Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Southern California Fires Hit the Jazz Community
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
New York-based guitarist Bill Perry, whose powerful blues playing and raspy vocals made him a favored sideman and prolific leader, died Tuesday at 49 years of age.
The musician was found at his apartment in Sugar Loaf, N.Y., according to a statement from his label, Blind Pig Records. Emergency medical personnel tried to revive Perry, but he died on the way to the hospital, an apparent heart attack victim, although no official cause of death has been determined.
Perry first made his mark in the clubs of New York in the 1980s, when he was spotted by folk-rock singer Richie Havens. Perry spent four years on the road as the featured guitarist in Havens’ band. During the same period, he also toured with The Band’s Garth Hudson and Levon Helm.
Good friend and labelmate Popa Chubby produced Perry’s most recent release, Don’t Know Nothin’ About Love. “The best thing about Bill was that his talent was effortless,” he said. “He was a natural. He could sing the phone book and draw you in. He didn’t have a mean or a bad bone in him. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was a brother and I’ll miss him dearly.”
Perry is survived by his 25-year-old son, Aaron, three brothers and a sister.
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
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