Former Lambchop Member Marc Trovillion Dies at 56

BY Alex HudsonPublished Oct 18, 2013

Adventurous Nashville country-soul outfit Lambchop have been struck by tragedy, as news has emerged that former bassist Marc Trovillion passed away last Wednesday (October 9) after suffering a heart attack at his home in Chattanooga, TN. He was 56.

Lambchop released a statement to Nashville Scene, explaining that Lambchop's earliest practices took place in Trovillion's bedroom way back in 1987. He played on all of the group's earliest recordings, but left the band around a decade ago after he moved to Chattanooga. His final album as their primary bassist was 2002's Is a Woman.

In addition to playing bass, Trovillion earned songwriting credits for Lambchop tunes like "The Theme from the Neil Miller Show" and "I Sucked My Boss's Dick." He also appeared on Vic Chesnutt's Lambchop-featuring 1998 album The Salesman and Bernadette.

Trovillion is survived by his son Holden, an ex-wife, his mother, two brothers, and several nieces and nephews. A memorial has already taken place, and those who wish to make donations in his memory can contribute to a trust for his son, Hatch. The details on the trust can be found at the bottom of the band's statement, which can be read in full below.

As he often liked to say, Marc was a charter member of Lambchop. The band's origins can be traced directly to his Nashville bedroom, where Marc, Kurt Wagner and original guitarist Jim Watkins first got together in 1987 for weekly practices, equipped with only a Casio keyboard, an amp and a mic strapped to the bedpost.

No matter where Lambchop might have been — in smoky practice sessions, packed into a 15-passenger van, or playing the great concert halls of Europe — Marc's steady, solid bass playing and his innate sense of humour served as the glue that kept Lambchop together. "Buddie T," as he was known by friends, supplied the band with a steady stream of jokes, off-the-wall stories and whatever beer could be found close to hand. Along with helping to define the band's sound, he also made his own contributions to Lambchop's recorded output, including "The Theme from the Neil Miller Show," the closing track from
What Another Man Spills.

Listen to any Lambchop recording up through
Is a Woman, and that's not just Marc's bass playing you hear — all around the notes, you're hearing his freewheeling spirit, his love of music, food, drink and people. Though Lambchop eventually swelled to include more than a dozen members, and though Marc himself stopped playing regularly with the band after he relocated to Chattanooga a decade ago, that spirit has always remained a guiding force — and it will continue to as long as Lambchop is a band.

Marc leaves behind a son, Hatch; two brothers; his mother; and all of us who loved him. He will be dearly missed. For those who would like to honour Marc's memory, a trust has been set up for his son Hatch. Checks can be made out to the Marc Trovillion Legacy Trust and mailed to 825 Kirkwood Ave., Nashville, TN 37204.


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