T Lavitz
A dazzlingly technical keyboardist who fused jazz complexity with rock energy as a driving force in the Dixie Dregs and beyond.
1956–2010 (age 54)·Musical artist·Birthday: April 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
T Lavitz stormed onto the fusion scene with fingers that could blur the line between a Hammond organ and a synthesizer. A graduate of the University of Miami's famed music program, he found his spiritual home in the Southern-fried instrumental fusion of the Dixie Dregs (later just The Dregs). His playing was the band's secret weapon: a whirlwind of classical precision, jazz harmony, and rock intensity that never sacrificed melody for mere flash. Beyond the Dregs, he was a sought-after session player and a founding member of Jazz Is Dead, a group dedicated to reinventing the music of the Grateful Dead in an instrumental jazz-rock format. Lavitz's career was a celebration of musical dexterity and collaborative joy, cut tragically short by a heart attack.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
T was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When T Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
T's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2010Died at 54
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Was a key member and keyboardist for the influential jazz-rock fusion band the Dixie Dregs across multiple albums and reunions.
- Co-founded the group Jazz Is Dead, which reinterpreted Grateful Dead music in an instrumental fusion style, releasing several live albums.
- Recorded and performed with a wide range of artists including guitarist Steve Morse, Widespread Panic, and Bill Bruford's Earthworks.
- Released solo albums like 'Storytime' and 'School of the Arts' that showcased his compositional skills and keyboard prowess.
- His work with the Dregs earned multiple Grammy nominations in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled pilot and often flew himself to gigs and recording sessions around the United States.
Lavitz was an alumnus of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, a well-known incubator for jazz and studio musicians.
He was known for using a wide array of keyboard gear, including the Yamaha DX7 and various Hammond organ models.
Before joining the Dixie Dregs full-time, he played in a band called 'Speedway Boulevard' with future Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein.
“The organ is a beast you have to wrestle with, not just play.”
