Died On This Date (February 18, 2009) Snooks Eaglin / New Orleans R&B Legend

Fird “Snooks” Eaglin
January 21, 1936 – February 18, 2009

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.

What You Should Own