Christopher Dale Gage

Encircled by his loving family, Christopher Dale “Chris” Gage passed away at his Austin, Texas, home on Aug. 24, 2025, 10 months after the week in which he learned he had stage IV prostate cancer, then suffered a heart attack and multiple cardiac arrests. Through the power of love and his will to live, he found the strength to walk his daughter-in-law, Elyse, down the aisle at her May 3 wedding to his son Sam, and to reach his 71st birthday — when 80 friends and fans gathered outside his window to serenade and celebrate this beacon of Austin’s musical community.

Born to Dale and Darleen Gage on Aug. 13, 1954, in Pierre, S.D., Chris was the third of three sons. He adored becoming a big brother when their only daughter, Patty, arrived. But it was Chris whom Darleen called her “heart child”; early on, she recognized his sensitive nature and musical gifts. Chris’s life path was set at 15, when his parents allowed the budding vocalist and multi-instrumentalist to join his high-school band director’s rock band — even signing over temporary guardianship — for a summer tour of South Dakota’s beer joints and dance halls.

Chris later attended the University of Minnesota, where he played his first solo piano-bar gig and became a lifelong member of the Musicians’ Union. After returning to his home state, he formed the Red Willow Band in 1974; their mix of country, swing, bluegrass and rock helped lay the groundwork for what would become known as Americana. The band was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association’s Rock and Rollers Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Friends of Traditional Music Hall of Fame.

Lauded for his ability to shift easily between piano and guitar, as well as mandolin, dobro, accordion, Hammond B-3 and more, Chris was also an adept vocalist and producer/engineer/arranger. In 2011, his skills earned him recognition as the former Academy of Texas Music’s Texas Musician of the Year.

In a pivotal career move, Chris and his first wife, Gwen (Braunesreither), and their two sons, Sam and Casey (lights of his life), moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1983 for Chris to play piano for the legendary Roy Clark. For eight years he crossed the country on a tour bus with Roy, appeared on over 100 episodes of Hee Haw, played the Grand Ole Opry, shared the stage with countless country music icons, and performed in Russia in 1988, a trip that was filmed for Country Music Television.

Whenever he stepped off the bus in Tulsa, he traded his boots for his tennis shoes to chase a toddler, throw a baseball or volunteer with the scout troop.

Following his tenure with Roy, in 1991, the family moved to Austin, where he earned the nickname “Iron Man of South Austin” for his relentless work ethic — which included spending a year commuting to San Antonio to lead the country music stage band at Fiesta Texas (later Six Flags Fiesta Texas), a new amusement park designed to showcase Texas music.

Chris became even more immersed in Texas music, especially its singer-songwriter community, during his time with Jimmie Dale Gilmore — with whom he played Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, “The Tonight Show” and concert venues throughout America.

Along the way, Chris and Gwen parted ways although they remained family, especially enjoying their grandchildren, Brody and Charley.

Christine Albert heard one of those Jimmie Dale Gilmore shows and reached out to Chris when she needed a fill-in guitarist. They first performed together in October of 1995, forming a friendship that would eventually forge a deep bond, a musical duo (Albert & Gage) a record label and studio (both named MoonHouse after their South Austin home) and a romance that lasted the rest of his life — so aptly captured in the lyrics of “What Am I to You,” the first song they ever wrote together: “You’re my hallelujah, you’re my last amen, you’re the home that’s waiting for me just around the bend.” When they wed in 2003, they blended their families and Christine’s son, Troupe, happily gained two brothers.

1995 was also the year Chris accepted a gig at Donn’s Depot, an Austin piano bar built out of train cars strung together around an old train depot. It quickly evolved into a Monday-night residency that wound up lasting 30 years. Both seasoned veterans and promising newcomers were welcomed onstage — and enfolded into a nurturing community of fellow players and dancing fans who couldn’t imagine spending those nights anywhere else. Christine, Chris and their Albert and Gage Band often played on Saturday nights, but Chris owned Monday nights.

“Chris was a musical giant whose repertoire, virtuosity and depth of feeling were unfailingly amazing to everyone who heard him perform,” said Gilmore.

What he chose to do with those gifts on Monday nights was a testament to his generosity of spirit and the joy he experienced making music. He masterfully featured a spontaneous line up of guests every week, always mindful of the show’s pacing and the mood in the room. When UK native-turned-Austinite Ben Jones wandered into Donn’s, he found a home, a mentor and an invaluable friend, to whom he wrote this tribute: “You never demanded thespotlight; it just always naturally gravitated to you, and yet, you chose to shine it so brightly on countless people, lifting them to a higher musical plain, providing a sonic safety net that elevated us all well beyond what we saw ourselves as capable of.”

In 2012, Chris landed his dream gig: playing guitar with Jerry Jeff Walker. Chris also produced two albums for the Texas outlaw-country icon, including his final release, “It’s About Time.” Chris and Christine became close with Jerry Jeff and his wife Susan, and especially treasured the time spent with them at the Walker’s home in Belize.

Chris was equally honored when Lloyd Maines tapped him to join the ACL All-Stars, the house band for the annual Austin City Limits Hall of Fame inductions. Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Ely, Trisha Yearwood and Lucinda Williams are just some of the inductees the band backed onstage, along with presenters and performers including Brandi Carlile, Don Henley and Jason Isbell.

Chris also found joy performing in the Riverbend Church band, despite early fears that he didn’t fit in with the formidable jazz talents who played there. Once again, he rose to the occasion and became an integral part of the Riverbend community.

But music wasn’t his only passion. Chris loved to cook, especially with his sons, and adored pampering his family and guests with food and drink — including his famous coco-loco chicken, a recipe learned from river guides on one of the many Big Bend rafting expeditions for which he and Christine provided entertainment. He was also a photographer, videographer and archivist, capturing and cataloging life’s large and small moments.

Chris helped Christine start and operate Swan Songs, the nonprofit organization Christine founded to fulfill musical last wishes for those nearing life’s end. He performed 22 Swan Songs concerts, helped produce the annual Swan Songs Serenade fundraiser, and worked on graphics, databases, newsletters and other aspects of the mission, which now becomes part of his legacy.

Chris’s calm, steady warmth and capacity for love even attracted animals to him; 17-year-old cat Chippy followed him home when she was 6 weeks old; chiweenie Sito came from a friend’s ranch; and Cookie, a chihuahua rescued from the streets of Austin, wouldn’t leave his side even after he passed.

Chris was preceded in death by his mother and father, Darleen (Noteboom) and Dale Jesse Gage; stepmother, Phyllis Hendrickson Gage; Christine’s parents John and Betty Albert; nephew Zachariah Gage; and numerous aunts and uncles.

He is survived by his soulmate, musical partner and wife, Christine Albert Gage; sons Samuel Lucas (Elyse Veeneman) and Casey Alan Gage (Ali Gage), and their mother, Gwen Gage; stepson Troupe Gammage (Katie Byron); grandchildren Brody Tyler and Charlotte Hazel Gage, and step-grandson Emilio Bel Byron Gammage; brothers Gary (the late Anne Gage) and Michael Gage (Elaine Gage); sister Patty Gage (Rob Holway); beloved niece Erin Overturf (Kenyon Weidle) and their son, nephew Gage Weidle; nephews Scott and Dan Gage; aunt Marlyce Cassels; cousins “by the dozens and the dozens”; step-siblings and in-law siblings; and friends, musical compadres and fans in countries across the globe.

A memorial service celebrating Chris’ life will be held Monday, October 13, 2025, at 2 PM CT at Oak Hill United Methodist Church, 7815 Hwy 290 W, Austin, TX 78736 and will be livestreaming at www.youtube.com/@oakhillunitedmethodist/streams.

Friends and family will gather later that night at 8 PM CT for music and memories at Donn’s Depot, 1600 W 5th Street, Austin, TX 78703.

A private ceremony will be held later this year at Riverbend’s Remembrance Gardens, where Chris’ ashes will be interred.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris’ memory may be made to Swan Songs, P.O. Box 41475, Austin TX 78704, or HOME – Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers, 6800 Westgate Blvd., Suite 132-237, Austin TX 78745-9997.

Chris’s family would like to extend special thanks to his sister, Patty, and her husband, Rob, for their devotion and support during his illness; friends Pam Golightly, Ben Jones, Michelle Beebe, and the Donn’s Depot family for their constant loving presence, and David Carroll for “going the extra mile”; Dr. Nima Amjadi and St. David’s South Austin Medical Center’s Cardiac ICU team, who saved his life; Dr. Amado Zurita-Saavedra and MD Anderson Cancer Center for the exquisite care Chris received; and Dr. Kim Galusha, registered nurse Grace Golden and Hospice Austin for their guidance and loving embrace in his final days.

Photo by Todd Wolfson