A popular local musician and his girlfriend were killed in a Charles County motorcycle crash over the weekend.
Derek Anthony Colquitt, 47, was a member of the longtime D.C. go-go group The Junkyard Band.
Maryland State Police say Colquitt and his girlfriend, Jeri Lanelle Whorton, were on a Harley-Davidson when they crashed into a pickup truck on Route 301 in Waldorf shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday.
The band's Facebook page has been flooded with messages of sympathy.
"God has called another angel to his band in heaven[.] play your bass guitar in Derek, You will definitely be missed by so many but your legency [sic] with JYB will live and rock on in memory of you RIP Derek," wrote commenter Felicia Dorsey.
Donya Maria Twyman wrote, "What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful brother, son, father, and friend. House was a great man and JY4 Life. Thank you for honoring him. He would be proud! God Bless You...."
The Junkyard Band had promoted its appearance at the D.C. Funk Parade just a day before Colquitt's death Sunday.
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According to a preliminary investigation by Maryland State Police, Colquitt failed to slow down as he approached a red light, crashing into the back of a stopped 2009 Dodge Ram. The motorcycle then burst into flames.
Colquitt, of D.C., was pronounced dead at the scene.
Whorton, 34, of White Plains, Maryland, was thrown from the motorcycle. Maryland State Police said she was not wearing a Department of Transportation-approved motorcycle helmet. Whorton was airlifted to Prince George's County Hospital, where she died.
Maryland State Police investigators say the motorcycle's speed was a factor in the crash.
At least four other vehicles, including the Dodge Ram, were damaged in the accident. Police said the vehicles had been stopped for the red light.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims as well as those who saw the crash and those who responded to help," said the Charles County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post.
In response to the loss, the Junkyard Band changed its profile and cover photos to honor Colquitt.
The long-time group was formed in 1980 by children growing up in Southeast D.C.'s Barry Farms neighborhood. The young musicans used buckets and cans as instruments "because these young kids of the projects... did not have enough money to purchase real equipment," according to the band's Facebook page.
The Junkyard Band eventually did earn enough to buy real equipment, and over the years they've performed at the Kennedy Center, New York's Apollo Theater and the Richmond Coliseum, and appeared with the Beastie Boys, Salt 'n' Pepa, Tupac Shakur, The Roots and Ice Cube.
Colquitt was a longtime fan who joined the band in 1998, the Washington Post reported.
