Sunday, March 11, 2007

Many Thanks, Brad Delp


Maybe not a household name, but if you are a classic rock fan, you've heard his voice. He was the lead singer for Boston, and hit those impossibly high notes.

Boston had a sound like no one... and made a LOT of money not just off records, but also off equipment that was pioneering in rock music. Tom Scholtz (Boston guitarist) invented the Rockman (a little gizmo that replaced racks and racks of older electronics), and a lot of groups had their "sound" because of Boston's pioneering.

Who were these guys? In short: nerds. Brad Delp made heating elements for Mr. Coffee machines. Tom Scholtz is an MIT graduate who worked at Poloroid. Regular guys who loved to rock.

I think the greatest tribute ever paid to a musician was what was on Boston's website for a few days after Delp's untimely death: "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

I've always loved their music, and have every album. How gratifying to know that not only did he have a great voice... he was a nice guy.

R.I.P. Bradley E. Delp (June 12, 1951 – March 9, 2007).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It may sound weird to you, but thanks for saying the kind words about Brad. Boston has been one of my guiding musical influences throughout most of my adult life, so I've taken this news very hard.

Just know there are other fans out there, like you, who appreciated Brad's honesty in all aspects, on stage, on Boston's albums, and in "real life" too.

Real guys like us don't find success quite as often anymore. He was one one of the good ones.

Vicki said...

Sky, thanks for posting this tribute. I, too, have always been a fan of Boston, and was saddened to hear of Brad's death. I'm glad to know that he was also a nice guy.

Art said...

I never knew much about him - I was always more interested in Scholtz and the tech geek stuff - but I was saddened to hear of his passing.