Tribute to Denny

Hi Bill,
    Thank you for this sweet, beautiful tribute to Denny [“Beyond the Horizon with Denny Freeman,” Music, April 27]. We've been numb ever since we heard that Denny had inoperable liver cancer and would not be with us much longer. Your essay not only captured the essence of the man as well as the place he occupied in your life and your heart reverberates so strongly with me that I feel that if only I was capable of expressing my own feelings on the subject, I could have written it myself. Indeed, as I contemplated my own history with Denny, I think how special it was, how important he was to my sense of identity and my cultural relationship with Austin, with the blues, with guitar music. And then I pause and think, oh, right, there were like 10,000 people who probably felt the same way. Tens of thousands. And your essay finally unlocked the tears that have been held back because in many ways it feels like an obituary for a whole generation, a generation that I happen to be in. As ever, I appreciate you for your soulful insights and gifts at articulation.