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* I hope he has finally found peace…
Take the guitar player for a ride
He ain’t never been satisfied
He thinks he owes some kind of debt
Be years before he gets over it
More here.
…Adding… Our pal Anders Lindall (of AFSCME) had this spot-on assessment of Bennett’s influence in a long ago Chicago Reader article…
Then Tweedy took a crucial step in Wilco’s evolution: he hired Jay Bennett as the band’s permanent guitarist. Bennett’s prior work in the Champaign-based Titanic Love Affair didn’t presage the impact he would have on Wilco, but over time he has become Jiminy Cricket to Tweedy’s Pinocchio: as a constant advocate of the limitless possibilities of the studio and as an adventurous arranger, he seems to have given Tweedy the confidence to explore his own talent in the broader realm of rock ‘n’ roll. In Bennett’s absence, as in the roots-rock stuporgroup Golden Smog, Tweedy has been prone to the predictable (”Lost Love,” from the Smog’s 1998 disc Weird Tales) and the pedestrian (”Please Tell My Brother”).
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 12:29 pm
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To me, Summerteeth is Wilco’s masterpiece, a truly great album that ranks alongside its influences - unquestioned classics like Revolver and Pet Sounds. Bennett deserves a large share of the credit for that record as well as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Though he ended up on the outside looking in, his contributions to two of the great rock albums of the last 20 years should not be forgotten.
Comment by Reality Check Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 12:34 pm
RC has it right. I don’t always run tributes on this blog when somebody dies, but this was a big one. Bennett is largely unknown to the “general populace,” but his influence on Wilco moved the band in a direction that few could’ve imagined and the results were astounding. Almost beyond words.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 12:38 pm
Whow!
This is very sad news! He was awesome!
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 12:46 pm
—…his influence on Wilco moved the band in a direction that few could’ve imagined and the results were astounding. Almost beyond words.—
Agreed. Bought A.M. on a lark and was hooked on Wilco. Rest in peace.
Comment by Slick Willy Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:07 pm
I remember him from my college days as a member of Titantic Love Affair, which is a fondly remembered band from pre-Wilco times. The news of the Wilco lawsuit, followed by his death just days afterward, leaves his fans wondering “what happened?” I’m sure we’ll find out in due time, but for now, may he RIP.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:56 pm
A damn shame.
I have a bootleg CD lying around here somewhere of “Jeff and Jay” at an Oz Park music festival way back in the happier times that I am going to hunt for and take a long listen. He made a great band greater.
Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 1:58 pm
He was an old friend of mine. Thanks for the tribute, Rich.
Comment by Beth Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 2:06 pm
The Jay Bennett years 1994-2001 (“Being there” – “YHF”) were the most exciting of wilco’s musical output. For those not familiar with Bennett’s contributions you only need to listen to Tweedy’s work with UT and after Bennett with the current wilco line up. I still love Tweedy’s songwriting, but the heart and soul of Bennett has been sadly missed in the recordings and live on stage. Jay Bennett introduced wonderful instrumentations and fantastic melodies to Jeff’s songs. Bennett sprinkled the pixie dust on Tweedy’s songs. I hope the differences/disputes that came between Tweedy and Bennett can somehow now be resolved. I was happy to see Tweedy’s statement on wilcoweb and hope once the band returns from Europe Tweedy and the band will celebrate Bennett’s life and musical contribution to their music with music.
Comment by 9970mayor Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 2:14 pm
Being There (Disc One) was in the car CD player when I heard the news. A shame.
Comment by Jake from Mell-y-wood Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 2:22 pm
I will never forget the first time I heard Jay Bennett play. It was at a now-defunct bar in Springfield called Davy Byrnes, probably in 1993, and Jay was playing with a band from Champaign called Steve Pride and His Blood Kin. He was warming up before the show at full volume and just ripping amazing country licks out of his Telecaster. You couldn’t see his face because he was looking down and his hair covered everything except the cigarette in his mouth. I had never heard such amazing playing. If my memory serves, he also sang and smoked at the same time during their set, which was quite a sight.
Comment by Matt Dietrich Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 2:36 pm
I don’t know much about his private life, but in the documentary Bennett came across very much like the troubled artist. His impressive talent, however, was obvious and I agree that it was heard best on Summerteeth.
Comment by Dan at BFS Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 3:59 pm
Mr Bennett blessed us with some of the finest millennial music to come out of Illinois — he will be missed but not forgotten.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 5:58 pm
Unfortunately, great artistic creativity and large egos go hand in hand. Always have, always will. Bennett and Tweedy (much like Farrar and Tweedy) were only destined to co-exist for a limited amount of time in the same band. What they did together was magical and, fortunately for all of us, is something that we can continue to enjoy forever. Rest in Peace Jay, and Thank You for the great artistic input you provided during your too few years on this earth!
Comment by BigDog Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 7:09 pm
Thanks for posting this Rich. Believe it or not, Jay was a student teacher at my high school in Urbana. While I wasn’t in touch with him, I always felt connected to him and watched him transform as a musician and lead others in that wake.
Comment by Mehrdad Tuesday, May 26, 09 @ 10:57 pm