Warren Haynes Discusses The Contagious Spirit Of Bernie Worrell

On Friday famed keyboardist Bernie Worrell died after a battle with lung cancer. Many of the musicians who collaborated with Bernie over the years have weighed in on social media about Worrell including Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes.

Here’s what Warren shared about the late great Bernie Worrell:

RIP Bernie Worrell- Bernie was not only a hugely influential and amazing musician, he was a truly beautiful human being with a wonderfully contagious spirit. It’s impossible for me to choose a favorite moment from the dozens of times we played together. Some of them would be: the first time he sat in with the original trio Gov’t Mule at Irving Plaza in New York. I still remember the smile on Allen Woody’s face during those impromptu jams. Another would be recording the song Sco-Mule for The Deep End vol. 1 with Bernie, John Scofield, and Chris Wood. I believe it was a first take and I’m very glad that we captured it on film for posterity and historical relevance. Another would be him sleeping on my couch after a late night during the Deep End sessions. He chose to hang around the studio after he was finished with his parts and just be part of the vibe of the recording. Next thing you know it was too late to go home.

Bernie was one of those musicians who could/would absorb the moment, get lost in the music and turn a spontaneous jam into something worthy of memory. We played together on stage and in the studio many times and he approached both the same way-“dive in head first”.-WH

Watch pro-shot video of Bernie Worrell joining Gov’t Mule on a cover of Neil Young’s “Cortez The Killer” at Irving Plaza in New York City from March 24, 1999 featuring Blues Traveler bassist Bobby Sheehan on bass and Allen Woody on guitar:

Check out Bernie adding to Mule’s cover of “Chameleon” in 2003:

Finally, watch Worrell contribute to Sco-Mule in 2003: