Drummer, singer, actor, and Chicago Blues Hall of Fame member Willie "The Touch" Hayes passed away yesterday at the age of 73.
He was a truly masterful player, incredibly stylish (always played in a 3-piece suit with matching fedora & - at least in those days - platform wingtips; had a whole wardrobe of them) and a nice guy - and the only person I ever knew who actually played a Vistalite kit (his was the blue version). His "signature drummer trick" was a slow spin; bring the stick up then down the drum, with one rotation during the motion; pure poetry.
That makes 4 of 8 from the last band I worked for full-time gone......
Peter
