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In Memoriam: The Musicians We Lost In 2018

NOEL KING, HOST:

As 2018 comes to a close, we're going to take a moment to remember some of the musicians we lost this year. Here is our annual musical montage.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RESPECT")

ARETHA FRANKLIN: (Singing) What you want, baby, I got it. What you need, do you know I got it? All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you come home. Just a little bit.

(SOUNDBITE OF ELVIS SONG, "JAILHOUSE ROCK")

D J FONTANA: (Playing drums).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER")

BOB DOROUGH: (Singing) Three is a magic number. Yes, it is. It's a magic number.

(SOUNDBITE OF HUGH MASEKELA'S "ABANGOMA")

HUGH MASEKELA: (Playing trumpet).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE")

DENNIS EDWARDS: (Singing) Papa was a rolling stone, my son. Yeah. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SELF CARE")

MAC MILLER: (Singing) I got all the time in the world so for now I'm just chillin' in oblivion. Yeah, yeah. In oblivion. Yeah, yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA BOHEME")

CHARLES AZNAVOUR: (Singing in French).

(SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE WALKER'S "PIANO SONATA NO. 2: I. ADAGIO NON TROPPO")

(SOUNDBITE OF CECIL TAYLOR'S "AIR ABOVE MOUNTAINS (BUILDING WITHIN) PART ONE")

CECIL TAYLOR: (Playing piano).

(SOUNDBITE OF BUELL NEIDLINGER'S "FLOWERS PLUCK THEMSELVES")

BUELL NEIDLINGER: (Playing bass).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YA RAYAH")

RACHID TAHA: (Singing in Arabic).

(SOUNDBITE OF FLEETWOOD MAC SONG, "COMING YOUR WAY")

DANNY KIRWAN: (Playing guitar).

(SOUNDBITE OF THE LAST POETS SONG, "THIS IS MADNESS CHANT")

JALAL MANSUR NURIDDIN: (Chanting) Freedom. Freedom by any means necessary. It's necessary to have freedom by any means necessary. And I'm beginning to hate with love and love with hate. This is madness.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE CRANBERRIES SONG, "DREAMS")

DOLORES O'RIORDAN: (Singing) Then I open up and see the person falling here is me. A different way to be.

(SOUNDBITE OF BUZZCOCKS SONG, "EVER FALLEN IN LOVE (WITH SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN'T'VE)")

PETE SHELLEY: (Singing) Ever fallen in love with someone, ever fallen in love, in love with someone? Ever fallen in love, in love with someone you shouldn't've fallen in love with?

(SOUNDBITE OF AVICII'S "LEVELS")

(SOUNDBITE OF THE MOODY BLUES SONG, "NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN")

RAY THOMAS: (Playing flute).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BAD")

XXXTENTACION: (Rapping) Shorty, heard you bad, word. So profane, something like bad, word. Want your love. Call me when you can, girl. Going up, going down.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE SONG, "TODAY")

MARTY BALIN: (Singing) Today, I know what I want to do, but I don't know what for.

(SOUNDBITE OF CYRIL PAHINUI'S "PU'U ANAHULU")

CYRIL PAHINUI: (Playing guitar).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OH HAPPY DAY")

EDWIN HAWKINS: (Singing) Oh, happy day. Oh, happy day. Oh, happy day.

(SOUNDBITE OF RANDY WESTON'S "HI-FLY")

RANDY WESTON: (Playing piano).

(SOUNDBITE OF BLUIETT'S, BETTS' AND JONES' "MAKIN' WHOOPEE")

HAMIET BLUIETT: (Playing saxophone).

(SOUNDBITE OF CHARLES NEVILLE'S "BALUBA")

CHARLES NEVILLE: (Playing saxophone).

(SOUNDBITE OF HENRY BUTLER'S "SOME IKO")

HENRY BUTLER: (Playing piano).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FLAVA IN YA EAR")

CRAIG MACK: (Rapping) I'm kickin' new flava in ya ear. Mack the brand-new flava in ya ear.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIG JAY MCNEELY'S "THE DEACON'S HOP")

BIG JAY MCNEELY: (Playing saxophone).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IL TROVATORE, ACT IV, SCENE I")

MONTSERRAT CABALLE: (Singing in Italian).

(SOUNDBITE OF THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA SONG, "I CAN SEE EVERYBODY'S MOTHER")

CLARENCE FOUNTAIN: (Singing) I can see every, everybody's mother.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROY HARGROVE'S "DIVINE")

ROY HARGROVE: (Playing trumpet).

KING: Trumpeter Roy Hargrove concludes our montage tribute to some of the musicians we lost in 2018. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Corrected: December 27, 2018 at 10:00 PM MST
A previous Web introduction to this story incorrectly included Roy Clark in the montage.
Tom Cole is a senior editor on NPR's Arts Desk. He develops, edits, produces, and reports on stories about art, culture, music, film, and theater for NPR's news magazines Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered. Cole has held these responsibilities since February 1990.
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