"My two main men are Jesus and old John Birch ..."

April 3, 2006 9:49 PM

Buddy Blue, 1957-2006 California roots/blues/rockabilly/jazz/swing hero Buddy "Blue" Seigal, 48, died Sunday of a heart attack. He was a founding member of the Beat Farmers, the Jacks and the Rockin' Roulettes and had a long twisted solo career. Besides being a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer -- you'll find his name on CDs by everybody from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to the Forbidden Pigs -- he was a talented music journalist. He was notoriously difficult. But he was much loved. Instead of a show by the post-Country Dick Montana "Farmers" on Friday, there will be a memorial.
posted by kenlayne (9 comments total)

I didn't want to post this, but people ought to know. Buddy was a friend & bandmate of mine way back when, and I hadn't seen him in five years ... a dozen people sent out the sad news yesterday. His death was not expected. I guess nobody's death is expected, but he wasn't scheduled to die and leave a wife and daughter behind. If you dug the Beat Farmers, get some of his solo and other-band records. There are some real winners, from dirty roadhouse music to East Coast soul (he was a greaser tough-guy Jew from Syracuse, NY) to some really fine smoky jazz.
posted by kenlayne at 9:55 PM on April 3, 2006

Shit, I loved The Beat Farmers. I remember sitting on a friend of mine's front lawn back in 1985, splitting a twelve pack of tall boys and listening to Tales of the New West and laughing our asses off at the enclosed almanac.

RIP Buddy.
posted by marxchivist at 10:14 PM on April 3, 2006

How sad. "Dive Bar Casanovas" is one of my favorite party albums ever.
posted by twsf at 10:30 PM on April 3, 2006

That's just awful. He has been a roots rock (among other genre's in which he was proficient) mainstay of Southern California and a good person on top of it, not to mention a witty and astute rock critic for OC Weekly, where staffers joke that one editor is assigned to do nothing but pare down to a manageable number the scatological and testicular sweat references in Buddy's reviews. Oh, God, he has a baby girl and a new house and a million friends.

"And the clock won't spare him nothing, the conclusion is foregone, as he keeps on watching the river rolling on." --Watching the River (link to page with MP3)

Kenlayne's links are enough, but I posted on the Beat Farmers last November on the 10th anniversary of Country Dick's death.

"Rest in Peace" is not the right phrase for Buddy, especially if he's going beyond to meet Dick. There's going to be a lot of drinking in Scotland tonight.

"Did you tell your wife that you love her? Did you tell your kids the same? Did you hold them in your arms with all your brawn? Cause they won't be here forever, and the next day you'll be gone, as you keep on watching the river rolling on"
posted by planetkyoto at 10:39 PM on April 3, 2006

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posted by shecky57 at 11:00 PM on April 3, 2006

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posted by nola at 11:21 PM on April 3, 2006

A set of warbly old videos just uploaded to YouTube. Especially check out young Buddy singing and playing "Lonesome Hound."
posted by planetkyoto at 6:38 AM on April 4, 2006

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posted by ktoad at 10:35 AM on April 4, 2006

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posted by redneck_zionist at 7:38 AM on April 9, 2006