Sadly, he'll wail no more. 

Wailer No. 1, Kent Morrill, lead singer and keyboard player for seminal Tacoma garage-rock band the Fabulous Wailers, died on April 15 after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 70.

"We thought he was gonna pull out of it. We really did," says Buck Ormsby, Morrill's longtime friend and Wailers' bandmate since 1960. "It just became too much for him, you know. He just went through a lot of hell in the last two years."

But Morrill's musical legacy lives on. And it's sure to be standing room only Wednesday night, May 4, when a who's who of classic Northwest rockers pays tribute to their fallen peer with a free show set for 7 p.m. at Tacoma's Temple Theatre. 

To read ernest A. Jasmin's full feature story on Kent Morrill, including interviews with local rock legends, click here.

The Fabulous Wailers Concert for Kent Morrill

Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m., all ages, no cover
Temple Theatre, 47 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma
253.272.2042