Love Letters
"Clifford saw so much genius in the young adults
we serve; he did so much to bring the resources together to help
them get a second chance."
-- Richard Halpin,
American
YouthWorks
"I met Clifford Antone I think
in 1972, through Doug Sahm, when we were making DOUG SAHM AND BAND."
"We bonded right off and
stayed close through the good times and the bad. We were
connected through our love for R&B and the deep blues - but for me
it was more than that. He never had an attitude -- what we saw
is what you got. He was bone-deep honest and unselfish.
And he was always ready to put his existence where his face was."
"And how I came to know how
beloved he was: I was told by Willie Nelson, Marcia Ball, Kim
Wilson, Raoul Hernandez, Jimmie Vaughan, Lou Ann Barton -- and most
of all by Doug."
"His work with children and
his teaching were acts of the purest volunteerism - direct from the
heart."
And as Doctor John might have
said: 'He was Qualified.' The blues, Norteno,
Texas swing, R & B, that's where Clifford Antone
got his mail."
"My heart goes out to Susan.
He will never be replaced."
--
Jerry Wexler Sarasota, FL
Clifford had a heart as big as a house. He gave
everything he had, his money, his friendship, his soul, to others.
His death diminishes us all.
-- Dick DeGuerin
Austin, TX
"The first time I ever went to Austin I went to
Antone's. All the greats played there. Clifford was the man
responsible for bringing the blues to Austin, Texas. His club
IS the blues scene there. There should be a statue of him in the
park next to Stevie Ray Vaughan's, because he contributed so much to
the blues. He was a friend of mine and he will be greatly
missed."
-- Buddy Guy Chicago, IL
"All of us in Los Lobos are going to miss Clifford,
like the brother he undoubtedly was to us. Clifford once came to
visit us at sound check at Stubb's. He sat on drum riser and as we
played 'Walking with Frankie Lee' for him, he closed his eyes and
had the most beautiful smile on his face. It made us so happy to
make Clifford happy. I wish I could be there this weekend to
celebrate Clifford's life with his friends and family."
-- Steve Berlin, Los Lobos
"Clifford Antone will be missed. He was a friend of mine, and my
whole family and everyone who knew him loved him. He did as much, if
not more than anyone, for the music scene. He knew the blues. We
love you, Clifford."
-- Willie Nelson Austin, TX
"Clifford, I'm so
very grateful to have known you. I am proud to call you my friend.
We all owe you so much gratitude for all you have given us. Your
love for music and humanity has enriched and blessed the lives of
all of us in music. Clifford, we will miss you."
-- Bobbie Nelson Austin, TX
"One of
the primary reasons Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the
World is because of Clifford Antone. His devotion to the music spoke
for itself. He was my friend and I will miss him dearly."
"I ask Austinites to join with me and remember the music giant this city
has lost and the great things he brought to our community."
-- Mayor Will Wynn Austin, TX
"When Stevie [Ray Vaughan] was
a little kid, Cliff got him up there on stage with Albert King and
the same with Jimmie. So that kind of experience is invaluable
… And he's done so much for so many people, I can't even put it into
words," Shannon said. "Everywhere I go [in the club] I keep
expecting him to pop out. He's always been here."
"Cliff had such an influence
on so many people, and everybody loved him."
-- Tommy Shannon, Double Trouble Austin, TX
"I feel like the heart of Austin music has been ripped out."
-- Chris Layton, Double Trouble Austin, TX
"He was a guy who hung out
with blues musicians. And he hung out with presidents. That ain't
bad."
-- Turk Pippin Austin, TX
"I never thought I’d be
standing here … doing this. I can guarantee the shockwave is still
sort of happening and it’s hard to talk. I just want to send
out condolences to Susan [Antone’s sister] and everybody in our
little blues community that loved Clifford so much. And thank
you, Clifford, for everything … I guarantee you, we had more fun in
Antone’s in all the different ones, starting down here on Sixth
Street, than any human was allowed to have in five lifetimes."
“We had
some bands and we were playing around and we used to go over …
Clifford had a store over by the university and we’d go over there
and play late at night in his back room … And Clifford said, ‘I’m
going to open a club up and I’m going to get all the guys from
Chicago and all the guys from Louisiana … We’re going to have blues
all the time and nothing else.’ And so we played like the second or
third night. It was the Thunderbirds … and we were the house band
for five years.”
He
taught me one thing; if you want to have a scene, you have to create
it yourself.”
-- Jimmie Vaughan Austin, TX
"He loved the music so much. Like nobody
I've ever known."
-- Delbert McClinton Austin,
TX
"In the history of the Austin Chronicle, there's three times I
remember were somebody died and we had to change the cover.
The first one was Stevie Ray Vaughan. The second, was Doug
Sahm. And now we're going to do it for Clifford."
-- Louis Black Editor, Austin Chronicle; Director, South By
Southwest Austin, TX
"He worked so hard to get the music to the people. I was a white kid
from the suburbs of KC when I moved here, I was just like, 'Hi, I
really like the blues.' … And he was the guy who was always like,
'Come on in. Have you ever met James Cotton?' … And it broke
this wall for me … this vinyl wall that was the difference between
the recordings and the reality.
"And
talking to these people and hearing stories from them Luther Tucker
and Eddie Taylor about being on the road … it made them … they were
already heroes but they were like mythic creatures but it made them
into men."
..."I
don't think you get Austin as the Live Music Capital of the World
without Clifford Antone."
-- Guy Forsyth Austin, TX
"He embraced all types of music and we all owe everything to him."
-- Overlord, Austin, TX
"You can't underestimate Clifford's influence in
term of the blues because it was global."
"Our first
concern is for the passing of Clifford and for his family but when
... it comes down to brass tacks what the heck is going to happen?"
"Let's all
pray that his work lives on because he'd be pretty ticked off if he
were to find out the we let the ball drop once he was gone."
-- Jody Denberg, KGSR Austin, TX
"I consider him the most iconic role model for how live music should
be embraced in this community."
-- Paul Oveisi Owner, Momo's Club Austin, TX
"How many other teachers at the University
of Texas got their name in the title of the course? He adored
the students and loved giving back to them. He didn't want
that class to end every day; there was so much material he wanted to
share with them. He brought a lot of musicians into the
classroom, and the students just went nuts."
-- Kevin Mooney Music Professor, University of
Texas at Austin
(organized the class "Blues According to Clifford
Antone")
"He was a giant. He lived for the music, and
if you were a musician, that meant he existed for you."
-- Jon Blondell Blues Musician Austin,
TX
"Cliff was the quintessential gentleman, and there are a lot of
women who will tell you the same thing. No matter how scrubby
you looked, he would always tell you how beautiful you were, ask if
you needed anything, made you feel good about yourself. He
truly loved women in the most beautiful way, in a way few men in
this world can really understand."
.-- Diana Ray Austin, TX
"Clifford carried a lot of blues — other people's blues, and he held
them close to his chest.
But the main thing he perfected was in looking for the very best
thing to say about folks. It's going to take a whole lot of people
to pick up that slack."
-- Eddie Wilson Owner, Threadgill's
Former Manager, Armadillo World Headquarters
Austin, TX
He loved
to book the big names, but he also liked to turn
folks on to the great sidemen," Eddie Taylor,
Wayne Bennett, Hubert Sumlin, Matt "Guitar"
Murphy and Luther Tucker may have been better
known for backing others, but at Antone's they
were superstars."
-- Conni Hancock
The Texana Dames Austin, TX
"Playing
at Antone's for the first time was an incredible
thrill,. Clifford had never heard me play, but
when he asked me who I liked and I said 'Magic
Sam' he figured I'd be OK."
-- Eve Monsees Blues Musician,
Austin, TX
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