Strong Island Entertainment

John Lyle Wells III
September 18, 1961 – August 6, 2021

Kansas City, Missouri – John Lyle ‘Whitey’ Wells III died on August 6, 2021. Lyle was born in Kansas City on September 18, 1961 to J. Lyle Wells, Jr. and Anne Turner Wells. He graduated from SUNY Brockport with a degree in History. An immensely talented musician, producer and promoter, he played with many bands including Parlay, The Black Rabbits, Chataqua Brothers, Cantankerous, Gear, Jesus Loves the Atomic Bomb and Cher UK. In Rochester, NY he played and toured with Red Violet Red and was one of the producers of their Game Hen Records EP, and with the Dil-joys. Working in sponsorship relations for the North vs South festival, he targeted compatible sponsors and contributed to the festival’s online presence. A huge fan of Austin’s music culture, he enjoyed working in music production and discovering new bands at SXSW. No one who knew him will forget his sense of humor, thoughtfulness, generosity, warmth and, most especially, his gift for friendship. Lyle was preceded in death by his parents, his aunt Sue Wells Bartholomees and uncles James Bartholomees and Prewitt B.Turner, Jr. Toasting a life of creativity and commitment to his art are sisters Marianne Wells and Linzee Kull McCray and her husband Paul, aunt Karen Van Voorst Turner, cousins Becky Turner Chapman and Randy Chapman, Jenny Turner Tuttle, Anniston Tuttle, P.B. Turner, Tom and Jill Turner, Lynne and Dennis Dalpino, Sharon and Boone Bartholomeees, Kaki and Robbie McCloud and all their families, partner Tracey Youngblood and his extended family of friends and bandmates. There will be a private family burial at Blue Springs Cemetery. Lyle’s music family will celebrate his life with a live show at the Record Bar, 1520 Grand Avenue in Kansas City, at 6pm on August 22. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Midwest Music Foundation (https://midwestmusicfoundation.org).

Published by Kansas City Star on Aug. 13, 2021.