Scott Kempner, a cofounder of The Dictators and The Del-Lords, died today at a nursing home in Connecticut at age 69 from complications of early onset dementia.
Kempner joined with Andy Shernoff and Ross “The Boss” Friedman to form The Dictators in 1972. The band’s debut album arrived in 1974, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, considered one of the seminal bridges for pun.
The band recorded three albums before splitting up for regular appearances, but have sporadically reunited. Their album Manifest Destiny edged onto the Billboard 200 at No.
193 . After the initial breakup, Kempner, bassist Manny Caiati, and guitarist Eric Ambel formed The Del-Lords, taking their name from a director of Three Stooges shorts.
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