Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Cream Longtime Nashville Percussionist Tom Roady Dies
Posted by Jack Silverman on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 11:43 AM
I had a chance to play with Tom once or twice, so long ago that I don't even remember what band we were playing with. But I definitely remember Tom — all he brought to the gig was this funky little electronic percussion pad, and you would have thought we had Tito Puente's entire rhythm section with us. He was exceptionally talented, warm and funny — and most memorably, as enthusiastic about music as anyone I'd met. He was hugely respected as a person and musician, and he will be missed. He left us much too young, but perhaps there's some solace in the fact that he died on tour, doing what he loved.
An excerpt from Cooper's piece:
Mr. Roady, who grew up in the St. Louis area, lived in Nashville for 28 years, and he was an integral part of hit singles including Brooks & Dunn’s “My Maria,” Kenny Chesney’s “When The Sun Goes Down” and Vince Gill’s “What The Cowgirls Do.” He toured with Skaggs, James Taylor, John Denver, Paul Anka and others, and he owned Big Bang Theory Studio in Kingston Springs.Mr. Roady’s final days were filled with music. Saturday night, he played Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork with friends Waldo LaTowsky, Gary Talley, Chopper Anderson, Dave Hoffner and Renee Armand.
“He was one of those rare people that everybody liked,” said LaTowsky. “Tom had a great smile and a great vibe."
Comments (2)
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"Saturday night, he played at Puckett's in Leiper's Fork with freinds" ..."died Sunday"..."on a tour bus while on the road with Ricky Skaggs' Family Christmas Tour" : familiar with Ricky Skaggs and the Whites, sounds like God put this well loved musican with the right folks to start his journey into Heaven.
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I was in a band that Tom played in for a short period of time, maybe two gigs, I was and still am basically an unknown in the music business, but Tom treated me like I was an equal. I appreciated that. The world has lost a unique soul. I'll always remember him with a smile.
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