Just this morning I heard the sad and shocking news about the death of singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, who passed away yesterday at the far too young age of 56. Duncan is best known for his smash-hit single “Barely Breathing,” which reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1996 and then stayed on the chart for an astounding 55 weeks! Later in his career Duncan wrote the score to the 2007 Broadway musical “Spring Awakening,” winning two Tony Awards (for Best Score and Best Orchestrations). I had just begun working at ann arbor’s 107one in early 2006 when I hosted Duncan’s memorable performance at Borders Books and Music on Liberty Street, right across from the Michigan Theater. This was the very first Studio A2 on the Road live performance and radio broadcast that we did from that much loved bookstore. This Sunday on Fine Tuning I’ll pay tribute to Duncan Sheik on the program, and I’ll also be featuring Beth Orton‘s new studio album “The Ground Above.” Beth performs in Michigan for the first time in 24 (!) years next Wednesday, September 23rd at El Club in Detroit. Fine Tuning: Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. on ann arbor’s 107one.
