Yet another sad anniversary: Believe it or not, it’s 20 years to the day since Tommy Lamb perished in a brawl at Indiana’s Plainfield Correctional Facility.
Unlike so many rock-and-roll deaths, Tommy’s demise never seemed to inspire a renewed interest in his music. Nor has he attracted one of those morbid death cults that affix themselves to departed musicians like nasty black barnacles. Ironic, given the epic morbidity of Tommy’s tragic tale.
Would it have been any different if Tommy hadn’t been such an understated player? If Rockfinger had managed to finish that second album? Or if the band hadn’t been led by twin brothers who abhorred each other? None can say — though it seems tragically fitting that Tommy’s bad luck streak should extend into the afterlife.
Sadly, I couldn’t locate the 1977 issue of Guitar Now! pictured here, though the magazine re-interviewed the embittered guitarist in 1991 for their 77 Greatest Solos of the ’70s issue. (“Feel It” clocked in at #68.)
Here’s Dan Dickerson’s classic Q&A:
Tommy Lamb’s Bicentennial Blast
I also found this excellent overview of Tommy’s truncated career:
Rockfinger: Loathe Thy Brother
If you don’t know Tommy’s upbeat fretmanship and downbeat biography, I suggest starting there.
But perhaps the best way to remember Tommy is through his music.
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