EULOGY

Brad Delp, the lead singer of the band Boston was found dead yesterday in his home. He was 55.
I just have to say that Brad and Boston were a very large influence on me as a young kid discovering rock music.
The song "More Than A Feeling" gives me chills EVERY time- despite the fact that it might be one of the most over-played songs in the "classic rock" radio format. I knew how to play every note of that song on the guitar before I knew how to play chords. Even Kurt Cobain admitted to ripping off the chord progression of the chorus when he wrote "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

I pride myself in my vinyl record collection, & Boston's debut album was the first that I owned. My older brother Josh & I played that record over & over in our bedroom. Boston was unfortunately piled into the "corporate rock" genre with other throwaway bands like Journey, Styx, Kansas & Foreigner- but given a true listen, one could easily see that there were few similarities.
Boston was light years ahead of those & pretty much every other band of that time, from songwriting, guitar tones & melodic solos, vocal harmonies & especially a production standpoint.
And the defining factor was the supersonic, out-of-this-world voice of Brad Delp...
Be it full voice or falsetto, he could hit notes with ease and and an amazing purity that not even most women could attempt.
Easily the most beautiful, soaring & purest voice in rock & roll.

-Jonny-