Jerry Wexler

Solomon Burke, a pioneering singer-songwriter of so-called sweet soul music whose powerful ballads in the 1960s were a major influence on a generation of rock, R&B and pop vocalists, has died. He was in his early 70s. Burke died early Sunday morning of...

Cornell Dupree, a versatile guitarist whose long, productive career included performances and recordings with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Miles Davis and Lena Horne, died Sunday at his home in Fort Worth. Dupree, who had emphysema, was...

Roger Nichols, the recording engineer who gave the music of Steely Dan the lustrous sheen that became the popular group's sonic signature, died Saturday at his Burbank home after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer, his family said. He was 66....

Ray Ellis, the versatile pop music arranger who wrote the charts for hits by the Four Lads, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis, has died. He was 85. Ellis, a longtime resident of Ojai, died Oct. 27 of liver cancer at an assisted-...

Phil Spector, the influential but erratic rock 'n' roll producer best known for his layered "Wall of Sound" recording technique, was arrested on suspicion of murder early Monday after an actress was found shot to death at his hilltop mansion in Alhambra....

Despite distinguished work by Jill Scott, D'Angelo and other neo-soul artists in recent years, no single album captured the heart and intensity of classic soul music as fully as Angie Stone's "Mahogany Soul." Stone's 2001 CD reflected the spirit of Ray...

Jerry Wexler, the influential Atlantic Records producer who coined the term "rhythm and blues" before helping shape that sound into one of the most powerful musical forces of the 1950s and '60s, died Friday morning at his home in Sarasota, Fla. He was 91....

Winners will be in bold italics. RECORD OF THE YEAR "Chasing Pavements," Adele "Viva La Vida," Coldplay "Bleeding Love," Leona Lewis "Paper Planes,"  M.I.A "Please Read the Letter," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss ALBUM OF THE YEAR "Viva La...

Ray Charles, the musical innovator whose bold, effortless fusions left an indelible mark on the rock, soul and country music of the past half-century, died Thursday at his Beverly Hills home. He was 73. The cause of death was complications of liver...

Wilson Pickett, the Alabama-born soul singer who brought a raw groove and growling energy to 1960s R & B music, with hits such as "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally," died Thursday. He was 64. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member died at a...

When you play a genius on screen, you better have the right stuff yourself, or the camera will shrivel you. That doesn't happen in "Ray." In this triumphant musical movie-bio, Jamie Foxx gives a landmark performance as soul, jazz and blues great Ray...