He was extremely good at the hardest job in any band, being in the front, writing the songs and singing the songs. He was just extremely good at that and anything the rest of the band is doing is just so much easier in comparison—a huge load to shoulder and he made it look very natural.

I found the energy I craved in hearing Water Between Continents. The concise power compositions Nick Rudd and Brian Reedy performed was the blast of creative expression I was seeking.

His passion and joy for music was contagious and to see him play was magical. The world has lost a special person. Our community has lost a musical giant.

Oh, what to say about Nick? My first thought: Nick was adored. People vied to be close to him and hear what he had to say. He was influential, quietly insistent. When it came to art, literature and music, he was a tastemaker; an unabashed fan and astute critic.

I was with Nick when Josh Gotthiel died, and Nick and Josh had been very very close, and Josh was feeling really really depressed, we talked about that a lot, and when Josh died we both had the feeling that he visited Nick. That happened (for me) again, when Nick died.

Nick had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room; he really paid attention when you conversed with him.

Nick Rudd and the B-Lovers were one of the very first groups that I got to record at Faithful Sound Studio in 1980 (forty years ago!). I was struck by his talent, his songs, and the cohesion and friendship between the band members.

I was working at the record department at Team Electronics in Decatur, Illinois. It was around 1976 or 77. Nick used to come in and buy records. We started talking, liked a lot of the same stuff and became friendst hrough our passion for music.