DEAR JERRY: You have created many lists requested by readers who could not get the information on their own. Now it's my turn.
Nowhere have I seen a chronological listing of prominent vinyl era musicians who died young, meaning under age 60.
Their style of music doesn't matter, but please limit the coverage to 50 years 1950 through 1999.
I don't require obituaries, or details on how and why they died, just their name and age at time of passing.
Bernie Foster, Denver
DEAR BERNIE: A reasonable request indeed, as long as you don't mind getting it in two chunks.
About the only commentary I'll add will be for decedents whose notoriety is primarily based on a group, or ones who share the same name with a different performer, such as Carl Perkins.
Just having a name makes finding an online bio-obit easy.
There are some lesser-known group members who are not included at this time; however, they may be added in the future.
Here is part one, from 1950 through 1979:
1950
July 7: Theodore "Fats" Navarro (26)
1951
December 12: Mildred Bailey (44)
1953
January 1: Hank Williams (29)
May 16: Django Reinhardt (43)
1954
December 25: Johnny Ace (22)
1955
March 12: Charlie Parker (34)
1956
March 11: Ken Griffin (46)
June 26: Clifford Brown (25)
November 26: Tommy Dorsey (51)
1957
June 12: Jimmy Dorsey (53)
1958
March 17: Carl Perkins (29) (jazz pianist, not the R&R singer)
April 10: Chuck Willis (30)
December 8: Julia Lee (56)
1959
February 3: Buddy Holly (22); Ritchie Valens (17); The Big Bopper (28)
February 7: Guitar Slim (32)
July 17: Billie Holiday (44)
1960
April 17: Eddie Cochran (21)
September 8: Oscar Pettiford (37)
November 5: Johnny Horton (35)
1961
October 5: Booker Little Jr. (23)
1962
April 10: Stu Sutcliffe (21) (of the Beatles)
August 5: Marilyn Monroe (36)
1963
January 13: Conrad "Sonny" Clark (31)
March 5: Patsy Cline (30); Cowboy Copas (30); Hawkshaw Hawkins (41)
March 7 Jack Anglin (46) (of Johnny and Jack)
October 10: Edith Piaf (47)
December 14: Dinah Washington (39)
1964
May 20: Rudy Lewis (27) (of the Drifters)
June 29: Eric Dolphy (36)
July 31: Jim Reeves (40)
August 14: Johnny Burnette (30)
December 11: Sam Cooke (33)
1965
February 15: Nat King Cole (45)
October 21: Bill Black (39) (of Bill Black's Combo)
1966
July 18: Bobby Fuller (23) (of the Bobby Fuller Four)
July 31: Bud Powell (41)
1967
January 1: Moon Mullican (57)
May 29: J.B. Lenore (38)
July 17: John Coltrane (40)
December 10: Otis Redding (26) and four members of the Bar-Kays
1968
February 15: Little Walter (37)
February 27: Frankie Lymon (25)
May 25: Little Willie John (30)
June 15: Wes Montgomery (45)
August 13: Joe Hinton (38)
1969
January 4: Paul Chambers (33)
June 22: Judy Garland (47)
July 3: Brian Jones (27) (of the Rolling Stones)
July 20: Roy Hamilton (40)
November 23: Spade Cooley (58)
1970
January 17: Billy Stewart (32)
March 14: Mary Ann Ganser (22) (of the Shangri-las)
March 16: Tammi Terrell (24)
September 3: Al Wilson (27) (of Canned Heat)
September 18: Jimi Hendrix (27)
October 4: Janis Joplin (27)
October 28: Baby Huey (26)
November 25: Albert Ayler (34)
1971
March 13: Arlester "Dyke" Christian (28) (of Dyke and the Blazers)
July 3: Jim Morrison (27) (of the Doors)
August 7: Henry "Homer" Haynes (51) (of Homer and Jethro)
August 13: "King" Curtis [Ousley] (37)
August 15: Thomas Wayne (31)
October 12: Gene Vincent (36)
October 29: Duane Allman (24) (of Allman Brothers Band)
November 18: Little Junior Parker (44)
1972
January 23: "T" Texas Tyler (55)
February 19: Lee Morgan (33)
May 3: Leslie Harvey (27) (of Stone the Crows)
June 13: Clyde McPhatter (39)
September 28: Rory Storm (26)
November 18: Danny Whitten (29) (of Neil Young's Crazy Horse)
1973
March 8: Ron McKernan (27) (of the Grateful Dead)
August 17: Paul Williams (34) (of the Temptations)
September 19: Gram Parsons (26)
September 20: Jim Croce (30)
November 21: Allan Sherman (48)
December 20: Bobby Darin (37)
1974
February 28: Bobby Bloom (28)
April 20: Savannah Churchill (53)
May 8: Graham Bond (36)
July 2: Jimmy Ricks (46) (of the Ravens)
July 29: "Mama" Cass Elliot (32)
September 23: Robbie McIntosh (24) (of Average White Band)
November 25: Nick Drake (26)
1975
February 10: David Alexander (27) (of the Stooges)
April 24: Pete Ham (27) (of Badfinger)
June 29: Tim Buckley (28)
July 7: George Morgan (51)
July 19: Lefty Frizzell (47)
December 8: Gary Thain (27) (of Uriah Heep)
1976
February 12: Sal Mineo (37)
February 22: Florence Ballard (32) (of the Supremes)
April 9: Phil Ochs (35)
May 14: Keith Relf (33) (of the Yardbirds)
August 29: Jimmy Reed (50)
December 4: Tommy Bolin (25) (of the James Gang)
December 28: Freddy King (42)
1977
August 16: Elvis Presley (42)
September: 16 Marc Bolan (29) (of T-Rex)
October 20: Ronnie Van Zant (29) (with other members and friends of Lynyrd Skynyrd)
December 5: Rahsaan Roland Kirk (42)
1978
January 23: Terry Kath (31) (of Chicago)
January 31: Gregory Herbert (30)
March 11: Claude François (39)
April 21: Sandy Denny (31) (of Fairport Convention)
September 7: Keith Moon (32) (of the Who)
October 6: Johnny O'Keefe (43)
October 9: Jacques Brel (49)
October 21: Mel Street (45)
December 27: Bob Luman (41)
1979
January 13: Donny Hathaway (33)
January 31: Grant Green (43)
February 2: Sid Vicious (21) (of the Sex Pistols)
June 29: Lowell George (33) (of Little Feat)
July 6: Van McCoy (39)
July 12: Minnie Ripperton (31)
August 19: Dorsey Burnette (46)
September 27: Jimmy McCulloch (26) (of Wings)
November 29: Ray Smith (45)