Sean Benjamin Obituary (1955 - 2014)

Sean Benjamin's affinity for the blues, folk music and rock 'n' roll had been formed years before his 1973 arrival in Lincoln, Neb., but it was his later association with the fledgling Zoo Bar as guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter that would ensure his local and regional reputation for decades to come. That association continued up until his death Oct. 15 in Lincoln. Benjamin was 59. Born in Mount Kisco, N.Y., Sept. 30, 1955, he began his career while still in his early teens, playing lead guitar with The Outcasts in Pleasantville, N.Y. In 1969 he moved with his mother to Cambridge, Mass., where he joined a band called Jake & the Family Jewels, opening for Bo Diddley in a series of concerts. Devoted equally to the Chicago blues and its country roots, he studied with Paul Lenert of T-Bone Walker's band and "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin of the Muddy Waters band.Benjamin moved to Lincoln in 1973 when his father got a job writing for Nebraska Educational Television. His attempts at finishing high school failed when he began playing guitar with keyboard veteran Jim "Cid" Cidlik, drummer Dave Trupp and other local musicians, often at Sunday jam sessions at the popular Elms Club on West O Street.He returned to the East Coast in 1974 to play with former Blues Project founder Tommy Flanders, including gigs at Cafe Wha in New York City's Greenwich Village. In 1975, Sean met and studied guitar with the great Aaron "T-Bone" Walker, who had switched from guitar to piano and vocals late in his career. Sean was hired to play lead, but Walker died before he could officially join the band. The following year, Benjamin joined the Back Slap Blues Band, which later became Roomful of Blues.A letter from Zoo Bar owner Larry Boehmer brought Benjamin back to Lincoln in 1977. Still in his early 20s, he already had developed a mature guitar technique and gritty tenor voice that were capable of electrifying the club's packed houses. He performed and recorded with a succession of house bands that included Little Jimmy Valentine & the Heartmurmurs, Cocktail Shorty & the Tablerockers and Not All There, a trio that spotlighted Benjamin's soulful blues and rock guitar playing. In the mid-'80 he also toured and recorded a series of four releases with the legendary Nebraska rocker Bobby Lowell & the Wrecking Crew. He also appeared at area clubs performing with his then-wife Laurie McClain, a singer-songwriter now living in Nashville.Benjamin's own recording, "Delta Blue Coffee," was released in 1996 and showcases his well-honed talents as a singer and a versatile guitar player, especially on acoustic guitar and slide guitar. It contains several of his own tunes as well as classics by Elmore James, Robert Johnson and Jimmy Reed.Known to fans and fellow musicians as one of the most humble musicians on the scene, Benjamin encouraged the efforts of younger players who were inspired by his example. In 2000, he was inducted into The Nebraska Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.As Boehmer once said of Benjamin, "He is an amazingly soulful player with a very thorough knowledge of the blues. When it comes to blues guitarists-and I've seen them all-Sean can hang with the very best."He is survived by daughter Sarah Maria McClain Benjamin and grandson Benjamin Floyd Stringer of West Monroe, La.; granddaughter Coralina Summer Mal of Austin, Texas; sister Juliet Burke of Brooks, Maine; and sister and brother-in-law Michel and Duane Drahota of Lincoln, Neb. He was predeceased by mother Betty Hughes Benjamin and father LeGrand Clarence Benjamin.Services will be Monday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. at St. Paul Methodist Church at 1144 M St. in Lincoln. There will be a short reception after the services at the church. A musical celebration of life will follow from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Duggan's Pub 440 S. 11th St. ServiceMonday, November 3, 2014 1:00 PM 11/3/2014 1:00:00 PM St. Paul Methodist Church 1144 M St. Lincoln, NE St. Paul Methodist Church 1144 M St. Lincoln NE United States Celebration of LifeMonday, November 3, 2014 4:00 PM 11/3/2014 4:00:00 PM - 1:00 AM 11/3/2014 1:00:00 AM Duggan's Pub 440 S. 11th St. Lincoln, NE Duggan's Pub 440 S. 11th St. Lincoln NE United States