Died On This Date (June 4, 2001) John Hartford / Influential Folk & Bluegrass Pioneer

themusicsover June 4, 2010 0 Comments

John Hartford (Born John Harford)
December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001

John Hartford was a beloved folk singer-songwriter who was also proficient in several stringed instruments.  He is probably mostly associated with the banjo and fiddle.   Hartford mastered those instruments while still in his mid teens, and by the time he was in college, he had already built a name for himself throughout the St. Louis music scene.  Hartford released his first album, Looks At Life, on RCA Records in 1966.  A year later, he put out its follow-up album, which included the song, “Gentle On My Mind.”  Soon made into a pop hit by Glen Campbell, the tune earned Hartford two Grammys.  It has also been covered by Elvis Presley, R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin, to name a few.   During the ’70s, Hartford released a string of albums that would lay the foundation for the “newgrass” movement to follow – a more electrifying form of bluegrass, sometimes even incorporating drums.   His 1976, Mark Twang earned Hartford another Grammy while his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack of 2000 landed him yet another.  Hartford battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for the better part of the the last 20 years of his life, finally forcing him to retire from the road in 2001.  It wasn’t long after that he died as a result of the disease on June 4, 2001.  He was 63.

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