[ilds] H. R. "Stoney" Stoneback

[Kennedy Gammage]

Just a few words of appreciation about H.R. ‘Stony’ Stoneback, a gentleman
and a scholar. We crossed paths at On Miracle Ground XVI in New Orleans,
Summer of 2010. He told funny stories about his old friend Jerry Jeff
Walker, who immortalized him as “Stoney.” They were itinerant troubadours
in the ‘60s, a time when strangely busking was against the law in New
Orleans, and spent some nights in the local jail. As the song goes, “inside
his grey pillowcase were some books by DurRELL” - likely the Alexandria
Quartet. He told us the story of calling his future wife once he got a
place of his own, but he didn’t expect her to drive all night. The
strippers were still there, but they were quickly showed the door by the
“tiny but resolute Sparrow.” I’m picturing her reaching up and grasping
them forcefully by the earlobes. You’ll find his poem in DEUS LOCI NS11
2008-2009, which was hot-off-the-press at the conference: MEDITATION ON AN
OLD PHOTOGRAPH IX: LARRY AND SPARROW IN THE DARK GARDEN AT SOMMIÈRES-JUNE
1986 For Lawrence Durrell and Jane Arden Stoneback, which he wrote in 2008.
She was R. I. P. and he was missing her. I read my own poem from that same
volume out loud to Stony and others in the Iberville Room, as thunder
rolled outside with sheets of rain on the streets of the French Quarter.
Following the farewell dinner at the Court of Two Sisters I spoke with
Stony, and told him that my UC Berkeley friends in the ‘70s were huge Jerry
Jeff fans. He laughed when I told him we all bought cowboy hats and started
chewing tobacco. But then it was time to go.

Happy New Year!

Kennedy Gammage
Proud member of the ILDS

On Sun, Dec 26, 2021 at 3:46 PM James Gifford <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> Dear all,
>
> Pamela Francis has reported that H. R. "Stoney" Stoneback passed away on
> December 22. I've been strumming away at Jerry Jeff Walker's "Stoney"
> with my sons since I heard and wanted to share this sad news with everyone.
>
> I remember Stoney from late nights of singing and carrying on during the
> Durrell conferences in Corfu, Paris, and New Orleans, but he was larger
> than life in many circles. The Hemingway Society has a tribute posted on
> their website, and in lieu of flowers his obituatry suggests donations
> to the Hemingway Society:
>
> https://hemingwaysociety.org/memory-h-r-stoney-stoneback
>
> https://www.torsonememorial.com/obituary/dr-hr-stoneback
>
> Kind thoughts to all of you.
>
> Best,
> James
> _______________________________________________
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> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca
> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds
>
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