Ric Parnell died early this morning.

From day one, meeting him, I found him to be engaging, warm, and delightfully funny. We hit it off as pals immediately. He had a cheerful spirit that made you feel good, just being around him.

Ric's amazing history in the music world is well known. I had the great good fortune to work with Ric on three albums. Studio time was casual, fun, and scattered with stories and humor. Ric never actually prepared for a session, but would come up w...ith the beat and the arrangement on the spot. He would say "How does this next song go?" I'd play it to him on a guitar, and he'd think about it for a minute. Then he would say "Right! Got something." Then he would nail it in one or two takes, and it was as perfect as it gets.