Veteran Milwaukee musician Dan Ball – who was a member of The Velvet Whip – wrote to me this weekend to say that The Baroques' guitarist Jacques Atman Hutchinson passed away on Friday.
Here is Dan's message:
"Jacques Atman Hutchinson, rhythm guitarist for the '60s Milwaukee psychedelic band The Baroques, died Friday, Sept. 6 in Colorado. The Baroques became the first white, psychedelic rock band signed to the historic Chess label in Chicago.
"Jacques was a local guy, born and grew up in Milwaukee, graduating from West Division High School in 1964 and forming the band with fellow high school friends Wayne Will and Rick Bienewski and Pulaski grad, drummer Dean Nimmer. Wayne later dropped out and was replaced by lead guitarist, Jay Borkenhagen.
"The band was a fixture at the old Avant Garde Coffee House and broke up in 1968. Jacques later took a college teaching position in Colorado."
UWM's Inova Gallery ran an exhibition on the Avant Garde earlier in the year. The Baroques were, of course, included in that show.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
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