[Dixielandjazz] Sad News - Joe Bithell died today...

[Bill Gunter]

Sorry to hear about Joe Bithell -

Joe was the washboard player/leader of the Silicon Gulch Jazz Band and was a 
great washboard enthusiast.

Joe was one of the original members of the Washboards International which 
organized after the first washboard concert in Sacramento about 20 or so 
years ago! There were about a dozen of us in that first concert and I 
thought at the time - "This is awful!! It will never last and we'll never be 
asked to do it again!"  Turns out I was quite wrong and the Annual Washboard 
Concert has been going strong for some time now.

Joe was the original master of ceremonies for the event and held forth in 
that postiion for about 10 years.

I'm gonna miss you, Joe . . .

Bill Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com

>From: David Richoux <tubaman at batnet.com>
>To: DJML Jazz <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Sad News - Joe Bithell died today...
>Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 22:08:43 -0800
>
>Joe was the leader of the Silicon Gulch Jazz Band and had been a fixture in 
>the San Francisco/San Jose area trad scene for many years. He had a great 
>way of singing old jazz and blues standards and had a long running gig at 
>the Prince of Wales Pub in San Mateo.
>
>I first met Joe back in the late 1970s when I was getting started in OKOM - 
>he was  a member of the Los Trancos Woods Band and played a beat-up old Eb 
>tuba or washboard in that group. He taught me quite a lot about OKOM in 
>those years.
>
>Later, I sat in with the Silicon Gulch band from time to time and it was 
>always interesting. He often was in the audience at other area jazz band 
>performances and was a welcomed "guest singer" many times.
>
>He will be greatly missed...
>
>I will post any information about the funeral as soon as I know.
>
>Dave Richoux
>
>
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