Kyle Holbrook Remembers Bobby Sheehan

Just a Little Light

I am in shock about Bobby's death. His life impacted mine in many ways. I wasn't a close or long time friend, but had many conversations with Bobby over the years. In fact, he was a friend of a friend, and indeed a friend to many.

Bobby would go to great lengths to treat people kindly. His ability to relate to people was unparalelled.

There was not a mean bone in Bobby's body. He loved the people around him, and he loved to live life to the fullest. As a bass player, he brought his emotions and musicality together to provide the foundation for the four headed Blues Traveler train. He created art with his boyhood buddies, and together they inspired countless musicians to reach out, and find audiences by just doing it. Jamming Loud Pulsating Gently laying down rhythms of creation, Bobby played with passion and playful improvisation drawing the most from every note.

I will miss Bobby and I will cherish this memory I'd like to share. Last October Bobby was at our apartment in Portland and for some reason started listening to a tape of a 1991 Blues Traveler show. He was on his knees facing the stereolistening to a serious jam between he and Popper, he looked up at me and said "whoa, I remember when we used to play this song that way,... the old days", then he laughed a long and hearty low toned laugh, gave me a big smile and kept on listening. To me this shows what Bobby was all about, sure he had fame and commercial success, but he loved music, he was music, and the music drove his soul.

The one thing that Bobby was in to as he moved to New Orleans was making it so that his musician friends could be heard and find an audience with his and Blues Travelers help. He told me that it was important for him to find a way to expose these unknown musicians to the world, that he thought he had a responsibility, of sorts, to help them. He figured with some time, talent, and equipment, that their music could be heard, and we were investigating ways to make this work on a larger scale through internet exposure. He wanted to start a charitable mission to help out musicians less fortunate than he. Now, this seems the ultimate message from Bobby- even at the time of his death, he was preparing to record and play music with his friends, I am sure in an unselfish attempt to help some one else to be recognized. He knew he had talent, but he really wanted to help others to put their talent out to the world.

Today I salute Bobby and remember the life of a man who helped me and many others to find solace in a rough world. The talent, musicanship, and genuine humanitarian that he was will forever be remembered by those who loved him, and by his fans. I am crying now, bewildered tears of loss keep welling up when I read another loving tale about Bobby's impact on his fans. I am sure there is music where he is as sure as I am that music is love.

Thank you Bobby for all your love.