Rory Macleod, 1955 – 2025

Bluegrass/jazz country musician Rory Macleod, 70, was killed on Dec. 6 in Hopkinton, RI, while walking his dog (the driver who struck him had more than 100 arrests and dozens of traffic violations). Over a 50-year career, Macleod performed with the Roomful of Blues band (and had a Grammy nomination for his work with them), with musicians Duke Robillard and Paul Geremia, and with Jack Smith & The Rockabilly Planet. Roomful of Blues manager Bob Bell posted, "Having Rory in the band was fun, musically and socially. To be sure, he was always a rock-solid, swinging, and driving bass player, but he was also a gas to travel with. Good humored, easy-going, always ready to help.” McLeod is survived by his wife, musician Sandol Astrausky; the two often performed together, and both taught at Brown University.

Rory MacLeod and Sandol Astrausky play the Knoxville Rag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnVe3Cz8qYc&list=RDBnVe3Cz8qYc&start_radio=1