Blues Traveler bassist, Bobby Sheehan, 31
JEFF TRAVITZ
By Keith Spera
Music writer/The Times-Picayune
Bobby Sheehan, the bassist who hit it big with
the New York rock band Blues Traveler but
discovered a musical community to call home in
New Orleans, was found dead in his Garden
District house Friday morning. He was 31.
"He was another guy who traveled to New Orleans
to learn and to play wonderful music," said
New Orleans Klezmer Allstars accordionist Glenn
Hartman, who worked with Sheehan on
several projects. "For him, it was a dream to
play here. He wasn't an outsider -- he was a
member of our music scene. He was as much a
part of it as anybody. He was one of us."
Sheehan had gone to bed at 4:30 a.m. and was
found dead several hours later by two friends
who were spending the night and came in to
check on him, New Orleans Police Department
spokesman Lt. Marlon Defillo said.
Detectives, called to 1537 Sixth St. early
Friday, found no evidence of trauma or foul play,
Defillo said.
Friends said Sheehan suffered from a breathing
disorder that might have caused his death. An
autopsy will be performed today, coroner's
spokesman John Gagliano said.
Sheehan and three high school friends formed
Blues Traveler in New York in the mid-1980s.
Powered by front man John Popper's harmonica
wizardry, the quartet built a national
following via nonstop touring, epic, highly
improvisational performances and frequent
appearances on "Late Night With David
Letterman."
In early 1995 the catchy single "Run-Around"
became a huge radio and MTV hit, catapulting
sales of the band's fourth album, the
appropriately titled "Four," past the 4 million mark and
attracting a broad new audience. Two subsequent
albums were less successful, though
Traveler remains a strong concert attraction.
Ardent fans of New Orleans -- Popper once
buried a harmonica in Congo Square to underscore
his devotion to the city's musical heritage --
in 1992, Blues Traveler became one of the first
next-generation rock bands to perform at the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, returning
to Jazzfest in 1995 and 1997. Their 1993 album
"Save His Soul" was recorded at Bogalusa's
Studio In the Country.
Sheehan moved to New Orleans in 1996 and bought
the house on Sixth Street last December.
In February, he and Popper performed with
Hartman at the Uptown Tipitina's with a side band
called High Plains Drifter. Sheehan joined
blues guitarist John Mooney's band at this year's
Jazzfest and at local club appearances.
Recently, Sheehan installed recording equipment
in his home, and had begun work on a solo
album with help from Hartman and other locals;
the night before his death, he recorded a song
with local drummer Carlo Nuccio. The other
three members of Blues Traveler reportedly had
planned to spend a month at Sheehan's house
this fall rehearsing for their next album.
Sheehan was no musical carpetbagger, say those
who worked with him. "He wanted to learn;
he didn't want to steal," said guitarist Alex
McMurray of the band Royal Fingerbowl. "His
house was always open; you could go by, day or
night. It was a great situation."
Sheehan used his status in the music industry
to boost the fortunes of locals. He was
instrumental in getting the Klezmer Allstars,
Royal Fingerbowl, Galactic and Anders Osborne
on the annual summer H.O.R.D.E. tour, which
Blues Traveler founded, exposing these New
Orleans acts to amphitheater-sized audiences.
"He was a booster (of the New Orleans scene),
pulling us all up," McMurray said. "He was a
guy that sold 9 million records, but he got a
bigger buzz out of playing with John Mooney than
he did from selling record one. He was amazed
that the guys in New Orleans were so accepting
of him as a human being. New Orleans is not a
star-struck town, and he appreciated that.
People would tell him when he screwed up, but
he had a sense of humor about it."
Sheehan was arrested on a charge of cocaine
possession at the Canadian border while on tour
with Blues Traveler several years ago. But
Hartman and McMurray said he suffered from sleep
apnea, a disorder that disrupts breathing
during sleep. They suspect that caused his death.
Hartman said he spoke to Sheehan Thursday, and
was at his house several days ago, helping
to set up the newly purchased recording
equipment. "He had the biggest heart," Hartman said.
"I loved him, and can't believe this."
"It's a total shame," McMurray said. "He was a
warm guy, one of the funniest guys I knew.
I'm going to miss him."
Funeral arrangements were not complete Friday.
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source: www.nolalive.com > metro headlines
cervezalover
talent with us. I think Bobby would want it that way.
Amy