Jimmy Hughes passed away at 1:25, July 1, 2010. He had been fighting cancer (of the throat, I believe), with his typical great spirit, for many years. He will be missed.
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B'Jam 
February 12, 2015 at 4:05 pm |
My wife and I had the good fortune of speaking with Jimmy after he moved South. We miss him dearly. I spent many a night on Sundays at the Steak & Ale with Jimmy, Bill and Bob in Lower East Side enjoying his sense of humor and the great
music.and considered him a personal friend. It hasn’t really been the same since….
November 25, 2010 at 6:06 am |
Many years ago, when Jimmy first came down with throat cancer, he called me, asking me to come over to his apartment in Catonsville and wish him farewell. He was moving down to his Mom’s place and would not be coming back.
I was surprised and saddened by the finality in his words, and as the tears flowed, he scolded me for being so soft. He told me that he was not going to make it and he wanted to be with his Mom when the end came.
We stayed in touch through phone calls and an occasional letter. Once Facebook came around, most of Legend began to trade pictures and
memories of a time in the 70’s Baltimore music scene that were possibly the happiest years of my life.
Coming out of The Fugitives, I was the nervous new guy and joined Legend in January, 1970. What a thrill…and challenge to be on the stage at Hollywood Park (known as The Toadstool at that time) and front those amazing musicians. Each of them could sing as well as play their chosen instruments, and this was very intimidating. On the last night of my first week with the band, I was unsure how the guys felt about me as their lead singer, but Jimmy sat me down and gave me hell for not having confidence in myself.
He told me to trust myself and the guys in the band and to just have fun. That fun lasted all the way to 1976. Because of this gentle, giving man, I learned humility and compassion and what it was like to truly love the guys I played with. In the family breakdown, Jimmy was the father…always leading with a smile often accompanied by his particular slant on life. His love of music and being on stage was infectious and set the stage for us to become a very tight and talented group.
To this day, I have never met another musician who embraced his profession. from the Do Wop era all the way to the point in our lives where disco desimated the rock and roll landscape, Jimmy was the rock…the bassman who laid down the perfect foundation for us to rock our butts off.
At Jimmy’s small ceremony held a few days after his passing, I spoke to his loved ones and admirers about how, I, as the new guy in Legend, I felt I was standing on the shoulders of giants, and Jimmy was the tallest of them all.
I consider myself blessed to have had Jimmy in my life. As the years passed and the band moved from stage to stage, no matter what the venue, we shared ups and downs together.
I can only hope that all the musicians in town, who have had that very close and wonderful feeling of togetherness, will cherish their memories and friendships from those halcyon days of real rock and roll and pass the magic forward as Jimmy did.
I miss the old guy so much and I’m so thankful his ordeal is over! Keep an eye on us, Jimmy, and know that the people you touched in your life will never forget you! Love to you, my dear dear friend!
May 27, 2022 at 6:04 pm |
Love be of my life for 14 years
October 12, 2010 at 4:40 pm |
Let me first apologize for the late response. There are reasons why. Nonetheless, I would like to say that Jimmy Hughes and Legend was one of those bands that made you want to work harder at being a better musician.
R.I.P. Jimmy Hughes and play on!
July 6, 2010 at 12:03 pm |
Although I never met Jimmy, I heard he loved to fish and was quite a fisherman. Someone (I can;t remember who) told me that at times he would rather go fishing than play music. To those who knew him intimintly, I ask, ‘Is this true? Did he really love fishing that much”? Let me know.
Sam
July 3, 2010 at 8:43 am |
Jim was the epitome of an entertainer/musician. Quick witted and likeable.The years we spent together in Legend were some of the best times of my life. I never knew a gentler soul. I will miss him.
Good-bye my friend, see you at the The Big Jam.
July 2, 2010 at 10:12 pm |
Jim and I got real close in the last 3 years. We talked a lot about our shared experiences and how fortunate we had been to work with the people we did, doing what we loved. He loved Baltimore, and would have moved back in an instance but Jim was taking care of his aging mother in her families home of Tennessee.
Jim was a great entertainer, he had a quick wit, and a great memory for who sang what song in what year. He had a big heart and was well know by his peers. Reading Joe Vaccarino’s “Baltimore Sounds” will give you some sense of the high esteem in which he was held. He will be missed. Heavenly Father please find Jim a good band, and bless his soul.