Boston Lead singer found dead at 55
 

RIP Brad Delp

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/40689307

Dang. They were a lot more than just another band out of Boston.

Old news

R.I.P


really like Boston back in the day .... great road trip music.

Knowing Tom Scholz, he'll wait 10 years to bury Brad.

There's a thread on this in the geek subforum, but IMO it rates one on the main page. This has deeply bummed me out. Boston is my second favorite band, second only to the Eagles, barely, and this guy and his fantastic vocals have provided a good chunk of the soundtrack of my life.

Again, RIP, Brad.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Definitely. One of the greatest voices rock and roll has ever or will ever enjoy.

Rock on Brad

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agreed...

Too bad. I like them as a staple on KCFX even though I'm not really old enough to be a real fan.

Good read here...

Brad Delp, 1951-2007: What a voice

Brad Delp, who died today at 55, sang many more songs than the eight that fill Boston's first album. "Don't Look Back," of course. Some people love "Amanda." No doubt there are even fans of specifics from Corporate America, from 2002, which may or may not prove to be the band's swan song.

Regardless, it's unlikely that everything else he ever recorded combined will be half as remembered and revered as what he did on that first Boston album, one of those totems of classic rock that reminds me of that great exchange between Tia Carrere and Mike Myers in the first Wayne's World:
Cassandra, showing Wayne a worn copy of Frampton Comes Alive!: "Isn't that great? You've heard it?"
Wayne: "Exqueeze me? Have I seen this one before? Frampton Comes Alive!? Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive! If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of Tide."

The dialogue would play just as funny were Boston substituted for Frampton. It's an album everyone who has ever listened to rock 'n' roll has heard at least something from, even if they despised it. And, frankly, I never felt it deserved the drubbing it got at the hands of critics and first-generation punks, who hated its polished craftmanship and corporate-rock association. Look again: It was first a homegrown piece of studio rock wizardry. Then it became a household staple. It's one of those rare stories.

And it remains as pervasive as sunlight. Side 1 is virtually inescapable: "More Than a Feeling" or "Peace of Mind" or "Long Time" of "Rock 'n' Roll Band." Classics, all of 'em. Side 2: "Smokin'," "Hitch a Ride," "Something About You," "Let Me Take You Home Tonight." I'm just listening to it again - concentrating on it, I mean, not just passing by it on the radio - for the first time in years. Side 1 is monolithic to me anymore. Side 2 is still really nice. And "Hitch a Ride" I just never tire of.

Some people never tire of any of it, I realize, and for them, this is a case of one of the voices of their youth dying. Brad Delp was certainly never a rock god like Robert Plant; he wasn't even Steve Perry, really, in terms of stature. But he was every bit as popular at a certain time in pop music history. His voice became a major element of the soundtrack to millions of people's lives - and at a very specific time in their lives.

And what an indelible, tremendous voice it was. Listen to the sweet clarity and mellow crispness with which he nails those inhuman high notes and carries those melodies on Boston: It's unquestionable that the number of people capable of replicating that can probably be counted on a hand, two at most. Keep in mind: Yeah, Tom Scholz, the brainiac behind the band, was a master DIY production whiz. But this was 1976. The Age of Analog, not pitch-perfection computer sorcery.

It is a positively staggering performance, when you put down the beer or get out of the car and really stop to think about it.

And here's reason to regard Delp even more highly: Even as he moved into his 50s he had retained that vocal power. I last saw Boston in Aug. 2003, at a sold-out Pacific Amphitheatre. The show was solid, but Delp, as I recall, was astonishing. "His might after all these years was the night's shocker," I wrote. "He joked more than once that center-stage guitarist-vocalist Fran Cosmo was there to hit notes that now were beyond his reach, but apart from one or two extreme highs during "More Than a Feeling,'' I didn't notice Delp deferring to Cosmo at all."

He belted everything with fresh enthusiasm, I said. How impressive: Night after night, singing his heart out on the same songs he'd been wailing for 30 years, yet not showing any sign of boredom.

Just doing what he could do to help people relive some memories. He'll be missed more than we may hear about, I suspect.

http://blogs.ocregister.com/soundche...elp_19512.html

Some real talent just passed, RIP Brad.

Awesome, classic, unique R&R voice. I hope there are amplifiers in heaven.

RIP BD.

FAX

Heh. I had their first "album" on 8-Track. Hitch A Ride* was split between two tracks.



*I think it was that song...

Completely agree with that....we are probably around the same age :)

I saw Boston in Kemper arena in 1979.

The one thing that sticks out from that concert was the band's ability to sound very close to their albums. Awesome show...

Brad was one of the best.....RIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3BoG7xOZJk

Sadly, I never saw them in concert. I had tickets to see them with Cheap Trick in '96 (God that would have ROCKED) but Scholtz broke either his arm or hand, and the remainder of the tour was cancelled. :(

It's not where you can be.
It's what you can see
That takes you there -- your destination

Rest in peace Brad.

I was a huge Boston fan. Their drop in productivity after their second album (in-fighting and lawsuits) was a crime against music. I'm positive they had several good albums left in them that we never got to hear.

RIP Brad Delp.

Mooninites wanted for questioning.

Can you unpack that one for me, Mr. Sam Hall? I'm sure it's just me but, I'm having difficulty finding the meaning in there.

FAX

To this day, my all-time favorite song is More Than a Feeling. It almost feels like a part of my youth died today.

Godspeed, Brad...

Z

They were one of my favorites. That first album was perfect from front to back. I'm listening to it now for the first time in a few years.

ROFL

Thankadang, Mr. Sam Hall.

That one flew over my head so fast, it messed up my hair.

FAX

Go to bed for crying out loud.

Wish I could, Mr. Guru. I'm babysitting a project at work, instead.

Just a little behind on mooninite (sp?) awareness.

FAX

In case someone else is like Bob Dole and too lazy to dig out the vinyl...

http://www.mininova.org/tor/570251

You are an internet magician, Mr. Bob Dole.

FAX

Ditto :(

RIP ... Boston rocked back in the day...

Boston rocks always.

I was at that concert as well. I still have the ticket stub, March 12, 1979. Somewhere around here I have some pictures from that concert. If I had a scanner I'd post them here, but alas...

I saw them one other time in Vegas. I had won a trip to compete in a dart tournament out there. A friend of mine was also competing and neither of us advanced to the second round. So we looked to see if there were any shows that night and found that Boston was appearing at the Aladdin for one night. We were able to get tickets and go. I believe that was in 1996.

Awesome show, awesome band...

Smokin' will kill ya.

I just hope he had a good time. There's nothing like living in a rock and roll band. I'm going to learn from this by taking my time.

RIP Brad.
I had the opportunity to spend two days at his house in his studio back in 1987. Not only was he an incredible vocalist, he was also a really nice guy. A complete Beatles fanatic.

Wow. RIP, Mr. Delp.

Of all the great Boston songs to choose from I have to say that this is still my favorite

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Well said. I was lucky enough to get to see the band in concert twice........what a show both times. RIP

Here is another story about it:

ATKINSON, N.H. (AP) - Brad Delp, the lead singer for Boston, a huge rock sensation in the 1970s, was found dead Friday in his home, police said.

He was 55. Atkinson police responded to a call for help at 1:20 p.m. EST and found Delp dead. Police Lt. William Baldwin said in a statement the death was "untimely" and there was no indication of foul play.

Delp apparently was alone at the time of his death, Baldwin said.
The cause of his death remained under investigation by the Atkinson police and the New Hampshire Medical Examiner's office. Police said an incident report would not be available until Monday.

Delp sang vocals on Boston's 1976 hits "More than a Feeling" and "Longtime." He also sang on Boston's most recent album, "Corporate America," released in 2002.

He joined the band in the early 1970s after meeting Tom Scholz, an MIT student interested in experimental methods of recording music, the group's official website said. The band enjoyed its greatest success and influence during its first decade.

The band's last appearance was in November 2006 at Boston's Symphony Hall.

On Friday night, the website was taken down and replaced with the statement: "We just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

A call to the Swampscott, Mass., home of Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau was not immediately returned Friday night.

Haven't listened to Boston in a long time, but they are timeless. A mainstay, one band that I never get sick of hearing.

Boston always reminds me of my best friends older brother that passed away, he was had them cranked in his car.

You know, there was some talk a week or two back on another thread about what it was like to see "Star Wars" when it first came out in 1977 -- how groundbreaking it was, the impact it had on all us kids.

I'd say that the same thing happened when Boston's first album came out in 1976. Didn't everyone have it? I know I did -- it was part of my first shipment from the Columbia House Record and Tape Club. It had to be one of the most popular 8-track tapes of all time (I'd love to see sales figures on those). It was one of those rare albums where EVERY SONG was played heavily and well-known.

That album and that artwork was just everywhere. It was a true sensation.

RIP Brad. Truly one of the great rock vocalists of all time.

I can't listen to "Long Time" or any of the other songs on the first album without being flooded with memories from high school.

I thought Boston was the perfect synthesis of 70s music -- Led Zeppelin's crunching guitars with Yes' vocal harmonies and touches of prog (such as Scholz's organ solo on "Foreplay"). That's one reason they were so big when they hit -- they took the best elements of early-70s rock and made it sound fresh.

It's too bad they essentially pissed it all away. Scholz was a perfectionist, and he wrangled with the label, management and the other members. I was excited when "Third Stage" finally came out, and bought it the first day it was released, but again the band failed to capitalize on its second chance success. I pretty much gave up on them.

The original lineup, though, was really great. Delp was a terrific vocalist, and I always liked Goudreau's guitar work.

RIP Brad

great show in 77 at SIU Arena. 12th row. center

Has been and will always be one of my favorite songs:

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Through the years, I've owned that first album on 8-track, LP and CD.

Though I've only owned their first album, I still would have thought I had heard almost every song they have done...But I have never heard that one before, and that my friend is a F'n classic.

Rep to you for posting that.

"Boston" went platinum in 3 months in 1976. It went RIAA 17 times platinum in 2003.

:clap: Saw them at the same place with my other 3 roomies....we drove up and playing that 8 track all the way....Also had 2 cars behind us of friends doing the same......awesome at 18. :)

My first stereo I got as a Christmas present included their first release on 8 track.
They have been and always will be my favorite band. In high school we would drive around in my buddies '57 Chevy listening to them and all of us would sing right along. I think I seen them in Wichita, or was it KC? One of the best concerts I had been to.

RIP Brad.

Listening to Boston right now. I'll never forget the first time I heard them 1976 - I had never heard guitars sound as "magical" as the Boston guitars. The vocals are absolutely amazing as well, especially considering how Tom made Brad record the vocal tracks. One take with the tape machine at normal speed, then another take with the tape machine at +5%. Tom then put the machine back to normal and viola! The two tracks blended together were again, magic!

The president of a music company that I worked for from 1997-2003 actually signed Boston. He said he'd never heard anything like their record before (he heard at first at Tom's basement studio). He also said that he felt that the biggest Grammy rip-off of all time was Boston losing to the Starland Vocal Band for best new artist of 1976. He was in complete shock that Boston lost.

R.I.P., Mr. Delp.

Go back and look at the charts for 1976. The average music buyer apparently didn't have any better taste in music then than they do now. (Actually, since Bob Dole has been thinking about it most of the day, Bob Dole realized he wasn't "mainstream" when it came to music, even back then.) The year end Top 100 singles chart for 1976 is just scary/sad.

It didn't help Boston any that the album wasn't released until September.

Well once a record is nominated, the voters are required to listen to all of the albums that they'd be voting for, just like the Oscars (could you imagine voting for movies you've never seen?)

Since my former boss has been in the music business since the early 1960's and is still President of that company, I thought his comments were particularly strong for someone who's been a leader in the music industry for over 45 years.

Of course, he did pass on Blue Oyster Cult. He told their lawyer he'd give them a contract worth $50, but no more. Seriously! ROFL

The voters are bound to be influenced somewhat by sales figures (and thusly charts and "popular opinion"). Bob Dole doesn't recall whether Boston ever had a #1 single, but looking back at the chart toppers, it's unlikely.

C.W. McCall's Convoy? Yeah...dandy stuff there.

The Theme from S.W.A.T? Welcome Back, the theme from Welcome Back Kotter? When television series are driving the music charts, you're in serious trouble.

A novelty song with Rick Dees Disco Duck? Come on...

Something as fresh as Boston's debut release didn't stand a chance in that environment.

Oh, I'm certainly not defending the NARAS voters of that time. I mean, The Sex Pistols and Ramones were nominated that year for Best New Artist as well. So Starland Vocal Band over those two seminal punk bands plus Boston? Crazy.

It's off their second album, Don't Look Back.

I haven't been online in 4 days, damn this sucks. I was rocking Boston all weekend, I always dug their music - RIP Brad delp, what a shame.

IIRC, "Amanda" was their only #1. We had our own verse.

"I'm gonna take you from behind and really blow your mind...Amanda"
Guitar riff.

Now that is funny. I haven't had a good belly laugh in a while. Sorry to hear about Brad but he'll join one hell of a chorus of angels.

BUMMER! I was looking forward to their upcoming tour. I have seen them 6 times and enjoyed the show each time. I was also listening to Boston while flying home this weekend. Here is the announcement from their website:

As you all know by now, BOSTON'S lead singer, Brad Delp, was found dead in his home on Friday, March 9th 2007. Plans for live BOSTON performances this summer have, of course, been cancelled.

My heart goes out to his wonderful fiance Pamela, his two children and other family members, his close friends and band mates, and to the millions of people whose lives were made a little brighter by the sound of his voice. He will be dearly missed.

Tom Scholz


Damn, I still remember jamming to Boston while driving on my first license in So. Cal. Litsening to their music has always been one of my fondest memories while growing up. RIP - Brad!

Other than seeing 300, this weekend sucked balls.

Delp died.
Richard Jeni killed himself.
I found out that a couple the wife and I are really good friends with are getting divorced.
And Saturday night featured a dinner of bland Italian food delivered by a horrible waitress, followed by ghastly karaoke.

I'm actually glad its Monday. :banghead:

I just heard on the radio that someone (his family?) is now saying he committed suicide.

Boston was a one hit wonder group with Amanda...after that they were nobody

God, I loved BOSTON... This stinks. I wish like hell I woul dhave go to the iowa state fair to see them.
DAM DAM DAM

Just listen to Kansas-ELO-Boston all sounded the same to me when I was growing up. Hate to see somebody die and all, but the music industry will survive.

He died from not enough Pot smoking, damn it will it ever be legalized.......:cuss:





Actually, I liked Boston, sorry to hear about this [/end sincerity]

This amended post is almost as reeruned as it was when you referenced songs from another band in your lame attempt at tasteless humor. :shake:

Redrum is jealous his Mom didn't look like Amanda. :D

Here is the suicide death story report. "Carry me away for the last time"... A damn shame.
Family: Delp's Death Was Suicide
Mar 14, 3:32 PM EST
The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. -- The family of Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston, said his death was a suicide.


"He was a man who gave all he had to give to everyone around him, whether family, friends, fans or strangers," the family said in a statement relayed by police Wednesday. "He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired. We take comfort in knowing that he is now, at last, at peace." Delp, 55, died Friday at his Atkinson home. Fiancee Pamela Sullivan found him.

Toxicology tests by the state medical examiner's office showed that Delp committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, said Lt. William Baldwin. Delp also left two notes taped to a door and letters to his family and Sullivan. Baldwin said police do not know the contents of the letters. The family's statement said Sullivan, Delp's children and their mother, Delp's ex-wife Micki Delp, were grateful for the sympathy they had received.

Brad Delp joined Boston in the mid-1970s and sang two of its biggest hits, "More than a Feeling" and "Long Time." Delp had planned to marry Sullivan this summer during a break in a tour with Boston. A lifelong Beatles fan, Delp also played with a tribute band, Beatle Juice.

Beatle Juice performed a benefit last year to help build a new public library in Atkinson, a small town of about 6,000 residents on the Massachusetts border.

The family said last week it planned a private funeral followed by a public memorial to be scheduled later.

Here is a letter Tom wrote to a Rolling Stone reporter after receiving questions from the reporter. Very enlightening and interesting to note that they had new music they were going to unveil this summer. Taken from their website: http://www.bandboston.com/

Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene has asked me for some recollections about my experiences with Brad. An edited version of the reply I sent him appeared on rollingstone.com with questions inserted in the text. Here is the complete unedited note I sent to Andy:

Andy,

Thanks you for allowing me to answer your questions by e-mail. I haven't been in the mood to talk to talk to people much for the last few days as you might imagine, but I appreciate you turning to me for this. Brad and I were friends and collaborators for 35 years. Both of us being vegetarians, non-drug users and more interested in music than money, put us in a very small minority in the music business; our bond ran much deeper than just BOSTON music.

In answer to your questions:

I met Brad, soft spoken and unassuming, when he auditioned in a recording studio outside of Boston one night to sing several songs I had written. Back then in the early seventies recording a song demo meant coming up with a significant amount of money, several weeks of my day job savings, to buy a few hours of 8 track time.

Having endured countless sessions with other singers, most with undeserved egos, I had only the faintest glimmer of hope that he might be good enough to squeak by as a suitable vocalist.

He didn't warm up; he just listened to the prerecorded instrument track once. Then he started to sing. I don't know if it took two seconds or three, but before he finished singing the first line I knew that some guardian angel had just delivered to me one of the best vocalists ever to step up to a microphone! Then he kept going and I realized he wasn't just one of the best, he was amazing! High notes I hadn't heard before followed by harmonies, and overdubbed exact duplicate layered tracks, all with ease, all with emotion, and yet all technically precise.

Before we left that night he had rewritten the lyrics and the melody, sung all the vocal parts, and with the magic of his voice turned my stark guitar riff into a song! From that moment on I only hoped I could write and record music worthy of his attention and interpretation.

There were soulful notes that pulled you into the song, stratospheric screams and angelic high notes, and after hitting these record breaking notes he'd go back and sing a harmony part above it! He didn't rehearse any of these parts, he could jump back and forth between harmony parts, double tracking parts, and then go back and do it again exactly the same with one tiny change, adjusting all the other singing parts to fit with bionic accuracy.

You'd think anyone with this super human talent would be an insufferable egomaniac. But Brad was just the opposite, and amazingly he remained honestly humble in spite of the incredible star pressure that followed BOSTON's success.

Brad and I banged our heads against the wall trying to get a break with record companies for five years. During that time he and I did a lot of basement recording; we received absolutely zero recognition locally and complete rejection submitting our demos to national record labels. I think this experience put our future success in perspective as we both realized that after so many years of insult, we were just very lucky to be able to record and play music above ground! Unlike many other individuals eventually involved with BOSTON, Brad's down to earth personality never wavered; it was his natural demeanor.

When someone asked me what Brad was like, the first words that always came to mind were "nice guy." Oddly, his incredible performing abilities seem barely worth mentioning compared to his attributes as a human being. He was soft spoken yet very quick and funny. Although I rarely remember seeing him in the throws of a good belly laugh, he could keep the people around him in stitches effortlessly, and did so on a daily basis. When he wasn't making someone laugh, or giving his time to a fan, he was a tireless worker, both in the studio and on stage.

He and I had a very strong personal connection because of our moral beliefs, yet we were drastically different kinds of people. While I am rebellious and easily provoked to an unyielding defense, Brad was passive and studiously non confrontational.

Somehow over the years I think we both grew not only to accept this in each other, but to respect it; I think this is part of the reason we were able to work together for so much of our lives. In an odd parallel we were also opposites in the studio. Once Brad would laid down a vocal track he became instantly committed to it and would dig in if challenged, whereas I would want to change everything and never be sure. We were usually at odds on how vocal arrangements should go also, which in early years caused heated debates. Later we both developed such respect for each other's abilities that the collaboration, so important to the eventual outcome of BOSTON's music, became much easier. It was largely my music, but it was Brad who brought it to life, and this struggle we both had to endure was part of what made it so many people's favorite.

I last saw Brad at rehearsal last month where we prepared several old and new songs for our upcoming summer shows. These are my fondest memories, playing music with my friend and the greatest singer in rock and roll.

Andy, Brad and I have been used and abused throughout our adult life by the music business, it continues even in his death. Please do the right thing with this. Sorry I wrote you a tome.

Tom Scholz

What a damn shame. He had one of the most unique voices ever in Rock and Roll. RIP.

I listened to Boston in my youth (also Kansas, ELO, Molly Hatchet, Skynard, etc..) and always liked their unique style.

Wow why would he do it. Boston rocks and Brad was definately under rated. I saw Boston live and his voice was just amazing-it was like he was personally singing to each fan- he really cared that much.

This is a huge loss!

That's like saying McCartney's best material was with Wings.

Z

Last time Dan was in town, I made him pick the music for the road trip to Arrowhead...he chose Boston.

IMO, it was.