Heading for the other side

Chris Byrd ruined my morning today by posting that Brad Delp, legendary singer of Boston, has died. A statement released by his family said the following:

“On behalf of the Delp family and Brad’s fiancé, Pamela Sullivan, it is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Bradley Delp, the legendary vocalist of the rock band ‘BOSTON.’ Brad was admired and loved by many, known as the ‘man with the golden voice’ and recognized throughout the music community as ‘the nicest man in rock and roll.’ Brad will be deeply missed by (all) of his family, friends, fans and the entire music community.”

Bradley passed away on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at his home in New Hampshire.

I’ve been a Boston fan for a long time. I have the first three CDs in their 24 karat gold collectors edition versions. I even have Return to Zero. But the real highlight of my Boston fandom was meeting Brad in person at a Beatlejuice show back when I lived in Boston in 2000. After watching the first set, I approached Brad to congratulate him on the set and tell him what a huge fan I was of his. He was genuinely grateful, and stood around and chatted with me for a few minutes. He was totally unlike what you would expect from the lead singer of a rock band that held the record for best selling debut album for a long time. Brad was very down-to-earth, and very deserving of the moniker “The nicest guy in rock and roll”.

Beatlejuice was scheduled to play at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA this past Friday, the day he died, and the very place I met him. It’s sad to see you go, Brad.