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Jay Bennett passed away yesterday. His career was never characterized by being centerstage or in the spotlight. Instead, Bennett was always slightly off to the side. At one point, he was villanized in the Wilco documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Though in those scenes, anyone can see that Bennett wasn’t intentionally antagonizing Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s iconic songsmith. Rather, Bennett’s persistence elevated the band and Tweedy to new heights on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the group’s defining work.

As a Wilco fan, I was always hopeful that one day Bennett would be invited back into the band. He added a necessary pressure. Sadly, that chance is gone. But his influence in Wilco is heard in every part of Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.