Arlington, Texas (February 11,
2011) — Zebulon “Zeb” Cash-Lane passed away on February 8 at age
65, at his home in Arlington, Texas.
Zeb, whose real name was Ken Kavalawski,
was born on September 20, 1945, in Menominee, Michigan, but spent most
of his life in Palestine and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
Many of us in the guitar community
knew Zeb as a fixture at the Dallas and Arlington Guitar Shows. He was
the head of security at the Dallas Guitar Show for many years and continued
to be a goodwill ambassador for the show until his death. Zeb lived
for music and he became very well known in the Dallas/Fort Worth area
as a singer, guitarist, harp player, and songwriter. While Zeb may not
have had all the resources in life that most people do, he did whatever
he could to be close to the music scene because that was very important
to him.
When it came to material possessions,
Zeb was never a rich man, and at the shows we always gave him copies
of the books we publish. We knew he treasured these books and displayed
them on his shelves for all to see. While we only typically saw Zeb
twice a year, he never forgot anything about us and was quick to ask
how everything was. Each time I arrived at one of these guitar shows,
he was usually the first person I’d see, and it was always a pleasure
to greet him and pick up where we left off. After our usual nonstop
drive through the night back to Minnesota, Zeb would call to make sure
we’d returned home safely.
Zeb was a rich man, however, when it
came to family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Beverly Burke;
daughters Cashmir Magee (Brian) and Zadrin Burke-Kavalawski; son Zachariah
Burke-Kavalawski; grandchildren, Montana Magee and Montgomery Magee;
brother, Mark Kavalawski; sister, Donna Frazier (Ronnie); numerous nieces,
nephews, and other extended family members; and an infinite list of
friends and musicians who will miss him, but never forget him.
We featured Zeb on the back page of
the 4th Edition Blue Book of Guitars with his infamous Jazzmaster
that he’d dug out of a dump and nicknamed the “Dumpmaster" (shown above). Show
regulars all have favorite Zeb stories, and I encourage everyone to
share them so they do not become forgotten.
A memorial service is being held for
Zeb at the Arlington Funeral Home in Arlington, Texas, between 2 and
8 p.m. CST on Saturday, February 12, 2011.