On Thacker Mountain Radio, photo by Jamie Kornegay
Ed Dye, a wonderful musician and soul who lived here in Oxford for the last decade and a half, died peacefully early this morning at age 72 at home, surrounded by family and friends, in his hometown of Montgomery. As a young man there he delivered the newspaper to Hank Williams’ mother. Blues was only one of Ed’s musical passions, but he was one of the best walking advertisements for Living Blues, as most of the times I saw him he was wearing a worn out, long-sleeved t-shirt sporting our logo; he was also a devoted listener to Highway 61.
I haven’t seen any other sites on the net with much biographical information about Ed, so I’ll summarize his life here [with information provided by our mutual friend Bruce Nemerov]. He joined the Navy in his teens, and shortly after completing his service on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific he moved to New York City. He worked summer stock theater in the region, which apparently led to him finding work in television. On the Ed Sullivan show he worked as as an assistant to a camera operator and as a stage manager. In the late ’50s or early ’60s he moved to L.A. where he worked with producer Jack Jester on projects including the legendary Nixon-Kennedy debate and the Cassius Clay–Sonny Liston fight.
At some point Ed moved back to Dothan, Alabama, where he was the camera man for a TV show featuring bluegrass stars Jim & Jesse (McReynolds) that was sponsored by Jim Walter Mobile Homes — Bruce surmises that it was at this point that Ed became involved in music. He moved on to San Francisco, where he joined up with country music performers Bob and Ingrid Fowler in the group Styx River Ferry, with all three playing guitar and the Fowlers singing classic country duets. They were later joined by Bruce on banjo, Chuck Wiley on bass, and Ed Neff on fiddle, and became what Bruce describes as the first longhaired country band in the Bay Area, with a devoted following of hippies, rednecks and bikers. Bruce recalls that in addition to playing guitar, Ed told jokes of the Brother Dave Garner variety, played the bones, and sang comedy tunes from the likes of Little Jimmie Dickens.
He moved for a while to L.A., where he spent time with Van Dyke Parks and emceed at music events, waited tables and worked in television. He later moved back to San Francisco, where he played in various bluegrass bands in North Beach. He eventually moved to Nashville, where he worked with various bands and led the Nashville Jug Band, who recorded an album for Rounder in 1987. At some point in the ’90s he moved to Oxford with his wife Charlene, and became involved in our local musical culture, playing with artists including the Sincere Ramblers, the Taylor Grocery Band, the Kudzu Kings, Chris Sharp and others. He’ll be missed.
[If anyone has any other pictures of Ed or more information please contact me].
”
Nicky Hewlett, Guelel Kumba, and Ed; photo and photobooth photos courtesy of Justin Showah
The Bluegrass Band (Butch Robins, Ed Dye, Alan O'Bryant), ctsy. Paulette Feeney
Shin Bone Alley All Stars (Billy Smith, Terry Smith, Ed Dye, John Hedgecoth, Ingrid Fowler), ctsy Paulette Feeney
Ingrid Fowler, Ed Dye, John Hedgecoth, Lynn Hedgecoth; ctsy. Paulette Feeney
Ed and Billy, photo ctsy. Paulette Feeney
Ed and Billy and another dog, photo ctsy. Paulette Feeney
on Mar 18th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Dang, musicians seem to be dying right and left. I really enjoyed Ed at Thacker Mountain and the other odd places I might hear him.
Spring and fall are tough on older folks, for some reason.
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Sad to hear. He will be missed.
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 10:44 am
He was such a good friend. I know he’s pickin’ and grinnin’ next to somebody up there in the cosmos.
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
the oxford music family has lost it’s patriarch. we love you elsworth.
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Thanks for posting this Scott. I had no idea Ed had passed. One of the treasures of my life in Oxford is having been lucky enough to do gigs with Ed Dye.
Cheers to him.
Seth
on Mar 20th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I had the honor and Privilege to travel and perform with “cussin” Ed, notice I didn’t say “cousin”. It was in the late 70s/early 80s and there are so many great stories to tell. He was always a lost soul. Never talked much about himself always joking. Getting ready for a show, he would wear one red sock and one blue sock and if anyone said anything about them not matching, he would simply reply, “What? I reckon they do match, I know cause I got another pair just like em over there in my suitcase!” My father use to look forward the the postcards Ed would send to him while on his travels. about 1 every 2 or three years. Anyway, He is already missed and to steal a phrase I heard on CMT a few months ago. There is now and for ever more an “ED DYE” sized hole in Bluegrass music. We will miss you ed.
on Mar 20th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I was blessed to meet Ed at Mississippi Chris Sharp’s place, in Porterville, MS, last fall. He was accompanied by his son who is a fine musician in his own right. I was witness to a fine jam. I regret I couldn’t have known him better, but the tall tales I’ve been regaled with will live on and on, I’m sure. There must be some fine times happening in the great beyond.
on Mar 20th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I have photos of Ed from “back in the day,” when he formed the Shinbone Alley All Stars in the late 70s in Nashville. Not sure in what order, but I think the first variation had Ingrid Fowler, and John and Lynn Hedgecoth. Doug Green was in it for a while, then Billy & Terry Smith, sometimes Alan O’Bryant, and I’m sure I’m forgetting others… There’d be carrying on with the likes of Butch Robins, Pat Enright, Bruce Nemerov, James Bryant, Sam Bush, Claire Lynch, Nancy & Norman Blake, and others… Wild and crazy times, but Ed was in some ways like a buddhist monk in the middle of madness. Some of the best memories of my life. “ZOOT REET!”
on Mar 20th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I got to meet the wonderful Ed through my bluegrass friends at IBMA in Owensboro KY. Without question, the wildest child I ever met. One LATE night in the bar at the Galt House in Louisville during IBMA week, in waltzed Ed and Leroy Troy. Troy sat down at the piano and played “Dixie”. But Ed jumped up on top of the tables and goose-stepped across every table singing Dixie in GERMAN giving the Sieg Heil upraised arm. My fiancee sat at the table with her jaws hanging open in disbelief. Ed was all about the “performance”, no question about it.
Later Ed told us a wonderful story about prepping the tv network for the Clay-Liston fight when he had to go in the ring to “stand in” for Liston for lighting purposes, and he heard a voice behind him and turned around to see Cassius Clay confronting him with a grin. Ed said he jumped flat-footed right out of that ring, scared to death of the biggest man he had ever encountered!
I always felt Ed was a kindly soul, but definitely from a different universe and I’m delighted I got to be a friend, at least a little.
on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
So many moving tributes here! Thank you, Scott for a fine job on Ed’s obituary.
Ed was one of the first people I met when I moved to Nashville in 1980 and we were friends for nearly thirty years. I have so many memories I wouldn’t know where to start. We used to sit and play old Delta blues tunes together. He was the best dog sitter I ever had and neat as a pin.
Ed was hilarious and a great entertainer! I loved his postcards, voice mail messages (his last one is saved), his humility, brilliance, passion for great, real music and people. I’m so glad he got a little bit of money in the last years to go to Cambodia. He did have a wild streak for sure, and a strong awareness of the absurdity of life and wasn’t intimidated by anyone. He always left me with a smile, feeling loved and I hope to always feel his presence near.
on Mar 24th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Boy oh boy, what does one say about Ed Dye? What can I say when I didn’t know him well, in fact really only met him twice? Ed was unique, and crazy, and special! Ed was complicated and human, exasperating, and only too real. I had on two separate occasions, the magical luck to be in L.A. exactly when Ed was. Each of us not being “from” there and not normally visiting there, it was surprising to have our visits line up twice and I felt fortunate that they did. I visited with Ed and his sons, like some extra family member everyone forgot about, how strange. Ed is just the kind of guy I’ve always enjoyed so much in friendship, and he and I got along famously. I think however he was also the sort of guy it would have been more of a challenge to be kin of! I know that I will personally ALWAYS remember Ed Dye and I am quite saddened and sorry that he’s gone from this world, it’s a great loss. God Bless you Ed Dye.
on Mar 26th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
As one of the first friends I made in Nashville, Ed Dye imparted so much wisdom about so many things it’s hard to know where to start. One thing missing in his time line history above is that Ed spent several years touring the U.S with Woody Herman’s jazz orchestra. He was basically Woody’s man Friday and after Woody’s passing would often dress in Woody’s tuxedo for special occasions and performances. Ingrid Fowler was Woody’s daughter and thus the connection between the two. In later years Ed made a brief return to the motion picture biz performing with Steven Segal, Kris Kristofferson and Marty Stuart in the movie Fire Down Below. He basically portrayed himself in a scene at a community dance where he had a little too much to drink and fell down with a cheap guitar that was rescued by Segal (it miraculously turned into a Martin D-45) and he serenaded the crowd with his, umm, shall we say, so so singing. But there was Ed on the big screen! We always said he was a star of the stage, screen and radio….and he was.
Our Tuesday night band, The Sidemen, feaured Ed as our closing tour de farce. He took the money at the door and was instrumental in getting attention for our band because, as he would say, “If you can get certain people to come out, other certain people will come out because other certain people are there. So, you got to get certain people out….I’m gonna call some people and get them out. And he did. No two weeks were ever the same and he never failed to deliver….not always kid friendly, but he delivered, and would shower all the attention back on the band. He was the best.
You’ll not meet anyone like Ed Dye ever again in your lifetime. He was a rare breed of performer who didn’t need much to survive and knew the true value of giving and generosity. He traveled light….resonator guitar, bones, a few clothes for all types of weather, some books and few other necessities. He wasn’t bogged down by luxuries or the need for them…not to say he didn’t enjoy them when available. I will miss him as much as I miss anyone in my life. For me he was a teacher, an artist, philosopher, a gentle spirit (before too many heinekens!) and a no nonsense reader of B.S. and could point it out to you with no uncertainty. Farewell to an original and Amercan Treasure.
on Mar 28th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Ed
How could a skinny man
with funny black glasses
be loved and missed so
with his passing?
Instantly
Maybe it was the dobro
I don’t think so
Ed was pure and honest
as the white hair on his scrawny head
He loved dogs, music
and the ones who play
And I miss Ed today
His pal, Jacky Jack
ps proud beyond words for his friendship and havin’ him on the Sucarnochee Revue the last five years