James Buck Billy

James “Buck” Harlan August 2, 1942 – December 15, 2025 James “Buck” Harlan, known to everyone who loved him as “Big Buck,” “Captain Buck,” and “Harley,” passed away peacefully on December 15, 2025, at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was 83. Born on August 2, 1942, in Salem, New Jersey, Buck grew up with the Atlantic Ocean calling his name, and he never answered anything else quite as loud. The beach was his church, his playground, and his therapy, first the roaring, crowded boardwalks of the Jersey Shore in his wilder days, then the rugged, windswept Connecticut coastline he claimed as home. A true son of the surf, Buck rose with the sun each morning, greeting the salt air and the rhythm of the waves like old friends. Music ran through his veins just as deeply as the tide. A gifted saxophone player, Buck could make that horn sing everything from smooth jazz at sunset to foot-stomping old-school R&B when the mood struck. Whether he was playing solo on an empty stretch of sand or jamming with whoever showed up at a beach bonfire, his saxophone became the soundtrack of countless summer nights and quiet winter mornings. The sea and his music were never separate; they flowed together, one endless, soulful wave after another. Big Buck lived large, loved hard, and left every shore he touched a little brighter for having known him. He will be remembered for his booming laugh, his generous heart, his endless stories of the ocean, and the melodies he carried on the breeze. Rest easy, Captain. The tide will always remember you.