R.I.P. LANNIS LOYD

I've known Lannis for more than 35 years, though we weren't that close. His suicide last week shocked and saddened me. You can read my obit of him HERE .

The first time I met Lannis I was still in high school. My English teacher, his mom LaVera Loyd, brought her long-haired rock 'n' roller son to class to teach a lesson on the history of rock 'n' roll! Mrs. Loyd was a pretty traditional teacher and not any kind of flower child herself. But I always thought she was pretty cool for doing that. First time I heard Led Zepplin was when Lannis played "Whole Lotta Love" in my English class that day. I thought he was pretty cool too.

Years later, Lannis led my favorite local band The Ozone Express, a great little country-rock band with two fine female vocalists -- Christine Albert and Donna Pence. I used to go to the old Turf Club in Santa Fe almost every Saturday night. Lannis would end every show with Commander Cody's "Lost in the Ozone Again."

In writing the obit yesterday, I got to talk to another Santa Fe musician of that era, Jamie Brown, better known these days as Junior Brown. (In the early '70s, The Last Mile Ramblers, which indluded Jamie, was New Mexico's premier country rock band, but by the mid '70s, they had broken up and Ozone had risen.) He too remembers Lannis fondly.

And thanks to George Adelo, Mike Montiel and especially Lori Loyd Gallegos for their help with the obit too. And thanks to Al Faaet for that great picture of Lannis playing with The Georgie Angel Blues Band at the Santa Fe Music Festival last summer.

What can I say, Lannis? You fucked up big time! People loved you. And we always will. We all just wish you'd known it.

I'd forgotten until I was Googling around for Lannis this week that he had a Soundclick page.
If you'd like to hear some of his tunes CLICK HERE.

George Adelo says he and some other friends are setting up a fund in Lannis' name for Santa Fe musicians in need. Lannis was not in financial trouble, but as we all know, some local musicians do have such problems.

You can help defray Lannis' funeral expenses by donating to a fund at the Community Bank (where he worked as a vice president.)

Please don't forget the celebration of Lannis' life Friday Nov. 23 at the Santa Fe Brewing Company.