Beautiful Bob, thank you.<\/p>\n
Jeff really cherished your friendship. I’ve always admired you a lot and have immense respect for you. It’s amazing how you pump out sometimes two newsletters a day, always offering interesting and well-thought-out perspectives. When Jeff told me he was friends with you, I was seriously impressed. I know you’re a fan of the Beach Boys (and Jan and Dean), so it must have been great talking about surf music with Jeff.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, I didn’t just lose a friend; I lost a piece of my soul and my history. Jeff introduced me to the harmonies of The Beach Boys, and through them, I discovered a world of color and joy that I never imagined being a part of.<\/p>\n
Thinking back on the 40 years we spent together \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the laughter, the music that we believed had the power to change lives, and the unbreakable bond of brotherhood \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I can’t help but feel thankful. Grateful for every moment, every note, and every bit of wisdom he shared with me.<\/p>\n
As you know, Jeff had a larger-than-life personality. His talent, his laughter, and his ability to make everyone feel seen and heard were gifts he freely and generously shared. He had a way of filling every room with his presence, leaving a lasting mark on everyone he met.<\/p>\n
Jeff taught me that love is a beautiful and essential part of our lives, but it comes with the painful cost of loss. However, as I reflect on Jeff’s extraordinary life and the profound impact he had on mine, I realize that this pain is the price we pay for the privilege of knowing and loving someone like him.<\/p>\n
I remember Jeff mentioning that you were coming to a show at the Vilar in Beaver Creek. I was worried for the band, knowing that some members were sick, and the road was taking a toll on them. I asked Jeff how the show went, and he said it was terrible. I got nervous you may pan Mike and the band. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become very protective over the years. Jeff mentioned that he spoke to you about it, and you ended up writing something positive and nice. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a good man Bob, just like Jeff. And trust me, he knew what he meant to you.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Life is going by way too fast and we seem to be losing our heroes, younger and younger.<\/p>\n I hope to grab a lunch with you someday like we said we would years ago. Tomorrow is never promised.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for the wonderful story about my dear friend Jeff. – I just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n XO STAMOS\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n Happy Chanukah. I enjoyed your email on Jeff Foskett. I met Jeff through Roger Daltrey over twenty years ago because Roger wanted to help me get bigger names for my Rock Camps and Brian Wilson would be perfect. Six month later Brian and Jeff were mentoring bands at Rock n Roll Fantasy Camps and it was one of my game changers. I remember when I advertised Mark Farner of Grand Funk and Jeff called me to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will do anything to be at that camp to jam with one of my hero\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He was a fan of music.<\/p>\n Jeff had an amazing soul and a love for music and could sing and play many instruments and would give so much of himself to all the camp attendees.<\/p>\n He was so well respected by musicians from Jeff Beck to Roger Daltrey and I loved that you dedicated a\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0story on one of the greatest side men ever.<\/p>\n David Fishof<\/p>\n Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n Dear Bob,<\/p>\n Thank you for this. Jeffrey WAS a good guy and he DID live his dream and he DID die too young. Our band (America) toured with The Beach Boys many times in the 70\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00c2\u00a0when Carl and Dennis were still with us, but when Jeffrey came onboard it was clear that this guy was devoted to adding his sparkle and intimate knowledge of those incredible songs to the live Beach Boys show…and his voice was PERFECT.<\/p>\n We had all grown up with The Beach Boys catalogue and wanted it to sound the way we heard it on the records and so did Jeffrey. We became friends from that point on moving in and out of each others lives as careers progressed over the decades and we crossed paths or shared bills. After we played our set we watched countless performances from the wings of everything from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Surfer Girl\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and “Be True To Your School” to “Good Vibrations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Billy Hinsche doing \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wipeout\u00e2\u20ac\u009d! Then we would get up with them for encores, usually on Jeffrey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mic with him, and sing Fun Fun Fun and I Get Around with our friends and it was awesome\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6a career high point hard to explain!<\/p>\n Jeffrey was solid and consistent, reliable, talented and generous. When we covered \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Caroline No\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, my favorite Beach Boys song, for our Back Pages album Jeffrey worked with me and arranged and sang all the background vocals, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m as proud of that as any work I’ve done. He even graciously put together a band to play at my wedding to Penny 22 years ago and there was that voice!<\/p>\n Wonderful memories flood back as I think of Jeffrey, as well as the shock of hearing about his diagnosis and the ensuing battle he put up. You may even remember him backstage at our Ace Theater show June, 2019,? He will be missed by many but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never forget all those shows and all those songs that Jeffrey enhanced so beautifully. My heart goes out to Diana, his family, and everyone who knew and loved him. For me it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a comfort when our dear friend, Henry Diltz, always says when someone passes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just stepped into the other room.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00c2\u00a0Dewey Bunnell<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n Darian Sahanaja from Brian Wilson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s band \u00c2\u00a0referred to Jeff onstage as the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153CEO of Falsetto\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, a title he very much deserved.<\/p>\n As the engineer on many of Brian’s solo albums I had the pleasure of knowing Jeff and working with him for many years. Jeff was the organizer both on the road and in the studio, and also Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153go to guy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on the tours. Jeff organized the recording of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Brian Wilson Presents Smile\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in 2004 as well as the Smile tour and the Pet Sounds tour that preceded it. I recently was compiling all of Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s solo material , listening to shows I had not heard in 20 years or more, and there were Jeff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s falsetto vocals taking the part in the vocal stack once occupied by Carl Wilson. It was the role he also played in the Beach Boys for many years beginning in 1980 and one he returned to before his illness made singing impossible.<\/p>\n And you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right we are losing to many too soon\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Jeff is the fourth member of the extended Beach Boys family to die in the last few years. First was Eva Leaf, longtime friend of Brian and Melinda and godmother to their children, then Nick Walusco from Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s band who died suddenly in 2019 followed in November of 2021 by Billy Hinsche who had been a long time member of the Beach Boys touring band as well as touring with Brian in recent years. And now Jeff joins them as well as Carl and Dennis Wilson up yonder\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6..<\/p>\n And the losses will of course continue, claiming friends, heroes and enemies\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. So enjoy it all while you can in the meantime\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6..<\/p>\n Mark Linett<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n Thanks for the piece on Jeff. He was an incredible talent, musician and singer. He was also a blast on the road and I have many fond memories. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fosque as Mike used to call him!<\/p>\n He put together the band that played at our wedding. Will miss him.<\/p>\n John Meglen<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n When we did the \u00c2\u00a0first and second Beach Boys and Chicago tours together Jeffery was nothing short of a musical miracle worker. A grand guy, very accomplished player and a car guy. Owned a Cobra that was his pride and joy. We went joy riding a few time in that little car.<\/p>\n He used to missed. \u00c2\u00a0But now he gets to go play with Carl again.<\/p>\n Mark Hogue<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n I met Jeff Foskett when I did sound for a corporate gig and Papa Doo Run Run was the after-dinner-mint band. \u00c2\u00a0At the time, they were better than the real Beach Boys. \u00c2\u00a0The next time I saw Jeff I was mixing monitors for Chicago on a Chicago-Beach Boys summer tour of sheds and state fairs. \u00c2\u00a0Jeff was the high harmony and also played all the lead guitar solos, but not from down stage center, where he should have been, but far upstage right. \u00c2\u00a0And they never lit him for his solos. \u00c2\u00a0So the Chicago sound and stage crew took it upon ourselves to light Jeff with our flashlights whenever he played a solo that summer. \u00c2\u00a0RIP Jeff.<\/p>\n Harold<\/p>\n ____________________________________<\/p>\n Thank you for acknowledging the immense talent and humanity that was Jeffrey. Amazing how small the world is. I had no idea you knew Jeff but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thrilled you got to know him and were close. So was I. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been great friends and bandmates since 1980. There will never be another Jeff Foskett!<\/p>\n I put together a brief montage tribute here:<\/p>\n