Jeff Boughner

I just discovered that my old friend Jeff Boughner passed away the middle of last month. Don't really know the cause yet - it takes a while to get news out here in Sheridan- but rumor has it it was cancer. Jeff was of course a founding member of the 60's Grand Rapids garage band extrodinaire "The Soul Benders" with former radio personality Aris Hampers.

I worked with Jeff on and off at "Flaming Rat Records" which was a record store co-founded by Dave Swart (deceased) and Harry Dieterman (also deceased). Ironically, in later life, Harry Dieterman would become a very close friend of Jeff's brother Lee. But I guess that's another story.

Flaming Rat Records" morphed into "The Rat" after a location change - a change that proved to be it's undoing. But while it was "The Rat" across from Woodland Mall, Jeff and I spent many hours there working together and debating the virtues of this artist or that artist. I am a compulsive list maker so it really was "High Fidelity" come to life. Jeff had a quiet soft-spoken demeanor, but he wasn't a lightweight. He was one of the sharpest guys I've ever met. Got me truly interested in jazz.

Jeff also gave me guitar lessons back in my "Springsteen period". Since I was already a player of no distinction, I would go to the lesson having already told Jeff what song I wanted to learn. He would have it figured out and would take an hour to teach it to me. Imagine my delight when I hit the street and could knock out "Prove It All Night", leads and all. Man, that was fun. It was about then he found out he needed a kidney transplant, and his brother Lee had to give him one of his. I visited Jeff in the hospital then and had to get into a full scrub outfit and had to keep my mouth and nose under one of those masks. Haven't thought about that in years.

After that I would see Jeff as he managed Schuler Books and Music on 28th Street. Again, a quiet demeanor, but with a little prodding we could get into a discussion about the best or worst of this or that. But since I have moved so far from Grand Rapids, I hadn't seen Jeff in a few years. Schuler's won't seem the same. Nor will the Grand Rapids musical landscape.

So long, Jeff.

PS. Little known Jeff Boughner fact: His grandfather was former GR mayor George Welsh, of the Welsh Auditorium fame.