Deaths

Kerby Stewart, 60, of pneumonia February 12 in Desoto. Kerby was a popular recording engineer and double bassist who performed regularly with the N’Awlins Gumbo Kings. He was a founding member of the music faculty at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster.

Kerby was one of the most respected bassists in the DFW area. During a career that spanned more than 40 years, he toured with the NORAD band, the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Woody Herman Orchestra and the UNT 1:00 Lab Band. He performed with the Dallas and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestras, the Ft. Worth Fat Stock Show Rodeo Band, the Ice Capades, Dallas Summer Musicals, conventions, banquets, and concerts, and most recently, as a member of the N’Awlins Gumbo Kings.

Kerby developed the recording courses and helped develop the curriculum for the Recording Technology option of the commercial music program at Cedar Valley College. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a BFA degree in Radio/Television/Film. After TCU, he studied at the University of North Texas in Music and Computer Science.

Kerby’s audio engineering experience led him to record everything from solo recitals to symphony orchestras, pipe organ and chorus projects. He designed and ran a recording studio while at NORAD and was part owner and engineer for a jingle company in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kerby has been a freelance engineer in Dallas for 25 years and has engineered and performed on many albums, jingles, film sound tracks and television programs. He joined Fort Worth Local 72 on May 30, 1965. He is survived by wife Mickey, son Kerby Eli, and stepchildren Alex, Michael and Cami.

The family has requested donations to the Kerby Stewart Memorial Fund, located at Musicians Federal Credit Union, in lieu of flowers.

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