Died On This Date (April 10, 2013) Jimmy Dawkins / Chicago Blues Great

Jimmy Dawkins
October 24, 1936 – April 10, 2013

jimmy-dawkinsJimmy Dawkins was a Chicago blues great who earned the somewhat ironic nickname of “Fast Fingers” in that his performances were generally more deliberate and less flashy than that name might convey.  Think Eric Clapton.  Born about 75 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, Dawkins moved to Chicago in 1955 and began gigging around town while establishing himself as an in-demand session player.  In 1969, he signed with Delmark Records who released his critically acclaimed debut album, Fast Fingers.  His follow-up, All For Business, featured Otis Rush on second guitar.  Over the course of his career, Dawkins released over 20 albums.  He also wrote a column for Living Blues magazine.  During the ’80s, Dawkins started his own label, Leric Records.  As a sideman, he can be heard on recordings by the likes of Buddy Guy, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Luther Allison, Sleepy John Estes, and Earl Hooker.  Jimmy Dawkins was 76 when he passed away on April 10, 2013.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus at Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

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Died On This Date (July 14, 2000) Bill Barth / Blues Guitarist

Bill Barth
December 13, 1942 – July 14, 2000

Photo by Tim Kendall

Bill Barth was a festival planner and blues guitarist who is perhaps best remembered for being with John Fahey and Henry Vestine when the found early blues great, Skip James in a Mississippi hospital and relaunched his career in 1964.  As a musician, Barth helped form blues rock band, The Insect Trust who were likened to Jefferson Airplane and Fairport Convention.  The band, which also included Elvin Jones and future rock critic, Robert Palmer, released two albums.  During the mid ’60s, Barth founded the Memphis Valley Blues Society which produced five festivals during the late ’60s and featured the likes of Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Sleepy John Estes.  Bill Barth was 57 when he passed away on July 14, 2000.

 



Died On This Date (June 5, 1977) Sleepy John Estes / Blues Legend

Sleepy John Estes
January 25, 1899 – June 5, 1977

The son of a sharecropper, Sleepy John Estes began to perform while working as a field hand at the age of 19. He played guitar and sang at local picnics and parties around his neighborhood in Brownsville, TN. At 30, he entered the studio to record such sides as “Drop Down Mama” and “Someday Baby Blues” first on Victor Records and later Delmark, Decca and Bluebird. Not an exceptional guitarist, Estes was recognized for a great voice that was filled with the passion and pain he sang about. Big Bill Broonzy once referred to his style of singing as crying the blues. Estes virtually faded into obscurity mostly because of his reported death, but also because his voice sounded so much like an old man, many figured he was long dead by the time the ’60s blues revival rolled around. Thankfully the great Sam Charters and Bob Koester tracked him down and revived his career in 1962. He had become blind and was living in poverty. His set was one of the highlights at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. Estes died of a stroke on June 5, 1977 at the age of 78, but not before leaving a lasting impression on the likes of Bob Dylan and Peter Case, who called his fantastic 2007 release, Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John.

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I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More 1929-1941 - Sleepy John Estes

 

Died On This Date (April 9, 1997) Yank Rachell / Country Blues Musician

James “Yank” Rachell
March 16, 1910 – April 9, 1997

yank-rachellYank Rachell was a country blues musician with a twist in that he played the mandolin.  Born in Brownsville, Tennessee in 1910, Rachell began to teach himself to play the mandolin at just eight years old.  He hooked up with the legendary Sleepy John Estes in the mid ’20s and by 1929 they formed the Three J’s Jug Band, making a name for themselves along the jug band circuit.  Unfortunately, the Depression derailed the band’s plans for fame and fortune so they broke up.  In 1933, Rachell dicovered a young harmonica player by the name of Sonny Boy Williamson with whom he recorded for the next ten years.  He was finally earning a comfortable living doing what he loved.  Rachell met a girl and got married in 1938 and decided to settle down and raise a family.   By the time Williams was murdered in 1948, Rachell was all but retired from music, at least as a profession.  In the early ’60s, he again teamed up with Estes and began touring the college and festival circuit.  After Estes’ death in 1977,   Rachell continued to perform solo and occasionally recorded up until his death at the age of 87.

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Died On This Date (September 14, 1981) Furry Lewis / Country Blues Pioneer

Walter “Furry” Lewis
March 6, 1893 – September 14, 1981

Furry Lewis is one of country blues’ pioneers, making his name as a songwriter and guitarist in the early decades of the 20th century.  He started performing at local parties while still in his teens, and by the late ’20s, he was recording sides for Vocalion Records in Chicago.  Lewis had minor successes during his early years, but still needed to rely on his job as a city street sweeper until his retirement in 1966.  His career rebounded during the folk revival of the ’60s, even being the topic of the Joni Mitchell song, “Furry Sings The Blues” (aparrently he was not a fan).  The ’70s found Lewis touring the country along with Sleepy John Estes and Bukka White as part of a caravan tour.  He also opened for the Rolling Stones a couple of times and performed on the Tonight Show during the ’70s.  Furry Lewis died at the age of 88 as a result of pneumonia.

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Furry Lewis