THE FRIENDLIEST FESTIVAL IN COLUMBUS!
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In Memory 2021
Joseph "Smokin' Joe" Jackson
So much has been said about Joe Jackson. He was a family man: he loved his family and was so proud of all of them, a rib man: the awards piled up for him all over the US, and he had a grin that made you smile right back every time. He was good friends with C.J. Chenier and always brought him ribs and sauce when he played in Columbus, Gene Walker always had to get ribs from Joe at any show he was in; everybody flocked to Smokin' Joe's. Joe always celebrated his birthdays at Hot Times as he did at the Hot TImes 2021 event.
Josh Roberts
,Josh Roberts was one of a kind. A smile, a handshake a hug, Josh was your guy! He was a longtime Hot Times Volunteer and sometimes Crew member. Josh was a union carpenter so he could pretty much fix anything that got broken at Hot Times which usually was a lot. He was a great Dad to his children and everyone was happy to see him at Hot Times 2021.
Gloria Jean Jackson
Gloria Jean Jackson served as the Volunteer Coordinator for Hot Times Festival for 15 years. Her personal phone call to each volunteer was something looked forward to and her smile greeted everyone who come to sign up.
Gloria archived mountains of recognition from various Organizations for whom she volunteered. Gloria was literally the glue that held Hot Times together, knowing just how to assign the volunteers so each opportunity was an adventure. She is missed greatly by the everyone who knew and worked with her.
Afatamah McNair
Afatamah McNair was a incredibly talented soul. She came to Hot Times decades ago as a part of the Imani Dance Theater led by Tony and Aziza West. Afatamah battled and recovered from serious illness in 2001 and went on to celebrate 20 more birthdays, and welcomed a dozen great grandchildren. Afatmah embodied beauty and grace.
Michael Jones
Simply said Michael was loved by anyone who knew him. He was a character who made people around him feel wonderful. His generosity was without limits. So much has been written about him "he was a beautiful man with a great zest for life" said one friend. Another said "his kindness was boundless". One thing for sure his smile lit up the room and he loved this community.
Dannette "Danni" Palmore
Dannette Mozelle Palmore was a passionate, generous community servant, and friend to many. As a staffer, she moved through the Ohio House of Representatives' ranks and joined Lt. Governor Richard Celeste's office. In 1988, Danni served as the National Deputy Director for Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign. The 1990's focused Danni's interests on local and statewide races including Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman. Among many other honors, Danni's accomplishments earned her recognition in Who's Who in American Politics and Campaign & Elections Magazine. She was a guest lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and used these experiences to launch PolicyWorks, consulting on many significant community projects, including the Long Street Cultural Wall. Danni was a political and personal mentor to many and widely regarded as a force for good. Of course Hot Times folks know Danni was a fashionista, and she brought her boutique, "Savvy on a Shoestring" to the festival for years.
Hasan Abdul-Razzaq
Hasan Abdur-Razzaq, musician and painter (Montgomery, Alabama- b. 1949), and based in Columbus Ohio, is both a prolific visual artist, and a lifelong devotee and practitioner of free jazz. Musically, Razzaq comes from the Cleveland scene of the late 1960’s that produced the Ayler Brothers, and cellist Abdul Wadud, amongst others. His work combines elements of ecstatic free jazz with periods of more reflective sounds. Travel to Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and study of African rhythms through hand drumming, has contributed to his sound through a consciousness of global musical culture. At Hot Times he was always having fun drumming or jamming or just based in his wife Dellian Abdur-Razzaq's crochet booth where he had the perfect spot for entertaining friends and people watching.
Tony "Doctah X" Harrington
Harrington spent much of his early career overseas in Italy and on the road playing alongside legends such as John Lee Hooker and Albert Collins during the ’70s and ’80s. He retired from his career as a touring musician to settle in Columbus and joined the Rasbonghi Band in 1992. Harrington followed the Band experience to pursue a solo career as a producer and DJ. He built his studio, the House of Dub Studio.
It was said Tony never did anything halfway. He was all in or he wasn’t in at all. Hot Times audiences loved Doctah X he was a performing regular at the Festival and will be missed.
Barbara Nicolazzo
We met Barbara on a street in Florida. We left a note on her Art Car and she responded. She came to Hot Times with joy in her heart and had a great time. She always said she would be back but unfortunately that was not to be. Pictures of some of the cars she has painted are on the Art Car page on this site.
Richard "Babachu" Spriggs
At the all the city's best festivals, he would be there dancing and entertaining people, few knew of his stellar performance career or even that he was known as Babachu. People were simply mesmerized by his movement at festivals even fewer few knew he was sometimes homeless. There just is and was no one else like him.
So it was with profound sadness that word spread that he had passed on a cold Winter night while sleeping on the street. Public records show his age was 81 but several friends said 80. So, dance in his memory, dance with wild abandon, dance like Babachu.
Jack Wilce
John “Jack” Barron Wilce first introduced to the guitar by his Grandfather, the late former OSU head football coach, John W. Wilce Sr. Jack’s solo acoustic music has been described as rhythmically resilient using alternative tunings to create his own original style. A recording contract with Electra Records and early collaborations with Jackson Browne, David Crosby and Gram Parsons yielded multiple album cuts for Jack. By the mid-seventies, he began writing jingles, corporate anthems and award-winning commercial music.
Jack Gorham
Jack Dale Gorham, was a professional jazz musician for a large portion of his life. In 1972, along with his wife Yvonne, he founded Pizza Cottage and grew it into a successful chain of businesses around the area. Jack continued to play the drums many times with the Listen For The Jazz All Stars and Gene Walker's Bands. Jack is on the interview you can see at this link from WOSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS8PSxelR6Q&t=14s
Pheoris West
It was said magic came from his hands and his imagination. Pheoris was two generations behind Elijah Pierce and Emerson Burkhart, a generation after Aminah Robison and Roman Johnson, the same generation as Joe Howard and Barbara Chavous. Pheoris taught at the Ohio State University and was such a stunning painter that words couldn’t describe the beauty of his work. He was a huge artist and his work was masterful.
DARRYL "TUTU" JUMPER
Darrell “Tutu” Jumper had a special light. He was a gifted drummer and had a beautiful voice. He always said he felt lucky that he was able to make a living playing music. After being spotted performing at a Columbus, Ohio club while still in high school, Darrell was quickly hired to back up the legendary singing group The Four Mints. Darrell immersed himself in a variety of styles from jazz, rock, soul, and funk and used the Blues as his foundation. He traveled extensively through the US, Canada, and Europe while playing with many bands including: Ray Fuller and the Blues Rockers, Teeny Tucker, Terry Davidson and the Gears, The Patrick McLaughlin Band, Willie Pooch Band, The Dave Workman Band, The Columbus Jets, Hot Rod and the Blues Devilles, and many others. Most of all he loved playing drums, singing, and sharing his gift with the world.
Boris Livichits
Born on the 4th of July in Riga Latvia, Boris Livichits loved music his entire life. He played guitar first in school. By his late teens he took up bass and within a short time he was in a very successful rock band. A super fan named Elena was soon his wife. She encouraged him to come to the US with their two daughters in 1997.
Boris didn’t even speak English when they arrived he went to school for English and programming. After a 17 year hiatus from music he began rehearsing with Mike Berichon and Sean Carney . Sean hired him to play for us at The Lima Blues Festival.
He had learned all of my songs in one day . I knew he was a keeper. He was a brilliant man, friend and musician. His kindness was probably his best quality, his logic and reasoning skills made him an asset on anyone’s team. Boris was also the Chantor for his orthodox Christian church and led the choir. He at one time considered being a priest and visiting monasteries was where he’d renew his spirits. He was my best friend the past 4 years, we were working on a new album, he was building a studio. Covid killed him August 14 , 2021.
Submitted by Shaun Booker