Scott Kempner, Founding Member of NYC Bands The Dictators and Del-Lords, Dies
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Scott Kempner, a co-founder of both The Dictators and The Del-Lords, died today (November 29, 2023) at age 69. The Bronx-born guitarist, songwriter and bandleader was at a nursing home in Connecticut due to early onset dementia.
In 1972, while visiting a friend at a college in New Paltz, N.Y., Kempner started playing music with Andy Shernoff and Ross “The Boss” Friedman and together they founded The Dictators. It was there that he received the nickname, “Top Ten.” The band’s 1974 debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, is frequently credited with leading the transition from glam rock to punk. The band recorded three albums before splitting up though they have continued sporadically ever since. They officially re-formed in 2019 with Kempner on board until he was diagnosed with dementia.
After The Dictators’ initial breakup, Kempner, bassist Manny Caiati and guitarist Eric Ambel formed The Del-Lords (named after a director of Three Stooges shorts), who are sometimes considered precursors to what is now called Americana. They released seven albums throughout their career, including 2013’s Elvis Club. Kempner also played and toured as a sideman in several bands, among them The Brandos, The Helen Wheels Band, Little Kings (with Dion DiMucci) and The Paradise Brothers (with Neil Giraldo).
Kempner, born February 6, 1954, also released three highly acclaimed solo albums (Tenement Angels, Saving Grace and Live From Blueberry Hill).
His songwriting was always heartfelt, direct and powered by his overwhelming passion for rock and roll and the three-minute song. It was as much a defining element of his career as his steady, forceful rhythm guitar playing was its signature. While both of his bands have long been considered influential, neither achieved any significant mainstream success.
Dion paid tribute to his former bandmate: “Scott Kempner was the quintessential rocker, a free abandoned guitar player, a superb arranger, a prolific songwriter, with the great sense of rhythm. I had the adventure of a lifetime playing with him in our band Little Kings. But most of all he is a dear friend and brother whom I love and will truly miss. Eternal rest my friend.”
Andy Shernoff, with whom Kempner played in the Dictators, said, “Scott was one of the greats, the best buddy a boy could ever want. We bonded over rock ‘n’ roll and we laughed about everything. We had a million inside jokes that nobody understood. I watched him grow from a guy running his SG guitar through his home stereo in his bedroom to playing Marshall amps cranked on stages around the world. His songs and music will speak for themselves. His glorious memory will remain with me forever and I will cherish it.”
Longtime friend and fellow Del-Lord Eric Ambel said, “Scott used his Dictators experience as the heart of that band to inform the songwriting he did for the Del-Lords. His songs weren’t solo songs adapted by the band to play, they were written specifically for the Del-Lords and informed by our lives together and that’s just a part of what made Scott and his songs so unique.”
Related: Musicians we’ve lost in 2023
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationAn under rated talent who will be missed. It’s time to dust off the Little Kings & Del Lords and appreciate the legacy Scott has left behind.
The Dictators Blood Brothers album is just about perfect. And the Del Lords were even better.
I saw the Dictators in an awful club in Chicago–for two hours they were the best band in the world.