A tribute to Charles R. Cross, Seattle writer, historian & friend
by Brangien Davis / August 14, 2024
Seattle lost one of its most steadfast cultural chroniclers when writer Charles R. Cross died in his sleep on Friday, Aug. 9. He was 67.
A consummate music journalist — whose credits include definitive biographies of Kurt Cobain, Heart and Jimi Hendrix — he was also just a guy who loved Seattle and wanted people to know what makes this place so peculiar and frustrating and wonderful.
As with many long-time residents, Cross could be cranky about the vast changes the city has experienced over the past several decades, but he aired such complaints with humor and self-awareness, usually through his remarkable writing.
I had the genuine pleasure of editing most of the stories he wrote for Crosscut over the past five years. During that time he covered the lasting significance of local musicians like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix; historic music venues like The Showbox and The Crocodile; and festivals like The Thing and Bumbershoot. Such stories were no-brainers given his rock ’n’ roll bona fides, yet he always brought fresh insight to well-trodden territory.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/culture/2024/08/tribute-charles-r-cross-seattle-writer-historian-friend
Cross was one of the people involved with The Rocket which was an alt-weekly that covered the local music scene in the late 20th century (for those of you who may be later arrivals to the Seattle area)