Nineteen Hundred Sixties – Page 9

Gylan Kain, a Founder of the Last Poets and a Progenitor of Rap, Dies at 81

He spun gripping portraits of the Black experience starting in the 1960s with the seminal Harlem spoken-word collective, lay a foundation for what was to come.

By Alex Williams

California Deaths (Obituaries) Folk Music Green, Green (Song) New Christy Minstrels (Music Group) Nineteen Hundred Sixties Sparks, Randy (1933-2024) Television Today (Song)

Founder of the New Christy Minstrels Randy Sparks Dies at 90

With a keen eye for young talent, he helped boost the careers of Steve Martin, John Denver, Kenny Rogers and many other performers.

By Clay Risen

Deaths (Obituaries) Leader of the Pack (Song) Morton, Shadow (1941-2013) Nineteen Hundred Sixties Pop and Rock Music Shangri-Las, The (Music Group) Weiss, Mary (1948-2024)

Mary Weiss, Who Sang ‘Leader of the Pack,’ Is Dead at 75

As the lead singer of the Shangri-Las, she conveyed passion, pathos and toughness — and reached the Top 40 six times while still in her teens.

By Gavin Edwards

Bethel (NY) Deaths (Obituaries) Fillmore East Morris, John (1939-2023) New York City Nineteen Hundred Sixties Pop and Rock Music Theaters (Buildings)

John Morris, Who Brought Rock Legends to the Stage, Dies at 84

As a coordinator of the Woodstock festival and the hallowed New York venue Fillmore East, he helped showcase the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

By Alex Williams