A PART OF THE BAND. Local blues fans and musicians nationwide remember James Solberg, who was born in Eau Claire and received accolades across his lifetime for experimental and crowd-roaring tunes. Solberg (pictured center) was one of the movers and shakers behind what locals know as The Stone's Throw in downtown Eau Claire, even giving it the notable moniker. (Photo by Nick Meyer)

"One of the first gigs I played was in a bar I really liked here in Eau Claire called The Stone's Throw," the late James Solberg shared with The Blues Foundation back in 2002. "I went in on Halloween Night of '87 and walked out at the end of the night owning the bar."

Today, Chippewa Vallians and blues fans across the nation remember the legacy of Solberg, who passed away this week, the Minnesota Blues Society shared. As many of Volume One's contributors have shared over the years, whether in event previews or crash-course history lessons on Eau Claire's notable venues for jazz and rock-and-roll, Solberg breathed the blues – pure and simple.

In the 1980s, Solberg took over the Stone's Throw (304 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) and began what some may recognize as the venue's "heyday" era. The rise of blues genres and Solberg's own instrumentation talents drew nationwide listeners and musicians alike to our part of western Wisconsin.

While he eventually sold the venue in the '90s, Solberg's fingerprints on the regional music scene remained visible through his stops in town for one-night performances – including at the former Back Stage Concert Series at the State Theater (316 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) – and the connections made with the people involved.

"Everyone that worked for me was always outstanding and you know they were into the goals we were trying to achieve," Solberg shared with Volume One. "We had a good loyal following." (And they still do.)

Solberg may be most recognized for his contributions in a myriad of blues bands: Whirlhouse, the James Solberg Band, Friends Of Luther Allison, Dynamite Duck, among many other ensembles with local and national artists.

The GRAMMY Award-nominated singer-songwriter and winner of the W.C. Handy Award for "Blues Band Of The Year" – with three studio releases across his career that have been described as sounding "unlike any blues record you've ever heard" – will be missed.

Learn more about James Solberg's contributions to the blues music through his discography online or through these articles atVolumeOne.org.