Scott Kempner | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1954 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | November 29, 2023 (aged 69) Connecticut, U.S. |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1972–2021 |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon Ludtke |
Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos.
Background and career
Kempner was born in the Bronx on February 6, 1954.[1] He began his musical career in 1972, with friends Andy Shernoff and Ross Friedman, when they started The Dictators.[1] The band broke up for the first time in 1975, though they frequently reunited over the following decades, and Kempner continued to play with them until his retirement in 2021.[1]
Kempner released a solo in 1992 called Tenement Angels. He released his second solo album, Saving Grace, in July 2008 on 00:02:59 Records.[1]
In the early 1990s, Dion DiMucci joined Kempner and Frank Funaro of the Del-Lords and Mike Mesaros of the Smithereens in a short-lived band called Little Kings. A live album was later released, but not widely circulated or promoted.
Kempner contributed "Apache Tears" to the 2007 compilation album Song of America.
In summer 2008, Variety said about Kempner: "If the world were a just and fair place, Scott Kempner would be stopped regularly by musicians and music fans thanking him for the effect the records he made with the Del-Lords and the Dictators had on their lives. Kempner's music is impossible to not like: He's the rare master at making three-chord rock 'n' roll - inspired by the 1950s and '60s - sound fresh and vital, simultaneously urban and twangy, heartfelt, political and personal."[2]
A Del-Lords reunion album and tour were done in 2013, and Kempner sang and played guitar on the Carla Olson album Have Harmony Will Travel, performing Little Steven's "All I Needed Was You".
Personal life and death
Kempner was married to Sharon Ludtke. He retired from his musical career in 2021, after being diagnosed with dementia, and died at a nursing home in Connecticut on November 29, 2023, at the age of 69.[1][3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Carballo, Rebecca (November 29, 2023). "Scott Kempner, Guitarist and Punk Rock Pioneer, Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Scott Kempner". Weblogs.variety.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Scott Kempner, Founding Member of NYC Bands The Dictators and Del-Lords, Dies". Best Classic Bands. November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.