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Damn, all the great ones are dying. When will the madness end? Soon, there will be no more music.

The sheer amount of dead musicians is staggering. Maynard Ferguson, he is flying high no more. Freddy Fender shall be lapsing into Spanish no more. McFadden & Whitehead - both dead. Half of the Beatles are dead (3/5th if you include Billy Preston) and Roy Orbison too. Johnny Cash and Johnny Paycheck, both dead. And Waylon Jennings too.

The drummer for that band whose name I cannot remember - dead as a doornail. Syd Barrett is no longer shining on like a crazy diamond. Benjamin Orr of The Cars is dead and Laura Branigan is too. John Fogerty is gone along with John Denver and John Coltrane. That makes a lot of dead Johns.

The sad list goes on and on. Andy Gibb, Maurice Gibb and that lead singer of that band Nirvana. Tiny Tim is dead and so is that woman who sang with the Pogues (I think her name might have been Kirsty McCall). I could go on all night naming names of dead musicians but I think my point is made. Soon, we will have nobody making music because they all end up dying. What is it with musicians that the Grim Reaper finds so appealing?

Regarding John Fogerty:

THANKSGIVING DAY TO FEATURE ANOTHER HELPING OF FOOTBALL AND FOGERTY

JOHN FOGERTY TO MAKE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY NOVEMBER 23 WITH SAME-DAY HALFTIME PERFORMANCES AT TWO NFL GAMES

National Anthems Include TAYLOR SWIFT in Detroit on CBS and JESSICA HARP in Kansas City on NFL Network

While most Americans will settle in at home for a day of family, food and football on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer JOHN FOGERTY will be flying around the country to make history by performing live during the halftimes of two NFL games.

The unprecedented same-day feat is part of the NFL's first Thanksgiving tripleheader which includes the traditional afternoon games in Detroit and Dallas and the addition of a new primetime game on NFL Network from Kansas City.

Fogerty will perform at Ford Field in Detroit during the United Way-themed halftime show of the Miami Dolphins-Lions game on CBS (12:30 p.m. ET) and then fly to Kansas City to perform during halftime of the Denver Broncos-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium on NFL Network (8:00 p.m. ET). The game marks the first live regular season game on NFL Network.

The day also features special national anthem performances. In Detroit, 16-year-old country music sensation TAYLOR SWIFT will sing the national anthem while JESSICA HARP, a member of the hit country duo "The Wreckers" and a Kansas City native, will perform prior to the Broncos-Chiefs game.

The late afternoon game in Dallas between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cowboys on FOX (4:15 p.m. ET) will also feature special national anthem and halftime show performances by national artists who will be announced shortly.

Last year's Broncos-Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game was the most-watched regular season game of 2005 with 26.4 million viewers. This season's Thanksgiving Day games will be heard on the Westwood One Radio Network by nearly 15 million fans on more than 450 affiliates and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Fogerty's remarkable career spans decades as one of America's most treasured musical icons. His new record is the recently released "The Long Road Home - In Concert," a blistering 26-song live set of his greatest hits, songs that have defined generations.

Now in its 33rd year, the partnership between the NFL and United Way is the longest running charitable collaboration of its kind. The PSA series, broadcast each week of the season to more than 120 million viewers has kept United Way in the forefront of people's minds for three decades. No other vehicle has been more effective in providing visibility for United Way. Since the NFL and United Way combined forces, resources to United Way have grown from $800 million annually to nearly $4 billion to strengthen local communities across America.

You are right, so many of the greats in jazz, soul, disco, pop, r&b etc, have gone on.

I was not aware of Laura Branigan passing. What you said about the Bee Gees, it's been very tough on that family.

I forgot about 'high note' Maynard Ferguson. McFadden & Whitehead had some really great songs. Billy Preston, another very fine talent has also passed.

Mel Tormé shall not be crooning any longer. I saw him sing in Boston. Wonderful stuff!

Jazzman Dewey Redman died in September. He played mainly tenor saxophone, though he occasionally doubled on alto saxophone. He was best known for his collaborations with Ornette Coleman.

Jack Fallon; jazz bass player born London, Ontario in 1915, died in London England in May-2006. He played with the likes of Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, George Shearing, Maxine Sullivan, Hoagy Carmichael, Stéphane Grappelli plus many others.

On November 7th, George "Sonny" Cohn passed. He played trumpet as a sideman on a record by jazz pianist Jodie Christian, Cohn already had traveled the world with Count Basie, played behind such legends as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, and appeared on more than 185 albums. He was never a household name, but jazz musicians and fans knew Cohn for his trademark muted style as first trumpet in the Count Basie Orchestra. He was best known for his work on Basie's recordings of "April in Paris" and "Lil' Darling."

Red Saunders' band in December 1945. From left: Micky Simms, bass; Porter Derrico, piano; Red, drums; George "Sonny" Cohn, trumpet; Antonio Cosey, alto sax; Leon Washington, tenor sax. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Gene Pitney of Connecticut while a sing star in the US, was even bigger in the UK where he died this year while on tour, ("Town Without Pity" and "Liberty Valance").

Wilson Pickett at only 64 years of age.

Lou Rawls has passed on. Everyone upstairs is being treated to his voice.

Jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz died in June.

Jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean who played with Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, died in March of 2006.

French jazz horn-man Claude Luter died last month. He played with Louis Armstrong & many of great jazzmen.