I got the word yesterday and have been out on the road ever since, but want to add my memories of Denny to the pot. I was fortunzate enough to be recomended by Art Theime to take over as one of the boat performers after he retireed. I did my first show for Denny in 1997 and continue to perform on the Twilight today. Much as Art has already stated, it was a rare treat to have steady work as a folk singer. John Hartford, one of my musical heros, was piloting that day and the boat was full. After I finished my set, I went down to the front of the boat to chack with Denny to see what he thought of the music. As we talked, I noticed that the boat was heading straight for one of the red river marker bouys. Being a greenhorn to the river and not wanting to look stupid, I kept talking until finally I couldn't stand it any longer and said to Denny "are we supposed to be that close tha that?" Denny turned around and saw we were about to hit the marker and took off like a shot for the pilot house. The boat ran over the marker with a tremendous noise bringing the kitchen crew running up from below the deck. I was amazed that after he got things under control, Denny didn't yell at the temporary pilot up top (not Hartford) but was helped him work out what had happenned (he'd hit a mud bank and the rudder wouldn't respond).

Over the next 10 years, I saw Denny do countless other acts of teaching and sharing. He always stood by his people and I've seen him put up bail monney for past employees that hadn't worked for him for years. He was the consumate river pilot, once saving the Twilight from being crushed between two barges after John Hartford made a bad choice while docking in Le Claire. He was also a world class recountour full of stories of the river and Scab Holler where many of his people were from. I had the opportunity early in my carrer to have collected music in that area, interviewing some of his relatives and I can tell you, he came from sturdy stock. The word hardscrabble comes to mind, but it was that very nature that made him such an excellent riverman. Very few of the lock and dam folks ever argued with him when we came up to lock through!

I know Denny will be long remebered and deeply missed on the River and those of us that worked with him will always be in his debt. For my part, I'll always think of Denny when I perform 2 songs he got me to learn: Stephan Foster's "Glendy Burke" (the melody Hartford used for "The Julia Belle Swain" and "Monangahela Sal" a wonderful old song about a rowdy old river pilot that personifiewd Denny perfectly!

See you downstream old friend!

CV