Hollywood: Musician Scott Kempner (69) dies—his career, notable albums
Guitarist and songwriter Scott Kempner, who was predominantly known for his association with the rock music The Dictators, passed away on Wednesday at a nursing home in Connecticut, USA. Reportedly, the 69-year-old died due to complications caused by early-onset dementia. He was also a founding member of the rock and roll band The Del-Lords and shot to limelight through his album Tenement Angels (1992).
His friend Dion DiMucci paid him tribute
Dion DiMucci, who was Kempner's bandmate in the band Little Kings, remembered him," Scott was the quintessential rocker, a free abandoned guitar player, a superb arranger, a prolific songwriter, with the great sense of rhythm...He is a dear friend and brother whom I love and will truly miss. Eternal rest my friend." Kempner is survived by his wife Sharon Ludtke and sister Robin Kempner.
Beginnings of The Dictators
Kempner collaborated with Andy Shernoff and Ross "The Boss" Friedman during his college days and later formed the band The Dictators (1974). The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, their debut album, was a pioneer of the punk rock genre and they subsequently went on to record three more albums before their separation. However, they kept re-grouping sporadically and Kempner, too, kept coming back to it.
His association with The Del-Lords
In 1982, Kempner laid the foundation of The Del-Lords and musicians Manny Caiati, Eric Ambel, and Frank Funaro were its other members. They released studio albums such as Frontier Days, Elvis Club, Johnny Comes Marching Home, Based on a True Story, and Lovers Who Wander. "The Del-Lords was a comfort zone. It was a well-oiled machine," Kempner told Variety in 2008.
Kempner received high praise throughout his career
Variety once wrote in its praise of Kempner, "Kempner's music is impossible to not like: He's the rare master at making three-chord rock 'n' roll - inspired by the 1950s and '60s - sound fresh and vital, simultaneously urban and twangy, heartfelt, political and personal." Apart from Tenement Angels, his other solo albums are Saving Grace (2008) and Live on Blueberry Hill (2015).
Here's how The Dictators bid him farewell in 2022
When Kempner was diagnosed with dementia in 2022, The Dictators wrote, "[We] are sad to announce that our brother Scott will be leaving [us] due to health reasons." "The band was a shared vision and Scott's sense of rock and roll history and our place in it along with his arrangement and songwriting kept us on the right course. We will be forever grateful."
