Mueller Bies Funeral Homes

The Rockin' Hollywoods, with Doug "DJ" James second from left.Steve Ghizoni, FacebookA memorial will be held on Tuesday for the long-serving member of a Twin Cities band who died on stage last week.Doug "DJ" James, the 65-year-old drummer for the Rockin' Hollywoods, among other bands, died on Jan. 25 after suffering a heart attack while on stage at Mancini's in St. Paul.The 65-year-old's death was announced by the band on its website, which says: "We will never forget his great sense of humor and passion for music."James had been with the Rockin' Hollywoods for the past 18 years.ADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit WebsiteThe band originally formed in 1973, since when it has won multiple awards for its live performances, and opened on two occasions for The Beach Boys.A celebration of life is being held for James, who is survived by wife Colleen, three sons Nick, Danny, and Tom, and granddaughter Lucy, at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home at 2130 Dale St., Roseville between 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday.Follow Bring Me The News on YouTubeThe Star Tribune reports that James died with his drumsticks in his hand after slumping over his drum kit during the Mancini's set, with bandleader Steve Ghizoni telling the newspaper: "Not only did he die doing what he loved, but it also happened in his hometown, which he loved."ADVERTISEMENTThanks for watching!Visit Websitediv class="m-in-content-ad not-size-a not-size-c not-s...

St. Paul blues scene, has died at age 67.Wilebski died Monday, four days after he suffered a heart attack, his family said.The Oakdale resident was the man behind Wilebski’s Blues Saloon, which he opened in St. Paul in 1979. The venue played host to blues acts of local and national prominence, including the likes of Etta James, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush.“He called himself … the Blues King,” said his wife, Jennifer Wilebski. “He was so proud. He said, ‘Honey, I brought up musicians from the South.’”Ted Wilebski Jr.Ted Wilebski Jr. was born in St. Paul in 1951. He opened and managed the live-music venue on the corner of Western and Thomas avenues in St. Paul until it closed in the early 1990s.He reopened Wilebski’s Blues Saloon in 2009 at the same location in Frogtown, before moving to a newer building on Rice Street near Wheelock Parkway. He ran the venue for a year and a half before moving on to new endeavors. A new owner now operates the Blues Saloon.Wilebski was drawn to blues music because of its “soulfulness” and the way it made him feel, said his son, Ted Wilebski III.“The music and the people was pretty much what consumed him. That was his passion,” he said.In the Minnesota blues scene, Wilebski was known for elevating local musicians by letting them open for national acts. He once was recognized by the Minnesota Blues Society for his contributions to the music scene.“Ted was really willing to bring up the names that no one had heard of if they were good,” said Curt Obeda, a longtime friend and member of a band that performed at the Blues Saloon. “(He was) a larger-than-life promoter.”Pat McLaughlin, an Oakdale resident who knew him since high school, said Wilebski treated patrons and performers like royalty.Wilebski’s daughter, Tracy Davies, said he gave his children the same treatment.She said she once attended the Minnesota Black Music Awards with her father and tried to get an autograph from Prince, who was in attendance.Prince’s entourage turned her and ...