Died On This Date (September 1, 2005) R.L. Burnside / Blues Great

Robert “R.L.” Burnside
November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005

burnside
Photo by Jim "Boogie" Wells

R.L. Burnside was a Mississippi back country blues musician who remained in relative obscurity until he was championed by alternative blues rocker, Jon Spencer in the mid ’90s.   Born in Mississippi, Burnside spent his early adult life as a sharecropper and fisherman, playing at parties on the weekends.   After a stint living in Chicago, Burnside moved back to Mississippi and was soon convicted of murder for shooting a man in the head.  He was sentenced to six months at the notorious Parchman prison.  Upon release, Burnside began making records for roots label, Arhoolie.  During the ’90s, Burnside began recording for Fat Possum Records, a label that specialized in “rediscovering” aging and relative obscure blues artists from the southern region.  He then hooked up with Spencer to record and tour, exposing him to a whole new generation of underground “punk blues” fans.  Burnside had heart surgery in 1999 and a heart attack in 2001.  He passed away at the age of 78 in a Memphis hospital.

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Too Bad Jim - R.L. Burnside

Died On This Date (September 1, 1977) Ethel Waters / Early Jazz Singer

Ethel Waters
October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977

Ethel Waters was a jazz, blues and spiritual vocalist who first came to prominence in the 1920s.  She got her start in the same Atlanta club that featured Bessie Smith who reportedly ask Waters to stay away from singing the blues as to not compete with her.  Later she found a home in theater, making it all the way to the Broadway stage.  She began working in film in the ’30s, even receiving a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in 1949’s Pinky.  She was only the second African American ever nominated for an Academy Award.  Three of her recordings, 1925’s “Dinah,” 1929’s “Am I Blue,” and 1933’s “Stormy Weather” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Ethal Waters died of heart disease in 1977.  She was 80 years old.

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Ethel Waters

Died On This Date (September 1, 2009) Jake Brockman / Echo & The Bunnymen

Jake Brockman
DOB Unknown – September 1, 2009

jakeKeyboardist Jake Brockman was a longtime touring member of Echo & the Bunnymen, when he joined the band in 1989.  Prior to his official tenure in in the band, Brockman was affectionately known as the “Fifth Bunnyman.”  He played with the band during their “golden” years, but his first album as a full time member was 1990’s Reverberation.  The band broke up following its release.  53-year-old Jake Brockman was killed on September 1, 2009 when his motorcycle collided with an ambulance on the Isle Of Man.  Original Echo & The Bunnymen drummer Pete de Freitas also died in a motorcycle accident.



Died On This Date (September 1, 2009) Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson / Reggae’s Steely & Clevie

Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson
DOB Unknown – September 1, 2009

steelySteely Johnson was a keyboardist and noted Jamaican reggae producer who worked with Cleveland Browne as Steely & Clevie.   Formed in the late ’80s while playing on Bob Marley’s Confrontation, the dancehall production team went on to work which such artists as No Doubt, the Specials and Bounty Killer.  Johnson’s first significant gig was playing with Sugar Minott during the ’70s.  He also worked with Augustus Pablo and co-founded the Roots Radics.  Suffering from diabetes and kidney problems, Johnson was in New York seeking treatment.  He died of heart failure at Brookhaven Hospital on September 1, 2009.

Thanks to Stephen Brower for the assist.

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Play Studio One Vintage - Steely & Clevie