Died On This Date (October 4, 2009) Bill “Cupid” Bartolin / Blue Ash
themusicsover Bill Bartolin
DOB Unknown – October 4, 2009
Bill “Cupid” Bartolin was the lead guitarist and songwriter for Ohio power pop band, Blue Ash. The band was formed in 1969, with Bartolin coming on board a year later to replace the original guitarist. Blue Ash became very popular throughout the upper Midwest thanks, in part to logging in as many as 300 live shows a year in those early days. Bartolin was co-writing much of the band’s extensive catalog of songs with Blue Ash leader, Frank Secich. The band signed with Mercury Records who released their first album, No More, No Less, in 1973. It was an instant hit with fans and critics alike, but like so many before and since, lack of record sales lead to the band being dropped within a year. They were given another shot in 1977 when they were signed to Playboy’s vanity label, Playboy Records, also the home of [gasp] Barbi Benton. But just as their first single was catching on beyond their regional fan base, Playboy shut the label down and went back to doing what they do best. Throughout the band’s run, they shared the stage with such other Midwest acts as, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and the Stooges. Up until recently, a collector’s dream, their music finally found it’s way to CD in 2004, which lead to renewed interest in the band who had recently re-formed. Bill “Cupid” Bartolin passed away of cancer on October 4, 2009.
What You Should Own
Woody Guthrie was arguably America’s most important folk singer and songwriter. Over a career that spanned a quarter century, Guthrie penned 100s of songs, many lending a voice to the common man. He also wrote many children’s songs. He wrote about the plight of the migrant worker, stories he learned first-hand as he traveled among them throughout the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Many such songs are archived in the Library of Congress, and one in particular, “This Land Is Your Land,” is sung in elementary schools across the US. In the late ’40s, Guthrie’s health began to deteriorate while his mental state seemed to come into question. At the time, some thought it might be due to schizophrenia and alcoholism. As it turned out, he was diagnosed in 1952 with a neurological disorder called Huntington’s disease. He spent several of his final years in psychiatric hospitals. With his health and mind failing during the folk revival of he early ’60s, he eld court with some of the day’s up-and-coming troubadors who admired him, most famously, Bob Dylan, 
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