William Dennis Gent

William Dennis Gent
1950 - 2002
 

Bill was one of the three best drummers I 've ever worked with, and one of my oldest friends.  He was a true musician, not just a banger, as are so many other rock drummers.  He also played guitar, sang, and wrote a few tunes, some of which appear on the Bacchanalia CD.  Bill and I went to Seacrest High School in the 60's; we were friendly rivals, always in different bands.  I was jealous of him for a while - it seemed as though he never had to study, but always did really well in school, whereas I had to really try hard to keep up with him.  He was the person who turned me on to Jimi Hendrix for the first time.  I remember sitting in his bedroom being totally blown away by Hendrix's first album.  Bill and Michael Osborn were just about the smartest guys I knew for a long time.  After Bill graduated from Seacrest, he moved to Wisconsin and enrolled as a double-major in Music and Physics.  Not the easiest academic path to take.  More important, Bill was a really nice guy.  Life kicked him around quite a bit, but he never seemed to lose his positive attitude.  Whenever we were working together, he was always full of energy, ambition, and drive, and had a great sense of humor.  I had lost touch with him for the last couple of years before his death, so I was a bit surprised to hear that he had returned to his Epicople roots, (his mother was very active at St. Paul's Episcople Church in Delray Beach).  Bill was a grand guy, and I'll always miss him.
 


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