Died On This Date (February 13, 1941) Blind Boy Fuller / Piedmont Blues Great
themusicsover Blind Boy Fuller (Born Fulton Allen)
July 10, 1907 – February 13, 1941
Blind Boy Fuller was a singer and guitarist who was a practitioner of what is known as Piedmont blues, a finger picking style of guitar playing that is not dissimilar in sound to the music made by ragtime pianos. Blind since his late teens, Fuller mostly earned his living playing on either the streets, house parties, or outside the local tobacco warehouses. It is not known how Fuller lost his sight. In 1935, he was given his first recording contract and went on to make more than 120 recordings over the next five years. Later, he made a series of records with the great Sonny Terry. Blind Boy Fuller was 33 when he died as a result of an infected bladder and liver failure on February 13, 1941. It is believed that heavy alcohol consumption may have played a role in his death.
What You Should Own
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was a somewhat outrageous blues and rock ‘n roll singer and musician whose biggest hit, “I Put a Spell On You,” and spooky stage theatrics influenced the likes of Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Even Bruce Springsteen has borrowed from Hawkins by coming out of a coffin to kick off his shows around Halloween. After serving in WWII where he was reportedly captured and tortured, Hawkins came home to the U.S. where he became a middleweight boxing champ, and later, a recording artist. In 1956, he released “I Put a Spell On You,” which went on to become a radio staple each year in October and has since been recorded or performed by the likes of Creedance Clearwater Revival, 
Gerry Niewood was a jazz saxophonist who at the time of his death, played in Chuck Mangione’s band. He and Mangione grew up in the same town and graduated from its music school. In 1981, Niewood played with Simon & Garfunkel at their legendary Central Park concert. On February 12, 2009, Niewood and fellow band member 
Eubie Blake was a jazz pianist and songwriter who is most closely associated with the golden age of ragtime jazz. Many of his compositions, such as “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” “Charleston Rag,” and “Memories of You” have become standards. In 1921, Shuffle Along, a musical he co-wrote, became one of the first Broadway shows that was written and directed by African-Americans. Blake continued to work well into his later life and was a regular guest on the Johnny Carson and 
