Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools Curates ‘Music By Daniel Hutchens’ Spotify Playlist

Many tributes were shared following the death of BloodKin’s Daniel Hutchens, who died on May 9 following a stroke. Bloodkin was a prominent fixture on the influential 1990s Athens, Georgia music scene, alongside contemporaries Vic Chesnutt, Drive-By Truckers and others, including Widespread Panic who covered many of Hutchens’ Bloodkin songs.

Though not an Athens resident, fellow singer-songwriter Jerry Joseph — whose songs WSP has also frequently covered — wrote a thoughtful and heartfelt elegy for Hutchens. Joseph detailed meeting Hutchens in 1992 when the Macon, Georgia-based record label Capricorn Records flew Hutchens to Portland to write songs with Joseph, leading to a nearly 30-year friendship. Joseph concluded his poignant tribute to Hutchens by writing:

My heart breaks for his children, his family, his bandmates, his many friends and fans… but if there was ever a master class in how to burn the candle down to the last drop of wax, we all just witnessed it in Daniel Hutchens. I was listening to Lou Reed’s Magic and Loss. “I want all of it, all of it, not just some of it,” and, “there’s a little bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even it out.” Danny understood these sentiments and left us an immortal legacy of his art to enjoy till it’s our turn for the blinking lights to shut off. And we are the better for it.

Thank you, Darlin.

Widespread Panic was particularly close with Hutchens, frequently covering many of his songs, including “Can’t’ Get High,” “End Of The Show,” “Henry Parsons Died,” “Who Do You Belong To?” and “Quarter Tank of Gasoline.” Hutchens also performed alongside the members of Panic on stage and in the studio. Widespread Panic shared the below note memorializing Hutchens:

Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools shared his own note in remembrance of Hutchins, writing:

And just like that life ends. I was lucky to have known Danny for so long and working with him was an honor I’ll always treasure. I can’t begin to describe the many lives he touched. Listen to the man’s work. And to quote Danny after a particularly potent take of a song in the studio: “You’re welcome humans. “

Hutchens is survived by two children, Amberly and Zack. A GoFundMe fundraiser was established honoring Hutchens’ memory and supporting his family.

In 2016, Hutchens suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. At the time, Schools shared a Spotify Playlist he curated featuring “Music By Daniel Hutchens.” Schools recently updated the playlist with “God’s Den,” a track from the Bloodkin album, Black Market Tango that came out in April of this year. The collection features Bloodkin tracks and selections from Hutchens’ solo albums.

Schools’ playlist, presented for this week’s edition of Saturday Stream, can be streamed here: