Gone in a Puff of Smoke

Trippy has demonstrated that life was fraught with risk in degrees based on the choices that he made. He knew the risks involved and dived in headfirst. He told a friend just before sinking into the depths of cancer that, if nothing else, he wanted to be an example that would help legitimize the work in bars; the barmaids, bartenders, doormen and musicians, etc.

"How do you keep the faith and alter your lifestyle?" asks Leach. "That's the sad part. He paid dearly for choosing to be a musician."

David Trippy, far left, with the Hoodoo Kings.

Details

Thursday, May 17. Among those scheduled to perform include the Hoodoo Kings, Chuck Hall, the Ramblers, the Blue Turks, Big Pete Pearson, Hans Olson, Chico Chism, Kid Ramos of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and others. The show starts at 8 p.m. There will be a $5 minimum donation.

The Rhythm Room

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• David Trippy
• Paul Thomas
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"Dave liked to drink and he lived life to the fullest," says Paul Thomas. "So people can sit there and say, 'This is why Dave is suffering the demise.' Nobody knows why Dave is suffering the demise. None of us know why we live or die."

Trippy's last public performance was a fund raiser for the Boys and Girls Club at the Pointe Hilton on South Mountain in late March.

Carol Mercadantr sits in a small, gray-toned hospital waiting room. She fidgets, and her thoughts are scattered. When she finally leaves the hospital, it will be alone, and her partner will be dead. The thought makes tears well up in her eyes.

"David loved, loved, loved, loved to entertain," she says softly, wiping her cheek. "That's what it was. He just loved to entertain."