Dick Kniss, bassist with Peter, Paul and Mary and John Denver Band, dies at 74 in NY The USA Times

FIFA delays appointing anti-corruption officials, chooses Nsekera as 1st woman executive . Usain Bolt wants to improve his season best of 9.82 at Golden Spike meet in Czech Republic . TSX advances, bargain hunters move in after three weeks of sharp losses . Agent: Author of self-published 'Six Weeks to OMG' diet book gets 7-figure deal . Man in stable condition after plunging over Niagara Falls in apparent suicide attempt . Ex-student convicted in US webcam spying case says apology would have seemed insincere . US Embassy in Kabul says Ambassador Ryan Crocker will leave this summer, 1 year early . 'American Idol' judge Steven Tyler charmed by "sexy beast" J-Lo; feels Jessica can win 'Idol' . Best Buy 1Q profit falls, but adjusted profit, revenue beat Wall Street's expectations . Toronto stock market heads for higher open after three weeks of sharp losses .

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Dick Kniss, bassist with Peter, Paul and Mary and John Denver Band, dies at 74 in NY

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. - Dick Kniss, a bassist who performed for five decades with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary and co-wrote the John Denver hit "Sunshine on My Shoulders," has died. He was 74.

Kniss died Wednesday of pulmonary disease at a hospital near his home in the Hudson Valley town of Saugerties, his wife, Diane Kniss said.

Kniss was born in Portland, Ore., and was an original member of Denver's 1970s band. He also played with jazz greats including Herbie Hancock and Woody Herman.

Active in the 1960s civil rights movement, Kniss performed at benefits for a range of causes and played during the first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday.

Peter, Paul and Mary's Peter Yarrow said in a statement that Kniss was "our intrepid bass player for almost as long as we performed together.

"He was a dear and beloved part of our closest family circle and his bass playing was always a great fourth voice in our music as well as, conceptually, an original and delightfully surprising new statement added to our vocal arrangements," Yarrow said.