Photo Credit: Bob “Slim” Dunlap by JCHaywire / CC by 2.0
The Replacements guitarist Bob “Slim” Dunlap passed away after complications related to a severe stroke he suffered in 2012, which left him bedridden.
Despite being a “replacement” member of The Replacements, Bob “Slim” Dunlap was a formidable musician in his own right with an impressive song catalog that garnered praise from big names like Bruce Springsteen.
The guitarist and singer/songwriter died at home on Wednesday after years of complications related to a stroke he suffered in 2012, which left him bedridden and with limited speech. He was 73.
“Bob passed away at home today at 12:48 PM, surrounded by family. We played him his ‘Live at the Turf Club (Thank You Dancers!)’ CD, and he left us shortly after listening to his version of ‘Hillbilly Heaven’ — quite poignant. It was a natural decline over the past week. Overall it was due to complications from his stroke,” reads a statement from his family.
Following his stroke in 2012 which left him with limited mobility and saw him in and out of the hospital, Dunlap was able to spend much more time at his home in Minneapolis, thanks to the care of his wife Chrissie and help from a series of all-star fundraising tribute recordings. The couple had recently moved into a newer home, and Chrissie made sure he was surrounded by friends and family, including a number of musicians who regularly visited and serenaded him.
Dunlap was born on August 14, 1951, and grew up in Plainview in southeastern Minnesota. His father, Robert Dunlap, represented his district in the Minnesota State Senate from 1953 to 1966.
After playing with several bands since the mid-1970s, Dunlap joined The Replacements on their tour for 1987’s Pleased to Meet Me. The album, bolstered by Warner Bros. Records, served as the group’s first commercial breakthrough.
The band was looking for a versatile guitarist and steady presence following the departure of original guitarist Bob Stinson. Dunlap added musical acumen without a personality that detracted from The Replacements’ everyman midwestern appeal. Since the group’s previous guitarist was also named Bob, frontman Paul Westerberg coined Dunlap’s nickname, Slim, to avoid confusion.
While Dunlap found it difficult to hit the road with the group with three school-aged children at home, he had been through a slew of jobs to pay the bills — everything from cab driving to janitorial work. Bringing home a steady paycheck as a musician was a dream come true.
Dunlap played guitar on the final two The Replacements studio albums, and the band later credited him with “sparking a new spirit in the band” that extended their longevity during their waning years. After their breakup in 1991, Dunlap toured with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, who would lead the first fundraising campaign on Dunlap’s behalf following his stroke.
In 1993, he got to flex his songwriting chops, channeling his love for Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, and vintage blues. It was this music that Bruce Springsteen would publicly rave about, telling NPR’s Ann Powers in 2014, “Check out the two Slim Dunlap records, because they’re just beautiful rock n’ roll records. I found them to be deeply touching and emotional.”