Don was a musician and an artist all his life.
He was born to Don and Francis McCray and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When he was younger, he worked in construction and helped his dad with their cabinet making and furniture repair business. He also enjoyed going to Mountain Man Rendezvous gatherings with his dad to practice their muzzle loading skills. In his later years, he was a cab driver with Yellow Cab. When he was not driving cab, he would sit for hours at the Village Inn drinking coffee and chewing the fat with his dad and friends.
But Don’s life and passion was music and playing guitar. He began playing guitar in his early teens; in the early 70’s he put together and performed with his band, “Misty Mountain”, throughout the Colorado Rockies and surrounding area. He served “Misty Mountain” as a bass guitarist for eight years, and lead guitarist for a further ten years. “Misty Mountain” opened for “The Coasters” and jammed with Victor Johnson, among other musical highlights.
In addition to music, he was an avid photographer, and met Emily, another aspiring musician and photographer, through the Circle of Confusion photography group. After teaching Emily bass guitar, they formed their first band together, “Fill in the Blanks”, and later formed “That Band”, playing blues, rock, and surf. Don played lead and shared vocals with Emily. From 2001-2014 they rocked venues throughout Colorado, hosted blues jams, and produced a CD of all original songs. “That Band” was a headliner for both “The Erica Brown Band” and “Los Straitjackets with Big Sandy”. Don was also one of the founding members of the Pikes Peak Blues Community and helped with their annual silent auctions. “That Band” also performed several times at their Paint the Town Blue summer concert series.
After retiring, Don moved to Boise, Idaho in 2014 to be near his sister Donna and her family. It didn’t take long before he was involved in the local music scene as a frequent player at open mic nights at Willi B’s and the Boise Blues Society. Don simply loved to play, whether at a coffee house, a nursing home, or local jams. The venue didn’t matter: Don’s love and passion was always for the music.
The world has lost a vital member of its own band, and Don will be very much missed by friends and his family. He leaves behind his sister, Donna Pitzer of Boise, ID; his nephew, Ian Fornshell of Boise, ID; and his nephew, Isaac Fornshell of Eugene, OR
In Don’s memory, please consider donating to a not-for-profit music organization such as the Boise Rock School Support Us | Boise Rock School | BoiseRockSchool , the Boise Hive Boise Hive or any other organization that promotes music or supports musicians.