Longtime Ann Arbor country/blues artist Jim Tate recently passed away, and fans and fellow musicians are mourning his loss. He died suddenly May 17 at age 61.

Over the course of more than 30 years, Tate helmed The Jim Tate Band, as well as providing lead vocals for Drivin’ Sideways (during frontman Pete Ferguson’s hiatus) for a time. Tate was a longtime regular performer at the former Liberty Street bar Mr. Flood’s Party.

But Chris Goerke, bass player for Drivin’ Sideways, first got to know Tate in the early 1980s, when he hired Goerke’s friend to play guitar. Goerke sat in a couple of times, so when the group’s bass player couldn’t make a gig, Goerke got the call.

“I was lucky enough to be able to play in the rest of the bands (Tate) played in until a few years ago, when he moved,” Goerke said.

“We just had really close relationship for years. He was like my big brother, and he pretty much took me under his wing. I went from being a guy who’s playing in his living room to being on stage. … I wouldn’t be playing happy hours all the time, I wouldn’t be playing in Ann Arbor all the time, if it wasn’t for him getting me up on the stage.”

In terms of Tate’s musical abilities, Goerke most revered Tate’s vocals.

“The man had the most fantastic voice I’ve ever heard of,” said Goerke. “He was the Pavarotti of country music, in my book. He had a perfect voice, perfect pitch, he could yodel, he could hold a note for 20 seconds at the end of the song. Every once in a while, he’d almost pass out from doing it, and you’d find yourself trying to stand him up. … He taught me to go out there play every note like it’s the last one, because it could be. And if don’t put everything into it, you’re not really playing music.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.