These are a few weeks late, but Parkinson's disease has claimed the lives of two country music legends this past fall.
Jody Miller, who rose to fame in 1965 with "Queen Of the House," one of the earliest satires on being an overworked housewife, died Oct. 6 after battling the illness for several years. She continued her fame into the early 1970s, with her biggest hits ranging from covers of 1960s pop hits (including the Chiffons' "He's So Fine" and Barbara Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours," both 1971) and originals, including 1972's "There's a Party Goin' On."
Jody died Oct. 6 after a seven-year battle with Parkinson's.
https://www.billboard.com/music/country/jody-miller-dead-queen-of-the-house-1235151976/Jeff Cook was the fiddler and bass guitarist for the band Alabama ... yeah, the one that had 33 No. 1 hits from 1980-1993 and a bunch of other top 10 hits in the 1990s, mixing both soft rock-type ballads and Southern rock songs of southern pride. Jeff also usually sang backup vocals, but like his cousin Teddy Gentry, he got a turn once in awhile on lead vocals on some album tracks. You heard his fiddling at work most prominently in songs like "Dixieland Delight" and "If You're Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle In the Band)." You may have heard "Mountain Music," where toward the end of the song both Jeff and Teddy are featured soloists (trading lines with Randy Owen, the lead singer).
Jeff also suffered from Parkinson's, and he passed away on Nov. 7. He had been battling Parkinson's for at least a decade, and although he stopped making regular appearances with his cousins, he still made several appearances with the band in recent years.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/11/08/jeff-cook-alabama-2022-band-co-founding-member-dies/69611215007/The year 2022 has been very tough for country music, already with the deaths of Loretta Lynn, Naomi Judd, Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Olivia Newton-John, a bunch of session musicians, songwriters and producers (Jerry Crutchfield, Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Dallas Frazier among them) and others. We are lucky to have listened to their gifts and musical talents over the years.
RIP to Jody and Jeff.
Brian
