RIP Mr. Bandana

I love some colorful charcters and have been blessed to know so many in last 38 years. It is what makes the world go round if you ask me. One of these guys was a fellow by the name of Mr. Bandana who from the outside looked like a scary dude who you did not wanna meet in a back alley somewhere. He was a fixture in local music all thru out the southern states. I seen him at shows from my home town of Spartanburg SC all the way to Johnson City TN. He was a force of nature who was tough as nails and had been around proving it wasn’t his first rodeo. He claimed to be an asshole and if you didn’t know him personally he could pull off that part for sure. The fact was he was a caring guy who loved country/roots/bluegrass/physcobilly music so much that it was his life style. I feel like when Waylon asked us “Do you think Hank did it this way?”   Bandana was listening and made a choice to “do it this way”. That way was a lifestyle and he wasn’t no weekend warrior for the hours he spend advocating bands such as Joe Buck, Lucky Tubb, Antiseen, and Hank Williams 3. He also was very passionate about getting Hank Williams Sr back in the Grand Old Opry as he was huge in getting folks to sign the petiton. The first time I saw him was a Joe Buck concert in town and I knew this guy was filled with great stories. He reminded me of my Uncle Tom who was a free spirit who roamed the road and loved pure music. I was writing and submitting a few things online at the time and once at a concert he came up to me and said he appericated what I was doing and was a fan of mine. That made my heart shine a little that he took the time to read something that I wrote. We became friends and I would see him at many shows in the Carolinas. Last time I saw him he was with Lucky Tubb in town where he had been apparentlly missing in action and he jokling said in a audio interview I did with him “This is Mr. Bandana and I aint dead!” . I learned he passed away last night from a infection and that quote stuck in my mind. He isn’t dead at all his force of nature spirit lives on thru the highways of dixie land. Godspeed Buddy and Thank you for bringing some color to this black and white world. Much Love