IN MEMORY OF KENT EDWARD NELMS (February 6, 1935 - May 4, 2005) Picture taken on Sunday, February 6, 2005 - Kent's 70th Birthday. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This memorial was written by Bob Delaney <rw01delaney@yahoo.com> of Saint Louis, Missouri, in July 2005. Kent was my best friend. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KENT EDWARD NELMS ("Kenny"), was born on February 6, 1935, to Eubert and Opal Nelms in the Brookland, Arkansas, area, which is approximately 10 miles north of Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was the second child born to his parents. The Nelms family has resided in both the Brookland and Jonesboro areas for many years. He was born approximately 3 weeks after Elvis Presley. He moved with his parents at an early age to the Baden neighborhood of the North Saint Louis, Missouri, area. He attended public schools in Saint Louis through the eighth grade. He lived in North Saint Louis neighborhoods until the 1960s when his family moved to the general vicinity of the Compton Heights neighborhood of South Saint Louis. At the time of his death, he lived near the Bevo neighborhood of South Saint Louis. He passed away in his sleep on Tuesday, May 4, 2005. This date was the 15th anniversary of his mother, Opal's, death in 1990. He was preceded in death by his parents and a younger brother, Lanny. He was survived by his sisters, June and Jacqueline, and his brothers Stanley, Steve and Doug. All of his siblings resided in the Saint Louis, Missouri, area at the time of his passing. He was buried in a brief graveside service on Friday, May 7, 2005, in the Nelms family plot in Pine Log Cemetery near Brookland, Arkansas. Kenny served in the United States Army Reserve during the 1950s at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He qualified with the rifle. He worked in many different types of jobs in his lifetime: baker, migrant farm worker, factory production (shoes, military arms, lighting, and candy), retail and wholesale produce sales, house painting, shoe shining, landscape and gardening, moving, warehousing, bowling alley, hospital kitchen and many other jobs. He traveled to many states, often for work. He lived with his family in California for a time. He visited New Orleans, Louisiana; Tunica, Mississippi; Clarksdale, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; Michigan; Tampa, Florida; Clearwater, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; and Flagstaff, Arizona. Kenny enjoyed going to the movies in the 1940s, which explained his knowledge of performers such as The Bowery Boys, The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and Laurel and Hardy. These performers starred in films that were shown with the feature pictures of the era. Kenny enjoyed listening to the radio programs of the 1940s especially thrillers like "The Shadow." His family was one of the first in their neighborhood to have a television set. Kenny recalled when all the kids in the neighborhood would be at his house watching television. Kenny watched a lot of television. He became very knowledgeable of movies and The Three Stooges 20-minute films that were shown on children's television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. In the years after 1975, The Three Stooges films were shown late at night to the generation that grew up watching them in the 1950s and 1960s. Kenny and Bob Delaney developed almost a word for word memory of The Three Stooges films. Kenny had a very excellent memory for details. Kenny's favorite form of entertainment was music. He grew up in the Swing band era of the 1940s, but it was the birth of Rock and Roll in the early 1950s that really captured his attention. To be a teenager in that era was really exciting. The old Pop music such as "Mister Sandman" was replaced by raw Rock and Roll music such as "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and The Comets. Kenny really liked what was called Rockabilly music. Kenny's favorite radio program in Saint Louis in the 1950s was "Night Beat Down Rhythm Street" on WIL-AM hosted by Jerome Dixon. On this program Kenny would hear Jazz, Blues, and Rock and Roll. Kenny enjoyed all of the genres of Rock and Roll, including Elvis, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and 1970s groups such as Cheap Trick (Guitarist Rick Nielsen imitating Satch of The Bowery Boys) and Sparks (Keyboardist with droll expression dressed in WWII uniform with Der Furher's mustache). In the 1990s and 2000s Kenny and Bob Delaney attended many Blues Concerts and Blues Festivals, most notably the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas, The Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival, The Sparta, Illinois, Blues Festival, The Springfield, Illinois, Blues Festival, The Sunflower River Blues Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and The Memphis In May Festival. They attended concerts by B. B. King, ZZ Top, The Staples Singers and many other Blues and/or Gospel performers. They were personal friends of legendary Blues Drummer Sam Carr and St. Louis harmonica legend Arthur Williams. They attended the W. C. Handy Blues Awards at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis 3 times. Bob and Kenny maintained many books with photos of the events they attended and collected many pins of musical instruments and festivals. Kenny and Bob Delaney's family attended guitar shows at Thoroughbred Music in Clearwater, Florida. At these shows they saw performances by Slash of Guns and Roses and members of Kiss. Kenny's favorite songs were "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran, "BeBopaLua, She's My Baby" by Gene Vincent, "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, "Mystery Train" and "Hound Dog" by Elvis, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Hey Jude" by The Beatles, "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughn, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins and many others. Occasionally, Bob Delaney and Kenny attempted to perform some blues tunes with Bob Delaney playing a guitar and Kenny playing a harmonica. It was a fun thing, not very serious. On New Year's Eve 1999, they made a tape of a blues jam on a cheap cassette recorder. In 1998 through 2001, Kenny and Bob were invited to legendary blues drummer Sam Carr's Fish Fry, which is traditionally held at Sam's farm in Lula, Mississippi, on the Sunday following the King Biscuit Festival, which ends on a Saturday. This event is really just a big party complete with all kinds of food and drink and continuous live music provided by some of the performers from the festival, and whomever wants to play. Through their travels to festivals, concerts, and award shows, Kenny and Bob met Ike Turner, Rufus Thomas, Bobby Rush, B. B. King, Luther Allison, Eric Clapton, and many other performers. Kenny was a very honest person. He would tell you what he thought. Kenny was a very generous person. He always was willing to share what he had. He was willing to part with something if he thought the other person needed it more than he did. When Taco Bell had the talking dog toys, he gave his toy to a little girl who wanted it so badly. He liked to see people happy. He loved humor and comedy. His favorite television characters were Roseanne a Danna a Danna, Two Wild and Crazy Guys, the Dukes of Hazzard, Peg and Al Bundy. Kenny was born just north of Jonesboro, Arkansas (Upper Middle of map) The King Biscuit Blues Festival Symbol Kenny at The Delta Cultural Center In Helena, Arkansas (October 2000) Kenny greets St. Louis harmonica legend Arthur Williams at King Biscuit (1999) Larry Griffin, Gene Tomko, Sam Carr, Arthur Williams jam at Sam's 1998 fish fry Kenny admires a Mercedes at the Lady Luck Casino (October 1999) Kenny admires a fairgoer's dog at the 1997 Festival Kenny checks out the menu at the Tamale Stand (1997 Festival) Kenny admires a bovine-clad Cadillac at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica (1998) Benny Smith performs "Mystery Train" at Jefferson Barracks (1999) Bob Delaney And Kenny watch Chris Thomas perform at Jefferson Barracks In the picture immediately above, Kenny and Bob Delaney are sitting in the crowd immediately to the right of Chris Thomas's right elbow as he faces the audience at Jefferson Barracks. This concert was part of the Blues on the Mississippi concert series at Jefferson Barracks Amphitheater. Kenny's best friend Bob Delaney playing a 1954 Les Paul In Clarksdale, MS The Story Behind This Guitar: Kenny obtained this guitar when he accompanied a friend of his to visit the friend's dying brother in Flagstaff, Arizona. The fellow who was ill used to play country music with his deceased wife. He told Kenny he could have two of his guitars, the Kay Jazz II and a 1930's Gibson L-5. Kenny was wary of carrying the L-5 back on a bus, so he took the Kay. Kenny gave the guitar to Bob Delaney. It has a very high action, good for blues and slide playing. Kenny with Bob Delaney's dog Champagne Kenny loved all types of animals. His own favorite pet was Rusty, a German Shepard-Border Collie mix who was an excellent watchdog. Rusty would let Kenny know when it was walk time by getting his chain off of a hook and placing it at Kenny's feet. Kenny also had a feisty Manchester Terrier named Tina who was very cute. She looked like a miniature Doberman. Kenny had several cats, a black Burmese cat named Pepper, and a tabby named Puss and Boots. Bob Delaney's dog Champagne, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi-Beagle mix, was very fond of Kenny. Kenny's grave in Nelms Family plot in Pine Log Cemetery in Brookland, Arkansas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenny is sadly missed by family and friends. We know he is at peace now. A smile is gone forever. The memory of a brother and friend lives on. Thank God for the precious memories of the ones we knew and loved. Sleep...Sleep Tonight...And May Your Dreams Be Realized... You're still here, Kenny....in so many hearts...