Features
Boston Lead Singer Dies
Delp was found dead in his home Friday at age 55. Authorities are investigating the cause of death, but police said they do not suspect foul play.
Some of Boston’s big hits include “More Than A Feeling,” “Smokin”‘ and “Peace of Mind.”
“He was the most humble guy you’d want to meet. He had no rock star attitude, he had no problem mingling with the crowd. He’d talk to fans for hours,” said local musician Gardner Berry, who most recently worked with Delp in November during a benefit at the Black Brimmer in Manchester.
Friday night, the Boston Web site was taken down and replaced with the statement: “We just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll.”
Delp remained active in the local music scene, lending his name and talents to a variety of benefit concerts around New England.
Last weekend, he played a gig for about 300 fans at Keene High School with Beatlejuice. Delp founded the Beatles tribute band about 14 years ago, a project he described during a Keene radio interview last year as “my hobby and my passion.”
WKNE-FM personality Parker Springfield first interviewed Delp in March 2006. The two sat down again last weekend for another interview, and to record an hour-long segment about the Beatles.
Springfield said Delp was upbeat and talked at length about his career and his own roots in Beatlemania. He also spoke about looking forward to touring this summer with Boston and marriage to longtime girlfriend Pamela Sullivan during a tour break.
“It’s a shock,” Springfield said. “Three minutes before he was supposed to go on stage last week we were still chatting – he was just that kind of regular guy, so down to earth. The kind of guy who, after a show, would sit at the end of the stage and just talk with people. He really had his ego in check.”
Springfield said that although he noticed Delp appeared thinner than he did a year ago, he looked healthy.
Delp was a native of Danvers, Mass., moving to New Hampshire in 1980 and living for a time in Londonderry before settling in Atkinson.
Delp recorded several albums with Boston before leaving the band in 1991 to front Return to Zero with Boston bandmate Barry Goudreau.
Boston reunited in 1997 and released a few remastered versions of their earlier hit albums. In 2002 they released Corporate America, which led to a 2003 national tour launched in Manchester at the