PETE TINKER
Pete Tinker
(November 8, 1956 — March 15, 2019)
Husband. Father. Scientist. Engineer. Good storyteller. Bad jokester. Banjo, guitar and especially fiddle player with a seemingly bottomless tunebag. Fountain of musical history. Collector, digitizer and sharer* of 78 rpm records from Vernon Dalhart to the Hoosier Hotshots. Urban cowboy in a T-shirt and sandals. Instigator of the Buckle Busters (Hear old Buster hits in dial-up-modem quality) still at the cutting edge of bygone music after 37 years thanks to his inspiration. Thirty-year denizen of LA-area bands and jams. Picker of the best songs. Poet and songwriter. Human nightingale with a sky-high tenor and a yodel that would have made Patsy Montana jealous. Bearer of his lifelong, progressive illness with equanimity and good humor. Unforgettable presence. Ever-loyal friend. Pete made life better for everyone whose trail he crossed.
Life’s springtime so sweet
Soon fades away;
So slumber my darling one
Dreaming while you may.
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Oh day-ee-dee-o-de-lay-ee-dee.
* Listen free to more than 3,500 tracks from Pete’s personal collection (filtered by your choice of “all,” “awful,” “Pete’s pick,” “mild sex,” “weird-good,” “Buster tune,” etc.)
From Pete’s wife, Kathy Igo:
I am sad to tell you all that Pete died in the morning of 3/15/19. He fought the good fight, and died peacefully knowing he was safe and loved.
He loved playing music, and I know that having such good friends to play with gave him great joy. Thank you for all the great times.
Love, Kathy