The name is probably not one that will be known to a lot of people, and it seems highly unlikely that the band that he led in the 1980s will be enshrined in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Having said that, both Kempner and the Del-Lords deserve at the very least a footnote in the history of the genre.
Pictured in the photo at left is Frontier Days, their debut (and best) album. It's straight-forward rock and roll with plenty of Byrds-like guitars, and a dash of country thrown in for good measure. It more or less stuck out like a sore thumb in 1984. The second British Invasion was in full swing, synth-pop was the order of the day, and I can't think of a single time that I heard one of the album's songs on the radio. That the band stayed together long enough to record three more good albums by decade's end was a testament to their commitment and the overall quality of their work.
There are two songs on Frontier Days that are right up there in my own "personal pantheon juke box." One is the album's closer, "Feel Like Going Home," one of the best songs ever written about the vastness of this imperfect country we call home, and the longing for one's loved ones while out on the road. The second is the song that opens Side Two, "Burning in the Flame of Love." The song has been a staple of my collections for years, whether they were in the form of a mixtape, a CD, or a playlist.
But I know what comes next
All the promises that will one day be broken
Hearts will be broken
And, ain't I the perfect fool
Cause I know what love can do but I still need to touch the fire
I still need to stand in the fire
But as time goes by and the seasons turn it's a lesson I'll never learn
Cause in my heart I knew that when I got next to you that
I'd be burning in the flame of love
Once again I'm burning in the flame of love
R.I.P., Scott Kempner. You led a really great band. In my book there are few better epitaphs than that.
