Linda Hornbuckle Is Dead

Longtime contributor to the Portland, OR music scene, Linda Hornbuckle, died on October 4th, 2014 after a long struggle with liver and kidney cancer.  She was 59 years old.

RIP Linda Hornbuckle.  

Photo by Patrick Lamb Productions.

See a brief obituary here.

Janice Scroggins is Dead

Our hearts go out to the Portland music community and the family of the awesome pianist Janice Scroggins, who died suddenly of a heart attack on May 27th, 2014.  Very sad!

RIP Janice Scroggins.  Look here for a brief obituary.  Photo by John Rudoff.

Kirk Tuttle is dead.

Kirk Tuttle - 1942 to 2011

RIP

Our old friend and terrific drummer, Kirk "KT" Tuttle, died this morning (1/27/11) at Seattle's Swedish Hospital from complications associated with liver disease.  He was 68 years-old.  He will be sorely missed by the Seattle blues music community.  Photo created by Phil Chesnut.

Solomon Burke is dead.

RIP - Solomon Burke 1940-2010

Doug Royce is dead

I received a call from Seattle guitarist Jack Cook recently, who told me that Northwest native and bassist Doug Royce died in January 2009 in Fort Pierce, Florida.  Doug had been suffering from prostate cancer, and was 74 years old at the time of his death.

Veterans of the Seattle blues scene will remember that Doug, a trained jazz musician, played with the Hokum Blues Band, the Brian Butler Band, the Tom McFarland Band, and Nitelife.  Before moving to Seattle, he played jazz for years in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, including a period with the Ray Anthony Band.

I played with Doug in the Tom McFarland Band.  He used an unusual bass rig - a semi-hollow body ES-335 style Gibson bass that he played with a pick, plugged into a solid-state GK amp powering 2 x 15 Fender cabinet.  He told me that this setup sounded the most like the acoustic basses that he played for years.  I always wondered what happened to Doug after we quit playing with Tom.  He apparently moved to Florida to be near his daughter after his wife died in 2004.

The late Ric Howell (left) and Doug  Royce - Ketchikan, AK (early '80s)

RIP

Thanks to Jack Cook and Mike Dumovich for their help in providing background information for this blog.  Unfortunately, this is the only photo that I have of Doug Royce.  If anyone has a better one, please let me know!

Foster Williams memorial at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant

The photo shown in this blog was created by Pamela Eaton-Ford. 

If you are a musician that played at Seattle's New Orleans Creole Restaurant over the past 25 years, you probably saw longtime employee Foster Williams there.  Foster died of cancer on November 9, 2009.  He was 74 years old.

I used to hang out with Foster occasionally and tip a few in the bar at the New Orleans.  He was quite the music fan and a Korean War veteran.

A memorial for Foster will be held at the New Orleans on Sunday, January 17th, from 2:00 to 6:00 PM.  Owner Gaye Anderson tells me that the jazz bands that play the regular Monday through Thursday night gigs at the club will be performing.  Greg Roberts and I are planning on playing a few tunes at the gathering also.

Foster Williams - RIP

Jimie Jean is dead

Jimie Jean Tuttle - 1948 to 2009

RIP

Jimie Jean Tuttle, hostess of the Thursday blues show at Seattle's Salmon Bay Eagles for almost two decades and wife to Seattle drummer Kirk "KT" Tuttle for 19 years, passed away at her home in Seattle on the morning of July 9th, 2009 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Thanks for everything, Jimie!

Koko Taylor is dead.

Koko Taylor - 1928 to 2009

RIP

Jerry Wexler is dead

Jerry Wexler - 1/1917 to 8/2008

RIP

The legendary record producer Jerry Wexler died on August 15th, 2008 at his home in Sarasota, Florida. See the NY Times obituary here.

Isaac Hayes is dead

Isaac Hayes - 8/42 to 8/08

RIP

The great soul singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Isaac Hayes died on August 10th in Memphis, TN. Click here for the NY Times obituary.

Bo Diddley is dead.

Bo Diddley - 1929 to 2008

RIP

To see Bo's NY Times obituary, click here. What are your favorite Bo Diddley tunes? Mine are "Roadrunner" and "Crackin' Up." Check this video out (my thanks to one of my favorite drummers, Russ Kammerer):

Paul deLay is dead.

The great Northwest blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter, Paul deLay, died suddenly today from complications related to liver and kidney failure, apparently caused by advanced lukemia. Click here for more details on Paul's sudden demise, and here for the Seattle Times obituary written by Paul de Barros.

Thanks for the years of inspiration and great music, big guy!

R.I.P

Note: The photo of Paul deLay above was created at Seattle's Eastlake Zoo in 1987.

The Godfather of Soul is dead - Long live the Godfather of Soul!!

James Brown - May 3, 1933 to December 25, 2006

R.I.P

James Harman's thoughts on Sam Myers.

I've received many replies from my Sam Myers obit. This one is my favorite. From one great bluesman/harp legend, about another. I've long called James Harman (left) "the blues' best story teller." Whether in a 12 bar song or an e-mail, this helps prove my point.

Phil Chesnut

Very nice Phil,

I'm sure we all thank you for this most kind and thoughtful piece, remembering a fallen brother. I will certainly miss my old buddy Sweet Sam Myers myself.

I wish you could have been there to see a dozen magazine photographers following us around when Sam, Charlie Musslewhite and I went 'walking the grounds' for a long overdue chi-chat-visit at the huge Peer Festival in Belgium. I finally asked one photographer why we generated so much interest for them. I was told that we represented their first look at all three of the real southern blues singer/harp players together. Of course we got a kick out of that! In fact Sam said, "Now ain't this a bitch, they act like we was Liz Taylor or some such bullshit." Then he proceeded to introduce me from the stage as being his old chum from way back in our high school days in Mississippi. He went on that after graduation we went our separate ways, since he went to 'Penn State' and of course, I went to the state pen! Ka Ka Ka Boom! Brother, that was a Sam kind of gag.

My personal favorite story was the time in Texas, when Sam insisted on showing us the way to the real-deal southern breakfast place called Maryann's. He insisted we all go in my bus, with him giving directions. He climbed up into the bus and sat right behind Jerome Starks, my 'coach operator' (now don't 'chu call him no bus driver)! Sam kept giving last minute and abrupt directions like "cut through this parking lot, it's faster...... go down that alley and swing-out behind the liquor store then hang a U-turn into that driveway... its a short cut!"

Jerome immediately started grimacing and giving me 'the look,' on every new piece of direction Sam gave him. Jerome was sweatin' it out, but as always, he managed to correctly guide that 40 foot long, 12 foot high, 10 foot wide and 30 ton heavy GMC Scenicruiser through this scary, way-too-narrow, road course event Sam had conjured up for our breakfast trip. To say the least, it was quite involved. However, he proved out to know exactly what he was talkin' about and soon we did find the joint.

For the next two hours we nearly killed ourselves on a great southern breakfast featuring serious fried eggs and green tomatoes, grits, biscuits and even more serious white ham gravy and wonderful coffee! For our return to the hotel Sam chose a different and even more confusing route. As we made one of the tight, difficult turns from one small street onto another Sam suddenly blurted out, "Damn James, did you see the tits on that fine chick in that Volkswagen?" That did it! "Stop the bus!", I screamed staring at Sam in disbelief. Still giving him a dirty look I said, "Look here Sam Myers...... I didn't even see the car or the fine chick, much less any tits.... man, I though you was supposed to be blind" Grinning that devilish grin back in my directions, while doing his patented eyes rolled way back thing, he slowly managed: "Heh heh heh heh heh, well, brother James... I just might see mo' than y'all think I can, sometimes!" Well, that did it for me, I never assumed he wasn't seeing everything going on again.

I only hope you didn't trick everybody out there, who knows less blues history, into thinking Sam played drums on all those Elmore James records. He only played on three songs, as a fill in.... and only for the Fire label. He never played drums on any of Elmore's famous earlier records on Chess, Chance, Modern, RPM or Trumpet! I also think you should have mentioned his one and only successful record under his own name, 1958's: "My Love is Strong" b/w "Sleeping in the Ground", which was his only claim to fame until resurfacing in the mid 80's and eventually joining Anson. I think those are important points. Otherwise, it's nice to hear from you and I hope you are doing well. You know I loved your rendering of that cool Sam photo.

Yo'boy... James

Sam Myers - Gone but not forgotten (1936-2006).

By Phil Chesnut

Sam Myers, one of the true gentlemen of the blues, unexpectedly passed away at his home in Dallas, after recently recovering from throat cancer surgery. Sam was born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1936. In the early 50s, Myers moved to Chicago on a music scholarship, where he abandoned the classics for the blues...and the rest is musical history.

Fronting Anson Funderburg's band since 1986, Sam is well known for his brilliant harmonica and unmistakable vocals. Originally a drummer on Chicago's south side, Myers sat in with such legends as Howlin' Wolf, Robert Lockwood, and Muddy Waters. It is Sam's beat that is heard on those classic Elmore James recordings.

I was very proud to call Sam Myers my friend. I enjoyed many enlightening conversations with this articulate, scholarly man, whether at a blues venue or when I'd call him at his home in Dallas. The blues world will miss Sam Myers for what he gave. I will miss him because he was my friend.

Phil Chesnut is an award winning photographer and keen observer of the Northwest blues scene. All of the photographs that appear in this article were created by Phil.