Chris Gaffney benefit and memorial celebration scheduled

By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Musical associates, friends, fans and family of Southland roots-rock musician Chris Gaffney, who died last week of liver cancer, will memorialize the singer, songwriter and bandleader with two benefit concerts in the week ahead.

On Sunday in Anaheim, Big Sandy, the Ziggens, Kid Ramos & the Fab-U-Locos, Mike Eldred, the Torquays and Hellbound Hayride, as well as members of the Hacienda Brothers, which Gaffney led with Dave Gonzalez, will play at the Doll Hut starting at 1 p.m. Proceeds from the $10 cover charge will go to the Chris Gaffney Memorial Fund. Information: (714) 533-1286.

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Then on Wednesday, members of the bands he was most closely associated with over the last two decades, including the Cold Hard Facts, the Hacienda Brothers and Dave Alvin's Guilty Men, will gather for a musical celebration of Gaffney's life and career at the Cellar nightclub in Long Beach. Doors open at 3 p.m.; the music begins at 6 p.m. Information: (562) 495-9000.

Gaffney, who was a regular presence in Southland clubs, released three studio albums in the 1990s that helped him develop a broader following in the U.S. and in Europe. A website also has been set up for donations to help defray the costs of medical treatment he received after being diagnosed with liver cancer in February.

randy.lewis@latimes.com