Note for Note

In remembering the good times we
shared with the venerable ax master we recalled that the Salt City’s
Dean of blues sent out a series of newsletter e-mails from “thevoice1,"
Dean’s Internet screen name (among his monikers, Dean was also casually
referred to as the “Voice of Syracuse,” a name given him by former New Times staffer Walt Shepperd.)

Dean was perhaps less known for his letter writing skills
than for his guitar playing, songwriting and his recent work with local
vocalist Carolyn Kelly, whom he coaxed back into the gigging world she
had left in the 1960s. Regardless, Rosey’s personable humor shone
through in the letters, and so we always got a kick out of their candor. 

In recognition of Dean’s death, we’d like to share an abridged but unedited selection of the series of newsletters titled Notes from Rosey’s Desk
to give his fans a picture of what Dean was up to during the final
years of his life. Some are sad and some are funny, and the spelling
and grammar throughout may be a little rough, but Rosey’s extreme
dedication to his music rings true in his ongoing missives.

MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO      

Letter dated Nov. 5, 2007: “This Is Going to Be a Long One”

Hello, I hope everyone is doing fine since the last notes
went out, but I have found out that all the emails that I sent out do
not go out, this computer is trying to get me to throw it out doors,
well this is a new computer but it has never been able to send out a
lot of mail at one time, always I run into someone one the streets and
they'll say to me, ( hey Rosie , when in the hell am I gonna get the
notes from you.}

Well I been having a lot of problems with the Cancer and
the amount of playing is limited, oh but I do still play but not as
much because I don't feel like it.

We went to Va. And done a show down there and I had not trouble playing;

Miss Kelly have toured with the band all over the place
this summer and she has done very well on the road, what barthers me is
that she loves the road, this seems to be the only thing she wants to
do is go on the road,

She is schedule to go back into the studio Nov20th  to do her 2nd cd and this band is planning on going in and backing her her;

New members= We no longer have Joe Nelli and Nick Humez playing in the band, They have decided to move on the better things;

We have on keyboard Himer t. morgan and Steve Watson on Guitar and they will be in the Studio on this new Carolyn Kelly's cd;

The Syracuse Blues Social Club= The Club is doing ok as
usual, members not coming to the meeting but that's ok because we keep
things going on;

Letter dated Nov. 7, 2007: “THAT Gasoline PROBLEM”

Hey Jim, Hi its me Rosie your buddy from Syracuse, N.Y. {Editor’s note: It’s unclear who “Jim” is, but this letter was also mailed to Rosey’s general mailing list.}
Dude I got a problem and I want to run it by you if you have time to
read this email, and when you finish reading it I want you to forward
it on to your address book. It those dam gas prices that we're going
thru;

Hey Jim I had a dream last night that I was talking to god and when I woke up this morning it seam so real;

Hey Jim, God said to me,( Those gas companies act like
they don't want you to have their gas, if they did they would put the
prices down where you can handle them,)

So in my dream I said, God I don't understand, Hey Jim
God said they can't sell the gas if you don't buy it, Jim he said if
everybody don't buy any gas for one day or one week it would shock the
hell out the companys, Jim, I told god to go on, Jim he said why don't
you send the companies a message by testing the water for one day and
see what I'm talking about, Jim he said you have the most powerful tool
that this country have ever had and that's the Internet, Jim he said
you can reach this entire country by Internet in 15 minutes and tell
them what day that you don't want them to buy any gas, Jim God said
that you have to give the people time to buy and fill up all there gas
cans just in case they need gas that week but Jim he said if they stay
away from the gas stations they wouldn't have to give those crazy
reason like the levy broke, or we had a hurricane or a barge ran
aground, So Jim I been thanking, how much gas do you think they would
have laying around if we don't buy any gas for one week,Ha ha, Hey Jim
, you know that god guy is pretty smart ant he, Jim you don't have to
write me back unless you just want but most important forward this mail
on to let the country know that the next email will be telling them
what week that we are staying away from the gas stations; Hey Jim ,
that's it man, call me sometimes; your buddy; Rosie  

Letter dated Dec. 8, 2007: untitled

Hello people, its time for my notes again, and I don't
have much to report on but I do have some info that you might want to
know about;

The Blues Club

Well its here, the great show that the blues club are
putting on this Sat coming up, From 4:00 until 10:00, Music by The
Roosevelt Dean 's Band feathering Roosevelt Dean and Miss Carolyn Kelly
singing the blues, Food served at 6:30, So if you're not busy and you
want to get out and have some fun come on out to Damon's in Cicero on
Rt 31 east ;

THE GAS PRICES

As you know we have been sending email around asking the
people to STAY AWAY FROM THE GAS PUMPS THE FIRST WEEK OF DEC, JAN, AND
FEB; well this week is the start of such a thing, I been wondering how
this is going to go so I went out today and just drove around checking
a lot of station to see how powerful the internet system is when it
come to getting the word out, well it brought tears to my eyes from
what I saw, I checked a lot of stations and there were no cars, just a
guy sitting in there selling scratch off's, just nobody buying gas, one
car at one station and it was a 90 year old man who don't have
internet. I really didn't believe that the people would fill up before
the start of the week but they did and they're making it all week
without buying gas, this has to send some kind of message, I heard on
the news Last Sat when they were reporting about some kind of email
being sent around the Country telling the people not to buy gas for one
week starting Dec. well that's ok but we want to get it to the one that
need to hear about this, Also there is another email going around from
an ex Ceo of a company telling us to stay away from Moble and Exxon Gas
because they are the companies that are driving up the gas prices. Well
we can do that to;

Well if you would like to know when my band is playing
again you can catch us at the Limp Lizard Dec 15th in Western Lights
and Mohegan Manor New Years Eve in B_Ville..See ya. Rosie;

Letter dated Dec. 25, 2008: “It’s Christmas Again.”

Editor’s note: We believe this is an “original”
retelling of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” a poem known commonly as
“Twas the Night Before Christmas,” first published anonymously in 1823.
While it retains the general form of its predecessor, you’ll notice
some slight variations: Blame them on the blues. 

Tis the night before Xmas and all my kids are asleep, I
think I’ll slid down stairs and find me something to eat. And before I
go to bed I’ll have one more look at the tree, hell I got 21 presents
under there and ant none under there fore me.

I heard a loud noise so I ran upstairs fast, it was Santa
on the roof, he’d fell flat on his ass, he said I told Rudolph to slow
down and don’t go so fast, because the last time I was here I fell flat
on my ass. I said with the way this ice is up here you should’ve use
the front door, and please don’t trying using my chimney no more. 

You should do something about those stupid deer’s, you’ve
cost me to do repairs to my roof for the last 10 years, so open up that
bag and less cut to the chase, you’d better have something in there for
me or I’m getting in your face. I don’t have no milk and all the
cookies are gone, the dam rates ate them all up just before I got home,

Come on in and set down the sack, and less you and me
open up a bottle of my Jack, and I wanna thank you for stopping by
cause you just made my date, now I believe in Santa no matter what
people say, Thanks for the present and please use the front door, I
know a lot of kids are waiting for you and you’ve got a long way to go,
with all this ice out here how in the hell you gonna get back up on
this roof, looking at the feet on these deer’s now I know what happened
to my roof, no say hello to the wife and I hope to see you next year,
and if I’m out of jack we can always have a beer; Merry Xmas; Roosevelt
Dean

Letter dated Dec. 8, 2008: untitled.

HELLO PEOPLE, ITS BEEN AWHILE, YEH, TELL ME ABOUT IT, I BEEN A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER,;

WELL I HAVE NOT BEEN DOING NO HOLE LOT OF PLAYING DUE TO
THE MEDICAL PROBLEMS THAT I BEEN HAVING,I’m NOT DURING CHEMO RIGHT NOW,
WE’RE TRYING TO FIND ONE THAT WORK ON ME IN BUFFOLO N.Y. WHICH IS A
TESTING CENTER FOR CANCER, THERE WERE TRIAL THAT I WAS TO GO ON BUT I
LOST SO MUCH FROM MY BRAIN OPERATION I COULD NOT DO IT, RIGHT NOW MY
HEAD IS HEALING UP FINE AND I JUST HAVE TO PUT ON THE WEIGHT.

I DO HAVE A COUPLE JOBS BOOKED HERE IN THE CITY OF SYRACUSE,N.Y, 

MISS CAROLYN KELLY CONTINUES TO SING WITH THE BAND WHEN
WE PLAY, SINCE HER LAST CD SLOW COOKING ON HOT HER CD’S HAVE BEEN
SELLING REALLY GOOD DOWN SOUTH, SHE SAID THAT SHE IS READY TO START
WORKING ON AND NEW ALBUM WHILE SHE’S HOT, I TOLD HER TO KOOL OFF FOR
AWHILE AND TAKE A REST, SHE PLANS TO WORK WITH THE ROOSEVELT DEAN’S
BAND THIS SUMMER COMING UP THIS YEAR,SO WAIT TO SEE HER THIS YEAR;

MR. TODD FITZIMON HAVE JOIN THE BAND FOR AWHILE ,HE
STEPPED IN THE PLACE OF STEVE WATSON WHO LIVE IN OSWEGO,N.Y. STEVE RAN
INTO SOME REALLY BAD TROUBLE AND HAD TO QUIT PLAYING WITH US,BUT TODD
WILL WORK OUT JUST FINE.

MR. DAVID FISHER HAVE JOIN THE BAND, DAVE IS A NEW FELLOW
IN TOWN, WELL I CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE I NEVER SEEN HIM AROUND, DAVE
PLAYS THE KEYS AND HE’S COMING RIGHT ALONE ALSO, SO GET OUT AND SEE US
WHEN WE PLAY AND SAY HELLO TO THE NEW MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE IN THE BAND.
SEE YA; ROSIE

MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO

Letter dated Dec. 13, 2008: “Seth”

HELLO, I GUEST YOU'RE WONDERING WHY YOU'RE GETTING
ANOTHER NOTE FROM ME SO SOON HA, WELL ITS ABOUT SETH BARNIE CLARK'S
GUITAR PLAYER;

I GOT A NOTE FROM BARNIE TELLING ME THAT HIS GUITAR
PLAYER SETH FELL OFF A BUILDING AND HURT HIMSELF REALLY BAD, WELL I
DON'T KNOW IF BARNIE HAVE THE CIRCULATION THAT I HAVE SO I'M SENDING
THIS OUT FOR HIM TO 500 PEOPLE, I WROTE BARNIE BACK AND TOLD HIM THAT
IF HE WAS PLANNING ON HAVE A BENEFIT THAT HE COULD COUNT ON ALL OF THE
BANDS AROUND HERE, I HOPE I DID'NT STICK YOUR NECKS OUT TO FAR.

BARNIE TELLS ME THAT SETH IS HOME NOW AND HE'S DOING
BETTER AFTER HAVING BRAIN DAMAGE AND BROKING RIBS, HE CAN'T REMEMBER
HIS KID NAME BUT THAT WILL CHANGE AS HE GET BETTER.

IF BARNIE GETS BACK TO ME AND WANT TO DO SOMETHING I WILL
SEND OUT ANOTHER NOTE TO YOU AND GIVE YOU ALL THE DOPE ON WHATS
HAPPENING; SEE YA; ROSIE