AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The man who brought a percussive soundtrack to the streets of San Francisco has died.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Larry Hunt, who called himself the Bucket Man, performed downtown for decades, drumming on five-gallon buckets, pots and pans and a cowbell all the while flashing big smiles at passersby.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
LARRY HUNT: (Singing, inaudible).
CHANG: Hunt grew up in Kansas before making his way to the San Francisco Bay Area. Despite a lot of noise complaints over the years and police confiscating his kit on at least one occasion, he kept on drumming.
SUMMERS: And he was a showman, too. He would light his drumsticks on fire and keep the beat going before extinguishing the flames in his mouth.
CHANG: Hunt's fame as a busker even brought him a film cameo in the 2006 Will Smith movie "The Pursuit Of Happiness." And he also got an invitation to give a TEDx Talk in 2012.
(SOUNDBITE OF TEDx TALK)
HUNT: My music and my happiness - I'm always happy. I'm hurting inside, but outside, I'm happy 'cause I make y'all happy. I put a smile on your face. So remember that. Be happy till you see another day. Be strong, y'all.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
HUNT: (Singing in Spanish).
SUMMERS: Larry Hunt, the Bucket Man, died last week. He was 64.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
HUNT: (Singing) Feeling hot, hot, hot.
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