Minnesota music legend and Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap dies aged 73
Bob ‘Slim’ Dunlap, the guitarist for the punk rock outfit The Replacements, has died at the age of 73.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Dunlap died at his home on Wednesday (18 December) due to complications from a severe stroke he suffered in 2012.
“Bob passed at home today at 12:48 p.m. surrounded by family. We played him his Live at the Turf Club (Thank You Dancers!) CD, and he left us shortly after listening to his version of Hillbilly Heaven — quite poignant,” Dunlap’s family said in a statement. “It was a natural decline over the past week. Overall it was due to complications from his stroke.”
Born in Plainview, Minnesota, Dunlap began playing guitar at a young age and quickly became a fixture in the local music scene. He joined various bands throughout the 1970s, including Thumbs Up and Spooks, and featured on all but one of Spooks’s albums.
In 1987, while working with Curt Almsted in Spooks, Dunlap caught the attention of Paul Westerberg, the frontman of The Replacements. Initially hesitant to join the band, Dunlap eventually accepted the offer to replace original guitarist Bob Stinson, who was ousted due to his substance abuse problems.
During his time with The Replacements from 1987 to 1991, Dunlap contributed to two albums: Don’t Tell a Soul (1989) and All Shook Down (1990). His work on these records helped shape the band’s sound during a transitional period; he also played on the group’s biggest commercial hit, I’ll Be You, which reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Following the band’s split in 1991, Dunlap pursued a solo career, releasing two albums, The Old New Me and Times Like This — both of which have received critical acclaim for their heartfelt songwriting and musical depth. Bruce Springsteen once praised the records as “really, deeply soulful and beautiful” and told NPR in 2014: “I hope I get a chance to cut one of his songs.”
Dunlap remained active in the Minneapolis music scene until a stroke in 2012 left him severely debilitated. Many of the musician’s friends and former bandmates rallied to support him through various benefit projects. One such initiative was Songs for Slim, an EP featuring covers of Dunlap’s songs by various artists — including former Replacement members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson — to raise funds for his medical expenses.
The Replacements were nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, though they never got the honour.
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