Made music with his friends
Greg Patterson was born in Springfield, the son of Charles Patterson and Nancy Clark. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army and later served two tours in Iraq, receiving the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and several other decorations during his service.
Greg married Michelle Abbott (daughter Lauren of Los Angeles) and would divorce, and Jill Wiggins (sons Henry and Rhett) of Rochester and would divorce. Greg married Danielle Durham of Dawson on May 6, 2023, and they remained together until his passing. One of his great pleasures in life was making music with his friends, especially in his band, the Wolf Crick Boys.
Greg, Lucky, Sgt. Patterson, Wolf Crick Boy or son, dad, brother, husband, friend, singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer, paratrooper, veteran – whatever you called him or knew him as – was many things to many people. He could be the good, the bad and the ugly all at once while being the most beautiful as well. He cared deeply for friends and family, working to be there during struggles and hard times to help a lost soul find a path to somewhere else. His songs reflected those feelings, searching for answers to troubling questions, the wonder and the why, the bleak and bright, war and peace, love and understanding.
His first music experiences came as a drummer, mostly rocking in original bands like the Love Hogs, but Greg also enjoyed “stirring the pot” for a hillbilly waltz or keeping the backbeat bright for a two-step country tune. From that drumming he leaned toward more of the cowboy-styled music, began to learn and write songs that way on guitar and soon founded the Wolf Crick Boys.
He was left-handed and always played his instruments without making the switch to those regular right-handed ones. When it came to the six-string, it was a big deal finding a good lefty, acoustic guitar and when he did, he pounded the bejesus out of it while writing and singing on plenty of honky-tonk numbers.
A rather different choice as a favorite tune to play was a Wilco song called “It’s Just That Simple,” one of the few written by the band’s bassist, John Stirratt. Lucky also always really got behind Hank Williams’ stark and stunning appraisal of life, Angel of Death. Song titles of his own include “We Act Brave,” “Wires and Wood,” “Still Hanging On” and “You and I” from the WCB’s War & Peace (2018) and All Quiet on the Western Front (2023) albums. You can find Greg and the band on Spotify, Apple and other digital platforms and see live performances and a professionally done video on YouTube, plus physical Wolf Crick Boys CDs are out there along with T-shirts, flyswatters (yep!), koozies and more.
When another WCB band member, bassist Scott Leach, passed away in 2018, Greg requested the group carry on. Then, as now, his bandmates Tom Woolsey, Keith Ramey and Patrick Miller are keeping the flame alive, as a left-handed, singing guitar player named Alex Irwin – who played drums first and greatly respected Lucky — has stepped in to learn the songs and become a Wolf Crick Boy.
Nothing much eases the pain from the loss of a loved one more than to hear how the deceased had helped others during life. Accolades for Greg are plentiful, respectful and truly endearing, in person, online and continuing to this day, all describing how he touched so many lives in so many ways that he very likely may never have even known about.
And with that comment as a touchstone, we wish Lucky peace and understanding, love and caring, and mostly we acknowledge his legacy of music, friendship, family and service with gratitude for having him around for a while and feeling what emanated from his soul and self. As we try to remind ourselves of happy times during moments of sadness, a well-used, favorite phrase comes to mind when mentioning Greg Patterson. “Hey, you know why they call him Lucky? Well, ‘cause he is.” That got a laugh every time.
He was lucky to be here and we were lucky to have him among us. He was a “Lifer” and also “Just Dust,” to borrow from a couple of WCB songs that seem so fitting and appropriate to end our remembrance of Greg “Lucky” Patterson.
Tom Irwin, a sixth-generation Sangamon County resident, has played his songs and music for nearly 40 years in the central Illinois area and got to know Greg Patterson through their shared love of music.
This article appears in January 1-7, 2026.
