Cornelius Bumpus, 58, Saxophonist With Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, Dies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 5, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 4 (AP) — Cornelius Bumpus, a saxophonist and former
member of the Doobie Brothers band who has performed with Steely Dan since 1993,
died on Tuesday on the way to a series of performances in California. He was
58.
He died of a heart attack on a flight from New York, said a friend, Rod
Harris.
Mr. Bumpus began his career at 10, playing alto saxophone in the school band
in Santa Cruz, Calif.
While still a student at Santa Cruz High School in the early 60’s, he founded
Corny and the Corvettes, a teenage pop band that played school dances.
In 1966, he spent six months performing with Bobby Freeman. In 1977 he joined
the group called Moby Grape, writing one tune for the “Live Grape” album. He
also recorded two solo albums and toured with his own band.
Since performing with the Doobie Brothers in the early 1980’s, Mr. Bumpus
played with a number of bands, most recently with Steely Dan, which won the Album
of the Year Grammy for its 2000 CD “Two Against Nature.”
His relations with his former Doobie Brothers bandmates turned contentious in
the late 1990’s when they sued him and several other musicians over use of
the Doobie Brothers name. A federal judge in 1999 ruled against Mr. Bumpus and
the other musicians.
Mr. Bumpus is survived by his wife, Linda, and four children.
