Only the good die young...... Goodbye Dave

A lot can happen in a couple of days, highs, and lows.
My post on the 29th June 2006 mentioned our at the time upcoming recording session at SAE studios on July 1st 2006.
Back in the very distant past I had written a song titled Wrigglin' 'n' Writhin'.
About 30 years ago, I took the song into Walter Sound Studios along with a young guitar player with whom I had the pleasure of working, Dave Middleton, who had a really nice 'burst Les Paul.
I had first met Dave a few years earlier when he was 15, and we played together shortly after.

(He's the handsome young fella standing on the right in the photo above.)

In later years Dave played in my last working band before my recent reincarnation as a player. In the years after he became increasingly interested in bluegrass music and acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

Dave has been a life long friend ever since we met. I was honoured to be a guest when he married Kellee, and was always made to feel welcome when I dropped in on them unannounced, and of course I always welcomed the times he visited or contacted me.

On Saturday, we used the same song, at the insistence of my current band, who consider it a great song. (Thanks., fellas, sincerely appreciated.)
We had just finished Saturday's session, and turned the mobile phones back on, when Jenny my partner answered my phone. I spoke to Kellee, Dave's wife, who was on the line with some terrible news.
In a twist of irony, Dave, with whom I'd recorded the same song earlier, had died at four a.m. that morning from what at this stage is presumed to be a heart attack.
I spoke to Dave's brother, Mark, this morning, who explained that their bluegrass band had a good rehearsal Friday night, and Dave has been organising a folk club near where he lived in Strathbogie with a view to organising a festival. He was looking forward to a pending course on Events Management, was very excited and happy, and appeared as fit as a scrub bull.
I haven't heard playbacks of the vocal or lead guitar trax as we were pushed for time: the song still needs to be mixed, and Jed is adding a rythmn part on the 14th of July. However, the performances felt good and I expect good results.
The band, when I told them of the bad news in the phone call, said we we would dedicate our recording of the song to Dave.

Thanks, Zig, Tim and Jed, my appreciation is heartfelt.

This tragedy has left Kellee a widow, and his two young children (whom Dave sired late in life) fatherless. My love and sympathy go out to Kellee, Chelsea, and Natalie, his brothers, Mark, Jim, Scott, sister Norma, stepmum Norma, and to Betty and Heinz, and to their families.