Dallas Blues and Jazz Historian Tim Schuller, Once an Observer Contributor, Has Died

This morning, Pat Boyack asked if I'd heard, if it's true: Had Tim Schuller died? Then, later, came the confirmation, via Buddy Magazine's Facebook page: "Sad news as long time friend and Buddy music writer, Tim Schuller has passed on. We want to wish his family and close friends our...

By Robert Wilonsky

February 29, 2012

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This morning, Pat Boyack asked if I'd heard, if it's true: Had Tim Schuller died? Then, later, came the confirmation, via Buddy Magazine's Facebook page: "Sad news as long time friend and Buddy music writer, Tim Schuller has passed on. We want to wish his family and close friends our sincere condolences." I have since heard the sad news from others, among them KNON's Don O.

Schuller, for those who don't know, was a former Dallas Observer contributor, on and off for many years. But more than that, he was among the city's best and brightest blues historians. For years he spoke and wrote about Dallas's estimable blues heritage; jazz too. He wrote liner notes, contributed to big-name blues mags, including this interview with Freddie King compiled in Living Blues's classic-chats collection. And this '97 profile of Robert Ealey is among the finest things stashed in our archives.

Boyack writes on his Facebook page this afternoon that Schuller was a "throwback," a real writer and historian concerned with getting things right. Writes the bluesman: "I always saw him as the guy who played jazz and blues records in a small room, surrounded by books while writing about some artist that intrigued him and who had a good story." Our condolences to Tim's family.

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