Van Buren
Lifestyle
Remembering Gavin Creel: Findlay will miss his big voice and bigger heart
FINDLAY — A day after Whitney Houston’s Feb. 11, 2012, death, Findlay native Gavin Creel released his single of the same name a month early as a tribute to the music legend who inspired him. A little over 12 years later, fans of the Broadway star were heartbroken when Creel’s partner, Alex Temple Ward, confirmed his death of a rare and aggressive connective tissue cancer. Creel and Houston, who he credited with helping him navigate difficult middle school years as a young gay teen, were both only 48 when they passed away. “I was in contact with him all summer after his diagnosis became public. I know it was very difficult for him, but he remained positive,” said Kevin Manley, former director of Findlay City Schools’ award-winning show choir Findlay First Edition.
Eclectic guitar: Local filmmaker works with Ohio music legend on new documentary and album
BOWLING GREEN — The opening scene of Matt Donahue’s documentary Skip McDonald: One Man-One Night...One Life in Music provides a riveting moment. There stands Skip “Little Axe” McDonald amidst the children’s section of Grounds For Thought in Bowling Green. Armed with his trusty guitar, which had provided music for everyone from Sugarhill Gang to Sinead O’Connor to Donna Summer, McDonald addresses the crowd. “I’ve had a very mixed up musical career that started with gospel, blues, went to funk, a little jazz kind of thing, hip hop, reggae, dub ... and now I’m all messed up,” said McDonald, 75. “My daddy used to say there’s only two kinds of music — the kind you like and the kind you don’t.” McDonald doesn’t get hung up on labels or genres. To him, music is music.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.