Larry Sutphin has passed away..................

[Jerry Hayes]

I just heard yesterday that local steelman/vocalist Larry Sutphin had passed away! I am very sorry to hear this as we'd been a pretty tight team some years back. In a local group called "The Legends Band", Larry was our lead singer who actually fronted the band from the steel guitar. He played a Mullen D-10 and played it very well. I was on lead guitar and by being a mediocre steel player I knew how to work with a steel so Larry and I communicated very well on and off the bandstand. The Legends were active from June of 2000 through August of 2004 and booked frequently in the Southeast area of Virginia.

Larry had been a vocalist in some gospel quartets and groups throughout the years as well. A short while after the demise of the Legends, he suffered a disabling stroke in which he lost the use of his left hand thus ending his steel playing. I know this really saddened him as he loved playing steel. He was a very good frontman and entertainer. He bought a keyboard and was trying to learn to play it with his right hand so he could get back into music. Our Legends bass player (Garland Abbott) and I would go to a friends house with him and set up in the garage and practice with him for a while as his voice had returned pretty good but for some unknown reason he'd lost his ability to sing in time and his meter was pretty much shot. I believe he became very frustrated and moved to his son's place in North Carolina.... We lost touch shortly afterward and I didn't hear anything about him until I received the phone call of his passing.

I don't know when or if there'll be a service as it was stated in one of the NC papers that he'd died and they'd have private rites. No mention was made of his music career at all. RIP Larry, It was an honor sharing your music and friendship.......JH in Va.

[Roger Rettig]

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, Jerry.

There's nothing quite like a good bandstand relationship - it sounds as though you have some nice memories. May Larry rest in peace.

[Bill Sinclair]

Condolences to you and Larry's family. I hope that he was able to reflect positively on his musical past in spite of not being able to continue in his later years. Rest in Peace.