Danny Rhodes

The first of three memorial services for Cottonwood musician Danny Rhodes will be Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m., on the softball fields at Riverfront Park. Rhodes died Friday, May 23, 9:18 p.m., at Verde Valley Medical Center. He was 58 years old. "Because Danny was so loved and had friends across the country, we will be holding memorial services in three places," said Danny\u0027s wife, Lisa. "The first will be here on Saturday, May 31 at 10 a.m. on the softball fields at Riverfront Park. The second will be in West Monroe, La., on June 7th and the third in Nashville, Tenn., on June 14th. Danny\u0027s wish was to be cremated and to have his ashes spread in the rivers of these three cities." Rhodes had battled gastric cancer for more than a year and had spent all but two days over the past two months at VVMC. "We were holding his hands when he died and we could tell he was very much at peace," said Lisa. "He was a fighter and he fought to the very end. All day (Friday) he seemed very much at peace and sensed this would be his last day." Over the past several weeks, said Lisa, Danny spoke frequently with his friends Linda Rogerson, Veronica Contreras, Harmony Blanchard and Marguerite Lauri. "They visited with Danny every day," said Lisa. "Also, his two sons, Gabriel and Aaron, were with him Friday." He also spent time during the past few weeks with two different pastors, Barney Barnett of the Restoration Church and Lisa\u0027s stepfather, Tom Murphy, an Episcopal priest from Virginia. A native of Cairo, Ill., Rhodes was a Louisiana-bred bluesman who first began visiting in the Verde Valley in the early 1980s and moved here permanently in 1996. He played for several years regularly at the Blazin\u0027 M Ranch and was best known as the front man for the popular band Danny Rhodes and the Messengers. "Danny was the first one who put me to work in the Verde Valley," remembers good friend Ted Rocha. "I knew his brother, Robbie, and he asked me to come play with him up at the Spirit Room in about 1980. Danny was the one who brought the Louisiana-style music to this area. It was Danny who got me started playing music by the Neville Brothers and Dr. John. "As a musician, Danny was a perfectionist. Whenever I played with him, I had to rehearse his stuff for a week, and rightfully so, that\u0027s why he was so professional." One of the musicians who knew Rhodes best was Troy Perkins, who was Danny\u0027s regular bass player for many years with the Messengers. "Danny was intense," said Perkins. "He expected a lot of himself and he expected a lot from the musicians who played for him. He was very passionate about his music ... but he could be a lot of fun as well. As a person, you could call Danny for anything. He was as good a person as you will find." Local musician Alan James echoes Perkins and Rocha about Rhodes\u0027 professionalism: "The first thing that comes to mind is his great talent," said James. "The guy was in the upper echelon as a guitar player. He was very serious and intense when it came to his music and he wanted all the guys in his band to have the same standards." According to his Web site, www.dannyrhodes.com, Danny played in all 50 states, Canada, Japan, and Europe with a wide variety of artists, including Charlie Rich, Mel McDaniel, and Brenda Lee. With these artists and with his own bands, Rhodes performed on Austin City Limits, the Grand Ole Opry, HBO, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In the late 1970s, Danny spent two years in Austin, Texas, and shared bills with Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Neville Brothers. While living in Nashville, he performed with Dicky Betts, Gregg Allman, Rodney Crowell, Gatemouth Brown, and Dash Crofts. He was also a staff writer for Warner/Chappell (Warner Bros. publishing company) and wrote songs for several artists, including Etta James. His song, "Get Funky," was the first single from Etta\u0027s Stickin\u0027 to My Guns album, released on Island Records. Rhodes was inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame in May 2006. In addition to his wife, Lisa, Danny is survived by his sons, Gabriel Francis, 19, and Elvis Aaron David Thomas, 5; his daughter, Ruby Jude Randall, 29, from Tucson; his brothers, Robbie Rhodes, who lives in Louisiana, and Scott Rhodes from Texas; and two grandsons, Gunner Anthony Randall, 6, and Chase Arthur Randall, 5, both of Tucson. In lieu of flowers, the Rhodes family is asking that donations be made to the account of 4-year old leukemia patient Orion Gunnell. His savings account is at Wells Fargo, number 824-9764260. Orion\u0027s grandfather, Stan Gunnell, is a neighbor of the Rhodes family and a cancer survivor himself. "He was one of the first people to rush to Danny\u0027s side after the diagnosis and spent many nights over at our house talking to and comforting Danny," said Lisa. "His grandson was just diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago, but Stan still made time for Danny and made sure Danny knew to call him day or night. In fact, he was at the hospital just a few moments after Danny passed." (As printed in the VERDE INDEPENDENT)