I heard it on the news ,I was affected.
Willy DeVille ,as far as I know,was well knowned in France.

In any case,he meant a lot to me.



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

What a drag..rest in peace Willy. I have a story about meeting him but I'll wait til another day.

all kinds of blessings on you, CousinC

and steady love and light to Willy, and thanks and praises

It can be Willy and CousinC's thread as far as I'm concerned. I don't think Willy would mind at all.I read an article about Willy once and the writer said that Willy was the coolest individual on the planet. Willy would welcome sharing this spot with you. We Stones fans tend to stick together and our thoughts are with you. Sorry to hear of your wife as well. Things do seem to slam people in bunches but be strong and you'll be fine.

Quote
sirdoug
What a drag..rest in peace Willy. I have a story about meeting him but I'll wait til another day.

Well, if it is a good story, then why wait ?

I want to hear the story also. All true Willy fans probably do as well.

A long time ago in the early 80's I think, I saw Willy and the Mink DeVille band on tv. I can't remember if it was MTV or VH1. It was a 1 hour show or concert. Do any Willy fans recall this. It was the first time that I ever saw or heard him.I loved it and hit the record stores the next day looking for his records. I have bought his records ever since then.I wonder if that show might possibly exist on VHS or DVD.I really miss him already.

Quote
EST62
A long time ago in the early 80's I think, I saw Willy and the Mink DeVille band on tv. I can't remember if it was MTV or VH1. It was a 1 hour show or concert. Do any Willy fans recall this. It was the first time that I ever saw or heard him.I loved it and hit the record stores the next day looking for his records. I have bought his records ever since then.I wonder if that show might possibly exist on VHS or DVD.

mink deville rockpalast 17-10-1981 video

Dang, sad news for sure. I always liked him and have several of his cds. R.I.P. Willy.

Mike

I remember seeing Keith at a DeVille show at Trax (a club in NY) about 1977-78

ROCKMAN

I think it was June 3rd or 4th ’83
Råsunda stadium Stockholm,
This guy is walking into my mind from nowhere.
Mink DeVille as support for Rod Stewart (so ½ connected to the boys)
OK, I can list a few support bands that have done a decent job but what Willy did was all it’s about. A few years later he did a fantastic gig in Oslo. Was it 3.5 hours? He did another one a few years ago which I missed (he hated Norway for a few years after some tiny small problems with customs.)

This is too sad! Hope Nina is taken care of.

TE
Oslo

Not his best one but am totally in love with his voice on "Mixed up". Was almost a hit for him! At least played on radio

@ loog droog

You wrote:
" I thought that one of them--in 1980 at the Roxy when Le Chat Bleu came out in the U.S.--was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen by anybody. It was so good it was almost unreal. "

I was there too while visitting friends in L.A. ...
and for me also it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
UNREAL .... AWSOME.

R.I.P. , Willy ........
see ya !

The opening of that show--I've written about this here before--where he came out as the band started "Slow Drain" was unforgettable. He was just gliding across the stage. For me the timing of that show was perfect, as I had been listening to Le Chat Bleu non-stop for a week. I was totally up for it, and boy did Willy deliver the goods.


Mink DeVille was a strange animal in the NY Rock scene. You had Patti Smith and Television that were poetic/arty, Talking Heads that were detached/arty, and the Ramones and Blondie who had their own punk/pop-art sensibilities.

But Mink DeVille were classic R&B, with nothing ironic or any distance in their approach. It was a throwback, yet not a Sha-Na-Na type nostalgia act. Like those other NY groups, there was a vision behind that band's sound. There was a lack of feeling in the other groups [with the exception of Patti, who always performed with genuine passion], while Willy's music was never anything but soul deep.


I wish he could have lived long enough to have seen his music achieve the acclaim it deserved.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009-08-10 01:08 by loog droog.

Cool post Loog. Wish I could have seen a Willy show. Loved the guy. Still do,always will. Something about Willy drew me to his music.His love of what he did and how he played it always stuck in my mind. His old albums to me sound as fresh as the day I bought them. It's that type of music. Lisa,be strong girl. Willy fans love you both.

Heaven Stood Still



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-08-12 18:18 by EST62.

Crow Jane Alley is one of my favourite songs ever. Really sad.

Respect...

His New Orleans period made perfect sense too.

R.I.P. Willy!

I'm heartbroken by his death. After the Stones, he was my favorite.

I hope he gets in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

[www.petitiononline.com]