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Famous singer Bob Neuwirth passed away on May 18 at 82. The cause of death was stated as heart failure. The news was confirmed by his longtime partner and entertainment executive Paula Batson, who said,
“On Wednesday evening in Santa Monica, Bob Neuwirth’s big heart gave out. He was 82 years old and would have been 83 in June. Bob was an artist throughout every cell of his body and he loved to encourage others to make art themselves. He was a painter, songwriter, producer and recording artist whose body of work is loved and respected.”
Batson continued and stated,
“For over 60 years, Bob was at the epicenter of cultural moments from Woodstock, to Paris, ‘Don’t Look Back’ to Monterey Pop, ‘Rolling Thunder’ to Nashville and Havana. He was a generous instigator who often produced and made things happen anonymously. The art is what mattered to him, not the credit. He was an artist, a mentor and a supporter to many. He will be missed by all who love him.”
Detailed information on Neuwirth’s funeral is yet to be revealed.
Netizens pay tribute on Twitter
Bob Neuwirth gained recognition as a singer, songwriter, and visual artist in all these years. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise:
Everything known about Bob Neuwirth
Born on June 20, 1939, Bob Neuwirth was a veteran of the early 60s Cambridge, Massachusetts, folk scene. He then became a friend and associate of Bob Dylan in 1964.
Neuwirth attended art school in Boston and was a part of the rising Cambridge blues-folk scene. He trained firsthand with urban blues legends like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and others. He performed in folk clubs in Berkeley and bars around the bay area in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood.
He worked and traveled with Dylan during the mid-60s, and the tours were documented in the movies Don’t Look Back and Eat the Document. He filmed the Monterey Pop Festival and traveled to Nashville with songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
Neuwirth also taught Kristofferson’s song Me and Bobby McGee to his old friend Janis Joplin. Neuwirth and Joplin co-wrote the song, Mercedes Benz. He assembled Dylan’s tour titled Rolling Thunder Avenue Revue, which helped launch the careers of T Bone Burnett, J.S. Soles, and David Mansfield.
Neuwirth recorded two solo albums, Back to the Front and 99 Monkeys, in the 80s. He toured Europe at the time, sometimes alone and sometimes with artists like John Cale, Howe Gelb, Sid Griffin, and others.
He collaborated with Cale on the 1994 album, Last Day on Earth and recorded Look Up, part one of the On the road series. He then worked with Cuban composer and arranger Jose Maria Vitier in 1999. He was also the producer of a documentary movie, Down from the Mountain.
With him, we lose another legend of an era bygone - listen to his music to remember his times.
