Dege Legg still receives mail at his studio on Garfield Street in Lafayette, according to the late artist’s neighbor, painter Herb Roe.
His band, Brother Dege & The Brethren, is currently getting ready to release a new album with Legg’s final songs. Last year, the documentary “A Hard Row to Hoe” was released to fans around the world, shining a light on the eloquence of the rocker’s music and philosophy. And on Sunday, a mural featuring Legg’s signature craggy stare and Dobro guitar was unveiled in Lafayette, giving fans, friends and family a place to permanently memorialize the musician, because two years after his death, it’s clear that Brother Dege won’t be disappearing any time soon.
Sunday was the two-year anniversary of the artist’s death at the age of 56. Legg lived and worked at the motley collection of studios at 625 Garfield St., where his portrait now fronts the road. The work was completed by mural artists Susan David, Herb Roe and Miguel Lasala, with help from Kathy Dumesnil, Roz LeCompte, Erin Broussard, John Zant and others, based off a photograph by Travis Gauthier.
Legg’s presence was the star of the show at the unveiling, felt through the dozens of artists, bandmates, collaborators and old friends who gathered in the street to share stories about the man, the musician, the writer, and the artist. Legg’s work covered decades of freewheeling inspiration, from his days fronting Southern rock band Santeria, to the publication of his book, “Cablog: Diary of a Cabdriver.”
Later, his brand of Southern blues meets psychedelic rock would appear on the soundtrack of the movie “Django Unchained,” with “Too Old to Die Young” by Brother Dege & The Brethren. Legg’s friend and former Santeria bandmate Troy Primeaux spoke at the mural unveiling, saying, “He always fought to be acknowledged.”…