May 31 is the anniversary of my grandfather’s death. Charles Kuffner, Sr (I’m Charles III) was only 55 when he died, three months after I was born, and next year is the 50th anniversary of his passing. My father wrote about it the other day on Facebook, and it got me to thinking about it, which in turn led me to revisit the Gone Too Soon series of Friday Random Ten lists. I last did one of these in 2012, with prior lists in 2010 and 2011. Once I started going through my iTunes library, I couldn’t stop so I have two of these to present, and could probably come up with a third if I tried. Here’s the first:
1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC (Bon Scott, 1946-1980)
2. Hold Tight, Hold Tight – The Andrews Sisters (LaVerne Andrews, 1911-1967)
3. Whiter Shade of Pale – Annie Lennox (orig. Procol Harum; B.J. Wilson, 1947-1990)
4. Paul Revere – Asylum Street Spankers (orig. Beastie Boys; Adam Yauch, 1968-2012)
5. Planet Claire – The B-52’s (Ricky Wilson, 1953-1985)
6. Nights On Broadway – Bee Gees (Maurice Gibb, 1949-2003)
7. See You Later Alligator – Bill Haley & The Comets (Bill Haley, 1925-1981)
8. Try A Little Tenderness – The Commitments (pop. by Otis Redding, 1941-1967)
9. I Touch Myself – The Divinyls (Chrissy Amphlett, 1959-2013)
10. That’ll Be The Day – The Beatles (orig. Buddy Holly, 1936-1959)
I do have Procol Harum and Otis Redding songs in my library, but as you might infer from this list I sorted by artist name and scrolled down from the top, so Annie Lennox and The Commitments came up first. On the one hand it’s sad to realize how many talented people we lost at such young ages, and on the other hand it’s uplifting to know that their music still entertains and inspires us years and even decades after they died. I choose to celebrate what they did rather than obsess over what they might have done. Tune in next week for more.
You forgot “Done Too Soon” by Neil Diamond. Check out the lyrics. It brings to mind many of my departed friends.
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