Root Boy Slim
Encyclopedia
Root Boy Slim was the stage name
assumed by American
musician, Foster MacKenzie III. Born in Asheville
, North Carolina
, he was raised in suburb
an Maryland, a few minutes from D.C. after his family relocated there. An exceptionally bright child, with parents able to afford a series of costly prep schools
, upon graduation, MacKenzie attended Yale University
on a scholarship, but returned to Maryland upon receiving his Bachelor's degree
. Once back in Maryland, he formed his own alternative rock
band, including some young but talented musicians including tenor saxophonist, Ron Holloway
, and an ensemble titled Crying Out Loud. Mackenzie's act was from that time billed as Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band, and found a dedicated fan base, although it remained confined to the Washington, D.C. area.
MacKenzie died in his sleep in his home in Orlando
, Florida
at the age of 48, and is buried in Fletcher
, North Carolina
. He was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association
Hall of Fame
in 2004.
, including the Sidwell Friends School
. He finally found his niche at Saint James School
in Hagerstown, Maryland
, a boarding school
, where along with his studies, he played varsity football. He was accepted and attended Yale University
on a scholarship, majoring in African American studies
, and graduated in 1967. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity, where his fraternity brothers included future President George W. Bush
. MacKenzie was a year older than Bush.
While at Yale, MacKenzie formed a band with classmate and fraternity brother Bob Greenlee, who was captain of Yale's football team. The band was named Prince La La and the Midnight Creepers
. Mackenzie's growing dislike of authority and inner inclination to play pranks and his love of shock value expanded. Band members wore ermine
capes, silver lamé hot pants
and boasted that they were never invited for return engagements. The year after MacKenzie and Greenlee graduated, they returned to the DKE house during Yale's homecoming. Bush, who since their departure had become president of DKE, threw them out and banned them from the house.
After graduation, MacKenzie drove an ice cream truck
in Washington, D.C.
One day he suffered a psychotic break
after a particularly high dose of LSD, and he climbed over the White House
fence. The United States Secret Service
apprehended him as he ran up the White House lawn. He told the officers he was "looking for the center of universe." They hauled him off to St. Elizabeths Hospital
-- the largest long-term mental hospital
that serves Washington, D.C.). That incident led to a diagnosis of schizophrenia
, for which MacKenzie was medicated for the rest of his life.
of Rootboy Slim, and formed an alternative rock band
, which he dubbed "Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band." His backup singers were called the Rootettes. The band members were stridently different than most club fare. Rootboy was fat, had greasy hair, and almost always seemed to be in a drug- or alcohol-induced stupor. The band was a fixture in the mid-Atlantic Blues/Rock scene, and favored a mix of Memphis-style boogie rock/blues.
Root Boy and company traveled the club circuit, until a self-produced recording caught the ear of some A&R
representatives at Warner Bros. Records
. That song was called "Christmas At Kmart
" and it landed the band a $250,000 contract with Warner Bros. That tune and the follow-up LP demonstrated Root and the band's penchant for writing tunes relating to pop-culture.
Their most famous recording was "Boogie 'Til You Puke" from the debut album Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band with the Rootettes (Warner Bros. Records, 1978), which also featured "I Used To Be a Radical", "I'm Not Too Old For You", and "(You Broke My) Mood Ring". Most of the songs were written by MacKenzie, guitarist Ernie Lancaster, and bassist Bob Greenlee. The lyrics often satirized society
and mixed in autobiographical elements from MacKenzie's storied life. Warner mismarketed the LP, and the band found themselves without a label—but not without a having had a European tour, in which Root Boy became enamored with his forefathers' homeland: Scotland.
During the same year, the band played a date at the Varsity Grill's Back Room in College Park, Maryland
, which was one of the main bars popular with students at the University of Maryland, College Park
. A riot broke out in the bar and outside on U.S. Route 1
, which later led the College Park City Council to ban the band from future engagements in College Park. The ban was lifted in 1980, and Root Boy and crew triumphantly returned in a concert in the University's Ritchie Coliseum
.
Miles Copeland's record label
, Illegal Records was a spin-off from I.R.S. Records
, and Copeland signed the band and they produced their second LP, ZOOM on I.R.S. in the U.S., with distribution on Illegal Records in the UK. Despite the use of strong marketing efforts, the LP was just as commercially unsuccessful as the previous one, with the band being dropped by the label. Despite their disappointment, Root Boy Slim And The Sex Change Band continued playing the bar circuit along the Atlantic Seaboard and released four more LPs: Dog Secrets on Congressional Records, Don't Let This Happen to You and Left for Dead for Kingsnake Records, and Root Six]] on Naked Language Records.
Eventually, most of the original band members went their separate ways, reuniting mostly for recording projects. For nightclub performances, Root Boy was backed by a series of other bands, including Ron Holloway
and Cryin' Out Loud, New Hope for the Criminally Insane, Capital Offense (featuring Wayne Tomlinson, Tommy Lepson, Tim Biery, Ron Holloway and Dominic Vigliotti), Barbecue Juiceheads, and the Humans.
Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band's fifth anniversary took place in 1982 at the PsycheDelly in Bethesda, Maryland
, and featured home movies
of Root Boy, who wore an orange and white checkered 7-Eleven
clerk's shirt and a white 10-gallon cowboy hat
throughout the concert. The band's 10th anniversary concert took place at The Roxy, a club in downtown Washington. A line formed hours prior to that show and the club's three levels were standing room only
. By the time the fourth set began, there were at least 25 musicians on the stage who had recorded or played clubs with Root Boy during his career. That show was also the debut of the "Rich White Republican," a biting satiric attack on Republicans that prophesied the eventual election of George H.W. Bush to the White House. The band sold bumper stickers that read "Root Boy Slim owes me money."
held a memorial concert at The Bayou
on K Street in Georgetown. Root Boy fans traveled from as far away as California
to pay homage to "The Lenny Bruce
of the Blues."
Slim's final resting place is in a grave beside his father's in Calvary Church Cemetery on Hendersonville Road in Fletcher, North Carolina, just south of Asheville. His grave is in the cemetery's northwest corner.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
assumed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, Foster MacKenzie III. Born in Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, he was raised in suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an Maryland, a few minutes from D.C. after his family relocated there. An exceptionally bright child, with parents able to afford a series of costly prep schools
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
, upon graduation, MacKenzie attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
on a scholarship, but returned to Maryland upon receiving his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
. Once back in Maryland, he formed his own alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band, including some young but talented musicians including tenor saxophonist, Ron Holloway
Ron Holloway
Ronald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...
, and an ensemble titled Crying Out Loud. Mackenzie's act was from that time billed as Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band, and found a dedicated fan base, although it remained confined to the Washington, D.C. area.
MacKenzie died in his sleep in his home in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
at the age of 48, and is buried in Fletcher
Fletcher, North Carolina
Fletcher is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,185 at the 2000 census.Fletcher is home to Asheville Regional Airport, which serves Western North Carolina...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association
Washington Area Music Association
The Washington Area Music Association is a regional music industry not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.. WAMA's activity centers around highlighting the area's cultural contribution by assisting regional musicians with becoming recognized on a national scale.The organization...
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
in 2004.
Background
MacKenzie was an intelligent yet incorrigible youth, who was asked to leave several private D.C.-area prep schoolsUniversity-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
, including the Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
. He finally found his niche at Saint James School
St. James School, Maryland
Saint James School is an independent, secondary, boarding and day school. Founded in 1842 as the College of Saint James, The school is a coeducational college preparatory school.-Mission statement:...
in Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
, a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, where along with his studies, he played varsity football. He was accepted and attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
on a scholarship, majoring in African American studies
African American studies
African American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
, and graduated in 1967. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity, where his fraternity brothers included future President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. MacKenzie was a year older than Bush.
While at Yale, MacKenzie formed a band with classmate and fraternity brother Bob Greenlee, who was captain of Yale's football team. The band was named Prince La La and the Midnight Creepers
Prince La La
Prince La La born Lawrence Nelson , from the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, was a songwriter and vocalist who released a couple of classic R&B recordings before his death from a drug overdose at 27....
. Mackenzie's growing dislike of authority and inner inclination to play pranks and his love of shock value expanded. Band members wore ermine
Ermine
Ermine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
capes, silver lamé hot pants
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
and boasted that they were never invited for return engagements. The year after MacKenzie and Greenlee graduated, they returned to the DKE house during Yale's homecoming. Bush, who since their departure had become president of DKE, threw them out and banned them from the house.
After graduation, MacKenzie drove an ice cream truck
Ice cream van
An ice cream van or ice cream truck is a commercial vehicle which serves as a travelling retail outlet for ice cream, usually during the summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or near parks, beaches, or other areas where people congregate...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
One day he suffered a psychotic break
Psychotic break
A psychotic break is a term used to describe an occasion of a person experiencing an episode of acute primary psychosis, either for the first time or after a significant period of relative asymptomaticity. Several types of psychoactive drugs have been shown to correlate with psychotic breaks...
after a particularly high dose of LSD, and he climbed over the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
fence. The United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
apprehended him as he ran up the White House lawn. He told the officers he was "looking for the center of universe." They hauled him off to St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning...
-- the largest long-term mental hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
that serves Washington, D.C.). That incident led to a diagnosis of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, for which MacKenzie was medicated for the rest of his life.
The Sex Change Band
Mackenzie adopted the stage nameStage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Rootboy Slim, and formed an alternative rock band
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, which he dubbed "Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band." His backup singers were called the Rootettes. The band members were stridently different than most club fare. Rootboy was fat, had greasy hair, and almost always seemed to be in a drug- or alcohol-induced stupor. The band was a fixture in the mid-Atlantic Blues/Rock scene, and favored a mix of Memphis-style boogie rock/blues.
Root Boy and company traveled the club circuit, until a self-produced recording caught the ear of some A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
representatives at Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. That song was called "Christmas At Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
" and it landed the band a $250,000 contract with Warner Bros. That tune and the follow-up LP demonstrated Root and the band's penchant for writing tunes relating to pop-culture.
Their most famous recording was "Boogie 'Til You Puke" from the debut album Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band with the Rootettes (Warner Bros. Records, 1978), which also featured "I Used To Be a Radical", "I'm Not Too Old For You", and "(You Broke My) Mood Ring". Most of the songs were written by MacKenzie, guitarist Ernie Lancaster, and bassist Bob Greenlee. The lyrics often satirized society
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and mixed in autobiographical elements from MacKenzie's storied life. Warner mismarketed the LP, and the band found themselves without a label—but not without a having had a European tour, in which Root Boy became enamored with his forefathers' homeland: Scotland.
During the same year, the band played a date at the Varsity Grill's Back Room in College Park, Maryland
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, which was one of the main bars popular with students at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. A riot broke out in the bar and outside on U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
, which later led the College Park City Council to ban the band from future engagements in College Park. The ban was lifted in 1980, and Root Boy and crew triumphantly returned in a concert in the University's Ritchie Coliseum
Ritchie Coliseum
Ritchie Coliseum is a multipurpose athletics facility at the University of Maryland. It served as the home arena for the Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team from 1931 to 1955, and for its gymnastics, wrestling, and volleyball teams until 2002. It is located on the east side of Baltimore Avenue...
.
Miles Copeland's record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Illegal Records was a spin-off from I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting, as well as other bands. I.R.S. was the sister label of Copeland's Illegal Records .I.R.S...
, and Copeland signed the band and they produced their second LP, ZOOM on I.R.S. in the U.S., with distribution on Illegal Records in the UK. Despite the use of strong marketing efforts, the LP was just as commercially unsuccessful as the previous one, with the band being dropped by the label. Despite their disappointment, Root Boy Slim And The Sex Change Band continued playing the bar circuit along the Atlantic Seaboard and released four more LPs: Dog Secrets on Congressional Records, Don't Let This Happen to You and Left for Dead for Kingsnake Records, and Root Six]] on Naked Language Records.
Eventually, most of the original band members went their separate ways, reuniting mostly for recording projects. For nightclub performances, Root Boy was backed by a series of other bands, including Ron Holloway
Ron Holloway
Ronald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...
and Cryin' Out Loud, New Hope for the Criminally Insane, Capital Offense (featuring Wayne Tomlinson, Tommy Lepson, Tim Biery, Ron Holloway and Dominic Vigliotti), Barbecue Juiceheads, and the Humans.
Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band's fifth anniversary took place in 1982 at the PsycheDelly in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, and featured home movies
Home movies
A home movie is part of the motion picture filmmaking process made by amateurs, often for viewing by family and friends. When the hobby began, home movies were produced on photographic film, but accessibility of video production with video cameras and low cost data storage devices has made the...
of Root Boy, who wore an orange and white checkered 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
clerk's shirt and a white 10-gallon cowboy hat
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...
throughout the concert. The band's 10th anniversary concert took place at The Roxy, a club in downtown Washington. A line formed hours prior to that show and the club's three levels were standing room only
Standing room only
An event is described as standing room only when it is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied, leaving only flat spaces of pavement or flooring for other attendees to stand. Some venues issue standing-room-only tickets for a reduced cost since it can become very...
. By the time the fourth set began, there were at least 25 musicians on the stage who had recorded or played clubs with Root Boy during his career. That show was also the debut of the "Rich White Republican," a biting satiric attack on Republicans that prophesied the eventual election of George H.W. Bush to the White House. The band sold bumper stickers that read "Root Boy Slim owes me money."
Death
On June 8, 1993, MacKenzie died in his sleep in his home in Orlando Florida. After his death, the Washington Area Music AssociationWashington Area Music Association
The Washington Area Music Association is a regional music industry not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.. WAMA's activity centers around highlighting the area's cultural contribution by assisting regional musicians with becoming recognized on a national scale.The organization...
held a memorial concert at The Bayou
The Bayou
The Bayou nightclub of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., was a rock, blues, pop, and reggae club.In the late '90s, the Bayou was owned by Dave Williams , who was also responsible for putting on the concerts at DAR Constitution Hall and the Capital Centre...
on K Street in Georgetown. Root Boy fans traveled from as far away as California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to pay homage to "The Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
of the Blues."
Slim's final resting place is in a grave beside his father's in Calvary Church Cemetery on Hendersonville Road in Fletcher, North Carolina, just south of Asheville. His grave is in the cemetery's northwest corner.
Discography
- Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band with the Rootettes (Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, 1978) - Zoom (IRS Records 1979)
- Dog Secrets (Congressional Records, 1983)
- Don't Let This Happen to You (KingsnakeKingsnakeKingsnakes are a type of colubrid snake that are members of the Lampropeltis genus, which also includes the milk snake along with another four species and 45 sub-species....
, 1987) - Left for Dead (Kingsnake, 1987)
- Root 6 (IchibanIchibanmeans 'one' in Japanese. The Japanese language has numerous numeric suffixes that are used depending on the subject matter; this is only one of many ways to say "first".It can also refer to:*Chūka Ichiban!, a Japanese anime...
, 1990)
Band members, etc.
- Tommy Ruger - Drums
- Walt Andrews - Steel GuitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Tim Biery - Drums
- Ron HollowayRon HollowayRonald Edward "Ron" Holloway is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow authentic R&B and croon a ballad with warm, blue feeling." Holloway is the recipient...
- Tenor Saxophone - Gary KatzGary KatzGary Katz is an American music producer, best known for his work with Steely Dan.-Steely Dan:Katz is most famous for his work as a producer on every Steely Dan album recorded during the first run of their career, from Can't Buy A Thrill in 1972 to Gaucho in 1980, as well as the Donald Fagen solo...
- Producer - Ernie "Sex Ray" Lancaster - Guitar
- Tommy Lepson - Keyboards
- Bob "Rattlesnake Rattles" Greenlee - Bass
- The Rootettes
- Wayne Tomlinson - Guitar
- Dominic Vigliotti - Bass
- Scott AmbushScott AmbushScott Ambush is an American musician, best known as the bass player of jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra.-Biography:He was born April 28, 1960 in Frederick, Maryland to Webster and Jeanette Lofton Ambush. He attended Urbana Elementary School in Urbana, Maryland, West Frederick Middle, and Frederick High...
- Bass - Ray Tilkens- Guitar
- Albert "Kung Fu Shorty" Bashor - Drums