Just two short months ago, Austin was gearing up for its annual SXSW music festival, where Lafayette slide virtuoso Dege Legg—aka Brother Dege—was set to promote his new album, Aurora. Dege was a Real South friend and supporter from way back, so the timing was perfect for us to catch up for the relaunch. But much to the shock and dismay of all who love him and his music, he chose to end his life on Friday, March 8.
Dege was a real deal musician, and he came by it the only way the real deals ever do: coming up in rough times with very few options. He coped by throwing his whole heart, mind, and soul into guitar and rock ‘n roll. And they more than returned the favor. Along the way, he supported his music with jobs like cab driving, which he then turned into a viral blog and later a book on Amazon. That same website blog was also a bracing, sometimes spiritual, sometimes profane, and often hilarious chronicle of the absurdities and unglamorous life of a hardscrabble touring musician in a world where big, glittering, soulless commodities seem to get all the money and acclaim. To root for Dege was not only to root for a great, deserving musician but also to root for authenticity itself.
And he did chalk up some wins. He toured the U.S. and all over Europe with his own band, sometimes just himself and his resonator, pedals, and an electric footboard, and sometimes with other bands like CC Adcock and the Lafayette Marquis. Most notably, his song “Hard Row to Hoe” was licensed to After the Catch and his song “Too Old to Die Young” was a standout on the Django: Unchained soundtrack, reportedly selected by Quentin Tarantino himself.
Dege’s live shows, even when it was just him solo, were a sight (and of course sound) to behold. Especially when, after a hard-stomping set of deep, swampy slide rock he dubbed Psyouthern, he’d close out with a nod to Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” and shoot live fireworks out of a specially rigged resonator.
Street-smart and gritty, he also had a deeply literate, compassionate side. He wrote an award-winning article on people in hidden homeless encampments outside Lafayette and gave lasting insight into their lives, even working for a local men’s shelter to keep helping them.
His own struggles were well documented, often by Dege himself. But he was such a committed warrior—and actually winning—it just seemed certain he would always prevail. The fact that he didn’t, right on the verge of releasing another album and tour, just underscores that unseen battle with the sheer overwhelm and grinding exhaustion trying to keep that good fight going.
But Dege and his work shouldn’t be defined or lessened by his final act. He deserves for his music and writing to keep circulating in the world—and so do we.
