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Gregory Kucheran
In Memory of
Gregory Mark
Kucheran
1962 - 2017
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Obituary for Gregory Mark Kucheran

Gregory Mark  Kucheran
Gregory Mark Kucheran
December 4, 1962 to December 2, 2017

On December 2, 2017, Gregory Mark Kucheran (December 4, 1962) died unexpectedly at Rocky View Hospital in the loving presence of longterm friend Aaron Messer. Greg was a surprise addition to his family, growing upon Sifton Boulevard in Calgary. He attended William Reid Elementary, King Edward Jr. High, and Western Canada High School; along the way he met many friends who became part of his life and his bands.

His natural warmth, gentleness and Technicolour sense of humour drew people towards him his entire life. In spite of this, as an outsider coming of age in the whitewashed confines of 1970s Calgary, Greg wrestled with demons. These struggles aligned him with the underdogs, including animals, small children, and anyone else who was marginalized and voiceless, for whom he had extreme empathy and unbridled space in his heart.
Greg was a naturally talented musician. While attending King Edward and Western, he taught himself guitar by playing along to Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings in his basement. He could reproduce, note for note, 30 different versions of Jimmy Page’s Stairway to Heaven guitar solo; ditto for all the songs on his bootlegs. He sang with incredible passion and range and could nail anything, anywhere, including Roy Orbison and Whitney Houston.

Having been a young child in the 1960s, Greg idolized the music and musicians of that era. This informed his time with his band The Addiction, one of the first 60s cover bands in an era before retro radio. No one trick pony, The Addiction came in second out of 64 bands based on their original songs in a contest sponsored by local radio station CJAY 92 in 1987.As a songwriter as in life, Greg defied conventions and trends, writing truly original and bravely candid songs that unveiled life’s great darkness while celebrating its blessings.
He played places like MacEwan Hall, The Westward Club, Republik and Vancouver’s Cruel Elephant in many bands including The Wait, Glamdogs, and The Addiction, who were the house band Sunday nights at The Warehouse and Thursday nights at the infamous National Hotel in 1987. With his friends and band members, he often sat outside of the Nash while waiting to either play or see bands, usuallywhile listening to his beloved Prince (and especially Little Red Corvette, over and over, while all of us marvelled at the nerve and the production.) In 1989, his band The Funeral Factory released the first compact disc of original music ever recorded in Calgary. The previous year, they were the first Calgary band Much Music filmed live, appearing at Studio A-Go-Go.

Greg’s passion for music lead him on epic journeys pursuing his favourite artists across North America, including The Rolling Stones in Seattle in 1981, U2 in 1987 and The Who in 1989 in Vancouver, and Madonna in Los Angeles in 2012 and 2015. It also lead him to work at Long and McQuade and Music Centre Canada where, always the matchmaker, he brought people and their dream guitars together.

In 1987, Greg met Tom James (d. 2015) at an Addiction gig, and they spent many years together enjoying music and life.Greg’s tender spot for children and animals was assuaged in the new millennium when Aaron and family entered his life and he was able to finally enjoy his dream of spoiling children and owning a dog, Dexter. On his final evening, Dexter and Greg’s friendRon Peart provided loving company as he began his journey back towards the stars.

An exuberant gathering of those who loved and were touched by Greg will be held at Festival Hall in Inglewood (1215 10 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0W6, 403-233-0904) on Saturday, December 23, 2017 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. His family and friends joyously invite you to come and share your stories and memories of Greg – there should be some doozies.

To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Greg, please visit www.choicememorial.com. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Choice Memorial Cremation & Funeral Services (403) 277-7343.
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