PASSINGS / Steve Ferguson

Steve Ferguson, 60, a guitarist, singer and songwriter who co-founded the group NRBQ, died Oct. 7, said a spokeswoman at the Highlands Funeral Home in Louisville, Ky. A resident of Louisville, he had been suffering from cancer.

Ferguson, who was born in Louisville in 1948, founded the New Rhythm & Blues Quintet in the late 1960s with keyboardist Terry Adams, playing what the Louisville Courier-Journal called “a crazy mix of roll ‘n’ roll, R&B; and jazz.”

The group’s first album, “NRBQ,” in 1969 included songs by rocker Eddie Cochran and jazz musician Sun Ra. The second album, “Boppin’ the Blues,” in 1970 teamed NRBQ with rockabilly legend Carl Perkins.

Ferguson left the group after the second album but returned several times while continuing on a solo career.