Farewell to an Unlikely Southern Rock Icon
One of the most interesting things about some of the best bands in Southern Rock is that they named themselves after people who weren’t in the band.
Lynyrd Skynyrd named itself for the band members’ high school gym teacher, Leonard Skinner, but I can’t help but wonder how many people know that there has never been anybody in the Marshall Tucker Band named Marshall Tucker.
Even though he didn’t play any music with the band, Marshall Tucker became famous as its namesake. And how he has passed away at the age of 99.
Marshall Tucker the man has a fascinating story of his own. He was born blind, but God blessed him with perfect pitch. He learned to tune pianos at a school for the blind and became one of the premiere piano tuners in the nation.
When the original members of the Marshall Tucker Band — Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell, Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, and Paul Riddle — rented a rehearsal space in 1972, the key to the old warehouse had Marshall Tucker’s name engraved on it. And the band not only found a rehearsal space but a name for the band as well.
The rest is Southern Rock history.
“At the time, The Marshall Tucker Band didn’t even know the name referred to an actual person,” writes Trigger at Saving Country Music. “Marshall Tucker didn’t figure out he was named after a band either until one of his friends remarked to him that they saw he would be playing music in town. Both the band and the man eventually put two and two together, and Marshall Tucker has been sort of a Marshall Tucker Band mascot ever since.”
The band issued a statement on Facebook and Twitter:
We are saddened to hear of the passing of someone very special to our hearts, for very obvious reasons. Our band’s namesake, Mr. Marshall Tucker, passed away peacefully yesterday morning at the age of 99. Though he was never a member of our band, we wouldn’t be here today without his historic name. In the early days when we were rehearsing in an old warehouse in Spartanburg, we found a keychain inscribed with his name. We needed a name asap… and the rest is history! Marshall was blind since birth but amazingly could play the heck out of the piano. He always said his talent was simply God-given. He tuned pianos in South Carolina for decades. We are thankful for Mr. Marshall Tucker and the life he lived! Sending blessings to his wife and family.
God Bless,
The Marshall Tucker Band
Rest in peace, Marshall Tucker.
Photo credit: Twitter / Marshall Tucker Band