Friends and family of Hal Champeness plan a memorial from 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Old Town Bistro, 3388 NW Byron St.
Champeness, 90, originally from Bainbridge Island, was a
local music legend who died in a house fire in Poulsbo April
10. He played stand-up bass and sang with local bands, including
Don Alverson & Friends.
At an informal gathering at the Old Town Bistro shortly after
his death, Champeness was lauded as “the little Giant with the
sharp wit, golden voice and seductive smile.”
The pictures below the picture of Hal are from that
get-together.
Below, you can read a detailed biography of Champeness by his
friend Gerald Elfendahl. Campeness was born Aug. 9, 1924. He lived
on Bainbridge. He started out singing and playing violin at school.
On the football team, he was a 5-foot-3-inch tall, 140-pound
quarterback, who earned “most inspirational” award.
In 1940, Champeness heard of a band that needed a bass player, and for the remainder of his life, he and that instrument were “joined at the hip,” as Elfendahl says.
Champeness served as a Navy radio operator in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Later, after the war, he joined up with Stan Boreson, a Seattle entertainer known as the “King of Scandinavian Humor.”
Later yet, he continued his musical career playing and singing at Whiskey Creek Steak House and other venues. His CD “The Champ” was issued in 2010.
He was married and widowed three times, and he leaves behind his son Hal Jr.
Even after he finally set aside his bass, Champeness continued singing, mostly at the Bistro, where he and Hal Jr. stopped in regularly.
Anyone attending the memorial is asked to bring instruments, voices, cookies and memories of “The Champ,” whose own voice at the event will surely be missed.
* Photos, except the picture of Hal Champeness, courtesy of Brei Rasmussen-Dodd.
