Blake Sale Rhea

Blake Sale Rhea died unexpectedly as a result of a violent criminal act on November 6, 2024. While this tragic event shocked his large community, it's the least important part of Blake's story and life that so many were fortunate to share with him for 48 years.

Born to Dr. Hal S. and Sarah (Sally) Harrison Rhea of Memphis, Blake attended Christ Methodist Day School and was a graduate of Memphis University School, where he was a fierce competitor on the varsity basketball team, and Rhodes College.

Blake's competitive nature was evident early on to his family and friends, and he was always game for a challenge throughout his life – on the golf course at Overton Park, basketball court, or vacations when he and others, often his brother Wade, were engaged in no-holds-barred contests to see who could achieve the superior tan while in Pensacola Beach or anywhere he found himself with sun and time. After a few cocktails, Blake and Wade would often ask any passing stranger who had the best tan. He loved an impromptu wrestling match and various feats of strength. Few days went by without some sort of competition - trivia at Slider Inn, darts, Golden Tee, and his own game called "jar ball."

All competition aside, you could feel the energy shift when Blake Rhea walked into a room. There was a lightness to the way he approached everything in life, never taking himself too seriously, at ease with the world and people around him, confident and comfortable in his being, and quick to flash his infectious grin. He was not burdened by material possessions or the conventional metrics of success. Blake never lost the sense of play and wonder that fades from so many as they age. He traveled light and was endlessly creative and resourceful. Blake had access to a secret happiness and was able to cast that feeling to his friends in any moment, room, or situation. It was instantaneous, like well-practiced magic or his own Jedi trick he'd mastered as a nod to his love of all things Star Wars.

He was a best friend to his friends' young children, quick to play and draw laughter and smiles from anyone in his presence. He was a teacher, always eager to show others what he had learned or mastered, and to help them improve. Within his circle of friends, Blake was often the one to coin and embed or spread a new phrase in the group's own language. Huss hard - his mantra shared with the inner circle. His nicknames - Sonny Boi, Big Strings - were many, as one would expect for the most loyal and favored of friends at the center of a wide network.

Blake chose wisely to make his passion a profession, and he centered his life and work around music. He first picked up the bass at lifelong friend Dave King's house in the 8th grade and never looked back. Blake mastered the instrument quickly and was held in the highest esteem by his fellow musicians and bassists in Memphis and far beyond. Blake's many bands and contributions included CYC, Gamble Brothers Band, American Fiction, Rabid Villain, Lord T & Eloise, Billy Gibson and the RVs, John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers, and Grammy-nominated Southern Avenue. Years ago Blake traveled to play the rarest of tour stops at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As a member of Southern Avenue, Blake joined Willie Nelson's Outlaw Tour in 2024 which included Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, and he also played as part of the Farm Aid 2024 concert lineup. He toured and shared his music across the U.S. and Europe during his 30-plus years of contributions on stage, in the studio, and on records. For many years Blake generously shared his prodigious music talent with hundreds of children he taught at School of Rock. Some of his students became teachers themselves, compounding the influence that his musicianship and personal philosophy will continue to have on the collective sound of Memphis and its younger generations.

Blake's contagious smile, inescapable laugh, kindness, and countless talents will be deeply missed by everyone fortunate enough to share space and time with him. He leaves us all an example of how to live and a beautiful legacy cast in his most important roles as a musician, teacher, coach, son, brother, and friend.

Blake is survived by his father Dr. Hal S. Rhea, brother Wade Rhea and sister Kelly Rhea, all of Memphis. He is predeceased by his mother Sally Harrison Rhea.

Family and friends will celebrate Blake's life on Saturday, November 16, 4pm at Railgarten, 2166 Central Ave, Memphis, TN.

The family asks that you honor Blake's memory by going to hear live music and supporting the music community he loved.