Music Memoirs: Requiscat in Pace

This week's Top Five on Friday from The Music Memoirs:

Top Five Songs and/or Albums from Artists That Are No Longer With Us

In no particular order:

While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison (song)
The best Beatles song not written by John and/or Paul, and every bit as good as anything they did write. And that's really saying something.

In The Mood by Glenn Miller (song)
I was first introduced to this song in high school jazz band, and I've loved it ever since.

I Fall To Pieces by Patsy Cline (song)
How many more classic songs like this might we have from her if she hadn't died in a plane crash? We can only imagine.

Oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison (song)
His incredible voice notwithstanding, the song is worth the listen just for the growl. You know what I'm talking about.

Genius Loves Company by Ray Charles (album)
It seems that duet albums are all the rage these days. (See Carlos Santana, Jimmy Buffett, etc.) This one is far better than those others, featuring a diverse range of supporting talent from Norah Jones to B.B. King, from Johnny Mathis to Willie Nelson, from Elton John to Gladys Knight. Ray's classic voice and piano underscores all of it. Do yourself a favor and listen to this CD.