RIP, Barry Hampton

There are a handful of musicians in this town who are so well-known and well-loved that you simply couldn't avoid them if you tried. Barry Hampton, who died Friday, was one of them. Known for his own band, The Triple Grip, and his work with artists as disparate as MC/DJ Ohmega Watts and experimental collective Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Hampton was a great talent that couldn't be categorized or pigeonholed and certainly one of the most charismatic performers in this city's history. He moved to Portland from Baltimore in 1997, and quickly jumped on just about every stage in town (as AP Kryza detailed in a 2007 WW profile).

My path only crossed with Hampton's on a few occasions, but he left an impression—both with his music and with his spirit—each time. I feel like I knew him if only because I can't count the number of times his name has come up in conversation with local musicians from every corner of the Portland scene. He will be greatly missed as both a soulful voice and as that uniting force in that community. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and his long list of musical collaborators.

I'm would imagine, given the reach of Hampton's music and big personality, that there will be at least one public memorial or concert (and maybe a rager of a Dookie Jam) in his honor in the coming weeks. We'll try to keep you updated.

This video, and the photo above, are both via Hampton's good friend and former WW film critic David Walker.

WWeek 2015