Farewell to a great friend in music.
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 6:53 am
How I ironic is it that I posted Song for Renate last week. In the early hours of this morning I received a message that Renate's son, my friend Ralf, has died. How ironic is it that a man with such a big heart should die suddenly of heart failure.
Ralf was the first person to really encourage me and teach me a thing or two about playing the guitar way back in Germany 32 years ago. For me Bm will always be H-moll (pronounced Ha-moll) because that's what the Germans call it. In those days I couldn't play it barre, so I used the "little" version. Ralf was also the first to support me in attempts to write songs. Over the years I played (sang) with his Band(s) in Germany, on the islands of Crete and Kos in Greece, great, great times! Last song we played together was Hymn (BJH) 6 years ago in the Robinson Club on Kos and it kicked ass!
I am, understandably, very upset. Losing a friend in music is somehow a greater loss and it makes me grateful for all the new music friends I have found here at TG.
Ralf wrote lots of his own songs. It seems fitting I say farewell to him here among fellow guitar players. Ralf was one of us.
Irgendwie Frei (Somehow Free), by Ralf Vogel, R.I.P.

Ralf was the first person to really encourage me and teach me a thing or two about playing the guitar way back in Germany 32 years ago. For me Bm will always be H-moll (pronounced Ha-moll) because that's what the Germans call it. In those days I couldn't play it barre, so I used the "little" version. Ralf was also the first to support me in attempts to write songs. Over the years I played (sang) with his Band(s) in Germany, on the islands of Crete and Kos in Greece, great, great times! Last song we played together was Hymn (BJH) 6 years ago in the Robinson Club on Kos and it kicked ass!
I am, understandably, very upset. Losing a friend in music is somehow a greater loss and it makes me grateful for all the new music friends I have found here at TG.
Ralf wrote lots of his own songs. It seems fitting I say farewell to him here among fellow guitar players. Ralf was one of us.
Irgendwie Frei (Somehow Free), by Ralf Vogel, R.I.P.
