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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Sun May 13, 2012, 09:50 AM May 2012

Bass player Donald 'Duck' Dunn dies in Tokyo

(05-13) 01:40 PDT TOKYO, Japan (AP) --

Bass player and songwriter Donald "Duck" Dunn, a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band Booker T. and the MGs and the Blues Brothers band, has died in Tokyo. He was 70.

Dunn was in Tokyo for a series of shows. News of his death was posted on the Facebook site of his friend and fellow musician Steve Cropper, who was on the same tour. Cropper said Dunn died in his sleep.

Miho Harasawa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Blue Note, the last venue Dunn played, confirmed he died alone early Sunday. She had no further details.

Dunn, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941, performed on recordings with Eric Clapton, Neil Young and many others, and specialized in blues, gospel and soul. He played himself in the 1980 hit movie "The Blues Brothers."



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/13/international/i013114D54.DTL

32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Bass player Donald 'Duck' Dunn dies in Tokyo (Original Post) n2doc May 2012 OP
Another one for Rock and Roll Heaven malthaussen May 2012 #1
"We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline" marmar May 2012 #2
Duck Dunn and his Fender Jazz bass... Cooley Hurd May 2012 #3
You may want to check your sources, BarbaRosa May 2012 #9
Meh. A Fender is a Fender....... socialist_n_TN May 2012 #12
So true, BarbaRosa May 2012 #14
Hey, that's not picky, that's just bass player talk........ socialist_n_TN May 2012 #15
lmao.....good point....n/m lostnote12 May 2012 #27
I saw Book T & MGs about 4 years ago waddirum May 2012 #4
Duck Dunn was a Groove Master........ socialist_n_TN May 2012 #5
I loved his playing.... Bluenorthwest May 2012 #6
Damn. He was great. RIP panader0 May 2012 #7
Damn. That stinks. Bluzmann57 May 2012 #8
Levon Helm died a few weeks ago- maybe that's your trilogy NBachers May 2012 #10
Yeah. You're probably correct Bluzmann57 May 2012 #16
Skip Pitts (Issac Hayes, Stax session man) passed on May 1st. Ronnie Montrose back in March. bluesbassman May 2012 #24
Aw damn, I hadn't heard about Burks. progressoid May 2012 #29
He's with Joliet Jake and Mr. Fabulous MrScorpio May 2012 #11
It's gonna be awhile before we put the band back together. n/t leeroysphitz May 2012 #25
RIP. He Was A Brilliant Musician. (n/t) Paladin May 2012 #13
Oh no! proud2BlibKansan May 2012 #17
dam another great goes on another journey.... madrchsod May 2012 #18
he played w/ so many people Botany May 2012 #19
One of the all-time greatest bass players. Ikonoklast May 2012 #20
One of the best... Tikki May 2012 #21
Ahh man sharp_stick May 2012 #22
"Scuzzy" is precisely the perfect atmosphere OriginalGeek May 2012 #23
Loved him on "Yer Album" by The James Gang. mwb970 May 2012 #26
RIP - nt Ohio Joe May 2012 #28
Playin till the end. progressoid May 2012 #30
Time Is Tight Art_from_Ark May 2012 #31
This is a blow to the gut. klook May 2012 #32

socialist_n_TN

(11,481 posts)
12. Meh. A Fender is a Fender.......
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:33 AM
May 2012
I always liked the Jazz because it was easier on the hands (slimmer neck) and because it had 2 full pickups rather than one split. But you're right in that Duck Dunn played a Precision.

As I said above, he was a Groove Master and with a GM, it don't matter too much about the tones, especially the differences in tones between a Jazz and a Precision. The groove is EVERYTHING.

BarbaRosa

(2,684 posts)
14. So true,
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:45 AM
May 2012

I didn't really mean to get picky about it, but as a P player, I pick up on those things. He was one who inspired me to get my P-bass.

socialist_n_TN

(11,481 posts)
15. Hey, that's not picky, that's just bass player talk........
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:48 AM
May 2012
Nobody else pays attention to that shit, so WE might as well.

Bluzmann57

(12,336 posts)
8. Damn. That stinks.
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:03 AM
May 2012

Michael Burks a few days ago, now Duck Dunn. Who's next? These things always happen in threes it seems.
R.I.P. to Donald Dunn.

Bluzmann57

(12,336 posts)
16. Yeah. You're probably correct
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:49 AM
May 2012

Hopefully, no more great artists will die any time soon. We're losing too many as it is.

bluesbassman

(19,372 posts)
24. Skip Pitts (Issac Hayes, Stax session man) passed on May 1st. Ronnie Montrose back in March.
Sun May 13, 2012, 12:39 PM
May 2012

Been a rough year for Rock and Blues musicians.

RIP Duck.

Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
20. One of the all-time greatest bass players.
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:56 AM
May 2012

Dunn had a career most people can only dream of.


Just last month heard an interview of Duck and Steve Cropper.


Keep jammin', Duck.

sharp_stick

(14,400 posts)
22. Ahh man
Sun May 13, 2012, 12:15 PM
May 2012

I saw him play at the legendary and somewhat scuzzy King Edward Hotel in Calgary many years ago. We used to love going there on weekends to drink a lot of beer and listen to a lot of good music.

mwb970

(11,358 posts)
26. Loved him on "Yer Album" by The James Gang.
Sun May 13, 2012, 12:52 PM
May 2012

That was the James Gang LP that frustrated people with "automatic" turntables since it had silliness recorded in the very last grooves on each side… side one had "turn me over , turn me over , turn me over …" side two was something like: "We're done… We can't be done!… Why Not?… Because Dunn is in California!"

klook

(12,154 posts)
32. This is a blow to the gut.
Mon May 14, 2012, 07:01 PM
May 2012

I love Booker T. and the M.G.s, and Duck Dunn was one of my favorite musicians. Very sad news. I still haven't gotten over the death of Al Jackson 37 years ago, to tell you the truth.


L-R: Al Jackson, Jr. (drums), Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), Steve Cropper (guitar)

These guys were and are a huge influence on me personally, not only for their music but for their participation in an integrated group of Southerners in a time and place when that was truly daring.



- from bookert.com:

Sunday, May 13th, 2012
My good friend and bass player, Donald “Duck” Dunn has passed away this morning in Tokyo. He was in the company of good friends Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper. My daughter Cicely called to tell me the news. Steve said he died in his sleep.

I am struck deeply by Duck’s death, have just begun to shed tears over Levon Helm, Andrew Love, and Chris Ethridge. And I must here mention that we have also lost Skip Pitts – (guitar on “It’s Your Thing” and “Shaft”).

God is calling names in the music world. He gave us these treasures and now he is taking them back. Duck was too close to me for me to at this point realize the full implications of his passing. I’m just trying to pray for those who were closer to him – his wife June, and his son Jeff, and his brothers and sister.

I can’t imagine not being able to hear Duck laugh and curse, but I’m thankful I got to spend time and make music with him. His intensity was incomparable. Everyone loved him. None more than Otis Redding.

Of all the “departures” of the past 30 days, this one is the hardest and most crushing for me. It was totally unexpected, and I’ve rarely had tears come so quickly. I’ve always believed that every closing door opens another, and this one will have some good effect too, somewhere down the line.

Thank you all for your prayers and condolences, and just know that Duck is somewhere smiling down on all of us saying, “Got Damn!!!”
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