Chuck Romine, Rest In Peace, Old Friend
#260 / News Extra
We’ve lost another legend, our beloved “Doctor Jazz.” Chuck Romine died shorrly before sunset on Sunday at age 87. His passing comes just 19 days after the death of Phyllis, his wife of 66 years.
The Romines will be so deeply missed by everyone in The Flood’s circle of friends.
They came into our lives nearly a quarter of a century ago when Chuck brought his well-tempered tenor banjo to jam with The Flood for the first time on a cold January night.
As we said in an earlier article here, we had known the convivial Chuck Romine for a long time. Not only had he been one of Cabell County's representatives in the state legislature, but he also had famously fronted a highly acclaimed local Dixieland ensemble, The Lucky Jazz Band, in the 1960s and '70s.
On that momentous winter’s night in 2001 when Chuck joined The Flood, one of the first tunes he brought us was his rendition of a classic jazz standard, Joe “King” Oliver’s composition, “Hello, Central, Give Me Doctor Jazz.” It would not only become his theme song in our band and featured on an early Flood album, but also would morph into his nickname in The Floodisphere.
Memories …
Even though Chuck left The Flood in early 2005, you really can't get The Flood out of your blood that easily. As a Floodster Emeritus (Chuck was, incidentally, the first former member to carry that title, which harmonicat Sam St. Clair came up with), the good doctor and his irrepressible banjo (or tenor guitar, or tuba…) were welcomed back to sit in with us many times over the years.
Such memories! Like all those times when Chuck re-joined his bandmates for The Flood’s annual “jug band breakfast” sessions at the wild and wonderful Coon-Sanders Nighthawks Reunion Bashes.
Over the years, we loved telling about Chuck’s strong Coon-Sanders connections. Click the button below for one of Charlie’s stories:
Chuck was in the very first class that Ken taught at Marshall in the late 1950s.
Or the time Chuck dropped by a weekly jam wearing a coat and tie (obviously on his way home from somewhere considerably classier than our gathering,..)
He said he just had to come by to show us the ukulele that literally saved his life 65 years earlier. You see, it all happened because …. well, shoot, let’s let Chuck tell that story himself. Click the button below to hear it, as it was shared in a March 2016 podcast episode:
Cherished Videos
Chuck played his music right up to the end of his long life. In fact, the very last time we jammed with him was just last year during a Flood gig at Woodlands, the retirement village where Chuck and Phyllis spent their last decade or so.
Pamela Bowen’s video below captures the moment when, as a surprise for his fellow Woodlanders, we called Chuck up from the audience to help us conclude the show with one his favorite tunes, “Up a Lazy River.”
Over the years, we got Chuck up on stage with us whenever we were at Woodlands. Here’s another moment, this one from a 2014 show, shortly after the Romines took up residence there. It’s an especially sweet memory, because it lets us watch Chuck jamming with Joe Dobbs, Dave Peyton, Doug Chaffin and all his old Flood friends one last time.
Of course, some of the best Romine memories come from times when we were all just sitting around the Bowen House enjoying each others’ company. Here from April 2009 are two Chuck specials that Pamela videoed at jam sessions:
In the first track, Chuck trades choruses with Joe’s fiddle on "Alabama Jubilee." Next, at a party-like gathering a week or so later, Chuck sings one of his favorite tunes, "Coney Island Washboard Roundalay," for Rose Marie Riter and Norman and Shirley Davis over the rollicking accompaniment of Peyton playing Wallace the Washboard #2.
Chuck’s Music, As You Like It!
Chuck always brought the party with him and he will live on in our memories. If you’d like to spend some time today with great Chuck Romine numbers, tuned in The Chuck Channel on our free Radio Floodango music streaming service.
We mourn your passing, dear Doctor Jazz, as we have your lovely bride’s. But more than that, because you gave us so many wonderful memories, we also celebrate you, and always will. Thank you for everything, Mr. and Mrs. Romine.
Postscript
At the first jam session after Chuck died, harmonicat Sam St. Clair set the agenda. “I’m expecting,” Sam said as he walked into the Bowen House, “that tonight we do ‘Hello, Central, Gimme Doctor Jazz.’”
Pamela Bowen shot this video of our ride on the tune. It begins with Chuck playing the song, as recorded on our 2002 Flood album, then segues to today’s Flood passing around the choruses for solos, first by Danny Cox, then by Jack Nuckols, finally by Sam.