Willie Kent 1936 – 2006
Six strings reign supreme in blues. To the casual music fan, the guitar is blues simply because icons like Buddy Guy and B.B. King are never seen without it. The bass, however, doesn’t come with the same glory. Bassists are expected to stay in the pocket and, along with the drummer, do the grunt work: hold down a solid beat and provide the wave for the guitarist, vocalist, or even harp player, to ride.
In the early ’60s Willie Kent, then a guitarist, was more or less forced into playing bass because of his band’s instability at the position. He didn’t like it initially, but the instrument grew on him, and eventually Kent became a renowned bluesman and one of the few bassists to assume frontman duties and lead his own band.
Kent succumbed to a battle with cancer last week (March 2nd), only six days after his 70th birthday. He had been battling the disease for a year and a half, and the effects of the chemotherapy treatments took a terrible physical toll on Kent, leaving him unable to perform during much of that time.
Born in Mississippi, Kent moved to Chicago as a 16-year-old in the early ’50s. By 1961 he was playing with #Little Walter#, and only a few years later he had played with #Muddy Waters#, #Howlin’ Wolf#, and #Junior Parker#. In the mid ’80s, Kent formed #Willie Kent & The Gents#, which became a regular at numerous Chicago clubs, including the Blue Chicago venues where they played several times a month for two decades. During 30 years of performing, Kent released 12 records under his name (also appeared on numerous others as backing musician) and collected a slew of national honors, including 10 W.C. Handy Awards and numerous critics’ choice awards from *Living Blues* magazine for his skills as a bassist.
“Willie received several Handy Awards for his bass playing, but I think people overlooked how great a singer, songwriter, and band leader he was. He was a dominating presence on the Chicago blues scene and much loved by fans world-wide,” Bob Koester, founder of Delmark Records, which released four of Kent’s records, said in a statement.
Kent passed at his Englewood home and is survived by his wife of 49 years, Ruth, nine children, and abundant grand and great-grandchildren.
— Trevor Fisher
