Those We Lost — August 2

Honoring those we lost on August 2 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

James Jamerson

Full name: James Lee Jamerson

Born Jan 29, 1936 — died Aug 2, 1983

Bassist, Funk Brothers member, Motown session musician, and modern bass innovator.

Jamerson’s melodic, deeply rhythmic bass lines helped create the Motown sound, even when his name did not appear on the records. His playing powered dozens of number-one hits and permanently changed how the electric bass functions in soul, pop, funk, and popular music.

Julius L. Chambers

Full name: Julius LeVonne Chambers

Born Oct 6, 1936 — died Aug 2, 2013

Civil rights lawyer, educator, NAACP Legal Defense Fund leader, and university chancellor.

Chambers won landmark cases attacking school segregation, employment discrimination, and unequal treatment under law. He later led the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and served as chancellor of North Carolina Central University, joining courtroom advocacy with Black educational leadership.

Fela Kuti

Birth name: Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti

Born Oct 15, 1938 — died Aug 2, 1997

Nigerian musician, bandleader, Afrobeat pioneer, composer, and political activist.

Fela fused Yoruba rhythms, jazz, funk, and extended improvisation into Afrobeat, then used that music to confront military rule, corruption, and colonial power. His sound and political fearlessness influenced Black musicians and movements across Africa, the United States, and the wider world.

Chauncey Bailey

Full name: Chauncey Wendell Bailey Jr.

Born Oct 20, 1949 — died Aug 2, 2007

Journalist, editor, broadcaster, and defender of the Black press.

Bailey spent decades reporting on Oakland and the Black community before becoming editor-in-chief of the Oakland Post. He was murdered while investigating criminal activity connected to Your Black Muslim Bakery, and fellow journalists continued his work through the Chauncey Bailey Project.