Tom Dundee

A year later he became a principal member of the Chicago folk scene that spawned such performers as John Prine, Steve Goodman, Mick Scott, and Bonnie Koloc.

He composed over 300 songs, and recorded with such notables as Timothy B. Schmit, Stephanie Davis, Rita Coolidge and Paul Barrere.

In concert, Dundee delighted in taking chances with his audience, letting the spontaneity of the moment shape the personality of his show every time out.

As a result, his shows, which typically included some of the oldest chestnuts imaginable as well as Dundee's own compositions, almost always felt fresh.

He died in the Chicago, Illinois neighborhood of Rogers Park on April 18, 2006, of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.

A staple of the Chicago music scene since the 1960s, his four decades performing built sustainable loyalty in his audiences.

All the while his records quietly sold, his songs inspired public sculpture, his tunes played on elevators across the world.

Dundee's most recent project was the show called "Somebody Else's Troubles," a showcase of the established musicians from Jim Craig, Kat Eggleston, Corky Seigel and James Lee Stanley blended with newer talent that he thought deserved attention like Donna Adler and Gabrielle Schafer.

This show was presented in various venues like the Folk Series at Bill's Blues in Evanston and Lilly's on Lincoln over the past three years.

But it all stopped last weekend after a motorcycle accident early Saturday morning and Dundee's death April 18 from resulting complications.