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Son Seals 1942-2004
Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 10:35 pm
 
Just got this in E-mail:
 
Following a long struggle with diabetes, veteran blues guitarist Son Seals passed away yesterday in his hometown of Chicago, IL. Though his career spanned 30 years and eleven albums, the 62-year-old guitarist is perhaps best known to Relix readers as the author of "Funky censored," a key track in Phish's repertoire.
A noted songwriter and vocalist, Seals emerged from the Chicago blues scene in the early 1970s, helping revive the Windy City's struggling music community. Born Frank Seals in Osceola, AK in 1942, Seals originally fashioned himself a drummer before switching to guitar at the age of 18. Seals moved to Chicago in 1971 and began playing regular weekend gigs at The Expressway Lounge and other clubs on Chicago's South Side, regularly jamming with legends like Hound Dog Taylor, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. In 1985, 1987, and 2001, Seals received a W.C. Handy Blues Awards and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1980 for his participation in the live compilation "Blues Deluxe."
 
Son's 1973 debut recording, "The Son Seals Blues Band," on the fledging Alligator Records label, established Seals as a national attraction. At the time, The New York Times called him "the most exciting young blues guitarist and singer in years." His 1977 follow-up, "Midnight Son," also received national attention.
 
Throughout the 1980s, Seals toured Europe and shared the stage with B.B. King and Johnny Winter. The 1990s were a turbulent time for the guitarist. In 1997, Seals was shot by his ex-wife, forcing him to undergo jaw reconstruction. Soon after, complications from diabetes forced Seals to have his lower left leg amputated.
 
After performing Seals' "Funky censored" regularly for several years, Phish jammed with the guitarist in July of 1997. In 1999, Seals played before an estimated 50,000 fans at Phish's Camp Oswego festival, performing both "Funky censored" and his own "On My Knees." During Phish's hiatus, Seals' covered the group's "Suzy Greenberg" for the Mockingbird Foundation's charity CD, Sharin' in the Groove . Trey Anastasio also appeared on Seals' 2000 release, Lettin' Go . Seals played his last live performances in October, 2004, in California.