The Elders’ Brent Hoad leaves Kansas City a legacy of song with no end | Opinion

I want to share some memories about my friend and bandmate, the late great Brent Hoad, who died Jan. 20 at the age of 73. Kansas City knew him as the singer and fiddler with the Irish Americana group the Elders. As a co-founder of that band, I knew Brent not only as a wildly talented musician, but as a lifelong friend.

Brent and I began playing in bands together in the late 1970s. When I met him, he was playing in an original band in Lawrence called Millionaire at Midnight. Original music groups were pretty scarce at the time, and most were playing cover songs of the day instead of their own compositions. But Millionaire at Midnight was different.

Millionaire at Midnight was a bit like the Kinks meets The Band. Brent wrote and sang most of their songs. His unique stage presence and quirky voice stood out to anyone watching and listening. And his guitar playing was fierce! His solos had a definite beginning and end, and the in-betweens were played with reckless abandon. His guitar of choice was a Fender Telecaster with a blistering twang that many — myself included — were fascinated by.

Fast-forward, he and I became friends and started a band called the Secrets. In that band, he was the singer and songwriter. We eventually were signed by an English indie label called Why-Fi Records. Our self-titled debut album was produced by Stan Lynch, drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Many years later, Brent and I formed the Elders. Brent wrote the lyrics to many of the songs the group is known for. He also played violin, piano and guitar. There are lots of songs by the band available on YouTube.

Brent might be gone, but his legacy will live on in his music. Both the Secrets and the Elders have been inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

Side note: Brent played second-chair violin at the University of Kansas — only because he was a biology major.

I leave you with just one chorus of many songs he penned, titled “Send a Prayer”:

“Send a prayer out there, into the universe/and wait for an answer, my friend/Maybe you will hear from me, an echo in the wind/And a song that has no end”

Brent Hoad is loved, and will be missed by many.

Norm Dahlor of Kansas City is a musician and co-founder of the Elders.