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Scott Kempner

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Scott Kempner
Born(1954-02-06)February 6, 1954
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 2023(2023-11-29) (aged 69)
Connecticut, U.S.
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1972–2021
Formerly ofThe Brandos
The Del-Lords
The Dictators
SpouseSharon Ludtke

Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos.

Background and career

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Kempner was born in the Bronx on February 6, 1954.[1] He began his musical career in 1972, with friends Andy Shernoff and Ross Friedman, when they started The Dictators.[1] The band broke up for the first time in 1975, though they frequently reunited over the following decades, and Kempner continued to play with them until his retirement in 2021.[1]

Kempner released a solo in 1992 called Tenement Angels. He released his second solo album, Saving Grace, in July 2008 on 00:02:59 Records.[1]

In the early 1990s, Dion DiMucci joined Kempner and Frank Funaro of the Del-Lords and Mike Mesaros of the Smithereens in a short-lived band called Little Kings. A live album was later released, but not widely circulated or promoted.

Kempner contributed "Apache Tears" to the 2007 compilation album Song of America.

In summer 2008, Variety said about Kempner: "If the world were a just and fair place, Scott Kempner would be stopped regularly by musicians and music fans thanking him for the effect the records he made with the Del-Lords and the Dictators had on their lives. Kempner's music is impossible to not like: He's the rare master at making three-chord rock 'n' roll - inspired by the 1950s and '60s - sound fresh and vital, simultaneously urban and twangy, heartfelt, political and personal."[2]

A Del-Lords reunion album and tour were done in 2013, and Kempner sang and played guitar on the Carla Olson album Have Harmony Will Travel, performing Little Steven's "All I Needed Was You".

Personal life and death

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Kempner was married to Sharon Ludtke. He retired from his musical career in 2021, after being diagnosed with dementia, and died at a nursing home in Connecticut on November 29, 2023, at the age of 69.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Carballo, Rebecca (November 29, 2023). "Scott Kempner, Guitarist and Punk Rock Pioneer, Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Scott Kempner". Weblogs.variety.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "Scott Kempner, Founding Member of NYC Bands The Dictators and Del-Lords, Dies". Best Classic Bands. November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
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