Hiram Bullock Dead At 52
Hiram Bullock passes at
fifty-two years old, cause of death not yet known as the autopsy report not
available at the time of this writing.
Hiram Bullock was a unique
musician who played every style of music from the Blues to Jazz to Rock. Hiram
also had the distinct ability to ignite his shows with his friendly, bombastic
virtuosity and genuine enthusiasm. Throughout his diverse career, which hit
high-gear upon his arrival in New
York City in the seventies, Bullock immediately made his impression on the scene
and performed and recorded with the crème de la crème artists such as: The Brecker Brothers, various stints
with Gil Evans, plus a who's who list of outstanding artists, including Eric
Clapton, Al Green, Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Hank Crawford,
Steely Dan, Sting, Michael Franks, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Pete Townsend,
Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Will Lee, Billy Joel, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chaka
Kahn, Edgar Winter, and James Brown.
Bottom line; Bullock earned the respect of his peers and critics, he
constantly and consistently developed his craft as a sensitive
singer-songwriter, explosive guitarist, sideman, and an outstanding live
performer.
Bullock was born in Osaka,
Japan. He learned to play the saxophone at age eleven and began playing the
bass as a teenager. He switched to guitar at age sixteen "to meet more
girls." Bullock attended the University of Miami music school (and studied
with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius) where he met many of the musicians that he
would play with throughout his professional career, specifically with the
singer Phyllis Hyman, who had a hand in bringing him to New York.
Bullock found new fans as
the barefoot guitar player on Late Night with David Letterman from inception
till 1984, when he was a part of the World's Most Dangerous Band led by Paul
Shaffer. Bullock was also a member of the Saturday Night Live band and was the
musical director of David Sanborn's critically acclaimed Night Music show.
Bullock's solo recording period started in 1983 and he has produced all of his
twelve albums, which include many of his original songs. His albums span many
different genres of music: the contemporary Jazz of "From All Sides," the Rock
of "World of Collision," the Latin-influenced "Carrasco," and the Dr. Lonnie Smith
organ-trio Jazz of "Late Night Talk." At this time of passing, Bullock's live
performances were mostly like his group-oriented funky Rock albums; "Color Me,"
"Try Livin' It," and his most-recent release "Too Funky 2 Ignore."
I had the good fortune to
have known Hiram, who was an extremely bright human being, and who also
possessed a keen sense of the world around him. During a recent interview Hiram told me that musicians of
his era had to realize that they no longer commanded the "market-share" they
were accustomed to back in the seventies and eighties. Always with a positive attitude;
Bullock was just happy and proud to be able tour the world and perform, playing
his real instrument. Bullock was a
very special individual, both as a person, and foremost as a consummate
musician. His music had no
boundaries, and at any given moment Bullock could pound out the deepest
blistering blues, the most soulful funk, rock-out with the best of them, and
play straight-ahead jazz. He was a rare gem, who will be very sorely missed on
the music scene. Fortunately his
music will live on, and his legacy of over two-hundred recording credits will
be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Bob Putignano www.SoundsofBlue.com