Dallas Good, singer, guitarist and founding member of Canadian garage-country-rock band The Sadies, died Thursday at the age of 48. His death was confirmed by Andrew Colvin, the Sadies’ longtime agent; no cause of death was given. As one of the lead singers of The Sadies, alongside his brother Travis Good, Dallas Good spent approximately 25 years releasing influential and critically revered records and touring as a member of the band.

“It is with unfathomable sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Dallas on Thursday February 17th,” the band wrote. in a report. “Forty-eight-year-old died of natural causes while under a doctor’s care for coronary heart disease discovered earlier this week.”

“Some of the best music I’ve ever heard came out of Dallas Good,” wrote guitarist Matt Sweeney. “He was a genius and the coolest person.”

The Sadies – Good, his brother Travis, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky – have cultivated a reputation as “artists’ artists” for their unique blend of roots music styles, immaculate showmanship and storytelling of first order. During his tenure with the Sadies, Good has collaborated with everyone from Neil Young, The Band’s Garth Hudson and Kurt Vile to Justin Townes Earle, Gary Louris and Neko Case.

“He was a handsome guy and a naturally gifted musician”, Steve Albini wrote at the news of Good’s death. “Opened every conversation with a laugh, a warm, unassuming soul. Everyone who knew him feels like they’ve lost a brother.

I just learned of the passing of Dallas Good of the Sadies. He was a handsome guy and a naturally gifted musician. Opened every conversation with a laugh, a warm, unpretentious soul. Everyone who knew him feels like they’ve lost a brother. Required.
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—Steve Albini (@electricalWSOP) February 18, 2022

Although the Sadies released around 20 records throughout their career, the group became best known for their transcendent gigs, where the quartet displayed their range of influences, from country and western to folk-punk to folk-punk. 60s garage rock. “My favorite Sadies experience is the live Sadies”, Neko Case Recount Pop Matters in 2005.

“We’re semi-unique in the sense that the Sadies never had a hit or some sort of ‘golden moment’ where the clouds parted and we had our chance to win the hearts of million people,” Good told the Toronto Star in 2010. “So we basically grew our whole fanbase by playing small bars and moving up – which is a very slow diagonal tilt.”

Good and his brother Travis were the sons of Bruce Good, a member of Canadian bluegrass band The Good Brothers in the 70s and 80s. “My parents played music all the time and I went to a lot of shows,” Good Recount small town toronto in 2011. “I have a lot of memories of being musicians growing up, but I didn’t want to be one. I didn’t give a damn about country music or bluegrass until I was much older.

Prior to forming the Sadies, Good played in a series of punk bands (Guilt Parade, Rat Crushers, Blibber, Satanatras) to which he was introduced through his older brother Travis. “Toronto was a small scene back then”, Bon Recount Vice in 2017. “I ended up playing in all these bands with [Travis’] friends.”

According to Good, he changed his devotions from punk to country music after bandmate Sean Dean bought a double bass. “Sean and I are really from the Carl Perkins camp on Elvis”, Bon noted in 2017. “We just started going in a very different direction.”

After forming in the mid-90s, the Sadies released their debut album precious moments on Bloodshot Records in 1998. Neko Case had introduced the band to the influential Chicago punk-roots label, with Steve Albini producing the debut album. “Our discipline comes in different accents within the group,” Dallas once said noted of his musical partnership with Travis. “I focus a lot more on the lyrics and Travis is very disciplined with his guitar playing.”

Many of the band’s early records became cult classics, winning fans like Ron Sexsmith, the Sheepdogs and Erin Rae, all of whom released tributes to Good upon his death. The Sadies also developed a reputation as an in-demand backing band, collaborating with artists like Jon Langford, Case, Andre Williams and Justin Townes Earle of the Mekons.

“We don’t reinvent the wheel with what we do, and we quickly catalog our influences,” Dallas noted in 2007. “I would never deny that we have a huge list of influences and idols, and that has shaped who we are and what we do. However, we would never try to imitate anything else. We just make sure we do what we do well together.