Larry Levine, 80

Recording Engineer
Larry Levine, the engineer behind Phil Spector’s groundbreaking and influential “wall of sound” died on May 8, his 80th birthday. Levine was behind the console for many of Spector’s biggest hits, including “Be My Baby” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.” Levine is credited for introducing Spector to the “echo chamber,” a recording technique that makes a small recording room sound larger. The technique led to the sound that would eventually make Spector a legendary producer.

Henry Brant, 94

Composer
Henry Brant, an avant-garde composer best known for his unique spacing of the musicians who performed his work, died on April 26. He was 94 years old. His work Ice Field won a Pulitzer Prize in 2002, and was an example of the late composer’s spacing technique. In Ice Field, Brant had the orchestra placed not only in unique ways onstage, but also in the balcony and on the floor next to the audience, thus surrounding the hall in the music.

Humphrey Lyttelton, 86

Trumpeter
Humphrey Lyttelton, self-taught professional jazz trumpeter and host of the BBC radio game show “I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue,” died on April 25 in a London Hospital. He was 86 years old. Lyttelton released albums for EMI with his band, toured well into his 80s, and was once called Britain’s best trumpeter by Louis Armstrong. In 2001, Lyttelton appeared on the Radiohead song “Life in a Glasshouse.”

Eddy Arnold, 89

Singer
Eddy Arnold, a pioneer of the Nashville Sound, died on May 8 at the age of 89. Arnold’s simple yet sincere crooning style is often credited as one of the defining factors that took country music out of the barrooms of rural America and introduced it to mainstream America. Though he never considered himself a “country and Western singer,” Arnold enjoyed his greatest success on country charts. When totaled together, Arnold’s work has spent more time on the country charts, including at the top, than any other singer in history.

Wilfrid Mellers, 94

Music Critic and Composer
Wilfrid Mellers, a noted music critic, composer and professor, died on May 19 at the age of 94. Mellers’ study of noted composer François Couperin and the French Classical Tradition in 1950 brought him the most fame, but he was versed in other types of music. He wrote the book Twilight of the Gods: The Music of the Beatles in 1973. Mellers continued to write into his 80s, and was known for his enthusiastic attitude among his colleagues. He taught both English and music at Downing College in Cambridge, England, as well as teaching at the University of York, Birmingham University and the University of Pittsburgh.

John Rutsey, 55

Drummer
John Rutsey, a founding member of Canadian progrock pioneers Rush, died on May 11. The former drummer was 55 years old. Rutsey played drums with Rush from 1968 to 1974 and was at one time credited as the band’s chief lyricist, including some writing credits on their seminal self-titled debut record. Shortly after that album, Rutsey left the band due to medical complications associated with diabetes. A heart attack, brought on by complications created by diabetes, is believed to be the cause of Rutsey’s death.

Joyce “Dottie” Rambo, 74

Singer/Songwriter

Joyce Rambo was killed on Sunday May 11 when her tour bus went veering off a highway. She was 74 years old. Rambo, an accomplished songwriter and performer, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Rambo had hundreds of songs published during her career, many performed by big acts such as Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston.

Tripp Joye, 25

Drummer

Tripp Joye, of the North Carolina rock band Anything on Fire, died in a car accident on May 3. He was 25 years old. Joye played drums in AOF and was also a former member of the bands Red Orchestra Radio and Glass Casket. Joye worked at Silk Road Technologies in Winston-Salem as a salesperson but he was also an active member in the area music scene.

Leyla Gencer, 79

Opera Diva
Leyla Gencer, an operatic soprano who was one of the world’s last remaining operatic divas, died on May 9. She was 79 years old. Gencer, who was also known as La Diva Turca, was most popular in Europe, but performed in the United States as well, including a performance at Carnegie Hall. Her vocal talent was praised not only for its intensity, but also her ability to remain audible even when singing very softly, a difficult skill to master that is necessary for many operas.

Bob Florence, 75

Pianist and Composer
Bob Florence, a Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist, died May 15 at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 75 years old. Florence was known for his impressive skill in musical arrangement, especially in the big band style, providing arrangements for Harry James, Louis Bellson, Sy Zentner and others. In the late 1970s, Florence cut down on traveling with his band and played locally in the Los Angeles area with the Bob Florence Limited Edition big band. Though his arrangements won awards for the artists that performed them, like Zentner at the Grammy Awards in 1961, Florence did not receive his own Grammy until 2000.