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.
