World's most dangerous profession

It must be musician in the Hot 8 Brass Band.

You may recall the story of Joe Williams, T-bone player for the Hot 8; but new is Dinerral Shavers, snare drummer for the band. He was shot in the back of his head last night while driving through Mid-City with his wife and two children.

According to the band's website:

Three valued members of the Hot 8 Brass Band have been lost, two of them to the violence of the New Orleans streets. The band continues to honor them with their music: Demond "Bart" Dorsey (trombone), Jacob Johnson (trumpet), Joseph "Shotgun Joe" Williams (trombone).

Damn. I knew about Joe, I didn't know about Bart and Jacob.

Shavers was the snare drummer for the Hot 8 Brass Band and the music teacher at L.E. Rabouin High School, where he had recently begun the school's first-ever marching band. "I've got 80 kids marching -- we're making history at Rabouin," he said proudly in an interview earlier this week.

Dick was staying here in New Orleans, making a difference.

Damn.

Here's what Dick said about reviving jazz funerals in NOLA:

"It's going to get back to normal eventually. We're going to bring the life back."

He also said about second lining:

“This makes you forget the city is shut down. If you don't pay attention to the houses, you'd never know.”

But the musician's village rejected his family's application.

Not respected while alive, not appreciated while they're here.

He was loved, and he will be missed.

Godspeed Dinerral Shavers.

H/T Editor B.

Comments

[Michelle]

Crap. What is wrong with people? Didn't realize he had 80 kids in that band. He certainly will be missed.

[Clay]

Crazy thing was, he was killed by a 15-year-old kid named David Bonds. Dick Shavers wasn't even the target.

He was encouraging kids to do one of the few useful things you can do with an Orleans Parish public schools diploma, and he gets whacked. A real community leader...

I just hope Eddie Jordan is able to put David Brooks in the slammer. Anyone want to start guessing odds on Eddie Jordan getting a meaningful conviction?

[Clay]

Correction: he was 17 years old and his name was Bonds, not Brooks.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl122806jbdumaine.55f540a3.html

[Infrogmation]

I remember a decade ago bringing some out of town friends to Donna's, where we caught one of the Hot 8's first gigs there. We all agreed that the kid on snare drums was amazing and we'd see him going somewhere.

RIP Mr. Shavers.

[berto]

Happy New Year to the Morris family.

[saintseester]

Happy New Year! See ya at the next game!

[humidhaney]

He was shot because his son or his step-son had words with someone else. That someone else got a gun and took him out, but he missed. Hit the driver, Dick Shavers, instead.

What is wrong with this community?