editors’s note; Columbus lost rocker/singer-songwriter Kim Crawford early in January. We didn’t note it at the time because we didn’t have anybody qualified to do Kim’s work and passing justice in print. Recently Jim Johnson posted the following piece on his Facebook page, ahead of a benefit show for Kim at Eldorado’s, and he kindly gave his permission for us to run it on Pencil Storm, and he has our great thanks for that. Following that is a memo from Jim to Kim.
Kim, onstage (with Jim behind the drums)
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the life and music of Kim Crawford, a talented and inspirational force in the Columbus music community.
I first met Kim when she joined the Willie Phoenix & the Soul Underground band, alongside myself and Myke Rock. I had heard of her, but had never seen her play. She came in as a professional, playing exactly what Willie expected of her. She learned quickly, and we were playing gigs almost immediately. She played well, and was a great onstage foil for Willie, adding just the right combination of musicianship and showmanship. We played in that band for a couple of years, and always had a great time. When I had to leave the band due to health reasons, she stayed on for a couple more years.
Time passed and eventually she also left Willie's band to pursue her own music and started 10Ahead. Awhile passed and one day she gave me a call. She told me Steve was no longer able to continue in 10Ahead, and she wanted me to come over and see if I might fit into her project. She sent me some songs to learn, and I was more than interested. Steve's drumming on the 10Ahead CD is fantastic. Really good, and his style was quite a bit different than my style. Me coming in was kind of like Charlie Watts replacing Neil Peart. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated, but I thought I could bring my own style to her music. I learned the songs as best I could, but it was obvious to everyone the sound would change. Not drastically, but it would be different. None the less, Kim gave me the job. She told me on the first day that she wanted me to play the songs as I heard them, in my style. I felt pretty good after that.
We practiced regularly, and played a few gigs. It was starting to come together. Then COVID hit. Things ground to a sudden halt. It was difficult to rehearse, as everyone was quite worried about how COVID would affect all of us. We were not spring chickens. After a couple weeks, Kim and I decided we needed to play. If nothing else to keep our chops up, and continue to work on the songs. Kim and I would get together, just the two of us. Like some bastardized version of the White Stripes, just guitar and drums, we would practice every week. We started auditioning guitar and bass players, going through several of each. Over the course of a couple years we finally found the right combination, with Aaron Pauley and Billy Zenn. We were SO happy, we finally found a great combination. We rehearsed and finally played our first gig at Eldorado's. We were ecstatic with how it went. The years of hard work and patience had finally paid off.
Then Kim passed away on January 4th.
Life is like that sometimes. I can't really express the sadness I feel. It's not just the band, or the music. I lost a dear friend. One that I shared many good times with. She was my musical sister. I'll never forget those practices, with just her and I, playing music that made us happy. We bonded, and that bond will last forever.
10Ahead with Donna Mogavero will be playing some of Kim's songs tomorrow at Eldorado’s during a Celebration of Life and fundraiser for Kim’s final expenses. We will be playing those songs for her. I hope she looks down and smiles. - Jim Johnson, 2/18/2023
JJMemo to Kim Crawford:
Kim,
I wanted to let you know, I went to that party we talked about. It was over the top! Bob played, and he was great as usual. Theresa came down, with her friends, and sang some beautiful harmonies. Nikki did a set of Pretenders songs. It was awesome. Colin showed up and played with Willie. Willie took his game up a notch, and the crowd loved it. It was so cool. Ravage & Rock tore it up with Screaming Urge, and Sioux sang “You Forsake Me” with them. Wednesday Wine brought the funk. They're getting really good. Alecia came, and brought her whole band. They played some really neat songs. Dexter and Brian Clash played too, and turned in some very cool sets. Billy, Aaron and I were digging the whole scene, when Donna came up and said "Let's do a few of Kim's songs." We figured you'd be down with that, so we played “Circles,” “Makes You Feel,” and “Food In The Kitchen.” We threw in “Stop Your Sobbing,” because we know you loved that song. We had a great reception because, after all, we were doing your songs. It was packed, and a lot of your friends were there.
I'm not really sure why I'm telling you this stuff; YOU WERE THERE! I didn't really see you, but I felt your presence. I know you hugged every single person that came. That's a lot of hugs! But that was always you. You never let a friend walk by without a hug and a kind word. You've been that way forever. I wish we would have had a little more time to hang out. It's always like that. There's never enough time. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I love you. Seems I always forget to let you know, so I figured I'd memo you. I hope you had fun at the party. I know all you friends did. See you soon.
Jim
10AHEAD LIVE @ VICTORIES, COLUMBUS, OHIO, 1/3/2020
left to right; Jeff Kassner, bass / Kim Crawford, guitar & vocals / Jim Johnson, drums / Michael Ravage, lead guitar & vocals
10AHEAD w/ DONNA MOGAVERO, at the CELEBRATION of LIFE for KIM CRAWFORD BENEFIT @ ELDORADO’S, COLUMBUS, OHIO, 2/19/2023
left to right; Aaron Pauley, lead guitar / Jim Johnson, drums / Donna Mogavero, vocals & guitar / Billy Zenn, bass & vocals
Kim Crawford, songwriting & guiding spirit
(The other performers’ sets from the benefit can be found on YouTube under A CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KIM CRAWFORD, many thanks to Jerri Shafer.)
THE LAST WORD - KIM CRAWFORD, R.I.P.