Kent Henry Plischke
(1948 - 2009)

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General Details

Name:	Mr Kent Henry Plischke
Gender:	Male
Age:	60 years old
Lived:	Monday, 5 April 1948 - Wednesday, 18 March 2009

My Story

Kent Henry Plischke was born in Hollywood, California on April 5, 1948. He grew up in Alhambra, CA. and lived in southern California until 1980 when he moved to Portland, Oregon. Kent was a good student but had to earn neighborhood respect with an occasional scrap now and then. He was interested in aircraft, foreign cars, electronics and music. He was a HAM-amateur radio operator at an early age and learned the Morse Code very well, later holding amateur license KA7WXM. He loved guitar music and learned to play electric guitar, therefore combining his music and electronic interests. He did not like his last name used when as a musician and always went by the name Kent Henry. He also was an accomplished guitar and music electronics repairman and a popular guitar teacher.

Kent began working at Johnny Thompson Music Store in Monterey Park, CA. in the mid 1960's and later for Valley Sound in West Hollywood. At both places he met other musicians and found opportunities to play in bands. After moving to Portland, OR. in 1980 he worked for Apple Music and Guitar Center. He was well known as "Old Kent", a very fine guitar and music equipment repairman. He also taught lessons at this time.

In California, Kent's first band was "The Lost Souls" followed by many others such as "Fat", "Genesis", "Pacific Ocean", "Blues Image" and he toured with "Steppenwolf". He was associated with well known musicians through performing or recording gigs such as, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding, Lord Sutch, John Bonham and others. During his time in the band "Fat' consisting of Bob "Crusher" Metke, and Martin Kohl, both very fat at that time, Kent was slightly built and skinny and was a good "offset'! His manager then was Buck Munger of Jason Ltd. in Hollywood and Buck was the S. California agent for Sunn music amplifiers, made in Oregon. Buck used Kent as a promotional guitar demonstrator for Sunn amplifiers and Kent gained much notoriety for maximum sound level guitar tests with the amps at full volume and distortion. Also during this time promoter Buck Munger allowed Kent to make guitar recordings with other bands he was managing. He recorded tracks in 1969 in L.A. with a band I was a keyboard player in, called "Wrinkle" (formerly Houston Fearless), which is where I first met him (see photo in the album of Mike Parker playing the Hammond Organ) . His unique guitar tone, which was so carefully consistant that it became his trademark, was heard on the Wrinkle album on Liberty records on "Mother" and "Beautiful Lady". This performance was excellent although, his most famous guitar solo, with that un-mistakeable Kent Henry tone was on "Ride Captain Ride" on your mystery ship by Blues Image.

Kent and I and my wife Candice, whom Kent had known in California before Candice and I had met, were all best friends (see album photo of Kent as best man at our wedding on the "Queen Mary" ship in Long Beach CA., Oct. 27, 1976.) After Candice and I moved to Oregon, (I was from there originally) Kent decided to move there a few years later in 1980. Kent and Tammy Cotter raised a family there, he was a guitar repair person and teacher, (as mentioned above) and soon became involved with local bands in Oregon, such as, "Paul deLay Blues Band", "Loose Talk" (with me), "Back Alley", "Jacks Are Better", and "MKB Band" (Mighty Kool Band) (with me also) . But by 2005, Kent was separated, the kids were on their own, and he was living alone and his health was declining. A miracle came to Kent in the form of Patty and Ron Hill, who liked Kent and his music and Patty was fond of him since Steppenwolf. They both had worked as caregivers before and they took it upon themselves to take Kent into their home as his caregivers. Kent's parents had passed on by then and his sister lived in far away Boston.This worked very well for all three of them for several years until recent times when Kent had developed signs of Alzheimers Disease and his ongoing problem with seizures, (appearing several years back as a result of falling from a stage at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go) became dangerously worse and these required much medical care for Kent. The end of the legend came on March 18, 2009 when Kent was rushed to a hospital in Portland but died before emergency surgery. May he rest in peace and if there is a place in life beyond to play his instrument, He will be there!
Respectfully and with Sorrow,
Mike & Candice Parker
Garibaldi, Oregon

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From: yonan

You and you're gental nature will always be missed. I have celebrated Christmas Eve for many years with you and other...

Biography

Children's Names:	West, Tiffany, Aaron
Siblings Names:	Karen
Country of Birth:	USA
Country of Residence:	USA
City of Residence:	Los Angeles, CA., Portland, OR.
Occupation:	Entertainment
Marital Status:	Divorced

Interests

Favourite Sport:	Baseball
Favourite Team:	LA Dodgers
Favourite Movie:	Aircraft movies

Passing

Place of Passing:	Portland, OR.
Date of Passing:	18 March 2009
Type of Funeral:	Viewing open casket
Place of Burial:	cremation
Funeral Director:	Omega
Funeral Location:	223 S.E. 122, Portland, OR.
Funeral Date:	26 March 2009