The Day Local Music Died

Jordan R. Climie

Joe Daily was a friend, a classmate, a son, a brother and a voice for the fight against cancer. He was also a musician and poet, and his words were cut short in the summer of 2008 when the battle against cancer was lost.

Cory Glover, now an adjunct professor in the Communications Department at the University of Michigan-Flint, played various shows with Daily around mid-Michigan, most notably at The Elbow Room in downtown Flushing. It was here that a hometown crowd came to listen to Daily’s words as he strummed the guitar.

“I don’t think we were ever delusional about becoming some sort of folk heroes,” Glover said. “We had simply found an outlet for ourselves and we became closer friends because of it.” Glover called the long nights that he and Daily would go through chords as young teens still learning the ins and outs of playing as “a beautiful mess,” something he wishes could be recreated.

Daily’s poetry was also part of his artistic soul, and there was even a collection of his poems published for sale. “Joe always called himself a poet first and a songwriter second,” Glover said. “For me he was one in the same. Sometimes the poems and songs would bleed into one another and other times they would find a different path, but they were always moments framed using his unique gift for word choice and filtered through his life’s experiences.”

Glover has no regrets about their friendship, except for the fact it ended so soon. “He challenged me through everything and I’d like to think I did the same for him,” Glover said. “We had a peaceful collaboration and friendship that I will severely miss.”