Obituary of Corby Yates

A Celebration of Life for Corby Yates will be held on Saturday, November 3rd at Sierra High School cafeteria, at 1:00 pm. All of his friends, family and fans are invited to drop by and listen to or share stories about Corby that he can no longer tell. A memory box will be available for those who prefer to share privately. Please come dressed casually, wear a Corby Yates Band T-shirt if you have one. We'll totally accept you as you are - just like Corby would have. Corby was a gentle, unique, kind, and loving being. A true mountain boy, he was born on May 1, 1981, in South Lake Tahoe, California. In 1987, Corby and his family moved to the Pine Ridge/Shaver Lake area, where he attended Pine Ridge School. Soon after moving into the area, Corby discovered his awesome gift and what would become his lifelong passion as well as his profession - playing wonderful music on his guitar. His first professional gig was at age 14. At 17, he won the national Jimi Hendrix electric guitar competition in Seattle. Soon after graduating from Sierra High in 1999, Corby moved near the ocean by Santa Cruz, to continue following his musical dream and be closer to many of the music venues he played at. Over the years he grew a very strong following, especially in Northern California. In early 2003, he signed an ill-timed record deal in Paris, France which was ultimately sabotaged by events surrounding the Iraq war. He went on to release five albums during his lifetime. Corby moved deep into the emerald triangle area of Northern California near Burnt Ranch for about a year in 2007. He spent his remaining time on earth living in the mountains near Brownsville, CA with his dad and dog. Corby truly lived life on his own terms and values. Sadly, after spending many years struggling with mental illness, mainly schizophrenia, Corby chose to end his life. He wouldn't want his obituary to focus on that final act or on the courageous battles he faced and fought daily. Corby would want it to be known that he died as a result of being unflinchingly loyal and true to his beloved music and for being, sometimes stubbornly, unwilling to follow ANY kind of doctors' (or anyone else's) orders or advice, if he felt it might affect his muse or ability to play. He was a special human being and a rare, musician's musician whose incredible chops significantly raised the bar for practically any guitar player who ever heard him play. Corby is survived by his mother, Gail Hart, his father, Jim Yates, and his beloved dog, Blaze 'Lucille'. In lieu of flowers, etc., please send any donations in remembrance of Corby to either Shalom Free Clinic, 1190 E First Avenue, Chico, CA 95926, or donate online at http://www.shalomfreeclinic.org/Donate.htm or NAMI Fresno, 7545 N. Del Mar #105, Fresno, CA 93711