I’m very sad to report that Cecil Cotten passed away on Friday, April 4, in Winnsboro, TX, at the age of 62.
Cecil was lead singer of the Briks, one of the great bands to come out of Dallas in the 1960s. He composed the lyrics for many of their songs, including “Foolish Baby”, “It’s Your Choice”, and “Can You See Me”. His singing on “It’s Your Choice” shows a maturity that no other vocal from the era matches, and he was only about 20 years old at the time.
When the Briks broke up, Cecil played for a short time in Texas with three members of the Chessmen: Jimmie Vaughan, Tommy Carter and Billy Etheridge, plus Sammy Piazza on drums. They were managed by Jimmy Rabbit and recorded some songs at Robin Hood Brians studio in Tyler which have never been released.
In 1969 he moved to San Francisco and started Benny, Cecil & the Snakes with Benny Roe, Keith Ferguson, Steve Karnavas and Steve Davis. The Snakes played house parties for the publishers of Zap Comix, the Rip Off Press.
In recent years Cecil and former Briks bandmate Mike Neal recorded a CD of blues-inspired songs as The Pickin’ Cotten Band.
It’s one of my great regrets that I never met Cecil, and his music will always mean a great deal to me.
Thank you for your kind words about Cecil Wayne. He is /was my first cousin cause it is just hard to imagine him being gone. He was my inspiration to get into the music business, though I never told him. His vocals / lyrics would match up with anyone I have heard or played with these last 40 plus years. It was people like Cecil Wayne, Kenny Daniels, that I idolized not the Beatles, Stones. I loved him as a musician and more importantly as my family. It is a regret that I will carry to my grave that I never told him that.
Thank you very much for the wonderful things that you said about my father. He was a great muscian and the greatest dad in the world, an will very much be missed by alot of people. The worse day of my life was losing my father not being there with him was very hard for me and I still am having a hard time dealing with it. I know my dad Is really with me now and always will be and i wish it wasnt his time. I LOVE YOU DADDY.
I miss you everyday, i wish you where here or that i was with you. you are my world. your grandson still talks about you and says old fart. this is very hard for me you are greatest and i wish i was with you everyday there is so much i want to say to you. Dad you are the best and i love you and miss you. i know you are up there with stevie jammin. Dad i love you and we miss you bad
just some words for you, young man, I played guitar for your Dad when he was in San Francisco with the Snakes-I filled in for Benny Roe when he left the band…and me and Steve Karnavas had some fun jamming with some real SanFran musicians…I’ll never forget Cecil’s bluesy voice, and how he could hold the band together…he even let me live in his apartment there…I regret hearing about his death, and the fact that I don’t have any pictures from way back then…but his memory lingers on, vivid in my memory.
I’d be interested in speaking with Gary Markley concerning Doug Simril of the Bo Skaggs group.
I am in San Francisco. 6 mos. ago I had a “Stroke”. 4 years
in Iraq before.
I am writing but, it is very hard. I’d be interesting
in speaking to Gary too.
Michael M.
Cecil and Gary were friends for many years. I have lost and find…I had a “stroke”, 6 mos. ago. I will be OK.
I am in San Francisco. I have to give you somethink for you.
Lost Friends,
Michael Madland
Doug was one of my great friends here in dallas.
Cecil is one of the finest people i have ever known. I was lucky to have him raise my two son’s. Big Cecil as the boy’s always called him was a second dad , never a step dad.I was also luckey enough to work with him for many years in the auto business. Then Doug joined us and it was on. We all had nick names and Cecil was TATER FACE COTTEN ROTTEN.GOD you are luckey to be with Cecil,and i’ll see ya’ll soon.
was in the rap commercial with Doug and Cecil . Met Doug at the abbey Inn one nite,Thougt he was pulling a gun on me but it was only a joint!!!!!!!
I posted this message at about Midnight (March 6th) I haven’t seen it on here yet, so I am going to post it again. I hope this message doesn’t show up twice on here.
Hi Jim. My name is Brian Toscano.
I would like to speak to you about Doug Simril. If you have any interest in speaking to me, my e-mail address is btoscano85@hotmail.com
I hope to hear from you. Take care Jim.
Brian
I worked with Cecil at Trophy Nissan back in the ’80s. He drove the ugliest P.O.S. car I’ve ever seen. He called it De Colores, possibly because it was painted so many different colors, or maybe because of the bumper sticker, I don’t know. What I do know is that no one wanted to park next to that behemoth.
Cecil used to pick up an old guitar we had laying around and amaze us with his talented playing and voice. He tried teaching me a few things on the guitar, but someone threw a big firecracker in the sound hole and blew it to smithereens.
Carissa, call me.
Whelp, better late, than never. I am just now learning of Cecil’s passing. What a drag…. I worked with Cecil and Steve Karnavas in Irving at a place called, Textool. I was about ten years or so younger than them – I was still in high school. Both Cecil, and Steve took a likin’ to me, and invited me over to Steve’s house to listen to them jam one day. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Those guys kept me in stitches with their stories. They kinda took me under their wing, and treated me as a little brother. I remember Cecil playing a harp on a song, and I was just fascinated by what he could do with that harp. He never knew what kind of impact he had on me that day – with that harp – I’ve been playing over forty years now, and a lot is owed to Cecil…. After TexTool – I ran into Cecil at Tolbert’s Chili Parlor in Downtown Dallas – listening to good jazz and blues, drinking beer, and eating chili – it don’t get no better than that… next it was Trophy Nissan, and the rap – I remember sitting at home when that commercial came on – it started with a close up of Cecil – I rubbed my eyes, and thought,”I’ll be damned – that’s Cecil”…… my experiences with Cecil may not be as exciting as a lot of you guys, but they mean a lot to me…. Cecil and Steve have always secretly been my hero’s…or at least a couple of hero’s….what good guys they both are…..and now – I’m off to see if I can find Steve… I sure hope he’s still with us…. to the kids of Cecil – your Dad was an awesome man… I know what it’s like to lose a father – I’m sorry for your loss.
I see Steve (both younger and older) all of the time. Steve the younger is very well.
Hi, here’s my email
carissaalfcot (at) hotmail.com
Hi Dennis-
Steve Karnavas is my dad and he would love to get back in touch with you. If you post some of your contact info, maybe we can get you guys reconnected.
Hi Monica. My name is Brian Toscano.
I would like to speak to your father about the late saxophonist Jack Schroer, who is best known for playing in Van Morrison’s band from 1969-1974.
I have been researching Jack’s life since 2006. I’m not sure how well your father knew Jack, but if he has any interest in speaking to me, I would appreciate any memories that he has of Jack.
Besides my Jack research, I would like to find out about your father’s work as a musician. If you have any interest in contacting me, my e-mail address is btoscano85@hotmail.com
I would be happy to answer any questions you have about my research. Take care Monica.
Brian
I just fell into this web site and found I knew everyone Jack Schroer, Doug Simril, Steve Karnavas, Steve Davis Cecil Cotton Wow. Talk about Memory lane. It said you were researching Jack Schroer, but 2011 is not yesterday. Did you know Jeff Kent? You know all of these people are now dead. Sad as I miss them all. Take care Michael Vincent
Virginia Simril is my name and I am the daughter of Doug Simril. My father was dear friends with many of the gentlemen mentioned on this site. This particular group of men, and they know who they are….. will never be forgotten. Through talent, a unique style, and a true bond- few ever find, they set the standard for dreams, expectations, and love. All I have left are pictures, news clipings, letters, music, and a 1965 acoustic gibson. May we learn from the ones we’ve lost and the ones we will loose, how to live a life that is as vibrant and glorious as they dreamed it would be for us.
I recently attended a Steve Miller show at the House of Blues in Dallas. Since my father in his younger years knew Steve on a fairly good basis, was one of the orginal band members along with Boz and a few others, I thought, “Perhaps I should say hello. I bet he might get a kick out of it.” I mean really, how hard could it be to say hello to a 64ish year old famous old fart?
I’m here to tell you, it was mearly impossible! After going through head of security, then down to the head of production, I’m embarassed to admit I went as far as to throw my father’s passport at the feet of Mr. Miller, only to have had it drug away by some stage person who wouldn’t have a clue as to who my father was and his relationship was with Steve many moons ago.
The lesson learned here is time keeps on slipping into the future, and some will be forgotten. It is through us their spirt lives on. We as their children carry the gift of what few have or will ever understand, and for that, I am thankful!
Virginia Simril
Dallas, TX
virginiajoy7@yahoo.com
He was a bit intense for goodness sakes, what to do? what to do? hahhaha. That is funny.
Dear Virginia, I’m Joe”Bullet” Bishop and Doug was one of my best friends and room mate for a year or so. We hung out together about 4 years and went on trips to San Francisco an everywhere and headquartered at the Abbey Inn. We stayed at jack Schorrs house when we went to visit Van Morrison and me and Paul Haubrich tried so hard to promote “Sally and Henry” a great song written by Dad. I saw you only once when you were about a month old. Many of our friends have gone away, Paul Haubrich, Steve Davis, Jack Schor, Cecil Cotten and David Schoppe. It’s so sad …best time of my life with Doug and our road buddies. God bless you Joe Bishop, Midland,Tx.
I’m trying to reconnect with Virginia Simril, daughter of Doug Simril.
I’m Doug’s first cousin.
Reece
Dear Virginia,
I was a friend of Doug Simril at University of Texas. I am not sure that was your father. Doug’s father was a physician in Dallas where Doug lived. And, Doug loved motorcycles and had a yellow Harley as I remember it. He played guitar and his band played for our fraternity parties quite often. If this is the same Doug, I would like to know about his life after UT. He was a great guy and I am sorry I ever lost touch with him.
Terry Willis
It was by chance that I just Googled “Benny, Cecil and the Snakes”…only to find out that my old friend and singer, Cecil had died…I just had to scribe a few words for his relatives…that he was indeed a very thoughtful, gentle man with a great sense of humor..soft-spoken, but had a way of putting things in the right focus…I played guitar with Cecil, and Steve Karnavas after Benny Roe left the band…we had jammed with Doug Simril from the B. Skaggs group, and Don, Van Morrison’s tenor sax player there in San Francisco, while I was going to art school.. it was a loty of fun in those times filled with music…
Hi Gary.
You mention jamming in San Francisco with guitarist Doug Simril and a tenor saxophonist named “Don” from Van Morrison’s band while you were going to art school.
The tenor saxophonist you speak of sounds a lot like Jack Schroer, who played in Van Morrison’s band from 1969-1974. Do you think this is possible?
Jack (who passed away in 1995) and Doug Simril (who passed away in 1989) were friends. Jack also played in Boz Scaggs’ band in the early 1970’s, but not at the same time that Doug was in the group.
I have been researching Jack Schroer’s life for almost 3 years. If you have any interest, I would like to speak to you. My e-mail address is btoscano85@hotmail.com
If you have any questions about my research, I would be happy to answer them. I hope to hear from you. Take care Gary.
Brian
I don’t know if anyone will ever read this but here goes…Cecil has been gone for over ten years and I am only now able to post anything about him. Cecil and I were married for more than 30 years and were together several years before that. I miss him every day and carry him in my heart always. I know he is waiting for me in heaven and our love story will continue when I see him again. He was the love of my life and always will be. I truly miss him.
Janet Cotten
Cecil was a fukking GENIUS. I’m sitting here listening to the BRIKS.
Janet Cotten>> BIG HUGS to you, lady!