Blind Item #9 - Reader Blind - Kindness

A number of decades ago, this band was on the verge of success. They had recorded up until then on independent labels(s) and were a favorite of the college student indy crowd as well as rock critics. A record they made that was more than one still shows up on best of lists from that decade.

They were an unlikely bunch - One member was obese, his childhood friend, another member, looked like Jerry Lewis and Adam Sandler combined, another like a surfer that had wandered off the beach but they could really play.  They counted a lot of famous musicians as fans. One was this one named musician who later was in an A+ band. He was a huge fan of the musician in this group that played the same instrument.

The group had just finished an opening slot on a tour with band that was on its way to A+ status and had several offers from major record companies when tragedy struck. One of the main members died unexpectedly.

The remaining members formed another band a few years later that was also an indy favorite before splitting up and doing their own things.

Over the years, the family of the dead musician has had financial problems. They were poor to begin with and the mother of the late musician had a lot of health problems.

The childhood friend and bandmate, despite the band’s anti-commercial ethos, allowed licensing of some of their music for both a commercial and the theme song of a popular show that was also made into several movies. Besides the dead members share, he gave almost all of his money earned from this to the family of his late bandmate.  What was left over he used to help fund a soup kitchen for the homeless in the town they all grew up in where he still lives.