RIP, Gil. A great drummer; I played several bands with him, of which "Scottie's Shadows" was my favorite. Gil was fond of saying "It's a great life if you know how to live it..." And he did.
A heavy drimmer, a la Gene Krupa. The sticks were like hammers in his hand. You couldn't drop the beat if you tried with him backing you. He was a good friend for many years. May he rest in peace.
Gil was a really together drummer and good guy. Allan's comment reminded me that he used unusually heavy sticks. I have a Band photo with Gil, Allan, Mick and Red Freeman that always makes me smile. All of us from that Lincoln group of Banddrats that played and still do just love the music so much. Its a wonderful fraternity to be in, here on earth and in Eternity, where I have a vision that drummers will be seated on stage in front of the guitar players and they can look at our butts for a change. Pretty sure Gil is in favor of this.
I played RocknRoll with Gil for years as "Spike and the Sputniks" all over the upper Midwest and traveled long distances with him, from Minot ND to Macon MO and points in between and beyond. We were a working band, playing every week, sometimes as much as 20 or 25 nights in a row, booked by agents, and made money! I knew him as a good musician from high school days, and he even stopped through Chicago and stayed at my place with Mick Harris in the late 1960s, when they had played on the road with George "Red" Freeman,with whom I was also well acquainted. George had gone on to play with Sherwin Linton and the "Cotton Kings". I attended Gil's funeral, and he is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park. I still remember his nice old glass-top 1954 Ford from high school, and his first wife,Diane. They were high school sweethearts.
Gil died in his late 40s as the result of a heart attack. He was working with Ken Essink and Essink Bros. construction where he mostly worked hanging drywall. They were working inside a church when he said he didn't feel well and wanted to sit down. Instead he fell down, and never got back up. I was shocked to hear about it by phone from Butch Berman, and said, "come on Butch, that's not funny", to which Butch replied "no, Bruce it's not a joke.' I believe he was about 46 years old at the time.
Gil & I played together in Spike and the Sputniks, we played old time RocknRoll, and we were very popular everywhere we would go. Bill Mericle was our bass player, and he is now deceased too. He had played with "The Marauders" in earlier times. Maybe you and I should jam some time, with Bruce Watson on drums, we could do Wooly Bully! Or Louie Louie! Oh, don't forget WipeOut! Or maybe you had your fill of that a long time ago! -Bruce
Geez--Wooly Bully, Louie Louie and Wipe Out. I'll bet I have played each of them at least 2000 times. What would we play if we set the bar a lot higher? All good.
Mark Dalton
RIP, Gil. A great drummer; I played several bands with him, of which "Scottie's Shadows" was my favorite. Gil was fond of saying "It's a great life if you know how to live it..." And he did.
Allan Lerdahl
A heavy drimmer, a la Gene Krupa. The sticks were like hammers in his hand. You couldn't drop the beat if you tried with him backing you. He was a good friend for many years. May he rest in peace.
Bruce Watson
Gil was a really together drummer and good guy. Allan's comment reminded me that he used unusually heavy sticks. I have a Band photo with Gil, Allan, Mick and Red Freeman that always makes me smile. All of us from that Lincoln group of Banddrats that played and still do just love the music so much. Its a wonderful fraternity to be in, here on earth and in Eternity, where I have a vision that drummers will be seated on stage in front of the guitar players and they can look at our butts for a change. Pretty sure Gil is in favor of this.
bw
Bruce Kubick
I played RocknRoll with Gil for years as "Spike and the Sputniks" all over the upper Midwest and traveled long distances with him, from Minot ND to Macon MO and points in between and beyond. We were a working band, playing every week, sometimes as much as 20 or 25 nights in a row, booked by agents, and made money! I knew him as a good musician from high school days, and he even stopped through Chicago and stayed at my place with Mick Harris in the late 1960s, when they had played on the road with George "Red" Freeman,with whom I was also well acquainted. George had gone on to play with Sherwin Linton and the "Cotton Kings". I attended Gil's funeral, and he is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park. I still remember his nice old glass-top 1954 Ford from high school, and his first wife,Diane. They were high school sweethearts.
Allan Lerdahl
I hadn't heard about his passing until this website. I have tried to find out what happened with no luck. Could you enlighten me? Thanks.
Bruce Kubick
Hi Al-
Gil died in his late 40s as the result of a heart attack. He was working with Ken Essink and Essink Bros. construction where he mostly worked hanging drywall. They were working inside a church when he said he didn't feel well and wanted to sit down. Instead he fell down, and never got back up. I was shocked to hear about it by phone from Butch Berman, and said, "come on Butch, that's not funny", to which Butch replied "no, Bruce it's not a joke.' I believe he was about 46 years old at the time.
Gil & I played together in Spike and the Sputniks, we played old time RocknRoll, and we were very popular everywhere we would go. Bill Mericle was our bass player, and he is now deceased too. He had played with "The Marauders" in earlier times. Maybe you and I should jam some time, with Bruce Watson on drums, we could do Wooly Bully! Or Louie Louie! Oh, don't forget WipeOut! Or maybe you had your fill of that a long time ago! -Bruce
Bruce Watson
Geez--Wooly Bully, Louie Louie and Wipe Out. I'll bet I have played each of them at least 2000 times. What would we play if we set the bar a lot higher? All good.
Bruce Kubick
Blues, R&B, funk, Country, Top 40, I'm all this and more.