
Johnson is also known for his work as a producer, with Janet Jackson‘s 1990 Hot 100 No. 1 “Black Cat” among his credits — and he was an in-demand session musician.
Chicago-born, he moved to Minneapolis at age 13, beginning drum lessons at the same time. An American Songwriter obituary reports that ”He soon found music-loving friends in his North Minneapolis neighborhood, including Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Morris Day, and Prince. 'We would have this huge festival in the summertime, and all the rival bands and neighboring bands would come in to play in front of thousands of people out in the parking lot,' Johnson recalled during a 2021 interview with Fox 9 KMS. “So we cut our teeth doing that as youngsters."
"Prince brought his friends with him after signing his first record deal at age 18, forming the Time and anointing Johnson as the drummer.. Prince told Morris [Day], ‘You go back and get Jellybean, and we’ll do the band,' Johnson later recalled."
Johnson was also a founding member of The Time's predecessor group Flyte Time. Beginning with their 1981 self-titled debut, The Time released five albums, the last being 1990's Pandemonium.
As the drummer for the Time, Johnson worked alongside famed producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and recorded with and/or produced many notable artists including Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle, New Edition, and Janet Jackson, with whom he had the 1990 No. 1 single, "Black Cat".
After the breakup of the Time, Johnson worked as a producer-musician as well as songwriter and a long-time associate of Flyte Tyme productions. His first assignment was O'Neal's No. 11 R&B hit "Innocent" (produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis), on which he contributed both drums and guitar solos for the second half of the ten-minute long song.
That helped him become an in-demand session guitarist, drummer, and percussionist. He also produced a number of hits for the New Edition and helmed Mint Condition's 1991 debut album Meant to Be Mint.
Johnson re-joined the Time for the Prince feature film Graffiti Bridge and its accompanying Time album, Pandemonium. Shortly after, Johnson returned to touring with Morris Day, while continuing to produce emerging artists and work as a session player.
In 2008, he collaborated with Rihanna at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, then began work on his solo debut. After a long delay, he finally released the album Get Experienced in 2021.
In 2022, Johnson founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum. That same year, he and fellow members of The Time were awarded a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Morris Day, lead singer of Morris Day and the Time, calls Jellybean Johnson “a consummate musician. All he ever wanted to do was play and talk music. Even after our concerts, he would find a local pub, get on stage, and Jam with the house band. I’m certain he’s up in heaven now with Prince assembling an All-Star lineup of some of the baddest musicians to ever do it. Bean will forever be missed.”
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