His name was Bob Crawford, but many knew him as “Keyboard Bob.”
Crawford, 73, died on Sunday morning, according to filmmaker Lisa Johnson Mitchell, who directed a documentary about Crawford in 2010.
“He had a heart of gold. His classic phrase was, ‘If nobody's told you I love you today, I do,’” she said.
Keyboard Bob, a fixture of the Deep Ellum community, would carry his keyboard around the neighborhood, jump onstage to play at shows at bars and clubs, ask for a ride from passersby or crack jokes with locals.
Mitchell directed the indie documentary His Name Is Bob about Keyboard Bob’s life and complicated past along with Sebastian Lee. The film won multiple awards, including a Platinum Remi Award at WorldFest for Best Short Documentary. It is available to watch on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
Mitchell announced Crawford’s death on a Facebook page dedicated to the 2010 documentary on Sunday evening. The post, which received hundreds of comments and shares, reflected on the legacy of the man who meant so much to Old East Dallas and Deep Ellum.
One commenter posted: “East Dallas has lost someone special and a part of its soul. I’ll always remember him forever walking about with his keyboard, playing for anyone who would take time to listen. Such a gentle soul who really did want to make others’ day just a little better.”
Mitchell said she misses the man who she called a friend for over 20 years. She remembers a man who was unabashedly himself. It’s the small quirks that makes Mitchell laugh, like the misspoken phrases or “Bob-isms” that he would come up with, such as saying “I’ve been working like cats and dogs.”
He could recite Scripture. Mitchell said he could remember everyone’s phone numbers. He had no fear about asking for a ride or some cash.
Though Bob would have his bad days and get upset like anyone else, she said, “he always would come back to love.”
“I think that he was a walking personification of unconditional love. He loved giving love. He loved receiving love. He just was so alive.”
Mitchell said through the documentary, she and Lee aimed to show the story behind the man everyone had come to know. A 2012 Dallas Morning News profile of Crawford states he was dropped off in East Dallas by his sister in the mid-1990s. While some were at first wary of him, he eventually found friends and supporters in East Dallas.
Friends of Crawford also told The News the indie documentary about Crawford marked a turning point in his life. After its release, his acceptance in the community grew. Eventually, people were making sure he was getting to the doctor and taking him to haircut appointments.
In many ways, Keyboard Bob and Deep Ellum’s legacy have become intertwined.
Hours after his death, a Reddit thread laments Keyboard Bob as “a true Dallas legend,” a “Dallas icon” and “an institution.”
Mitchell said a celebration of life in Crawford's honor will be held soon.
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