We have lost some big-name musicians this year: Ozzy Osbourne, Roberta Flack, Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. But let’s take a moment to remember someone whose name may not have been well-known outside muso circles but who was a brilliant player, singer and songwriter. I’m talking here about Bobby Whitlock, who passed away at his home in Texas this past weekend at the age of 77.

He began his musical career as a teenager, hanging out at the Stax Records studio in Memphis, later playing keyboards with Sam and Dave. Whitlock was, in fact, the first white artist signed to the label. From there, he went on to play with Delaney, Bonnie and Friends, where he met Eric Clapton, who was slumming by sitting in with the rock / blues / gospel group. Whitlock also played on George Harrison’s post-Beatles triple album All Things Must Pass.

But Whitlock’s most significant contribution was as a member of Clapton’s band Derek and the Dominos. He co-wrote half of the songs on Layla and provided invaluable support to Clapton, who was still learning how to front a band. Whitlock worked with Clapton on vocal technique and frequently “shadowed” Clapton’s vocals, as heard on Live at the Fillmore.

A touching part of the Bobby Whitlock saga occurred in the early ‘90s, when the Layla box set was about to be released. When he was signing some record company papers, Clapton asked the suits present at the meeting, “How will this benefit Bobby?” The answer: “It won’t.” Whitlock had sold his songwriting share several years prior, during a time of bad health and worse finances. After being informed of the situation, Clapton proceeded to buy the rights back and give them to Whitlock. Which shows that, even years later, Clapton realized how large a part Whitlock played in creating one of the best albums ever.

Ticket Alert

Homegirl Carolyn Wonderland returns to the Continental Club on Saturday, September 13. Her most recent album, Truth Is, produced by Dave Alvin, has garnered tremendous reviews and has been generating significant chart action. Tickets are on sale now, but you better grab them fast.

Raul Malo (of Mavericks fame) possesses one of the best voices in contemporary music regardless of the genre. Malo with play a solo gig at the Heights Theater on Thursday, October 16, with Max Gomez opening. Yes, Malo has some pipes, but did we mention that he is also one hell of a guitar player? For evidence, check out his album Say Less.

The annual Hell’s Heroes festival is months away, but tickets are already on sale for the three-day metal extravaganza coming to the White Oak Music Hall on Thursday, March 19, through Saturday, March 21. This is the eighth year for the head-banging festival, which will feature Dirkschneider, Sanctuary, White Wizzard and Voivod. Three-day passes are on sale now, with single-day tickets available at an undetermined later date.

Concerts This Week

Fans of cinema may remember that, at the end of The Blues Brothers, Elwood and Jake ended up in jail, playing music for their fellow prisoners. In the case of Falling in Reverse, the situation was, well, reversed. While serving a two-year sentence in the hoosegow related to assault and other charges, vocalist Ronnie Radke started a band called From Behind These Walls. Upon his release, Radke assembled a group of musicians and christened the aggregation Falling in Reverse, with fame and fortune following after a few years of slugging it out in the rock and roll trenches. Catch their act on Thursday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

It’s kind of funny that ‘90s hitmakers Live (“Lightning Crashes”) and Collective Soul (“Shine”) are touring together under the banner of the “Summer Unity Tour.” Maybe it’s a reference to the fact that it’s a co-headlining tour. Or maybe it’s a self-aware reference to the fact that, in the case of both bands, there have been more fights and fracases than on any “Real Housewives” episode. Here’s hoping that everyone behaves during Friday’s show at the 713 Music Hall.

If you dig metal, makeup and monster riffs, then you are probably already familiar with Ghost, the Swedish band know for its mashup of hard rock, wild costumes and spooky theatrical elements. This is about as far from a bunch of guys in flannel shirts surrounded by amps and speaker cabinets as you can get. Ghost will get down with its bad and weird self on Saturday at Toyota Center.

Vocalist and fiddler player Jason Roberts was a mainstay of Asleep at the Wheel for almost two decades, but over the past several years, he has gone all in on western swing, crossing the street to front Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys while still maintaining a career with his own band. It’s hard to imagine anyone more capable of doing justice to the Wills legacy. Roberts spent his formative years hanging out in Texas honky-tonks, absorbing the traditions and nuances of western swing and other related styles of music. You can catch Roberts and Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys on Sunday at Main Street Crossing in Tomball.