Slim Dunlap played a key role in revitalizing the group from 1987 to 1991.
Bob Dunlap, known as Slim Dunlap, who joined The Replacements in 1987, has died at the age of 73. His family confirmed his death in a statement, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. « Bob passed away at his home today at 12:48 p.m., surrounded by his family. We played him his CD ‘Live at the Turf Club (‘Thank You Dancers!)’, and he left us shortly after listening to his version of ‘Hillbilly Heaven’. It was very poignantwe can read in the press release. This was a natural decline over the past week. Ultimately, it came down to complications from his stroke [en 2012]. »
Slim Dunlap was guitarist for the Replacements from 1987 to 1991. He played a key role in stabilizing the group after the departure of founding guitarist Bob Stinson, and participated in the group's final two albums, Don’t Tell a Soul in 1989 and All Shook Down the following year. During this time, Dunlap became a beloved figure in the Minnesota music scene.
After the group broke up in 1991, Dunlap released two solo albums. His first, The Old New Mereleased in 1993 by Twin/Tone, the Minneapolis label behind the Replacements' first albums. In 2020 he released the live album Thank You Dancers! which contains tracks recorded at the Turf Club in St. Paul in 2002.
Bruce Springsteen praised Dunlap's work in a 2014 interview with NPR: ” Slim Dunlap is fantastic. He was in the Replacements, and he made two fabulous rock records that were really deeply expressive and beautiful. I hope I get a chance to record one of his songs because he's… listen to both Slim Dunlap records because they're so beautiful, they're just beautiful rock & roll records . I found them deeply touching and moving. »
Following his stroke in 2012, Dunlap found himself paralyzed. The following year, the Replacements reunited to release Songs for Slim, a five-song EP for the benefit of the guitarist. At the time, it was the band's first new recording in 23 years and included two Dunlap songs.
« He was in and out of the hospital around forty timesPaul Westerberg, the band's frontman, later told Rolling Stone. We were talking to Slim when he was in the hospital. I asked him if we should play. And he told me yes. »
Charisma Madarang
Translated by the editorial staff
