The Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap dead at 73
The guitarist for The Replacements, Bob ‘Slim’ Dunlap, has passed away aged 73, his family have confirmed.
Dunlap died in his home in Minneapolis on December 18th, as per a report published by the Minnesota Star Tribune. The musician suffered from severe health problems in the past, and in 2012, he went through a debilitating stroke which led to longstanding issues. During the last few years, he had been bed-ridden with limited speech due to the stroke, which was also the cause of his death.
“Bob passed at home today at 12:48 p.m. surrounded by family. We played him his ‘Live at the Turf Club (’Thank You Dancers!)’ CD, and he left us shortly after listening to his version of ‘Hillbilly Heaven’ — quite poignant,” said his family when speaking to the Minnesota Star Tribune, “It was a natural decline over the past week. Overall, it was due to complications from his stroke.”
Dunlap began making music in the early 1970s. After learning the guitar, he started playing in multiple bands around Twin Cities in Minnesota. Before joining The Replacements, he played in Curtis Almsted’s group Spooks. It was here that he impressed Paul Westerberg, who was looking for a new guitarist to join The Replacements. Dunlap ended up joining the outfit, replacing former member Bob Stinton, who had left due to substance abuse issues.
Dunlap became part of the iconic band in 1987, shortly after they had recorded their record Pleased To Meet Me. His stint in The Replacements was limited, as he was only their guitarist for four years until the band split in 1991; however, during that period, he played on their two final albums, Don’t Tell A Soul and All Shook Down.
When the band parted ways, Dunlap pursued a solo career, with which he saw a reasonable amount of success. He recorded two albums in 1993 and 1996 called The Old New Me and Times Like This. He also recorded a live album in 2002, Live at the Turf Club (Thank you Dancers!), which was recorded at the Turf Club in St Paul. The venue’s capacity is only 350, which comes across in the intimate atmosphere heard on the record.
Despite recording the album in 2002, it wasn’t officially released until 2020. According to his family, this record was the last thing he listened to before passing away.
Dunlap remained active in the music scene in Minnesota, making music and playing gigs to various crowds. He continued working on the scene until he suffered a severe stroke, which left him mostly paralysed. When news of his condition broke, Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson from The Replacements reunited for an EP, the money of which was used to raise funds for Dunlap’s medical bills.
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