Farewell Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett, multi-instrumentalist and former member of Wilco, died in his sleep on Sunday, May 24. He was 45. This is a sad loss for the Wilco family even though was fired from the band in 2001 during the YHF recording sessions. To this day, Wilco-heads still argue whether or not the band was better with Bennett. What is clear is that the three albums Bennett worked on (Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) are widely considered to be the best of Wilco's catalog. Bennett was a gifted musician, with a firm vision of where he wanted the music to go. He was responsible for much of the "weirdness" that occurred on those albums and were a major evolution in Wilco's sound. Ultimately, it was his unyielding dedication to his vision that led to the falling out between he and Jeff Tweedy which led to Bennett being fired from Wilco. Bennett never seemed to recover from the bitterness of the separation, naming a solo album "Whatever Happened I Apologize", and recently sued Jeff Tweedy for alleged unpaid royalties. Regardless of the personal issues between Bennett and Tweedy, Wilco fans will always be grateful for the unique contributions that Jay Bennett brought to the band. We will miss him.