Col. Bruce Hampton, considered by many to be a patriarch of the jam band scene, passed away earlier this morning after collapsing on stage during his 70th birthday concert.
Hampton, who turned 70 on Sunday, celebrated his birthday with an all-star show at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Monday night. The gig featured plenty of friends from the jam band scene and beyond, including Warren Haynes, Karl Denson, John Popper, Karl Denson, T. Hardy Morris, actor Billy Bob Thornton, guitar prodigy Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, and members of Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M. and more.
During the closing performance of “Turn On Your Lovelight,” the singer and guitarist passed out on stage. He was rushed to Crawford Long Hospital, and his death was announced a few hours later. An official statement read, “After collapsing on stage surrounded by his friends, family, fans and the people he loved Col. Bruce Hampton has passed away. The family is asking for respect and privacy at this difficult time.”
Hampton was born in Knoxville, TN on April 30, 1947. He first gained notoriety with the Atlanta-based avant-garde rock act Hampton Grease Band, which was signed to Frank Zappa’s Bizarre and Straight labels after a less-than-fruitful run with Columbia Records. The band broke up in the mid-‘70s, but Hampton’s career continued into the ‘80s before seeing a huge revival on the early ‘90s jam band scene. It was during this time that he co-founded the beloved Aquarium Rescue Unit with Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge,, Kofi Burbridge and Jeff Sipe. The group earned a devoted following and performed on the first H.O.R.D.E. Tour in 1992.
After parting ways with the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Hampton continued to perform at festivals and shows around the country, often collaborating with jam scene mainstays like Phish, Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers Band. He even took a swing at acting when he played Morris in the Oscar-winning 1996 film Sling Blade.
Hampton continued to perform regularly in recent years, consistently appearing at festivals and other music events like Jazz Fest, Jam Cruise and more. He was also the subject of a 2012 documentary called Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Colonel Bruce Hampton.
