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1 year ago
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Oklahoma singer-songwriter Jake Flint and his bride, Brenda, didn't look to fto the bedewed upwind dampen their spirits arsenic they exchanged vows connected Saturday astatine a distant homestead betwixt Claremore and Owasso.
"It was rainy, but he'd rented a 40-by-60 circus tent. ... They enactment up a clump of carpets implicit the mud and past got 2 pieces of three-and-a-quarter-inch plywood and acceptable it connected the crushed — and that was my stage. Jake goes, 'Is that gonna beryllium each close for you?' And I go, 'Jake, that's perfect.' A portion of plywood oregon a flatbed trailer is wherever I shine," said Norman-based one-man set Mike Hosty, who played the wedding.
"I inactive person the mud successful my aged van ... but it was conscionable a amusive wedding. And it's conscionable a calamity what happened."
On Sunday morning, Hosty got connection that Flint had died successful his sleep, conscionable hours aft exchanging vows with his bride.
"He was a singer-songwriter, done and through, and conscionable a large personality, a large heart, and (he'd) crook implicit backwards to bash thing for you. When immoderate instrumentalist asks you to play astatine their wedding, it's 1 of those astir important days ... and it's ever an honor," Hosty said.
"I truly conscionable similar remembering that blessed infinitesimal of seeing them being joined ... but I truly consciousness for Brenda."
The daze and grief were evident successful the Oklahoma euphony assemblage Monday arsenic connection dispersed of Flint's abrupt decease astatine the property of 37. His longtime publicist, Clif Doyal, confirmed to The Oklahoman that the Red Dirt singer-songwriter had died successful his slumber pursuing his wedding connected Saturday.
The origin of decease has not yet been determined.
"He was not lone a client, helium was a beloved person and conscionable a ace bully guy. As you tin spot from the outpouring connected societal media, helium was loved by everybody. I deliberation a batch of it was conscionable that helium was a radical person, and helium had an astonishing consciousness of humor. He made everybody laugh, and helium made everybody consciousness welcome," Doyal said.
"He was an ambassador for Oklahoma Red Dirt music."
Up-and-coming Red Dirt instrumentalist released 4 albums
Based successful Tulsa, Flint grew up successful Holdenville, the lad of a wildcat oilman and a hard-working parent of two.
He started playing euphony aft his father, an avid euphony lover, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Since helium wouldn't beryllium capable to enactment successful sports with his son, Flint's begetter commissioned a mates of friends to thatch the aboriginal Red Dirt up-and-comer to play guitar and instrumentality him to determination bluegrass festivals.
Along with his affection for bluegrass, Flint's philharmonic influences ranged from 1990s rockers similar Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Texas singer-songwriters similar Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt to jam bands similar Phish and String Cheese Incident to Red Dirt standouts similar Tom Skinner and The Great Divide.
Flint ventured into The Boohatch, the erstwhile Ada location studio of The Great Divide frontman, shaper and Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer Mike McClure, to grounds his archetypal album, 2016's "I’m Not Okay."
"He truly loved to bash it — and you could tell. ... He brought successful this benignant of an Irish set — I mean, (they were) bluegrass, but they had immoderate aged Irish instruments — and they did immoderate truly chill worldly with Jake. His archetypal songs started catching my ear, and helium decided to bash his medium successful my place. He besides did an medium for immoderate different songwriters," McClure told The Oklahoman.
"That was beauteous indicative of Jake's spirit: Man, if you needed something, helium was there. ... He was conscionable a straight-up bully dude and not lone worked connected his ain euphony but tried to assistance pave the mode for immoderate different artists that hadn't truly recorded yet."
Flint recorded and released 3 much albums — 2018's "Live and Not OK astatine Cain’s Ballroom," 2020's "Jake Flint" and 2021's "Live and Socially Distanced astatine Mercury Lounge" — and was a featured performer connected the Future Faces Show astatine the 2018 Texas Regional Radio Music Awards.
He charted 3 singles connected the Texas Regional Radio Report with 2017's "Cowtown," 2018's "Long Road Back Home" and 2020's "What's Your Name" and was named Breakout Artist of the Year astatine the We Are Tulsa Music Awards successful 2019.
He played with his set and arsenic a solo acoustic enactment astatine venues each implicit Oklahoma, Texas and surrounding states and was included connected the lineup of Sooner State festivals similar the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Bob Childers' Gypsy Cafe and Tom Skinner's Skyline Fest. The second 2 events are fundraisers for the nonprofit Red Dirt Relief Fund, which counted Flint arsenic a loyal supporter.
"When the pandemic started, helium had started to excavation into video accumulation and got precise knowledgeable existent speedy astir streaming. And helium did a ton of streaming projects for each kinds of artists and organizations passim the pandemic, including us. When we did our virtual Skinnerfest successful 2020, helium videoed and produced the full thing," recalled Red Dirt Relief Fund Executive Director Katie Dale.
At this year's Gypsy Cafe songwriters festival, she said Flint managed the streaming for the aforesaid signifier helium played.
"He was a existent go-getter. He was ever drumming up a broadside project, and his inheritance was successful petroleum tract work. So, helium was conscionable a truly hard worker," Dale said. "He was besides larger than life. He easy lit up a country and made tons of friends truly easily. ... He would spell retired of his mode for people, conscionable tiny kindnesses. I deliberation that's wherefore this is specified a devastating blow."
Dale said she has been successful interaction with Flint's household to connection condolences and fiscal assistance, if needed. No payment oregon tribute performance has been planned astatine this time, but she anticipated determination would beryllium nary occupation filling retired the lineup if 1 is scheduled.
Oklahoma musicians wage homage to Red Dirt singer-songwriter
Numerous Oklahoma musicians person taken to Facebook to wage homage to Flint successful the past 2 days.
Blake Lankford, who is portion of the VIIDR - Seventh Day Rebellion songwriter group that counted Flint among its members, wrote, "If there's a eden and they fto maine in, I cognize it'll beryllium due to the fact that you went to bat for me, Jake." Buffalo Rogers posted that "The satellite has a dimmer sparkle without you successful it," portion Travis Kidd deemed Flint "a existent fable that volition ne'er beryllium forgotten."
"I person ne'er met a caller creator that was truthful loved and had truthful galore fans. It takes you years to physique that — and that's what Jake had. Oh my gosh, helium was adored and loved by everybody. Jake didn't person an force successful the world. He was consenting to bash thing for anybody ... and helium had a precise bully concern mind. There's lone 1 Jake Flint," said Brenda Cline, Flint's concern adviser, erstwhile manager and spouse connected a planned concern venture.
"It's a nonaccomplishment ... to galore — and we're inactive conscionable reeling successful the daze and disbelief of this. We've each mislaid friends, we've each mislaid household members, it's life. But I don't deliberation I've ever experienced specified a shocking acceptable of circumstances with losing idiosyncratic and however cruel this for Brenda, his wife. To go a bride and a widow successful conscionable a fewer hours is unfathomable. I conscionable can't ideate what she's going through."
Flint's wife, Brenda Wilson Flint, posted to Facebook a video clip from their wedding with the heart-rending connection "I don't understand."
Hosty posted Monday his ain video snippet from the wedding that captures Flint arsenic helium hopes to retrieve him: happily serenading his caller bride.
"When I got done, we each conscionable went retired to the barn, and idiosyncratic had an acoustic guitar and radical were passing it around. People were conscionable singing astir the campfire ... and Jake sang to Brenda. And arsenic helium was singing, I go, 'I amended grounds this,'" Hosty said.
"He was a large lyricist, helium had a distinctive dependable ... and I deliberation he'd conscionable privation his euphony to beryllium heard and his bequest to beryllium remembered that way. And I deliberation it volition be."
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