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Former Columbia County resident and classical music star Lincoln Mayorga dies
American pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer Lincoln Mayorga, who lived for many years in Columbia County, has died, according to a social media post on July 4 from his daughter, Rachel Mayorga. The post did not say what was the cause of death. While mostly known in the classical music world, he was also involved with the rock band the Piltdown Men, a studio group whose "Brontosaurus Stomp" made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, according to his Wikipedia entry. His Eddy Combo reached # 28 on the US R&B charts with the instrumental, "Big Mr. C," in 1961. in 1966 he became a staff pianist for Walt Disney Studios, and contributed to the soundtracks of such movies as "Chinatown," and "Ragtime," and worked on TV series including "Bonanza," "Dallas," and "Little House on the Prairie." Mayorga worked as a session musician and arranger with Frank Zappa on the album "Lumpy Gravy," and also worked with The Moscow Philharmonic, Itzhak Perlman, Richard Stoltzman, and many others. He moved to Columbia County in the 1980s, and left for California just before the COVID-19 pandemic. He hosted the radio show, "Monday Musical Matinee," for many years on WGXC.