WESTERLY — Being called a performer who dedicates their life to their art applies to many musicians, but few truly lived by those words like Roderick MacLeod.
MacLeod, who went by “Rory,” was a very talented and passionate Rhode Island musician whose influence and love for his craft could be seen and heard throughout the southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut area, but has reached even beyond that. He had been a member of the Roomful of Blues since the 1980s and even received a Grammy nomination for his work in the band, and in 2012 was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.
MacLeod, 70, died Saturday morning while out walking his dog along Spring Street in Hopkinton when he was hit by a vehicle. A Hopkinton woman has been charged in connection with his death and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. MacLeod’s dog survived the crash and ran home, according to a Hopkinton police report.
Roomful was far from MacLeod’s only foray into music. He went on to play in a variety of different settings in a long career that spanned more than 50 years. He was the original bassist for the first solo outings of Duke Robillard, who was inducted into the R.I. Music Hall of Fame in 2014, and took part in many recordings with Paul Geremia, inducted in 2013, as a member and producer of Jack Smith & The Rockabilly Planet. He also saw success in a solo career, releasing a single in 1993 and an album in 1995.
MacLeod, on top of his clear love for music, also had a strong passion for teaching music as he and his wife, Sandol Astrausky, who also is a fiddle player and has been playing since she was eight, were teaching associates and directors for the Old Time String Band program at Brown University.
MacLeod taught students banjo, guitar and standup bass with the course having a specific focus in “American (southern Appalachian Mountain) traditional music,” according to the course description. The class does not use sheet music and focuses on the old-school tradition of learning and studying music by ear and MacLeod would always encourage any student of any skill level to give the class a shot.
Astrasuky and MacLeod met each other through the music scene in Providence, as they both were performing a gig at the public library for the city’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebration. They had known each other for 30 years and were married for 20, and music continued to be a major part of their relationship, as they regularly hosted old-time jam sessions at their home in Hope Valley, which even included an animal multi-day weekend festival in the summer on their 10 acre property.
“Roomful of Blues would like to extend our deepest condolences to Rory Macleod’s family, friends and all of his fans. We would like to acknowledge his diverse musical contributions as well as being a wonderful and gentle soul. There are no words for such an immense loss. RIP dear friend,” Roomful of Blues said in a statement on Facebook.
Former Roomful of Blues manager Bob Bell also issued a statement on Facebook about MacLeod.
“Having Rory in the band was fun, musically and socially,” the statement read. “To be sure, he was always a rock-solid, swinging, and driving bass player, but he was also a gas to travel with. Good humored, easy-going, always ready to help. The Rory I remember was Rory the musician, a fine human and a dog lover. Back in the 80s everywhere he went, his dog Walter accompanied him. Thus dear sweet and gentle Rory, a man who would do anything in his power to help anyone, at any time, was taken from this world while walking his dog, no doubt a tune whistling through his lips, taken in a brutal and suddenly jarring earth-shattering moment.”