This summer, two musicians passed away. They didn’t know each other; they weren’t rock stars; they weren’t famous songwriters. They were simply two friends of mine who had a passion for music.

Christopher Bock was one of the greats in the Music Instrument business. His name was well known in the MI manufacturing and retail worlds. If you’re sitting in front of a Pro Tools rig, he was responsible for getting it to you.

CB was one of the first employees at Digidesign and became their top sales and marketing executive. I’ve been traveling to various trade shows in the industry for about 20 years and I always looked forward to seeing him. When I’d see CB coming toward me, I would simply smile. He was always so upbeat, full of ideas and willing to work with anyone, no matter who they were. The last time I saw him was in Frankfurt, Germany at Musik Messe last April where we talked business and a little about scuba diving.

Christopher and I lived thousands of miles apart, and outside of trade shows and various business meetings, we didn’t socialize. He enjoyed talking about his kids, his business ventures and the music he recorded.

CB’s passion for Digidesign was intense, and he was as dedicated as an individual could possibly be. He was ethical, smart, charismatic and simply a great guy to hang with. His impact on the growth of Digi and the music retail business can’t be measured in dollars and cents.

My heart goes out to Christopher’s family, his friends and all of the great people at Digi. It is a cliché to say that he will be missed, but he will. Rest In Peace, Christopher Bock.

Earlier this summer I went home to Michigan to visit and learned that a longtime family friend, Danny Gorton, had cancer and wasn’t doing so well. He was the oldest of a flock of kids that lived just a couple of blocks from our flock.

Back in the late sixties, my older brother and Danny had a band called the After Effects. I was about eight or nine at the time and this was my first close up experience with a real band. Danny was the coolest member of the band, and he played mainly keyboards.

I was taking organ lessons and had to learn pieces like Alley Cat, Für Elise, Winchester Cathedral and many other songs I still dread playing to this day. On occasion, the After Effects practiced in our back yard and I’ll never forget the day that Danny taught me how to play the opening keyboard lick to the Doors’ “Light My Fire.” I think I played that at least 500 times a day for the next month.

I went to visit Danny back in May and spent a couple of hours with him. He talked about fighting his disease and was leaving for Maine the next day to see an acupuncture specialist. We reminisced about the After Effects, and he told me that there had been a fundraiser for him and he was amazed at how many people showed up. I wasn’t surprised at all. Later I heard that the entire town had come out to support him.

We traded a song or two on the piano and I was still impressed by his talent. He had just gotten a George Harrison book and was working on some of the tunes. I always looked up to Danny and he continues to inspire me. He played music right up until the end.

He died a few weeks after my visit. Rest in Peace, Danny Gorton.

My friends Christopher and Danny never met, but they were both free spirits, had a passion for music, and left the world a better place. Both were hard working and cared deeply about those around them. My heart and thoughts go out to their families and friends. They will be missed.

Posted by Broadjam on Sep 1, 2006 in Broadjam Blog