Died On This Date (November 20, 2010) Albert “Little Smokey” Smothers / Chicago Bluesman
themusicsover Albert “Little Smokey” Smothers
January 2, 1939 – November 20, 2010
Little Smokey Smothers was a popular Chicago-area blues singer and guitarist. Smothers was playing the guitar by the time he turned 15, and within two years, he had moved from his home in Mississippi to Chicago to make his mark. In those early years, he played with the likes of Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Howlin’ Wolf, for whom he played on his Chess recordings. During the early ’60s, Smothers met Paul Butterfield and soon helped him form the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He played with most of the blues greats during the ’60s, but his career all but dried up by the ’70s so he left the business to work construction. His music career enjoyed a renaissance during the ’90s – he spent the next several years performing at popular blues festivals and recording albums. After his health began to deteriorated during the mid-2000s due to diabetes, old friends and collaborators like Elvin Bishop stepped in to help with fund raisers, etc. On November 20, 2010, Little Smokey Smothers died of natural causes. He was 71.
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