I'll have to dig out their albums again - their sense of humor sometimes made you forget that as players go, they really were quite a good band.

Goodbye, BB - see you on the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Thank you for the post. Buddy was a friend and somebody I admired for many years. We've had some spirited debates about music, but you could never really argue with Buddy. His opinions were rock solid, even if you wished they weren't so. He was a smart man about music, and it showed in the quality of his songwriting across the years and across genres. He was one of a kind. A friend, a former bassist with his band, called me less than a half our ago. This is very sad news.

Howard, I'm really sorry for your loss. I hope you know that Buddy's light will continue to shine because of friends like you.

Thank you for writing about Buddy Blue. This is very sad news. I just did a quick posting about his death on my own LOUIE REPORT blog, and a link to this very website.

A big cheers for Buddy Blue for being Buddy Blue!

cheers,

ERIC PREDOEHL
http://www.louielouie.net/

Very sad and shocking news indeed. I'll remember Buddy Blue not only for his music but also for the refreshingly cranky music column he wrote for the San Diego Union Tribune. He will certainly be missed.

I was surprised to find this is the only thing I ever wrote, apparently, about Buddy on Blogcritics.

Interestingly, because I knew Buddy could get a bit sensitive at times, I was nervous about publishing this review, but also felt that Buddy would always respect honesty. And he did. He told me after the review appeared, he wasn't entirely satisified with the CD either.

There have been few in the music industry who had the integrity Buddy did, which is of course why he wasn't better known. His integrity made him largely untouchable to bigger record labels. The music industry long ago forgot how to handle musicians of true grit and honesty.

I should add -- this profile/obit of Country Dick Montana might be of interest to fans of the Beat Farmers and Buddy. Buddy is quoted quite a bit in the article.

Howard, you know what's weird? When I was writing up my Country Dick Montana story a couple years ago (not appearing on BC yet), I cited your article. And my piece on CDM led many friends into long discussions on Buddy.

One could say the circle remains unbroken.

Thanks, Joanie. I'd like to read your piece.

Here's the LAT Obit. Dude got it wrong though -- the Beat Farmers played their first shows at the Spring Valley Inn, not in El Centro.

Yeah, I saw the LAT obit and all the others out there. Talk about lack of originality! But then again, it's a cookie cutter syndicated bitch of a world, ain't it?

Keep an eye open for an email from me, Howard. That is, of course, if I can find your email on your website.

One time I won an ant farm from Buddy Blue..I won that ant farm because I agreed to be the first person to come up on stage and allow a beer to be poured on my head...For years, that ant farm was a much sought after item. I only wish that I now had a beer that I could pour over Buddy Blue's grave...Postscript "Crazy Ken"-one of Spring Valley's finest...

You're obviously one of the special, Crazy Ken. Hold those memories close and if I ever end up running into you at a bar, I promise to buy you a beer...but I'll only pour it over your head if you ask nicely.

I was trying to locate the man that wrote the best article on me that has been written to date , because their is a documentary being done on me and then i am starring in a feature film, so that is how I found out that i had lost a friend, almost a year and a half earlier.. he predicted this success and I wanted to share it with him, as it happens!
Many Blessings to all that read this !!!