Died On This Date (September 11, 2009) Bob Greenberg / Former Music Exec

Bob Greenberg
DOB Unknown – September 11, 2009

During a career that spanned over 50 years, Bob Greenberg held executive posts at Warner Bros., United Artists, Mirage and Atlantic Records.  While at these labels, he helped build the careeres of such legendary artists as Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Genesis, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones.  Greenberg suffered a stroke on September 10, 2009 and died as a result the next day.

Died On This Date (September 10, 2005) Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005

Although Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown is typically categorized as a blues artist, his music included elements of jazz, country, R&B and Cajun.   Besides being a singer and songwriter, Brown was adept at several instruments – the guitar, harmonica, fiddle, drums and viola.  Brown got his big break in 1947 when he attended a T-Bone Walker concert in Houston, Texas.  When he learned that Walker became sick and could not go on, Brown grabbed a guitar and hopped up on the stage where he proceeded to dazzle the crowd with “Gatemouth Boogie.”  That performance sparked a career that spanned almost 60 years.  Over the years, Brown performed as many as 300 shows a year and recorded for some of the most respected labels in the business, a list that included Aladdin, Peacock, Verve, Rounder, and Alligator.  In 1983, he won the Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy for Alright Again!.     Suffering from lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease, Brown was living just outside of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005.  His house destroyed, he was moved to his childhood hometown of Orange, Texas where he passed away less than two weeks later.  He was 81 years old.   Sadly, when Hurricane Ike hit in 2008, Brown’s bronze casket was unearthed and floated away.  It was properly re-buried later.

Thanks to Michael Devlin for the assist.

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Clarence

Died On This Date (September 10, 1999) Beau Jocque / Acclaimed Zydeco Performer

Beau Jocque (Born Andrus Espree)
November 1, 1953 – September 10, 1999

Beau Jocque was a Zydeco singer and accordion player who came to prominence in Louisiana during the ’90s.   With his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Jocque injected rock and funk into the Zydeco sound, endearing him to fans throughout the local clubs.  A big man, standing 6′ 6″ and weighing in at nearly 275 pounds, Jocque died of a fatal heart attack at the age of 46.

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Pick Up On This! - Beau Jocque and The Zydeco Hi-Rollers

 

Died On This Date (September 9, 1996) Bill Monroe / Bluegrass Icon

Bill Monroe
September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996

Bill Monroe was a  bluegrass pioneer who more or less invented the genre whose name itself was  derived from the moniker of his own band, the Blue Grass Boys.  Born on the family farm in Kentucky, each of Monroe’s parents passed away by the time he was 16, so he spent the next two years living with his fiddle-playing uncle whom he often accompanied on mandolin at local gigs.  When he was 18, Monroe formed the Monroe Brothers with his brother Charlie Monroe and two friends.  The friends eventually left and the brothers continued as a duo, signing with RCA Victor in 1936.  In 1940, Monroe formed the Blue Grass Boys which soon included banjo great, Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt.  Now on Columbia Records, Monroe recorded a series of songs that would become the foundation of bluegrass music.  Those songs included “My Rose Of Old Kentucky” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” a cover of which became a signature song for Elvis Presley.   By the ’50s, bluegrass suffered from the coming of rock ‘n roll and the Nashville Sound of country music.  Things began to turn around thanks to the folk revival of the ’60s when Monroe’s music found an audience with young people who began embracing him as the “father of bluegrass.”  Bill Monroe passed away at the age of 84 on September 9, 1996.   He was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence the following year.

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Bill Monroe: Anthology - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys

Died On This Date (September 9, 2007) Hughie Thomasson / Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws

Hughie Thomasson
August 13, 1952 – September 9, 2007

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Best known as the founding guitarist and songwriter for southern rock legends, the Outlaws, Hughie Tomasson gave us such classic rock songs as “Green Grass And High Tides,” “There Goes Another Love Song,” and “Hurry Sundown.”  He later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd as a guitarist and songwriter.  Hughie Thomasson died of a massive heart attack while napping on September 9, 2007.  He was 55.

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Best of The Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides (Remastered) - The Outlaws