San Angelo Mourns the Loss of Blues Artist Jeff Strahan

San Angelo and the Blues Society are suffering through a significant loss this afternoon, as word of the death of well-known blues musician Jeff Strahan passes through the community.

Strahan had been ill for some time, and his illness was witnessed by many in San Angelo at his final local performance at Sealy Flats on New Year’s Eve 2013. In the wake of his passing, those who knew and had worked with him in San Angelo express deep sorrow at the passing of one of the community’s favorite performers.

“I met him through the music,” said Rod Bridgman, an active member of the San Angelo Blues Society and owner of Sealy Flats. “We got to be pretty good friends over the years. He and his wife Lois and niece and I really got along well,” Bridgman said. “In fact, we even talked about having a joint marriage with all four of us. He was a good man, as good as they come.”

Strahan first played Sealy Flats approximately seven years ago, Bridgman said, and has performed in the venue four to five times a year since then. At his last Sealy Flats performance he took the stage with local musician Jeska Bailey.

“Jeff was actually really sick on New Year’s,” Bailey said. “He still took the stage and played as best he could, even though you could tell he wasn’t feeling very good. I actually sang the last song of the night with him on New Year’s because he was so ill that he was just feeling like he wanted to play the piano,” Bailey said.

How long Strahan had been sick or his exact cause of death has not yet been verified, however Bridgman could confirm part of the story, “I know he had double pneumonia and then there was a stroke and he had liver failure,” he said, “and that was of last Thursday.”

Current reports are that Strahan passed sometime Wednesday morning, leaving behind a legacy of strong music, memories of good cheer, and the image of a man who gave everything to pursue his dreams.

“You could tell that there was a passion for him,” Bailey said. “Jeff was a very successful lawyer and he gave up his firm and everything to follow his dream to be a musician. You can just tell through his performances and the soul that he had in his voice that this is what he wanted to do, and I admire him for following his dream…there’s so many people that have dreams and they never try,” she said.

Strahan was well known in the community and his music touched a lot of people. According to Bridgman, Strahan represented the San Angelo Blues Society in the International Blues Competition for a couple of years, and was Sealy Flats’ favorite performer.

“He played rock and blues,” Bridgman said. “He was so happy when he played, he just thoroughly enjoyed himself. I’ve seen no one else that played the keyboard and the piano and would go back and forth between the two of them and even play both of them at once. He’s one of the best songwriters that has ever played at Sealy Flats, and he was really, without a doubt, our favorite band,” said Bridgman. “He was a crowd pleaser.”

At the time of publication, further information pertaining to Strahan’s death and funeral services had not been made available. This story will be updated as further details are passed along. Both Jeska Bailey and Rod Bridgman express their condolences to family, friends and fans.

Bailey added, “Jeff will live on through his music,” and suggested that when a musician passes, CDs are normally sold to help the family cover funeral costs. As of yet, nothing has been set up, however LIVE! will follow up with more information. 

Update: Jan. 16, 6:45 p.m.

According to Jeff Stahan's Facebook page, memorial services will be held in New Braunfels on Saturday and Lamesa on Sunday.

Saturday, January 18 at The First Protestant Church, 172 West Coll St., New Braunfels, TX at 3pm. 
www.firstprotestant.com

Sunday, January 19 at The First Presbyterian Church, 1305 North Ave G, Lamesa, TX at 5pm.
www.fpclamesa.org

Below a video of Jeff Strahan performing "Give me One Good Reason" at Sealy Flats.[[{"fid":"2403","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","attributes":{}}]]