Detroit Cobras singer Rachel Nagy remembered, celebrated Sunday in Detroit

Fans, friends and band mates of late Detroit Cobras singer Rachel Nagy will celebrate her life and talent at a memorial concert Sunday at the Magic Stick in Detroit. 

Nagy died in her home in New Orleans in early January just before the Cobras were set to go on a short tour, including a date at southwest Detroit's El Club. The news of Nagy’s death at age 48 spread not only in the U.S. but also in Europe where the garage rock band, known for playing covers of obscure songs from the 1960s, had frequently toured over the last 25 years.  

Sunday's event will pay tribute to Nagy, a captivating performer and loyal friend who was known for her magnetic voice, strong personality and blunt bangs, with a lineup that somewhat tells the story of the band's influences and those they influenced.

Remembering Rachel 

After band mate Greg Cartwright broke the news of Nagy's death on Jan. 15 via a statement from the band, tributes to the tough-as-nails singer poured out on social media from across the globe. Rolling Stone, Billboard and overseas music publications wrote about her passing. 

"More than just a performer, she embodied the spirit of the music itself and vaulted it to new heights with her own deeply affecting vocals power," wrote Cartwright in January. "I know that I'm not alone when I say that I was inspired by her fierce intensity and her vulnerability."

In a statement at the time of her death, Third Man Records said Nagy “was the perfect balance of tough bada-- and absolute sweetheart,” and called both Nagy and the Detroit Cobras “a consistent inspiring presence in our world for nearly 25 years. We will truly miss the sound of her room-filling laughter, her no bulls--t honesty, and her true friendship.”

Detroit Cobras guitarist Mary Cobra and Nagy are the only original members of the band, which started in the mid-1990s. She recalls that despite the confidence and attitude she oozed, Nagy wasn't as sure of herself in the early years of the band.

"Rachel was just Rachel. She didn't think she could sing for years. After shows she would start crying," says Cobra, an understated member of Detroit's rock royalty herself. "It's just that spiritual thing, you want to do good, you want to connect and maybe you think you're being fake about it."

Cobra said that before COVID hit Nagy was "very much gung ho" about touring and recording an album. The pandemic complicated a lot, forcing European tours to be reconsidered and dates to get canceled or postponed. One of the band members got sick with COVID and Cobra said Nagy turned into a concerned "mama bear." 

The last show the band played, Cobra said, was August 2021 at El Club with Negative Approach. The Detroit Cobras almost didn't go on, not because anyone was late or too out-of-sorts — which wouldn't be unheard of — but because of Nagy's sister Suzanne's unexpected death. Cobra told Nagy that no one would fault her for canceling the show, but she powered through.

"I got a call from the promoter the next day and he said last night was magical ... it was because Rachel put it all out there," she said. 

Sunday's cross-generational line up

First up, Nagy's bandmates are set to perform fronted by guest vocalist Marcus Durant of 1990s punk/blues band Zen Guerilla. Mary Cobra said Durant surprised her by calling on Father's Day morning and asked if she needed a singer. 

"For me it was hard to put anybody in (Rachel's shoes), I mean how can I," said Cobra, adding that she thought Durant did a great job channeling MC5 singer Rob Tyner for the MC50 shows in 2018 with guitarist Wayne Kramer.

"He's a real spiritual kind of guy, and I like that" she says about Durant. "He didn't just sing Tyner, he listened every day. And he thought about what he was saying and how he was saying it. Then he went and met Becky (Tyner) and said he wanted to touch the hand of the person that was married to the man whose words he had been singing and relating to."

Mary and Durant will be joined by longtime Detroit Cobras members Kenny Tudrick on drums, Steve Nawara on guitar and bassist Dale Wilson. Cobra said the band will go on first so Nagy's mother, who is in her 80s, can see them play.

Following the Cobras is the Compulsive Gamblers from Memphis, playing their first Detroit show since 1999. Along with Jack Yarber, the Compulsive Gamblers is longtime Detroit Cobras collaborator Greg Cartwright. Cobra said she may join the Gamblers to perform the song "Bad Girl," an Oblivions cover (Yarber and Cartwright's other band) that appeared on the Detroit Cobra's debut album "Mink, Rat or Rabbit" in 1998.

Closing out the night is a new Detroit band, the Sugar Tradition. The young musicians will be joined by the Soledad Brothers' Johnny Walker to perform songs by the Sugar Tradition, Soledad Brothers and Detroit Cobras. 

"They're good kids, man," says Mary about the Sugar Tradition. "They have everything we had, that happiness. It's really fun to be around them. Being around them helps me accept things. They're OK with it, I'm OK with it. They're probably one of the best young bands I've seen in a long time." 

Proceeds from Sunday's ticket sales, rare raffle items and band merchandise will be donated to Detroit Animal Care and Control in Nagy's name.

"We both loved animals," Cobra said. "She, specifically, you know, she thought we were wolves, OK. She really did, and sometimes I wondered if we weren't."

More:The Detroit Cobras' Rachel Nagy has died, band says

More:25 bands we miss from the early 2000s Detroit garage rock scene

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens 

Rachel Nagy: A Celebration of Life, Love and Leaving

with the Detroit Cobras featuring guest vocalist Marcus Durant plus the Compulsive Gamblers and the Sugar Tradition

Doors open at 5 p.m. Sunday

Magic Stick

4140 Woodward, Detroit

(313) 833-9700 or majesticdetroit.com

$10 donation to Detroit Animal Care

18 and older welcome