- Date Of Birth: May 7, 1952
- Date Of Death: March 1st, 2014
- State: Indiana
Richard Bruce Lockwood, 61, of Bloomington, died at his home with his wife and children at his side after a courageous nine month battle with acute leukemia followed by metastatic cancer. Bruce was born May 7, 1952, in Danville, Illinois; he was the son of Stephen Bruce and Shirlee (Shapiro) Lockwood. Bruce worked in the food service industry as his day job for 30 years, most recently as a certified food manager at the Alpha Phi sorority in Bloomington, IN.
Bruce is best known and remembered as a musician, playing electric bass in blues and rock and roll bands in Chicago in the 1970’s and 1980’s; in Ithaca, NY, in the 1980’s and 1990’s; and in Bloomington since 2000. Bruce bought his first guitar after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago. He said if it made all those girls scream for a bunch of skinny guys with funny haircuts he’d give it a try. During his career he played with blues greats Bo Diddley, Hound Dog Taylor, Sunnyland Slim, and Henry Gray and shared the stage with Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Albert Collins, and Son Seals. Bruce’s earliest bands in Chicago and later Ithaca were formed with lifelong friends Glenn Davis and Pete Panek.
In Bloomington, Bruce played in a number of bands including The Big Old Things, the Blue Rivieras, The Toneamatics, The Ventilators, the Postmodern Blues Band, Piney Woods and the Pawn Shop Playboys, and, most recently, the Hesitation Blues Band and Fistful of Bacon. Bruce performed with Carole Lockridge and Friends on Beale Street in Memphis in February, 2007, representing Indiana in the International Blues Competition, with his wife, two children, younger sister, and nephew in the audience.
Bruce continued to perform during the last six months of 2013 in between hospitalizations for leukemia treatments. In August, he helped Fistful of Bacon win the Battle of the Blues competition at the first annual Bedford Blues and Brews fest at the Salt Creek Brewery, which raised funds to support Blue Star Connection, an organization that provides instruments to children and young adults who have cancer. In addition to playing the Blues, Bruce hosted the Blues Progressions radio show on WICB in Ithaca from 1984-1996, receiving a lifetime achievement award from the station. Bruce was voted best DJ in the Ithaca Times Best of Ithaca readers’ poll in 1987, the same year his wife was voted best newscaster.
He also hosted the Blue Monday radio show on WFHB in Bloomington in 2003 and 2004. Bruce guest lectured on the history of rock and roll in classes at Cornell University, Ithaca College, State University of New York College at Cortland, and Indiana University Bloomington. He also informally educated countless younger musicians about the rich history and craft of blues and rock and roll. Bruce married Julia Fox on Sept. 6, 1987.
She survives, along with their daughter, Loretta Jo Lockwood of Indianapolis, IN, and son, Edward Bruce Lockwood of Bloomington. Also surviving are Bruce’s mother, Shirlee Lockwood of Tampa, FL; two sisters, Merry Lockwood of Stockton, IL, and Lora Lockwood (Bill Van Wyk) of Signal Hill, CA; stepmother, Gail Pisut (Stephen) of Plainfield, IL; two stepbrothers, Michael Terson (Nicki) of Buffalo Grove, IL, and Jacob Terson (Julie) of Lake Bluff, IL ; father-in-law and stepmother-in-law Ron and Joan Fox of Sarasota, FL; two brothers-in-law, Neil Fox of Woodridge, IL, and David Fox of Evanston, IL; 3 nephews, and 4 nieces.
He was preceded in death by his father. Memorial contributions may be made to Camp Kesem Indiana University, a camp for children whose parents have or have had cancer.
