Edward Michael Vertuno Jr.

Edward Michael Vertuno Jr., who built a legacy in Tallahassee as a musician, raucous band frontman and sound engineer, died Aug. 29 after a valiant struggle with cancer. He was 61. Music was Ed's passion. A dynamic performer on stage, he was soft-spoken in person, kind and generous. As a sound engineer, he was a creative perfectionist whose helped musicians perfect their craft. He was his parents' first-born, a father, a big brother and a life partner. Born in La Grange, Illinois, Eddie was about eight years old when the family moved to Tallahassee, where he would live the rest of his life. As a big brother, he taught Jimmy how to play sports, catch snakes, jump curbs on a bike. He introduced him to the finer points of rock-n-roll with a steady diet of KISS, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Music caught Eddie at an early age. The spark that kindled a lifelong passion flickered in high school, when he bought his first electric guitar from JC Penny while the rest of the family was out of town. Soon came the band era, including the Dirty Senators, the Polka Playboys and most famously Hooker. With teased hair, a thumping sound and Ed up front on vocals and guitar, Hooker chased big dreams. They toured half the country in a Yellow Dog school bus, including a trip to Austin, Texas in the early days of a little startup music festival called South by Southwest. The music played on after the performing ended. Ed's ears and expertise with a soundboard were unmatched. Bands who worked with him called Ed a "sound wizard" and a "guru" who "made us sound better than we were." Even when he struggled through his cancer treatments, he insisted on making the long weekend drives to his work at a club in Destin. "The music," he said, "is what I love." The only thing that could eclipse his love of music was the joy of being a father. He loved letting baby Siarra fall asleep on his chest. As she grew older and found her own love of music, he was dedicated to her band and sports career in high school. He was the nicest, kindest person she knew, and would get her into any show she wanted to see. "Your name will be at the door," he always told her. And it always was. He was a strident fan of Formula One, Ferrari and the endurance car races in Sebring and Daytona. He loved old black-and-white movies and TV shows. Ed could fix anything that was broken. He eagerly mentored anyone, from bands to apprentice engineers, who wanted to learn the art of audio/visual productions. Fly high Ed, rock on and always remember: more cowbell. Ed was preceded in death by his father Edward Sr. He is survived by his daughter Siarra; mother Beville; life partner of 30 years Tammy Poole; brother Jim and his wife Jyll and their daughter Olivia, and numerous cousins and aunts and uncles who love him. A public celebration of Ed's life and music will be scheduled and announced later. The family requests that donations may be made in Ed's loving memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dayne Parker of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the Vertuno family with their arrangements.