Richard Pegue's funeral this morning was fittingly powerful and entertaining. The place was packed--there must have been more than 1,500 people in the Apostolic Church of God at 63rd and Dorchester.

Sixth Ward alderman Freddrenna Lyle read a resolution from Mayor Daley and Cook County spokeswoman Chinta Strausberg read one from President Todd Stroger.

County commissioner Jerry "Iceman" Butler sang a song, the voice as smooth as ever. 

Ramonski Luv, the V-103 DJ, led the crowd in a chant of the Fun Town amusement park jingle Richard wrote years ago.

The legendary Herb Kent reminisced about the old days at WVON.

I got a kick out of WBEZ talk show host Richard Steele's loving tribute, especially the part where he jokingly talked about his lifelong friend and fellow Hirsch High graduate's well-known affinity for his old, broken-down car.

But for me the highlight came when Jackie Taylor of the Black Ensemble Theater brought on two singers to perform a couple of dusties you might have expected Richard to play on his radio show. Melanie McCullough sang "At Last," and Theo Huff sang Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness." Huff was really going strong and for a moment I though he might go like Otis does in the live version. Where, you know, Redding starts giving out romantic advice--"You gotta make love, don't tease her, never leave her ..."

But, no, Huff managed to rein himself in, this being a church service and all. All in all, it was great to stay a while with Richard Pegue--one more time.