Gary Lewis Church

Born in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 6, 1956 - Died in Gilbert, AZ on February 19, 2018

Some musicians are born to be bandleaders. Others, like Gary Church, spend their lives being “sidemen.” These are the unsung heroes who, by their great proficiency and sensitivity on their instruments, make starring artists look and sound great. Sidemen usually don’t become famous in the public’s eye and they don’t make a lot of money. Yet they are among the most important participants in the music business. They make others look and sound the best they possibly can through musicianship skills and hard-earned experience gained as sidemen.

Born in Las Vegas, then he was raised in Phoenix and eventually meeting death in the Phoenix area. He played in bands around Phoenix during his earliest years and his final years on earth. In the interim of long years, Gary also traveled all over the United States and foreign countries with bands and entertainers who are household names in the U.S. He played with well-known Phoenix Dixieland bands, the Desert City Six and the Barehanded Wolf Chokers, and his big love was playing at the annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee with many bands. Gary hit the road with his parents’ permission, starting his travels at the tender age of seventeen. He was engrossed in getting the experience and knowledge which would make him one of the best sidemen in Dixieland and traditional jazz. Starting off with a steady job playing at Walt Disney World, he connected there with Bill Allred’s Reedy Creek Jazz Band and Rosie O’Grady’s in Pensacola. He then hit the road with writer and vocalist Freddy Powers, playing mostly in Reno. (This is where Merle Haggard discovered him). This led to work with Jim Cullum’s Happy Jazz Band in San Antonio, and playing in Willie Nelson’s Austin nightclub house band, then Al Hirt, Peanuts Hucko, Roger Miller and Gary’s personal musical idol, cornetist-trumpeter Wild Bill Davison. Along the way, he also added guitar and piano to his musical toolkit and was a wonderful vocalist as well. He also became a prolific songwriter who scored a number one country hit in the 1982’s “I Always Get Lucky with You” sung by George Jones and Merle Haggard. He was awarded a Gold Record. He was the 23rd musician inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame. He has played for four Presidents, past presidents and many politicians.

For at least ten years, Gary served as trombonist and trumpeter with Merle Haggard and his band, the Strangers. For most of the 1990s, he worked for Mel Tillis and his Statesiders, at Tillis’ theater in the country music town known as Branson, Missouri. When his health began to decline due to heart attacks, strokes and brain tumors, Gary had once again come home to Phoenix. What followed were many local playing engagements as well as many years as lead cornetist with both Joe Hopkins’ 52nd Street Jazz Band and Cheryl Thurston’s Mardi Gras Jazz Band.

Despite of failing health and many medical procedures, Gary Church continued to persevere during adversity by being one of the tastiest players and most humble musicians in the world. Never one to boast of his considerable accomplishments but always ready with words of praise for other musicians, Gary also had a lightning-fast mind powered by a brilliant sense of humor and a razor-sharp wit.

Over and over again, the person who kept Gary coming back from critical illnesses was the love of his life, his musical and life partner, Cheryl Thurston. Cheryl also being a stride pianist and trumpeter, she nursed and brought Gary back from the brink of death so many times that everyone held out hope she could pull it off one more time. Her ability to get Gary back on his feet was a living testament of her deep love for him and his love for her.

After such a sketchy health history, nobody could have predicted that Gary’s cause of death would be a bleeding brain trauma sustained in a car accident in which his vehicle was t-boned by another vehicle on January 30th. At first, the injuries to his head appeared to be minor but by the time he arrived at the hospital, he had lapsed into unconsciousness and never work up again. He had sustained major bleeding in his brain and cranial area. Over two weeks of trying heal, Gary still showed no changes or improvements in his condition. He was placed in a Hospice of the Valley facility and succumbed to his injuries on February 19th.

Gary is preceded in death by his father, Herbert Lyle Church and mother, Elizabeth Patricia Barclay. He is survived by his Son, Edward Church and his sister, Michele Sevryn, and his Sweetheart, Cheryl Thurston. A Celebration of his Life will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 10 AM at the Valley of the Sun Cemetery, Chandler, with a New Orleans Jazz Service, then resumes at 12:30 PM at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Resort in the main ballroom in Chandler. Hosted by the Arizona Classic Jazz Society and Cheryl Thurston. Cheryl’s Mardi Gras Dixieland Band will play, along with specially invited friends and guests. Some of Merle Haggard’s Band and Levi will put a band together playing some tunes that Gary was recorded on with Merle, Willie, etc. Local musicians, friends and fans as well as musicians from around the country will be in attendance.

Gary is being laid to rest at Valley of the Sun Mortuary and Cemetery in Chandler, AZ. In lieu of flowers, musicians and friends are raising money for the Gary Church Memorial Fund to help pay for Gary Church’s medical and burial expenses.