Foghat frontman and founder "Lonesome" Dave Peverett lost a long battle with cancer Monday morning, succumbing to a bout of pneumonia; he was fifty-seven. Peverett had one of his kidneys removed in September of 1998, after it was found to contain a malignant tumor. Last year he took his bluesy-boogie band back out on the road behind their live album, Road Cases. Foghat stayed on the road until last month.

"He was such an upbeat person," said the band's publicist Carol Kaye. "He had us all convinced he was going to beat it."

Kaye claimed that the surviving members have not decided whether to continue Foghat without Peverett, as "they're all in shock at the moment."

Peverett formed Foghat from fragments of his former band, Savoy Brown, in London 1971. The band quickly earned a reputation as road warriors, frequently spending eight months of the year touring. In 1976, Foghat released "Slow Ride," the band's Top 20 single and subsequent classic-rock-radio staple.

ANDREW DANSBY
February 7, 2000