Surviving Pantera members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown are paying tribute to Jerry Abbott, father of Pantera drummer "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Abbott died at 80 years old earlier this month.
"Rest in Peace Jerry Abbott," wrote the band. "Jerry was the father of Vince & Darrell & was a huge influence on us, in our formative years. He passed down an incredible legacy of his own. He was a great songwriter and a much sought after engineer & producer. He managed the band from '82-'89 & taught us a lot. We can look back now & see that without him; we might not have ever made it out of Tejas. But we did…
"Hearing the news of his passing, we immediately thought of all the great times we had with the 'LD', a nickname we gave him, and all the things that made him so very special!! This cannot be said enough, he was one of the good ones & will be missed!! He's in a much better place now… God Bless."
Abbott produced Pantera's first three records – Metal Magic in 1983, Projects In The Jungle in 1984, and I Am The Night in 1985 – engineered their 1988 record Power Metal, put out all four under his own Metal Magic Records, and eventually worked with Pantera again when they recorded their 1994 album Far Beyond Driven at his Abtrax Recording studio.
Abbott also had a lengthy career as a country music songwriter and record producer. We wish Abbott's friends and family all the best at this time.
