Just a few weeks ago, he was onstage singing. Now, musicians mourn Quincy's man's death

The Boston-area music scene was stunned by the sudden death of Quincy's Joe Bargar, a singer, keyboardist and frontman of the band The Soul Providers.

Bargar, 70, died of COVID-19 complications at Beth Israel Deaconess-Milton Hospital on Sept. 29, according to his obituary posted on Legacy.com.

Bargar, who lived in Quincy since 2001 and previously lived in Marshfield, was a constant presence on the local music scene. He and his band played regular shows at clubs including The Beehive in Boston, The Corrib in Brighton, The Birch Street Bistro in Roslindale and Sanctuary in Maynard.

Over the years, Bargar and his combo had also played at venues ranging from the swanky Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center to South Shore taverns such as the British Beer Co. in Pembroke.

Bargar grew up in the Providence area, and his musical ambitions took him to New York City in the 1970s. A rock fan who discovered the blues by researching the influences of some of his favorites, Bargar founded the Bottomland Blues Band in NYC in the early '70s.

The quintet included Scott Hamilton on harmonica. Hamilton went on to become one of the best known and most popular jazz players in the country, but as a saxophonist.

In between gigs with his blues band, Bargar stayed busy in Gotham with numerous studio session assignments and guest spots with other bands. At one time or another, he played with or shared a stage with Sly and the Family Stone, Robbie Robertson, Otis Rush, John Lee Hooker, Clarence Carter and Solomon Burke. He also appeared on records with Diana Ross and Paul Shafer, who soon would become famous as David Letterman's bandleader.

As the 1980s wound down, Bargar made his way back to New England, where his musical journey included time playing with regional luminaries such as Roomful of Blues, James Montgomery, Duke Robillard and the nationally touring Fabulous Thunderbirds.

An authentic channeling of Otis Redding songs

In the early 1990s, Bargar was a founding member of the nine-piece Soul Kitchen band, which delighted area fans for 17 years. In 2002, Bargar released his "Two Sides" album, a collection of his originals and covers from rhythm-and-blues greats. He was known for his ability to deliver an authentic and evocative cover of Otis Redding songs, which are among the genre's most demanding.

Most recently, in addition to his steady schedule of Soul Providers shows, Bargar would also usually be at the keyboards when Weymouth native Cheryl Aruda's band, Dirty Blonde, performed in the area.

But in his spare time, Bargar was more than happy to play the role of music fan whenever his son Jesse was singing somewhere, whether an opera, a theatrical gig or with the pop duo he belongs to, Jesse & Patrick.

Last year, The Patriot Ledger published a story about how proud Bargar was of Jesse, who auditioned and was selected to sing opera at Symphony Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

More: Hitting a high note: Quincy teenager thrilled about chance to sing at Carnegie Hall

Just a few weeks ago, Bargar made a guest appearance at the Sunday Rhythm Room Afternoons staged by John Hall at the John Alden Sportsman's Club in Plymouth, but Bargar was mostly there to hear Jesse sing.

"His family were at my Family Day just a week or two before his passing," said Hall, the longtime Marshfield music promoter. "Joe's wife is a teacher at my grandkids' elementary school, and they both loved her and Joe. I saw Joe more in the father role than as a musician. From the April Hall Band 28 years ago to The Soul Providers, and as a dad, Joe was always a gentleman."

Former Quincy resident John Moriconi, known as "Johnny Bluehorn" for his distinctive trumpet, often had the chance to play or jam with Bargar, and relished the opportunity. Moriconi had played one of Bargar's last gigs with him, at Sanctuary in Maynard.

"I loved Joe's spirit and really enjoyed our time together making music, especially at The Birch Street Bistro and Sanctuary," Moriconi said.

Nate Dow, a former Boston Herald sports copy editor who also often reviewed music, came to enjoy Bargar's frequent performances at the former Smoken' Joe's club in Brighton.

"Joe was a great guy I got to know pretty well back in the days of Smoken' Joe's," said Dow. "Excellent pianist and vocalist, excelled in the New Orleans vein, and exuded fun when he was playing. He was always smiling. Just one of those guys with a great performance energy and style. Funny as hell too!"

Milton's Darlene Dever had been a regular at those Smoken' Joe's nights, and continued following Bargar and The Soul Providers at The Birch Street Bistro.

"Joe stood out not only because of that soulful voice and his skill on the piano, but his warm welcome when someone walked into where he was playing. He greeted people and made those who came to hear the music feel that they were appreciated and valued. He never failed to show the crowd that he loved us as much as we loved his music."

Eddie Scheer: 'There was no one I enjoyed playing with more'

Boston-area music fans know Eddie Scheer as the leader of The Love Dogs, but he was frequently behind the drum kit on countless Soul Providers gigs too. 

"Joe was a terrific musician and singer, with his own unique style," said Scheer. "His gritty vocals and high-powered piano playing would light up the room wherever he performed. I had the great fortune of being one of his first-call guys in The Soul Providers, and there was no one I enjoyed playing with more. He could set a groove like nobody else and made the drummer's job easy and fun.

"He was a true student of R&B and soul music, and his repertoire was deep and wide," Scheer said. "It was especially exciting to perform deep cuts with him from Bobby Womack, whom he adored. And of course he had great reverence for the music of New Orleans − "the motherland," as we call it.

"It sounds cliche, but Joe was a fountain of positive energy − always in a great mood, smiling, cracking jokes and genuinely loving interacting with the audience and fellow band members. As talented as he was, he was even more generous of spirit. He was one of those guys that everyone looked forward to being onstage with, and he's leaving an irreplaceable hole in our tight musical community. I have no words for how much I'm going to miss the man."

Mark Poniatowski: 'Every time I heard Joe, I was floored'

Bassist Mark Poniatowski said loved the chance to get out and play with Bargar and The Soul Providers as a diversion from his day job teaching at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Poniatowski had been in Soul Kitchen with Bargar, and was a co-founder of The Soul Providers with the Quincy singer.

The original Soul Providers included South Shore resident Kenny Hadley, best known for his big band, along with Poniatowski, guitarist Mike Williams and New Orleans saxman Amedee Castanell.  Hadley died in July, so this has been a rough patch for the Soul Providers friends and fans.

The key to the Soul Providers' success was always Bargar's vocals.

"I have never heard a voice like it," said Poniatowski. "Every time I heard Joe, I was floored. One of our last gigs at the Sanctuary, he sounded so good, I was telling him, 'I don't know how you do it. Seventy years old and you sound as good as you did 25 years ago when I first knew you.'

"Joe's voice was a blend of Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Dr. John and a few others. And Otis Redding is not easy to sing. But Joe had that texture and style. And he could sing a lot of different music, from swing to bossa nova. It was all part of him."

There were plans afoot for a new album of Soul Providers music. Pandemic complications put it on hold, but now there is renewed interest in finishing the record.

"Somehow we had been able to get a day in the studio, so in one day we recorded 16 cuts, which is unheard of," Poniatowski said, laughing. "But these were all songs we had been doing regularly, and we knew them so well. It was never mixed or made ready for release, but I think that's something we're going to look into doing now."

Janet Bargar: 'Joe started to sing and my jaw dropped'

Janet Colclough Bargar met her future husband because she was a serious fan of Hadley's big band. Hearing the 18-piece group one Sunday at Quincy's former Commonwealth restaurant, she was intrigued to learn Hadley also played with an R&B quintet. When she went to see that band the next Wednesday, Bargar's voice had an immediate impact.

"Joe started to sing and my jaw dropped," said Janet Bargar, who teaches fourth grade at the Montclair School in Quincy. "He had this amazing quality in his voice, and I was falling in love right then and there. It was like he felt it in his heart and soul. Outwardly, he was always happy-go-lucky, but there was also a sadness inside him, and that's was why I think he could bring all that emotional resonance to his singing."

Bargar held various day jobs, selling office supplies, mostly, in addition to his busy schedule of music. When he founded Soul Kitchen, the band was very busy, playing all over New England, but as the music business shifted in the 2010s, keeping the nine-piece group working became a challenge. Bargar shifted to The Soul Providers quintet and kept going.

"Joe would come home from some gigs that had been good money, and just be down because they'd been background music," said Janet Bargar. "That was why he loved places like The Birch Street Bistro, where it was a regular crowd of people that loved music. It was a sad thing for us all when Smoken' Joe's was sold because that had been a real superb club with a devoted crowd."

Among the things that attracted Bargar to his future wife was her family. Janet's uncle was original Boston Patriot Jimmy Colclough, whose stellar career included 5,001 receiving yards, 39 touchdowns and an average of 17.7 yards per catch.

Aside from Bargar's love of Boston sports, he loved all kinds of music, and his romance with Janet gathered steam when he not only knew the Frank Sinatra album in her car stereo, but could cite specific cuts.

Bargar had been hospitalized five years ago with respiratory distress, spending 17 days in the ICU, but his heart and lungs were strong due to his singing, doctors theorized, and he made a complete recovery.

More recently, he'd been biking in Ireland, appearing healthy and robust in every way.

Bargar leaves his wife; daughter Lindsey Keogh, of Jamaica Plain; and sons Sam Bargar, of Park City, Utah, Dan Bargar, of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Jesse Bargar, of Quincy.

Services planned for Tuesday and Wednesday

Sweeney Brothers Home for Funerals in Quincy is hosting visiting hours for Bargar on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. His funeral will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church in Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Quincy Band Boosters, where a fund is being established in his name to support elementary school band programs.

"Joe and I had talked about it a lot," Janet Bargar said of the fund for elementary music. "I've taught now for 31 years, and every year they do a band demonstration and kids fall in love with the instruments. But paying for the rental and the lessons is the sticking point, so we are determined to make this fund happen to help kids be able to get into music. That's just what Joe would've wanted."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Joe Bargar, Soul Providers frontman, dies of COVID complications