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Neil MacGonigill
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Obituaries: Canadian Artist Manager/Producer Neil MacGonigill, Grateful Dead Vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux
This week we also acknowledge the passing of American jazz bassist Ray Drummond, Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis and New Zealnd rock guitarist Robert Taylor.
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Neil MacGonigill, a prominent Calgary-based artist manager, producer and record label owner, died on Oct. 31, at age 77.
He played a major role in the careers of such Albertan stars as Jann Arden, k.d. lang, Ian Tyson, Billy Cowsill and Diamond Joe White.
In a Calgary Herald obituary, Eric Volmers reports that "MacGonigill began his music career in Calgary in the 1970s, working for various record labels, including A&M Records. He worked his way from the warehouse to become an artist rep and soon made the move to managing and developing artists.
"In 1980, MacGonigill began managing Ian Tyson and helped the iconic singer-songwriter transform from a folkie to a cowboy poet. He executive-produced the 1983 record Old Corrals and Sagebrush, which was recorded in Tyson’s basement in Longview and helped establish him as a pioneer in cowboy music." In 1996, MacGonigill was the executive producer of Tyson's gold-selling album All The Good 'uns, released on Vanguard Records
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"In 1985, he became road manager for a young k.d. lang. He met Billy Cowsill in the mid-1970s, a decade after the singer led the family band The Cowsills to global fame, and helped guide his solo career. He eventually brought Cowsill to Calgary, where he was an active musician until he died in 2006.
MacGonigill's first management client was Alberta-based country performer Diamond Joe White. He is also credited with discovering Jann Arden, becoming her manager and executive producer of a number of her records. MacGonigill worked with Arden from 1985-98, and was the person who urged Arden to record "Insensitive," a song penned by Calgary writer Anne Loree. Released in 1994, it remains Arden’s most successful hit.
Loree recalls to the Calgary Herald that "I was just bouncing around Calgary as a starving artist. It was huge because everything took off from that song. I still haven’t gotten over the shock. It happened so fast. It charted well in Canada, then it went abroad and even charted on Billboard in the States, which was a big deal.”
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In later years, MacGonigill primarily focused on artist management and development with such artists as singer-songwriters Joe Nolan and Sykamore. Eric Volmers also notes that "MacGonigill never officially managed Paul Brandt, but helped him secure a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in the early 1990s."
In 2000, MacGonigill founded the independent label Indelible Music, through which he released, between 2000 and 2007, a number of albums by Calgary-based artists, including The Co-Dependents and Billy Cowsill.
MacGonigill worked with other Alberta artists over the years, including Beautiful Joe, Ralph Boyd Johnson, Edmonton’s Karla Anderson and Calgary singer Shaye Zadravec.
Upon hearing news of his passing, many musicians and Canadian industry figures took to social media to pay tribute.
Acclaimed roots singer-songwriter Joe Nolan posted this on Facebook: "Knowing Neil MacGonigill has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I met him when I was 18, and we worked together for well over a decade. Neil hated being called a 'manager.' He was so much more to me, a friend, a mentor, and mightier than a mountain. We travelled all over the world together.
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"Neil gave me the opportunity, and space to explore, grow into and become, a working, living artist today. A gift I am forever grateful for. More than anything, Neil believed in the song. Those that knew him, know he was truly a champion of the arts, and putting the artist first. He changed my life, and I’ll deeply miss him. Take no prisoners my friend! I love you Neilio."
Another of MacGonigill's management clients, singer Shaye Zadravec, sent this tribute to Billboard Canada: "It’s impossible to encapsulate everything Neil was in a few sentences. He had a calm strength that empowered the people around him. His fierce belief in music carried over to musicians and artists when they were unable to find inspiration to believe in themselves. Sometimes his belief came in the form of a good book he had just read and wanted to share with you, sometimes in the form of a single undiscovered song he’d recommend as the next addition to your repertoire, or sometimes in the casual exchanging of kind words of wisdom and many laughs over breakfast.
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"In all of these moments, he was sharing his compassion, empathy, and most importantly, love. What a gift! I’ll forever be grateful for the years we spent working together. He shared all of these gifts with me and I’ll carry them in my heart. Thank you for everything, Neil."
Record label veteran Olie Kornelsen offered this homage to Billboard Canada: "I’m gutted. One of my few dearest friends was Neil. A mensch for all reasons, in every aspect of his life. If you were fortunate enough to make his acquaintance it was special, you could tick one off your bucket list.
"The visits with Neil, whether around the music or not, were always truly cherished and memorable experiences. His warmth, wisdom, and humour were boundless, and he had a rare gift for making everyone around him feel valued and heard. The world is a dimmer place without him, but his kindness and the light he brought into our lives will never be forgotten.
Neil’s spirit will live on in the stories we shared, the laughter he inspired, and the music that connected us all. I’ll miss our long talks, his effortless generosity, and the way he could turn any moment into something meaningful. Farewell, my friend — you left us too soon, but your heart and your humanity will echo in all of us who were lucky enough to know you."
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Ray Pettinger, another Western Canadian music industry veteran, told Billboard Canada that "I began working with Neil MacGonigill in the 1970s when I released Diamond Joe White’s 1978 debut, Too Many Changes, on my label, Casino Records. I also worked with Neil in Vancouver, recording early demos for Jann Arden with Gaye Delorme producing, which helped lead to the deal with A&M Records Universal. I later was involved with Shaye Zadravec’s Now and Then album which was recorded in 2020.
“With him, it was all about the song and how you delivered it. Neil had a way of finding these rare, rare artists who had incredible voices and wrote great songs.”
MacGonigill's partner, Beth Balcom, sent this tribute to Billboard Canada: "Neil loved his mom, Nina, who gave him his sense of humour, the love of music and thoroughbred horses. Nina played piano in her band until the age of 93.
"He was a superb facilitator who put the right musicians together, set the scene to create the art and let the music and magic happen.
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"As a side gig, for the last 18 golf seasons Neil loved to ride the 'rough mower' at Earl Grey Golf and Country Club. At 4 am, in amongst the flora and fauna, he talked to the coyotes, even naming them, while listening to his daily playlists and considering necessary steps for the next project. He loved Alberta. He loved his friends, family and me. I loved Nino."
Fellow Calgarian Murray Strang, a longtime friend and former label promo rep, told Billboard Canada that "Neil MacGonigill made an 'indelible' impact on my life. He filled my years with quality songs, artists and musicians.
"While I drove, he told stories. We laughed, we shared music, we saw concerts, talked sports. We could talk about anything. I am a better man for having him in my life. I will miss him, will cherish the memories and will never forget. It was a helluva ride Neil!"
Record label executive and broadcaster Allison Brock posted a Facebook tribute that reads, in part: "I lost a dear friend on the weekend, not only a dear friend but a transformative person in my life. I met Neil MacGonigill in 1984, shortly after becoming Music Director at then, KIK FM in Calgary.
"After becoming MD I got a phone call from him and he wanted to come over to meet and have a chat. That began a musical conversation that lasted over 40 years. I was there when he first saw Jann Arden and the beginning of that relationship. When I moved to Vancouver and then Toronto the conversation just continued. I was working on some major video projects with Sony & Virgin music and he was also doing the same at A&M with Jann so we compared notes.
"When I moved back to Calgary in 1996 it was to work with Neil as a part of the management team. We were building a roster; in addition to Jann, we worked with Ralph Boyd Johnson and Beautiful Joe. Despite the changes that came, our conversation never stopped. That company sadly had to end but our friendship and respect did not. It was also at this time that we brought Billy Cowsill back from Vancouver and were able to be a part of his last chapter in music and life. Neil is someone that I will never forget and the huge impact he had on my life. Godspeed Neil."
On Facebook, veteran folk songsmith Stephen Fearing posted this: "Sorry to hear this news. A huge part of the Alberta music scene and a friend of music and musicians everywhere. RIP Neil."
International
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, former Grateful Dead vocalist, died on Nov. 2, at age 78, following a long battle with cancer.
An obituary in Billboard reports that "After a successful stint as a session singer at the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama where she sang backup on Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs by Percy Sledge ('When a Man Loves a Woman') and Elvis Presley (Suspicious Minds), Godchaux-MacKay joined the Grateful Dead in San Francisco along with then-husband keyboardist Keith Godchaux, touring and performing with the band from 1971-1979."
Born Donna Jean Thatcher, she began her decades-long music career as a member of the band Southern Comfort before moving on to session work. As well as singing with Sledge and Presley, she sang backup on sessions with Cher, Joe Tex, Duane Allman, Neil Diamond, Boz Scaggs and others before moving to the Bay Area and meeting Keith Godchaux.
Billboard states that "The couple married in 1970 and joined the Dead a year later, with Godchaux singing lead and backing vocals and Keith slipping into the spot formerly held by late band co-founder keyboardist/singer Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan. The couple appeared on a string of the group’s classic 1970s albums, including 1973’s Wake of the Flood, 1974’s From the Mars Hotel and 1975’s Blues For Allah, on which Godchaux stepped up from the background to provide a co-lead vocal on 'The Music Never Stopped' and the LP’s title suite."
"She also appeared on 1976’s Steal Your Face and 1977’s Terrapin Station, including on the band’s disco-jam cover of Martha & the Vandellas’ 'Dancing in the Street,' on which she shared the mic with guitarist/singer Bob Weir. She also took lead vocal duties and is credited with co-writing several songs on that album, including 'Sunrise.' She took lead and composed the loose folky jam 'From the Heart of Me' from the Dead’s 1978 Shakedown Street LP, where she also shared vocals on 'France' with Weir."
That was the last Dead LP the Godchauxs appeared on, though they were also key members of the legendarily road dog band’s 1970s touring ensemble before their departure in 1979.
The pair released a duo effort, 1975’s Keith & Donna in 1975, one heavily featuring Jerry Garcia. The couple also performed as part of Garcia’s side project, the Jerry Garcia Band, from 1976-1978 and formed their own side project, The Ghosts (later the Heart of Gold Band. Keith Godchaux, 32, died from injuries in a car accident in July 1980 shortly after the couple’s first concert together.
Donna Godchaux continued releasing solo music under the names The Donna Jean Band and Donna Jean and the Tricksters and issued her final studio album in 2014, Back Around, credited to the Donna Jean Godchaux Band.
Godchaux was not a part of more recent tours and special anniversary concerts by the Grateful Dead’s various lineups, but made one of her final appearances with the group at the Bonnaroo Festival on June 12, 2016. She also sat in for two other shows that summer, at Citi Field in New York and Fenway Park in Boston.
Ray Drummond, an acclaimed jazz bassist, bandleader and educator, died Nov. 1 at age 78.
In its obituary, noted jazz publication DownBeat notes that "Drummond was cherished by generations of mainstream jazz listeners and bandleaders for his authoritative tonal presence, a defining quality of his style most apparent when he played his instrument unamplified.
"A first-call bassist he appeared on hundreds of albums as a sideman for some of the top names in jazz since his arrival on the New York scene in 1977, as well as more than 10 recordings as a leader or co-leader. In addition to his reputation as a supportive rhythm section player with impeccable timing, spot-on pitch, a relentlessly swinging groove and a vast knowledge of standards and bebop repertoire,.
"Drummond was cherished by generations of mainstream jazz listeners for his authoritative tonal presence, a defining quality of his style most apparent when he played his instrument unamplified. Nicknamed 'Bulldog' (a fitting sobriquet borrowed from the British movie detective Bulldog Drummond), he was also widely admired in the jazz community for his work as a composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, mentor and producer.
His extensive discography includes work with Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, Lee Konitz, Kenny Barron, Art Farmer, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Betty Carter, Woody Shaw, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Pharoah Sanders, Kenny Burrell, Stan Getz, Toots Thielemans, Ray Bryant, Phil Woods, Peter Leitch, David Murray, Benny Golson, Bill Charlap, Benny Green and numerous others.
As a leader, Drummond’s three main groups included Excursion, an all-star quintet that found woodwind players David Sanchez, Craig Handy and Joe Lovano, pianists Stephen Scott and Danilo Pérez, drummers Billy Hart and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and Senegalese percussionist Mor Thiam among its ranks; The Quartet with Hart, Scott and Handy; and One To One with West Coast pianist Bill Mays. Additionally, he co-led The Drummonds, featuring drummer Billy Drummond and Canadian pianist Renee Rosnes.
His bands performed frequently at New York’s Village Vanguard and toured the U.S. making appearance at festivals and colleges. In 1998 Drummond was a resident artist at the Monterey Jazz Festival, where he was commissioned to write a piece for his Excursion band.
Drummond was also a notable educator, from 1975 on. He taught master classes, seminars and workshops all over the world, including Stanford Jazz Workshop (two times as a master resident), the Berklee School of Music, Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts and the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland.
Robert (MacLean) Taylor, a New Zealand rock guitarist known for his work with Mammal and hit Australasian band Dragon, has died at age 74.
In its obituary, Noise11 writes that "he helped shape the sound of one of Australasia's greatest rock bands, Dragon. His passing, announced in early November 2025, marks the loss of one of the last surviving members of that band’s classic 1970s lineup, and a musician whose work bridged the golden eras of New Zealand and Australian rock."
As reported by New Zealand music site Audioculture, "in 1977, Taylor penned a short account of his life thus far: “Born in Waipukarau, New Zealand … son of an ice cream manufacturer and housewife … rugby and blues licks with the Māoris … confirmed in the Anglican church… won a scholarship to Wellington Uni … majored in English … English lecturer dealt dope, ran a rock band: goodbye studies … joined acid-symphonic rock’n’roll band Mammal."
Noise11 reports that "By the early 1970s, Taylor was a regular in Wellington’s emerging progressive scene, performing with the cult band Mammal, known for its adventurous sound and tight musicianship. Though Mammal disbanded around 1974, the group became a breeding ground for future stars – and through it, Taylor connected with future Dragon manager Graeme Nesbitt, who would later help steer his career in a fateful new direction.
"When Taylor joined Dragon in late 1974, the band had built a strong local following but little commercial success. Taylor’s arrival marked a turning point. His guitar style added a raunchier, funk-edged bite to Dragon’s evolving sound, helping shift them from their early progressive roots toward the polished rock and pop fusion that would make them household names.
In 1975, Dragon relocated to Sydney and stardom ensued. Taylor's guitar work was prominent on one of the band's biggest hits, “April Sun In Cuba,” in 1977. He also co-wrote and contributed to tracks such as “Blacktown Boogie,” “Street Between Your Feet” and “Education,” embedding a funky pulse into the band’s sound.
In 1977, Taylor and bandmate Paul Hewson were severely injured in a car crash, with Taylor requiring plastic surgery. Plagued by internal tensions and drug abuse, Dragon disbanded in 1979, but reunited in 1982, with Taylor back in the fold. Still led by brothers Marc and Todd Hunter, Dragon regained their hit status, with the single "Rain" and gold-selling 1984 album Body and the Beat.
Taylor left the group in 1985, ,joining The Magnetics and later reappearing for the 1995 acoustic album Incarnations, which featured guests Tommy Emmanuel and Renée Geyer. Onstage for Dragon’s ARIA Hall of Fame induction in 2008 and honoured during Dragon’s 2011 New Zealand Music Hall of Fame induction, he remained out of the spotlight.
Read an extensive AudioCulture profile of Dragon here.
Gilson Lavis, the former drummer for English band Squeeze and a portrait artist, died on Nov. 5, at age 74.
Lavis turned professional as a drummer aged 15, and toured with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Dolly Parton.
He joined Squeeze in 1976 after responding to an advert seeking a drummer for the band. He remained with the group until 1992, playing on their most notable works such as "Cool For Cats" and "Up The Junction."
After leaving Squeeze, Lavis would go on to reunite with former bandmate Jools Holland, first as a duo and then as part of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, until retiring from the music business in November 2024.
He also gained attention as a portrait artist, painting such fellow musicians as Eric Clapton, Amy Winehouse, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones, with his work being displayed at exhibitions in London and New York.
A BBC News obituary notes that "In 2015, Lavis told Lincolnshire Life magazine: 'The motivation of being a pop star or even being rich has gone, so now it's seeing people enjoy themselves at shows but yes, I really enjoy my art. I still put my all into every show – doing less than that and you are cheating yourself and the audience but when I'm painting I'm truly at peace.'"
Musical peers paying respect in recent days have included Jools Holland, KT Tunstall and Gregory Porter.
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