"Lonesome" Dave Peverett, as most of you know, has passed away.  The cancer that he battled with, finally won out and I've lost a good friend and soul brother. Dave, of course, was a vital part of Savoy Brown in the 1960's and early 70's before he went on to form and front the band Foghat.

    I'm printing the speech, here, that I gave (more or less) at the funeral ceremony, so as to share my thoughts with you.

    "I was hoping to speak to Dave this past Tuesday...now he's avoided me before but this is ridiculous!  I was hoping to tell him how much it meant to me that he had rekindled our friendship over this past decade.  He'd bring Linda to the gigs when I played here in Orlando and also Jason and he was very supportive.  The fans would tell me the nice things he would say about me during Foghat shows and after all that we had been through it showed what a wonderful and good man he was.

    Having Dave as a friend, again, was important to me because I felt connected to him, both through the music we created with Savoy Brown and through our mutual love of  rock 'n' roll and blues.  We weren't family or bosom buddies but when we would talk on the 'phone, a couple of times a year, that "soul brother" thing was always there.

    Last year I sent him a newspaper article that I picked up in Dallas, Texas about Gene Vincent and I was happy that Dave had learnt something from the article that he previously didn't know.  That made me feel good because Dave knew everything about rock and blues!

    Some memories of Dave:

    We met through my brother Harry and I remember him at Harry's wedding...tall and thin with black horned rimmed glasses...a Buddy Holly look a like.  Of course he loved those 50's rockers but he did look like the man least likely to succeed.  Well, he certainly showed us all.

    He always reminded me that he joined Savoy Brown and played that same night without a single rehearsal or mention of material.  But that's how much he knew the music we were playing.

    When we first came to the States I remember he was the most excited in the 'plane as we approached NYC.  I can see him now looking out the window and excitedly talking about America and the home of rock 'n' roll.  Those early days in NYC were great...we shared rooms and we'd eat at the macrobiotic restaurants and scour the record stores for rarities.  Dave's suitcase always contained more records than clothes!

    Another memory, although I was an outsider looking in, was Dave playing with Foghat and wearing his gold lame suit.  He was the ultimate rock star and I knew he was loving every minute of the fact that he was carrying on the rock 'n' roll flame that had been passed on to him by Gene Vincent and all the other rockers that had gone before him.

    Dave always loved to tell stories so I've got one here.  We played on the same bill with Little Richard in the 60's and afterwards Dave and myself were part of Richards' entourage that went to see BB King play at a local all black club.  We sat at the back in a prominent position and all through the night Little Richard gave autographs.  BB King introduced Dave and myself over the microphone as being a young new band from the UK...only he had no idea who we actually were and said..."a big hand for England's answer to the Supremes!"

    Dave always had a smile on his face and a perspective on life that we could all learn from.  I think if he had a motto it would be something like "keep your humor at all costs and at all times".  I think we all saw that during the past couple of years.

    That Dave's marriage lasted so long (35 years) during this modern age and through the music business ups and downs is amazing and shows me again what a good and decent man he was and how much he loved Linda and his family.

    For some time now Dave, and Linda, have been in the little prayer that I say each morning.  I have a feeling that Dave will occupy that space for the rest of my life.  He'll live on and be immortal through the music, through his children and grand children and certainly in my mind.

    Finally I'd like to say that Dave was a good man...a very good man...a better man than me and a man that I pray I'll be able to meet again some day."

Kim Simmonds