Drowning victim was well-known local musician Redmann had a multifaceted career By Joe Knaapen For The News-Chronicle The blues won't be the same after an iceboating accident took the life of regionally well-known singer John Redmann. Known for his renditions as "Elroy Booze" of the Booze Brothers, Redmann apparently drowned while enjoying one of his hobbies in northern Door County. The blues voice that Redmann used in the act, inspired by the Blues Brothers routines of actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, was silenced shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday when Redmann's iceboat entered a patch of open water and broke through the surface of Clark Lake. Redmann, 39, was a man of many talents and interests who worked as an innkeeper of the Settlement Courtyard Inn and developer, according to an article written by his sister, Marise Redmann, for the Dec. 18-24 issue of the Door County Advocate's Resorter Reporter. Redmann was the son of Elsie and the late Andrew Redmann of Fish Creek. He has two sisters, Marise, who coordinates public relations for the Door Community Auditorium, and Andriette, a songwriter who lives in New York. Redmann, who also served for a time on the Fish Creek Town Board, was the master of ceremonies for the Fish Creek Winter Games. He was a Harley-Davidson enthusiast and collected John Deere tractors. He also had a local band, Mid Life Crisis, that included musicians Pat Judy and Paul Sowinski. His biggest love and strongest interest, his sister wrote, may have been playing music. He and partner Tom Milkowski, who played Tomcat Booze, were scheduled to perfform a rhythm and blues concert Saturday, Dec. 27, at the Door Community Auditorium. Redmann also was to have played at the auditorium Jan. 10 with Mark Paffrath as part of the Fireside Coffeehouse Series. Saturday night's show has been canceled, but an effort was being made to organize a free tribute concert and memorial, possibly including members of the Booze Brothers band. Details were expected to be announced later in the week. The accident occurred several hundred feet offshore from the town boat ramp, located at the east end of Townline Road, where the Lama Wama Ice Boat Squadron had set up its bus and base for a day of iceboat sailing. Redmann had gone out in his skimmer about 11 a.m. A fisherman and some members of the Lama Wama group told Door County sheriff's deputies they saw Redmann waving for help. By the time a rescue effort was organized, it became apparent to observers on the shore that the mission would be a recovery effort. The alert transmitted by the Door County Communications Center resulted in responses from several agencies. The Jacksonport Fire Department responded with an inflatable boat. The first Sturgeon Bay Fire Department crew arrived equipped with ice rescue suits and was followed quickly by a truck full of men and equipment designed for ice and water rescues. The equipment included an inflatable raft and underwater television monitors. Bob LaViolette, a certified diver and assistant chief of the Southern Door Fire Department, performed the dive that led to the recovery of Redmann's body. He was assisted by deputies who operated a hovercraft belonging to the Sheriff's Department. Visibility was limited to 3-4 feet in what LaViolette described as murky water, where the silt was stirred up by current. He was in the water just seven minutes before finding the body at a depth of 15 feet. The recovery came nearly two hours after the accident was reported. "It was just tragic," LaViolette said, "especially at this time of year." The tragic nature of the accident aside, LaViolette - who is also the Advocate's plant manager - said that "it was amazing how well the agencies worked together" without any practice or drill. Participating in the recovery work were members of the Door County Sheriff's Department and Emergency Services Department; Jacksonport, Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door fire departments; the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; and U.S. Coast Guard. The Eagle III helicopter based in Green Bay was called when there appeared to be a chance of a rescue, but later was canceled.