Latest news with #ButNot
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wayne Lewis, Atlantic Starr Singer and Founding Member, Dies at 68
Wayne Lewis, a founding member of the R&B group Atlantic Starr, has died at the age of 68. The band confirmed his passing in a social media post on Friday (June 7), noting that the musician died on Thursday. No cause of death has been disclosed. More from Billboard Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025 BRIT Awards 2026 to Be Held Outside London for First Time Mariah Carey's 'Type Dangerous' Tops This Week's Favorite New Music Poll 'It's with great sadness we have to post the passing of Wayne Lewis on June 5, 2025,' Atlantic Starr wrote on Facebook. 'Please keep the family in your prayers and respect their privacy #waynelewis #restinpeace #flyhigh Sunrise 4/13/1957 Sunset 6/5/2025 #restinpeaceWayne.' Lewis served as a vocalist and keyboardist for Atlantic Starr, which he co-founded in 1976 in White Plains, N.Y., alongside his brothers David Lewis (vocals, guitar) and Jonathan Lewis (keyboards, trombone), as well as drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer and percussionist-flutist Joseph Phillips. Other early members included lead singer Sharon Bryant, trumpeter William Sudderth III and saxophonist Damon Rentie. Bryant and Rentie were later replaced by Barbara Weathers and Koran Daniels, respectively. Atlantic Starr became a fixture in R&B throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. The group signed with A&M Records (and later to Warner Bros. Records, among other labels), releasing their self-titled debut album in 1978, followed by their sophomore effort, Straight to the Point, the next year. The band achieved its first top 10 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with 'Circles' (No. 2) from the 1982 album Brilliance. Their biggest commercial success came in 1987 when 'Always,' from 1986's All in the Name of Love, reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Atlantic Starr earned a total of three top 10 hits on the Hot 100 and 11 top 10s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. 'My First Love' in 1989 was their only other No. 1 on the latter chart. In recent years, Atlantic Starr continued to perform with Lewis and current members Jonathan Lewis, Melessa Pierce and Shammah Carter. The group's most recent album, Metamorphosis, was released in 2017. Following the announcement of Lewis' death, fans flooded social media with heartfelt tributes and condolences. 'His band gave my generation so much listening pleasure,' one fan wrote. Another shared, 'Nooooo I am devastated seeing this. My condolences to all family and friends.' A third commenter added, 'A great songwriter. Atlantic Starr was better once he became leader. He will be missed.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amadou Bagayoko, Member of Malian Duo Amadou & Mariam, Dies at 70
Renowned guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of Mali's music duo Amadou & Mariam has died. He was 70. Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV. He said that Bagayoko died Friday (March 4) in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. The musician's family confirmed his passing, noting that he had been ill for some time, Rolling Stone reports. A cause of death was not provided. More from Billboard Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025 Tracy Chapman on Revisiting Her Self-Titled Debut Album, 37 Years Later: 'I'm Just So Proud of It' FKA Twigs Has to Drop Out of Coachella, Cancel North American Tour Dates Due to Visa Issues: 'I'm Devastated' Bagayoko went blind when he was 15 because of a congenital cataract. He studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife, Mariam Doumbia. They formed a band called Mali's Blind Couple in 1980, making their mark locally and internationally. The pair performed together in Mali during the '70s and '80s before making a breakthrough in Europe in the mid-'90s. Their music, which blends traditional African influences with elements of rock, blues and pop, has won them a global following. They produced over 10 award-winning albums, including France's Grammy Awards equivalent, Victoire de la Musique, in 2005, for Dimanche à Bamako and again in 2013 for Folila. Dimanche à Bamako also won them one of the BBC Radio Awards for World Music in 2006. Their 2008 album Welcome to Mali was nominated for best contemporary world music album at the Grammys. Bagayoko's last world-class performance with Doumbia was at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He is survived by his wife and a son, Sam, also a musician. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rapper G$ Lil Ronnie & 5-Year-Old Daughter Killed in Shooting at Car Wash
Rapper G$ Lil Ronnie and his 5-year-old daughter were killed in a double-shooting on Monday morning (March 3) in Texas. According to local affiliate Fox 4, Lil Ronnie (born Ronnie 'Chuckie' Smith) and his daughter, R'Mani, were identified by family members as victims of the shooting at a car wash in Fort Hills. Police say both were pronounced dead at the scene. More from Billboard Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025 LISA Recalls Messing Up the Lyrics to a Rihanna Song at Her BLACKPINK Audition: 'I Was So Nervous' Tate McRae Rules Artist 100 Chart, Hits Hot 100 With 11 Songs From 'So Close to What' R'Mani had just celebrated her fifth birthday a day before the shooting, according to the family. 'He was a rapper. He didn't bother nobody. He didn't target nobody. He was a family man, and he was going around rapping, OK. Why would you target him?' said the rapper's aunt, Stella Houston, told Fox 4. 'Cleaning the car out, and somebody came through shooting and killed him and the baby. And a baby. His baby. A baby!' According to a press release Forest Hill Police Department shared with Billboard that did not identify the victims, two suspects — who were described as Black men in jeans and gray sweaters — exited a Kia and approached the victim's vehicle, which was parked at a bay in the car wash, before the suspects opened fire and fled the scene. Law enforcement attempted 'life-saving measures' on both victims, who were later pronounced dead at the scene, per the Forest Hill PD. An arrest warrant has been issued for one of the suspects, who has been identified. G$ Lil Ronnie's last album arrived with his Literally project in 2023. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
