Died On This Date (February 18, 1995) Bob Stinson / The Replacements
themusicsover Bob Stinson
December 17, 1959 – February 18, 1995
Bob Stinson was the founding lead guitarist for influential Minneapolis alternative rock band, the Replacements. And to some, he was the band’s true heart and soul. The Mats (as they were known to their fans) was formed in 1979 by Stinson, his younger brother, Tommy Stinson, and Christopher Mars. The following year, they added local songwriting genius, Paul Westerberg to the mix. Over the next few years, the band would rise to the top of a thriving local scene that included Husker Du and Soul Asylum on the rock side and the Time and Prince on the R&B side. In 1984, the group released their breakthrough album, Let It Be, an album which most respectable music sources rightfully include in their best or most influential rock albums of all time lists. The following year saw the release of their major label debut, Tim, an album that further cemented the Replacements, importance to rock ‘n roll. But it was more than just their music that endeared the band to critics and fans alike, it was also their “fuck all” attitude, one that made radio appearances and concerts highly unpredictable (to put it lightly). On any given night, you could expect to see the greatest or absolute worst show you had ever seen. But either way, it made for one of the greatest nights you ever had. For good or bad, much of that could be traced directly to Stinson. It was around the time of Tim’s release that infighting within the band and pressure from the label to produce more commercially appealing records lead Stinson and the band to part ways. He continued on over the better part of the next decade playing in other groups, but was never able to recapture spark he found with the Replacements. Bob Stinson struggled with alcohol and drug abuse through much of his life, so when he ultimately died at the age of 35, the official report didn’t cite the drugs or alcohol as the actual cause of death, but rather that his body just gave out after so many years of abuse.
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Snooks Eaglin was a popular New Orleans R&B performer who, due to a set list that drew from upwards of 2500 songs, was sometimes called “the human jukebox.” And to the dismay of his backing band, in most cases he performed without a written set list, preferring to just play what felt right in the moment. Even though he was blind since infancy, Eaglin learned to play the guitar at a very young age. When he was just 11, he won a local radio talent competition and within three years, he left school to make his living as a musician. By the mid ’50s, he was playing in the great Allen Toussaint’s band, the Flamingos. In 1958, Eaglin became the subject of several recordings by musicologist, Dr. Harry Oster. Many of these sides were later released on the Folkways label. Eaglin signed with Imperial Records in 1960 and released a series of records that were more in the tradition of New Orleans R&B than the more blues styled Oster recordings. He continued recording through the ’90s and was a common fixture at the New Orleans Jazzfest for many years. Snooks Eaglin was 73 when he suffered a fatal heart attack on February 18, 2009.
