Two More Musicians Will Be Added To Tempe’s Rockstar Mural

Arianna Gary • February 9, 2021

Lawrence Zubia and Danny Patterson are the next to be honored in the popular mural.

Valley Rockstar Memorial is a mural that popped up last year, after a local Tempe resident decided to use the concrete wall on the side of his home as a love letter to Arizona’s music scene. For homeowner Tommy Gwinn, manager of a local jazz band and a huge music buff, using the wall as a canvas to honor local rock legends who have passed was a no-brainer.

[Image: Facebook/Valley Rockstar Memorial]

It currently features five lost Valley musicians, painted by artist Gina Ribaudo: keyboardist Vince Welnick (The Tubes, Grateful Dead), guitarist Glen Buxton (Alice Cooper), songwriter and guitarist Doug Hopkins (Gin Blossoms), vocalist Chester Bennington (Linkin Park, Stone Temple Pilots, Grey Daze), and multiinstrumentalist Mike Condello (The Wallace and Ladmo Show). All of the musicians featured got their start in the Phoenix area and even went to local area schools.

Now, Gwinn is planning to add two more faces to the wall to honor Lawrence Zubia and Danny Patterson. Patterson, known as Danny P, was the guitarist for rap-rock band Phunk Junkeez. He passed in 2016. Zubia (56), who died from pneumonia this past December, was the cool and charismatic frontman for Pistoleros and was a major influence on the Valley’s music scene for decades.

“So many people had great respect for his style and presence,” said Gwinn in an interview with Phoenix New Times. “I couldn’t imagine not having him up here because he was such a notable person who touched so many people’s lives with his music.”

Gwinn says the Zubia painting, also set to be painted by Ribaudo, should be finished by the end of this month, and expects the Patterson painting to be done by the end of March. Valley Rockstar Memorial is located in Tempe’s Cole Park neighborhood, at 1992 E Richards Drive. The wall is lit every evening, so the mural can be viewed at any time of the day.

Lawrence Zubia and Danny Patterson are the next to be honored in the popular mural.

See also: A Local Couple Has Turned Their Porch Into A Socially Distanced Concert Venue