Dave
Well-Known Member
Yes, I saw a blog on my Facebook page by a musician (a New York guy, Eric Mercury) who knew him, even jammed & played with him!
Did a Google search and yes, it's true: He'd passed away in his sleep... From CNN:
(CNN) -- Donald "Duck" Dunn, the bass player who laid the musical floor beneath soul legends like Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave and Otis Redding, has died at age 70, his family announced Sunday.
Dunn was part of the house band at Memphis, Tennessee's Stax Records, the R&B powerhouse that turned out hits like "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," "In the Midnight Hour" and "Soul Man." He was also a member of the Blues Brothers, the band that backed up comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their "Saturday Night Live" appearances and film.
Dunn died in his sleep in Tokyo after playing dates that had been postponed after the 2011 Japanese earthquake, his son told CNN.
"They were over there doing five shows in a row, two shows every night -- and for a 70-year-old guy, that was quite a bit of work," Jeff Dunn said. The musician had gone back to his hotel after their last show and died before catching a flight back to the United States, his son said.
Dunn was touring Japan with two fellow Stax veterans, singer Eddie Floyd and guitarist Steve Cropper. In a statement on his website, Cropper said, "Today I lost my best friend, and the world has lost the best guy and bass player to ever live."
Cropper and Dunn were high school classmates who joined Stax in the early 1960s to play with Booker T. and the MGs, which underpinned the label's lineup. Dunn was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group in 1992, and they also received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2007.
The group's leader, Booker T. Jones, mourned Dunn in a statement on his own website, saying, "It was totally unexpected, and I've rarely had tears come so quickly."
Jeff Dunn said the family had no information about the cause of death. A memorial service will be held in Memphis at a yet-to-be-determined date, he said.
-- Dave
Did a Google search and yes, it's true: He'd passed away in his sleep... From CNN:
(CNN) -- Donald "Duck" Dunn, the bass player who laid the musical floor beneath soul legends like Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave and Otis Redding, has died at age 70, his family announced Sunday.
Dunn was part of the house band at Memphis, Tennessee's Stax Records, the R&B powerhouse that turned out hits like "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," "In the Midnight Hour" and "Soul Man." He was also a member of the Blues Brothers, the band that backed up comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their "Saturday Night Live" appearances and film.
Dunn died in his sleep in Tokyo after playing dates that had been postponed after the 2011 Japanese earthquake, his son told CNN.
"They were over there doing five shows in a row, two shows every night -- and for a 70-year-old guy, that was quite a bit of work," Jeff Dunn said. The musician had gone back to his hotel after their last show and died before catching a flight back to the United States, his son said.
Dunn was touring Japan with two fellow Stax veterans, singer Eddie Floyd and guitarist Steve Cropper. In a statement on his website, Cropper said, "Today I lost my best friend, and the world has lost the best guy and bass player to ever live."
Cropper and Dunn were high school classmates who joined Stax in the early 1960s to play with Booker T. and the MGs, which underpinned the label's lineup. Dunn was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group in 1992, and they also received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2007.
The group's leader, Booker T. Jones, mourned Dunn in a statement on his own website, saying, "It was totally unexpected, and I've rarely had tears come so quickly."
Jeff Dunn said the family had no information about the cause of death. A memorial service will be held in Memphis at a yet-to-be-determined date, he said.
-- Dave
