Mark Ransom, a Burlington musician and early childhood educator, died on Tuesday due to complications from throat cancer treatment he underwent about a decade ago, according to his son, Drew Ransom.
Ransom played in multiple bands across Vermont and even in Hawaii, including the Chrome Cowboys, the N-Zones, the X-Rays, Mango Jam, the Saloon Pilots and Barbacoa — to name just a few. He was also a regular performer at Honky Tonk Tuesdays at Radio Bean in Burlington.
“I bet 50% of the population in Chittenden County was at a wedding that he played at,” said Brooke Hadwen, Ransom’s ex-wife. “I think that’s part of how he got to know everybody, from either being in a bar or playing at their wedding or political events.”
Drew described his father as an “extremely kind and gentle person” with an “incredibly broad social life.” When they went to Home Depot together, the elder Ransom would inevitably run into at least four people he knew, Drew recalled.
Many of those connections came from his father’s music career.
Ransom was particularly known for playing the bass, especially his 1966 Fender jazz bass, to the point where the blue coating was stripped off to reveal a wooden and white undercoat and an indent formed from use.
Brett Hughes, Ransom’s bandmate in the Chrome Cowboys, said Ransom’s death felt sudden.
“That’s part of what’s so hard about it is, you know, I was looking forward to getting through the holidays and having him out and recording some stuff over the winter and just hanging out,” Hughes said.
Hughes was an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont in 1977 when he first encountered Ransom playing at Hunts, the since-shuttered Burlington club.
“He was as much a rockstar to me as, you know, as anyone could be,” Hughes said. “But he was also really both approachable and friendly. And he made friends easily and he welcomed younger musicians into his world.”
Creston Lea, a member of Barbacoa and a guitar builder, said Ransom was a “pure example” of how to play music “the right way.” He described being around Ransom as “a real education.”
“Much as I loved him, when I (saw) him come through the door when I was on stage, my heart would just sink and I would play at my worst because I had such a reverence for his approach to bass playing that I would become really self-conscious whenever I saw him walk in,” Lea said.
Lea said Ransom wasn’t shy about giving advice or criticism if he thought Lea could improve something or was getting something wrong. In fact, Ransom did so in early December at Lea’s performance at the Light Club Lamp Shop — but he always gave critiques in a “really generous and supportive way,” according to Lea.
Ransom’s key advice, according to Lea: Keep bass-playing simple, be aggressive and, most importantly, rock every note.
Ransom balanced his evening performances with his job as an early childhood educator at Trinity Children’s Center in Burlington.
Maureen Danielczyk, the center’s former executive director, said she worked with Ransom for almost two decades.
“He was one of the best teachers we had there. He was wonderful,” she said. “And you know, worked really hard and played music at night, but you would never know it because he was always bright and cheerful when he came in in the morning.”
Chelsea Gray, an early childhood coordinator, first met Ransom at Trinity as a student intern in the early 2000s. She recalled Ransom’s gentle presence with children, always speaking to them with mutual respect and never with a harsh tone despite having a deep voice.
Gray also said Ransom was very vocal, especially in his advocacy against war because he lost a brother in the Vietnam War. “He was a peaceful guy, but he really meant it and he lived it,” Gray said.
In hiring preschool teachers, Gray said she “always look(s) for men that remind (her) of Mark.”
“He really always approached things with, you know, a clear head and you know, a thoughtful presence,” she said.
Even if Ransom wasn’t on stage, Gray said his music still shined through him.
“He would draw a crowd on the playground with his guitar.”
