Scott “Top Ten” Kempner, founding member of The Dictators and The Del Lords, guitarist and songwriter, died on Wednesday from complications of early onset dementia. He was 69.
Kempner, who died in a Connecticut nursing home, was born in the Bronx, N.Y. In college, he began playing music with Andy Shernoff and Ross “The Boss” Friedman, and in 1974 they formed the rock band The Dictators. Their debut album, “The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!”, is now considered by many to be a precursor to the punk rock genre, with Kempner an early punk pioneer.
The Dictators recorded three albums together before splitting up (apart from occasional reunions). They officially reformed in 2019, until Kempner was diagnosed with dementia.
After the first break-up of The Dictators, Kempner used his talents to form The Del-Lords with Manny Caiati and Eric Ambel. The Del-Lords were a rock ‘n’ roll band influenced by British bands of the 60s – particularly The Beatles – in their multi-vocal grouping.
“The Del-Lords were a comfort zone,” Kempner told Variety in 2008. “It was a well-oiled machine.”
“But having four different personalities (as singers) was a hard thing to sell. I believed in it – I saw it as essential,” Kempner continued, describing his thoughtful vision for the band – and demonstrating the depth of care he brought to his art.
Kempner recorded seven albums with The Del-Lords before moving on to perform with several other groups, including The Brandos, The Paradise Brothers and The Helen Wheels Band. He also took time to develop his solo career, releasing three albums, ‘Tenement Angels’, ‘Saving Grace’ and ‘Live From Blueberry Hill’.
“Scott Kempner was the quintessential rocker, a free-spirited guitarist, a superb arranger, a prolific songwriter with a great sense of rhythm,” said Dion DiMucci, with whom Kempner played in the band Little Kings. “But most of all, he is a dear friend and brother that I love and will truly miss. Eternal rest my friend”.
“Scott used his Dictators experience as the heart of that band to inform the songwriting he did for the Del-Lords,” said Ambel. “His songs weren’t solo songs that the band adapted to play, they were written specifically for the Del-Lords and informed by our lives together, and that’s just part of what made Scott and his songs so unique.”
Kempner is survived by his wife Sharon Ludtke, his sister Robin Kempner and her wife Mary-Noa Kempner.
