Sad news relayed this evening through our friend Skip Rosenthal – Derek Channing, who led the Farmington-based “Next Generation Banjo Band,” passed away June 18. He was 68 years old.
Derek and Skip came up with a plan to teach the fine art of banjo playing to youngsters in this area. Together, they collected donated banjos and met with the kids who enjoyed weekly lessons at the Masonic Hall at Grand River and Farmington Road. The band played at local events and at banjo conventions. Derek suffered a stroke a year or two ago, but recovered and continued to teach. Derek is survived by his wife, Lynn and daughters Diana (Todd) Chirillo and Sally (Michael) Duffy, grandchildren Gillian and Alex Chirillo and Kevin and Sarah Duffy, and a host of family and friends here and abroad.
Every time I saw him, Derek had a smile on his face, and no one loved the banjo more. He will be deeply missed.
A full obituary is on-line, visit either the Detroit News or the Free Press Web site death notices and do a search with Derek’s name and June 2008 as the parameters.
–Joni Hubred-Golden
Michigan Woman Blogger
What a great soul. I feel blessed to have known him and to have been a part of his Next Generation Banjo Band.
I had the pleasure of seeing Derek work with the NG Banjo Band. He always was in a good mood and eager to help anyone play the banjo. It was clear that he was a gentleman and his passion was music. His passion will now live on through his students.