Lead singer of the classic rock band Boston, Brad Delp was found dead in his apartment on Friday at around 1pm. No official cause of death has been announced.
Bradley E. Delp is the man with the golden voice, who sang all vocals (lead and harmony/backup) on the first three BOSTON albums.
Before Brad joined BOSTON he was working in a manufacturing plant (making heating coils for Mr. Coffee machines) while singing in various Boston-area clubs at night. After former band-member Barry Goudreau brought Brad to the attention of Tom Scholz, Brad began singing on Tom's demo tapes. His indelible voice ultimately became an integral part of the BOSTON sound.
Brad honed his unique singing style by performing in various clubs regularly in the early '70's, a welcome respite from his day job, working in a factory making heating coils. Barry Goudreau brought Brad to the attention of Tom Scholz while he was recording demo tapes in his basement studio. In addition to being blessed with those golden vocal chords, he was also a talented songwriter, and wrote or co-wrote with Tom several songs on the first two BOSTON albums, as well as Walk On. Not only did he possess one of the most recognizable voices in the history of rock music, but Brad Delp also played guitar, keyboards, and harp.
Singing lead and all the harmony tracks (4-6 depending on the song) on the first 3 BOSTON albums, Brad's voice became an international treasure, heard around the world on a daily basis.
Brad's fans rave about what a personable and humble man he was. His band mates do as well. Drummer Jeff Neal says, "There's not much more that can be said about him that hasn't already been said a million times. One of the most distinguishable voices in all of popular music, and also one of the nicest, most down to earth guys you ever had the pleasure of meeting. I have never seen someone who can could so seemingly effortlessly do what he did, whether it be singing those classic lines from the first album or working a room at a meet-and-greet. If there were such a thing as a rock and roll university, Brad would have been my first choice for teaching 'How to be a Rock Icon 101' He was self-effacing, kind-hearted and always willing to share the attention. He also had one of the quickest wits around.
When not touring with BOSTON, Brad was involved with a Beatles tribute band called Beatle Juice. Tom says, "They sound more like the Beatles than the Beatles did!" Delp cited the Fab Four as his greatest influence, and was a huge fan since he first heard them over the airwaves. Over the years, Brad lent his songwriting and vocal talents to several projects including the solo album by Barry Goudreau, Orion the Hunter, and RTZ. Most recently, in 2003 Brad and Barry released Delp and Goudreau, an album they made, "for the sheer pleasure of making music."
A vegetarian for 37 years, Brad lived in New Hampshire's Merrimac Valley. He was alone at the time of his death.
The music of Boston is huge in the tapestry of my life. I have laughed, rocked and maybe even shed some tears to song after song and always was in awe as a singer of Brad Delps voice. What a loss for us, what a gain for that ever growing rock band in heaven.
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