On Wednesday (June 24) I lost a very dear friend and musical comrade. Jim Keesey has played drums with me for over thirty years. Before that, in the sixties he was in Newark greats, "The Spectrum Five" and "The Illusions Of Soul". From 1979 to 1980 he was a founding member of The Voltags. On my profile is his much loved version of James Brown's "I Feel Good (I Got You)" live at The End Of The Decade Bash, Dec 30, 1979, at Newark's State Theater. Ending our set on the same night was "Born To Be Wild". At the end Jim exploded into a drum solo frenzy that earned us two encores.
Jim was also a key member of Psyche 467 on drums and lead vocals. He was a fine musician and singer. Psyche 467 reassembled for a brief series of appearances a couple of years ago. Sad to say, I don't see how that will ever happen again without Jim. The four of us were a very tightly knit band.
Jim had a degree in English from the University of Delaware, was a lover of R & B and Jazz, Monty Python, and films. He is survived by his ex-wife Barbara and we band members who loved him.