Dexter “Dex” Romweber was a rockabilly musician and one half of the power duo Flat Duo Jets, who were a major influence on back-to-basics rock acts like The White Stripes.
- Died: February 16, 2024 (Who else died on February 16?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 57.
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Dex Romweber’s legacy
An icon of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, music scene and a major influence on the back-to-basics rock revival of the 2000s, Romweber was born in Indiana and urged to pursue music by his mother, who was a pianist. After the family moved to North Carolina, at 10 years old, he started a band in the family basement, Gary and the Resistors, with a friend. His sister, Sara Romweber (1964–2019), played drums with the band; she eventually went on to perform with Let’s Active, Snatches of Pink, and with Dex’s later band, the Dex Romweber Duo.
Meanwhile, Romweber formed Flat Duo Jets in 1983 when he was 17 with school friend Chris “Crow” Smith on drums. Through the 1980s, they toured the southern East Coast, earning a reputation for raucous shows powered by Romweber’s manic energy. For a time, Tone Mayer joined to play stand-up bass. Though earning raves in the underground, the band never managed to find mainstream success, releasing eight records between 1990 and 1998 before splitting in 1999, then reforming again a decade later and releasing two more.
Romweber’s work with Flat Duo Jets proved to be a big influence on the punk-infused back-to-basics rock of the early 2000s, most notably in the work of The White Stripes. Both bands were stripped down duos with monochrome outfits and battered instruments. Jack White cited them as a major influence, calling them one of rock’s best kept secrets. Outside the band, Romweber also released five solo albums, along with four more as the Dex Romweber Duo with Sara.
Notable quote
“I don’t have any idea of how many people listen to or like what we do, but I can honestly say that when I leave this Earth that I’ve made a contribution to the arts.”—from a 2011 interview for Silvertone Interview
Tributes to Dex Romweber
Full obituary: WRAL News
