Ted McNamara, R.I.P.

A comment from his nephew alerted me to the passing of Ted McNamara. I knew him back in the 1970s, when we both used to hang out at Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood. (I've written about him earlier here.) He was quite a guy, though rather down and out at the time, living on income from telemarketing jobs and sporadic royalty payments from songs like "Sooner or Later" which he co-wrote.

He had studied to be a Catholic priest, but dropped out for a life of merrymaking. He was one of those guys who makes everyone feel good, always greeted folks like a long lost cousin. He went by the moniker "Trashy Teddy" because I suppose of his eclectic taste in paramours. The day his blocked Rhodesian royalties came through was a great party. But I go on.

I played my Sho-Bud pedal steel a few times in his pickup band at Barney's, until the cops stopped it, because Irwin didn't have a cabaret license. Doug Westin let Teddy's band play the Troubadour on Ted's birthday. I still have a tape or two from those days -- somewhere. Steve Dodge was a co-leader of the band (not really co-leader but a separate band with overlapping membership). Teddy introduced me to a number of famous musicians, but I am more grateful for the good times.

With Ted's passing, all my friend's from the '70s at Barney's are gone - Ted, Steve Dodge, Gracie Mueller. There were others I remember: Lucky (anything but), Cindy Grande (so-called because of her height) who had sore hands in the evening from giving massages all day, Stewart the bartender, and the rest (as they say on Gilligan's Island).

Having a Uke lession with Bill Tapia

Bill Tapia is still going strong at age 100 1/2. I had a ukulele lesson with him this July on Whidbey Island, along with my friends Susan and Niels. The man is sharp as a whip and full of energy, even though he was born during the Roosevelt administration - the Teddy Roosevelt administration. He liked my Ron Phillips resonator uke. After giving all three of us rather intense lessons, he said he'd been up all night with a sick stomach.

John Stewart R.I.P.

This is sure turning into the dead guys blog! The musician and songwriter John Stewart passed away this week. He wrote "Daydream Believer" and other songs, and was a member of the Kingston Trio. Roseanne Cash wrote a wonderful tribute to him and his approach to songwriting and life on her website.

Happy 100th, Bill Tapia!

Hawaiian 'ukulele master Bill Tapia turned 100 years old today - and he wasn't even the oldest guy at his birthday party! He is still performing and teaching music. If he's not the oldest active musician in the world, I'd like to know who is. I produced a Bill Tapia concert in Seattle a few years back and really enjoyed hearing all his stories from the old days.