By Steve Newton
As I mentioned in a post last month, my longtime friend and concert-going buddy Ferg, aka Brian Ferguson, passed away in March of this year in Vernon, B.C., after developing a rare form of dementia called primary progressive aphasia.
After his death at the too-young age of 63, I inherited some of Ferg’s music-oriented items, including ticket stubs, backstage passes, and vinyl records.
I already wrote about the 1979 Van Halen ticket stub that was among the souvenirs handed down, but here’s another one that I was honoured to receive: a blue rubbing of Jimi Hendrix‘s gravestone.
The inscription is kinda faint, but it reads:
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
JAMES M.
“JIMI” HENDRIX
1942———–1970
I’m not exactly sure when Ferg created this keepsake, or if someone made it for him, but I do know that he’d taken me to see Jimi’s grave once.
It was in February of 2001, the day after we’d headed Stateside to see one of my favourite alltime bands, Thin Lizzy, at the Showbox in Seattle. On the way back to Vancouver we made a quick detour to the suburb of Renton to pay our respects.
I remember the visit well because as Ferg’s black truck pulled into the graveyard a Hendrix tune–I believe it was “All Along the Watchtower”–came on the local radio station.
At the time I thought that coincidence was kind of spooky, but looking back now I just think it was beautiful.
Rock in peace, Ferg (and Jimi)
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Hi Steve. Thanks for talking about Ferg. He was truly a great friend who I can never say enough about. It was horrible watching his dementia as it developed (I watched it from day one), but it never stopped any of his friends from wanting to share our time with him. Dale Salive was with Ferg when they made their Jimi Hendrix rubbings. Dale knows the true story. It’s quite interesting, you should ask him. Andy Gough