Rudolph James Redd, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Anne Arundel County): (https://namiaac.org/get-involved/donate/) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) RUDOLPH JAMES REDD, JR., affectionately known as “Rudy,” passed away peacefully on February 18, 2025, after sustaining a recent brain injury and battling cancer for nearly two years. Born on January 3, 1953, in Baltimore, MD, he grew up much loved by his parents, Mary Camper Redd and Rudolph James Redd, Sr., and his younger sister, Teresa. Rudy was a man of great talent and passion. At Friends School of Baltimore, he distinguished himself as a math whiz and lacrosse goalie. At Friends, he also met now-famous birder Peter Kaestner, who instilled in him a lifelong passion for birdwatching. Indeed, neighbors used to complain about Rudy racing through their yards, trampling everything in his path, in hot pursuit of a bird he had sighted. However, Rudy’s greatest talent was musical. Although it was almost impossible to convince him to do homework for his piano teacher when he was young, he became a gifted musician, skilled at playing the piano, organ, and especially the electric bass guitar. Inspired by his idols Jimi Hendrix, Jaco Pastorius, and Stanley Clarke, he spent hours singing, writing lyrics, and testing the limits of his instrument. With his lifelong friend, Peter Acosta, he co-founded the Peter Pelican Band and played with that band and others in countless nightclubs in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County. He also played with the Catonsville Community College Ensemble while taking courses in composition theory and bass guitar at the Community College of Baltimore County. Unfortunately, in his teens, Rudy was diagnosed with a mental illness that disrupted his life and kept him from fulfilling many of his dreams. However, as he would proudly tell you, with the help of his family, a support group, and, above all, God, he turned his life around. He learned how to do much of the wiring for stereo, P.A., and alarm systems for his father’s business, Redd’s Sounds, and became his father’s right-hand man. Having asked his mother during his dark days to become the guardian for his son, Tavon, he tried his best to help her with Tavon’s rearing. Finally, when his father and mother were ailing in their eighties, he ran errands for them, chauffeured them to doctors’ appointments, and helped them with chores. When they passed away, he did the same for his aunt, Ellen Camper Johns, until she entered a nursing home. While assisting his aunt, he joined her church, Union Memorial United Methodist Church, where he participated in Bible study and outreach activities to register voters and support the neighborhood schoolchildren. In March 2023, when Rudy was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, his sister moved him to an assisted living facility in Annapolis, MD so that she could manage his healthcare. After several months in the facility, he entered South River Healthcare Center, a nursing home in Edgewater, MD. At the nursing home, he earned a reputation for wearing fancy shoes, playing guitar, and being an all-around “good guy.” Said one staff member, “He lights up the room.” Rudy leaves his son, Tavon Redd, his sister, Teresa Redd, his nephew, Tarik Donaldson, and his uncle, Nixon Camper, as well as extended family and friends who will forever cherish his memory.

Tributes

Rudolph James Redd, Jr.

January 3, 1953 - February 18, 2025