I suppose it's gonna become more frequent for those of us that grew up in the Rock Era. But we lost another one this week...and a great one.
Rob Grill, lead vocalist for the Grass Roots, left terra firma on Monday after complications from a stroke. I was hoping to catch him on his tour stop in Minnesota next month...but, I'll just have the 1985 gig in Morris IL to remember.
I got to hang with him backstage for an hour or so...and he was such a great guy. And, he told me one of those stories at which you just shake your head in amazement at the role that fate plays in our lives.
He'd been shopping his first solo record (smartly entitled "Uprooted") to the labels without much luck. Even with the duet "Rock Sugar" (featuring the then-super hot Stevie Nicks), he was finding little traction until a label in Chicago took notice. Mercury Records was the only "major" label of the day to not office in Los Angeles...and Rob had come to the Windy City to cut a deal.
And he did...and he said that he and his girlfriend decided to celebrate and blew off their late afternoon flight back to L.A.
It was the doomed American Airlines Flight 191 that crashed seconds after takeoff, killing all aboard.
That extended celebration provided another 30 years of Rob's exuberance and voice.
It was a fun night we shared backstage...and I'll always cherish his music.
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