Col. Bruce Hampton passes away at 70th Birthday Concert

[jff]

Col. Bruce Hampton, singer for the Hampton Grease Band, whose phenomenal Music To Eat album is noteworthy for being the second worst selling record Columbia ever released (beaten only by a yoga album), and spiritual father of jam band musicians and fans everywhere, collapsed on stage at the Fox Theater in Atlanta during the last song of a concert in celebration of his 70th birthday.  He passed away shortly after the concert ended. 

 

I got to see Bruce several times, and it was always an unpredictable, funny, mind-bending, and thoroughly fulfilling experience.  He had a knack for finding great musicians and getting things out of them they didn't know they could do.

 

Today is a sad day for the Atlanta music community.

 

https://www.jambase.com/article/jam-scene-patriarch-col-bruce-hampton-died

[jw harding]

Literally dying on stage, and at his own tribute show. The man died as he lived. Unbelievable. 

 

Here he is in Slingblade, along with Vic Chestnutt, Mickey Jones, and others:

 

https://youtu.be/L9tK9HYspFM

[Sir Stewart]

That is quite a way to go. Got to see him once in Boston, he was a hoot and the band was grooving. See ya Colonel.

[Lammycat]

That is quite a way to go. Got to see him once in Boston, he was a hoot and the band was grooving. See ya Colonel.

No doubt. At the end of the encore after a massive honorary 70th Bday show surrounded by music and good friends??!!

[jw harding]

There has got to be video out there of his departure, surprised it hasn't surfaced yet. I guess I'd watch. I think the Colonel wouldn't mind. 

 

John Stirratt tweeted that at a party once he witnessed the Col. correctly guess the birthdays of two people, a trick he was renowned for. The dude was tapped into something and on another level.

[jff]

No doubt. At the end of the encore after a massive honorary 70th Bday show surrounded by music and good friends??!!

 

Dying is the worst, but this way sure beats lying in a hospital bed, wasting away.  Who could ask for more than spending your last few hours on Earth joyfully surrounded by colleagues, family, and fans who have gathered in your honor?

 

I remember in the early '90s Hampton retired from the Aquarium Rescue Unit because they were touring a lot and his health wasn't up to that kind of rigorous lifestyle.  But since then, he's been more active than ever.  He's put together loads of new bands, continued touring, acted in films, most notably Sling Blade, but he's also in a new one with Fred Wilard called Here Comes Rusty.  This is probably his most well known movie scene.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9tK9HYspFM 

[jw harding]

Dying is the worst, but this way sure beats lying in a hospital bed, wasting away.  Who could ask for more than spending your last few hours on Earth joyfully surrounded by colleagues, family, and fans who have gathered in your honor?

 

I remember in the early '90s Hampton retired from the Aquarium Rescue Unit because they were touring a lot and his health wasn't up to that kind of rigorous lifestyle.  But since then, he's been more active than ever.  He's put together loads of new bands, continued touring, acted in films, most notably Sling Blade, but he's also in a new one with Fred Wilard called Here Comes Rusty.  This is probably his most well known movie scene.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9tK9HYspFM 

That clip was better the first time I posted it.

 

Also am retracting my statement about being interested in watching his death. Don't need to see the grief of his friends in that moment. Maybe a glorious way for him to go out, but that is some heavy shit those people are going through.

[suites]

There has got to be video out there of his departure, surprised it hasn't surfaced yet. I guess I'd watch. I think the Colonel wouldn't mind.

 

John Stirratt tweeted that at a party once he witnessed the Col. correctly guess the birthdays of two people, a trick he was renowned for. The dude was tapped into something and on another level.

Video on TMZ.

[jw harding]

Yeah, there are videos on youtube. Chose not to watch those. Watched this instead:

 

https://youtu.be/7FiydrH461E

[Lammycat]

"See, our main ambition in life aside from growing a bosom on top of our heads is to die on stage and when we die on stage that will be when we ultimately reach Grease. People are scared of us around here and they don’t let us play much. What they’re really afraid of is that, if they listen, they’ll find out that they’re really as much of what we’re playing about as we are. We try to be as honest as possible. It’s complete sincerity. There’s no put-on, no stage act."
-Col. Bruce Hampton

[jff]

That clip was better the first time I posted it.

 

Also am retracting my statement about being interested in watching his death. Don't need to see the grief of his friends in that moment. Maybe a glorious way for him to go out, but that is some heavy shit those people are going through.

Oops, I guess I missed your link.

 

I agree about not watching it. I had considered going to this show, but now I'm glad I didn't. I know he didn't technically die on stage, but he collapsed on the stage and never got back up.  That's more than close enough to dying on stage, as far as I'm concerned.  It would have fucked me up, maybe forever, to see that.

[jw harding]

"See, our main ambition in life aside from growing a bosom on top of our heads is to die on stage and when we die on stage that will be when we ultimately reach Grease. People are scared of us around here and they don’t let us play much. What they’re really afraid of is that, if they listen, they’ll find out that they’re really as much of what we’re playing about as we are. We try to be as honest as possible. It’s complete sincerity. There’s no put-on, no stage act."

-Col. Bruce Hampton

That's cool, but this is the ultimate case of the boy who cried wolf. Great way to go out and all, but I'm guessing he would've preferred to live longer, and surely his friends and family would've preferred that too. Just crazy irony, that his lifelong hi-jinks came back to bite him. 

[Lammycat]

That's cool, but this is the ultimate case of the boy who cried wolf. Great way to go out and all, but I'm guessing he would've preferred to live longer, and surely his friends and family would've preferred that too. Just crazy irony, that his lifelong hi-jinks came back to bite him. 

Maybe. But, for all we know, he beckoned it. 

[calvino]

Been listening to Music to Eat via Spotify for the first time today - interesting. Love the bass riff on Hey Old Lady and Bert's Song. Reminds of a Blues Brothers type tune for some reason. Actually the bass is nice throughout.

[jw harding]

Maybe. But, for all we know, he beckoned it. 

I guess if you want your friends and family to witness your death like that, sweet party bro. I get the impulse to play devil's advocate. Who fucking knows.

[jff]

I guess if you want your friends and family to witness your death like that, sweet party bro. I get the impulse to play devil's advocate. Who fucking knows.

That's one way of looking at it.  Another is that he preferred fulfilling his prophesy (so to speak) to having his family and friends witness him dying in a hospital bed. But this is all IF you believe he beckoned his death.

[Winston Legthigh]

He wasn't a real Colonel either.

[jw harding]

He wasn't a real Colonel either.

That's one way of looking at it.