Scott Kempner - co-founder & rhythm guitarist of The Dictators and leader & chief songwriter of The Del-Lords - passed away Wednesday, November 29th, of early onset dementia. If you knew nothing about him, there’s a nice write-up here - Scott Kempner Dead at 69 - from the Best Classic Bands website, including tributes from bandmates Andy Shernoff and Eric Ambel, among others.

There’s a good chance you didn’t know anything about Scott Kempner. He - and the principal bands he was in - were never exactly household names in the realm of rock & roll. He never married a model or a movie star, he never crashed a Mercedes on the Sunset Strip, he never got the opportunity to gouge his fans for hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars for the privilege of seeing him from the top deck of the enormo-dome like a coupla bands I could name here, but won’t.

He was a rocker who was just glad he got to keep playing his guitar loud in clubs from his teens until his 60’s, and who I got to talk to once in 1992 after a show at The Dell on Parsons Avenue when he was touring his solo Tenement Angels album, and whom I’m really gonna miss as I go about my day today.

Scott - DFFD.

Here are some links to blogs I did about The Dictators and The Del-Lords back in Growing Old With Rock & Roll

The Five Best Bands That You Never Saw Live, part two: The Dictators

The Del-Lords “I’m Gonna Be Around” (Bonus Video Friday)

And some videos you’ve GOTTA watch.

This clip comprises The Dictators entire set at Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Festival August 14th, 2004, in New York City. I was at that show. (In fact at the 5:03 mark, the guy with brown hair & a black t-shirt to the left of the white-haired guy wearing a red & white baseball cap, that’s ME.)

The Del-Lords / “Livin’ On Love” / 1984

My favorite Del-Lords song; written by Scott Kempner, sung by Eric Ambel. (All four Del-Lords sang lead, on songs written by Kempner.)

The Del-Lords / “Heaven” / 1986

(written & sung by Scott Kempner)

The Del-Lords / “Stay With Me” / 1990

(written by Adny Shernoff of The Dictators, Scott Kempner, lead vocal)

The Del-Lords / “I Play The Drums” / live 2013

(written by Scott Kempner, lead vocal Frank Funaro)

Ricki C. turned 71 years old earlier this year. His first favorite rock & roll song was Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue” when he was five years old, riding in his sainted Italian father’s Oldsmobile. He figures his last favorite rock & roll song will be by either Elliott Murphy or Ian Hunter, sometime in the future.