2001 Obit: Dick Fegy

Subject: Dick Fegy
From: Justa Picker
Date: 04 Jan 02 - 01:16 PM

Thought I would post this here as there may be fans and friends of Dick. Sad news. A very talented guy. The only link I've found so far of his passing is here. Maybe others can dig up more info.

Subject: RE: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 10:53 AM

Great and versatile picker. Loved his work with Papa John Kolstad. Behind the scenes kinda guy. RIP.

Rick

Subject: RE: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 05:06 PM

Dick Fegy was one of the greats. Rick is right, he was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. My fondest memory of him is at the Cambridge Folk Festival Guitar Workshop in 75 or 76, when he sat in with David Bronberg.

Fegy didn't say much, I got the impression he felt kind of overshadowed by Bromberg, (Bromberg was employing him in his band at the time) but he certainly had no need to be.

As a flatpicker he was much cleaner than Bromberg (whom I love dearly) and as a fingerstylist he was just awesome. It was like he could play anything. When Bromberg and he played together it was some of the greatest music I have ever heard.

I am indeed sorry to hear of his passing. (Spookily, Isaac Guillory, who also was on stage for that same workshop, passed away at almost exactly the same time last year.)

Murray

Subject: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: Steve-o
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 05:32 PM

I just read in my latest Acoustic Guitar mag. that Dick Fegy passed away last Dec. 21 at his home in So. Cal. He was an exceptional multi-instrumentalist who became rather well-known playing with David Bromberg. It says he was 51 years old. I played with Dick a couple of times at Pasadena Traditional Music Saturday jam sessions. He was a nice, quiet little guy, quite unassuming, and he told me that he had to give up the guitar and just play banjo because of some problem like carpel tunnel syndrome. But to die at age 51....does anybody know what the heck happened here?

Subject: RE: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: JudyR
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 02:10 AM

Wh-what happened? I've known Dick since I came out here to California in 1979. Saw him through the years (used to back up all the good ones at the Palomino and other clubs on fiddle, before he got the carpal tunnel syndrome) and thenm, mandolin. In recent years, I'd see him at Viva Fresh (where we had some great fiddle and folk/country nights), sitting in, or just sitting there. He was working for a copyright company, not really doing music. I loved his taste. I would love to hear him pick apart how a guitar player like Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam's producer/guitarist) was sloppy, and why. And why so-and so, who was reputed to be the best fiddler on the scene, had to take a back seat to another. Quiet, decent, lovely man. Droll sense of humor. Generous. Never one to brag. Used to refer to himself as a "fat short man nobody would want." Not true! What in h-- happened? I'm out of circulation myself, some very close relatives are terminally ill, and I don't know if I can even pick up the phone to find out.

Subject: RE: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 09:06 AM

I heard (2nd hand via Kate Spencer who runs Maple Leaf Music in Brattleboro VT) that he had a heart attack. . . but keep remembering Heinlein: "in the end all forms of death can be called heart failure." I'm more sad that he left early than I am wondering exactly why, and wishing I had had more conact with him over the years.

Subject: RE: OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 19 - 10:18 AM

He had diabetes

Subject: RE: 2001 OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: Tony Rees
Date: 08 Nov 19 - 05:01 PM

I have a tape recorded in a club at New Cross, London, around 1981 or so - must dig it out and see whether it is still listenable. He was playing with his wife as a duo "Dick and Camilla Fegy" at that time... no microphones, I think the sound quality is probably a bit faint from the back of the room, but at least one can hear his (their) repertoire of the day. Some nice duo guitar playing,

Subject: RE: 2001 OBIT: Dick Fegy
From: Tony Rees
Date: 08 Nov 19 - 05:06 PM

Also it seems there is a tape from McCabes Guitar Shop, USA, details here:

https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/search/collection/sfc/searchterm/sfcaudioopenreel_520!20511/field/contri!escri/mode/exact!exact/conn/

Subject: RE: 2001 Obit: Dick Fegy
From: Tony Rees
Date: 08 Nov 19 - 08:41 PM

This is how I first came across Dick (travelling to the UK in that instance) - as part of the David Bromberg Band, see here for grainy 1976 film (great show though, and fine sound): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYFBZwQizfA

Also here, earlier, with The Spark Gap Wonder Boys in 1972:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKbbOMAjfPI

- Tony

Subject: RE: 2001 Obit: Dick Fegy
From: Tony Rees
Date: 15 Nov 19 - 02:18 AM

OK, I dug out my audio tape and in fact it sounds pretty good for an acoustic recording in a club room - lovely duo guitar playing and singing! I've digitized it and uploaded a copy to youtube for folks' enjoyment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qskuAEG2MPk

I trust I am not infringing anyone's feelings (Camilla if you are around...) - don't have any contact details for her I'm afraid.

Enjoy!

Cheers - Tony

Subject: RE: 2001 Obit: Dick Fegy
From: Tony Rees
Date: 17 Nov 19 - 06:40 PM

Hi all, just to say that I have been re-acquainting myself with the tape mentioned above since posting it and enjoying the playing and the understated performance very much. If you have not listened and are interested in hearing some great flatpicking / bluegrass / swing playing all delivered with a sense of humour - plus very accomplished duet playing with his wife Camilla, give it a go! I also found this quote from a person (Dave Fraser) on the appreciation page set up after Dick's passing:

"I didn't know him very well but he seemed like a gentle soul with a great sense of humor. It was always a striking contrast for me to see and hear such an incredible talent spring forth from such a humble non-assuming individual. Then I find out much later how many different instruments the guy could play and that he could sing too. Sometimes you may only get to spend a short time with certain people, but their spirit really moves you. It was that way for me and knowing Dick Fegy."

Well said Dave...