Died On This Date (September 26, 2011) Harry Muskee / Popular Dutch Blues Singer; Cuby & The Blizzards
themusicsover Harry Muskee
June 10, 1941 – September 26, 2011
Harry “Cuby” Muskee was a Dutch blues singer who built a considerable following throughout the Netherlands during the ’60s and ’70s. Muskee was just 15 when he took up the guitar, and while he was in high school, he was turned on to jazz and Dixieland. He soon formed his first band, the Mixtures who played jazz primarily at school dances. Around that time, he began picking up the US Armed Forces Radio which was broadcasting to the American soldiers who were stationed in nearby Germany. It was on the radio that he began hearing American blues, and in particular, John Lee Hooker, who inspired him to devote the rest of his life to singing the blues. He formed Cuby & the Blizzards who in 1962, released their first album, Groeten Uit Grolloo to both critical and fan praise. A groundbreaking album at the time, it propelled the band (which also included Herman Brood and Eelco Gelling), to the top of Dutch music scene. They released several more albums and toured with likes of Fleetwood Mac and Van Morrison before breaking up in 1972. Muskee continued to perform in various configurations and record throughout the better part of the life, his most recent album being 2009’s Cats Lost. Harry Muskee died of cancer on September 26, 2011. He was 70.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.
Jessy Dixon was highly influential Gospel singer, musician, and songwriter who earned seven Grammy nominations while endearing himself to audiences world wide thanks to his passionately soulful live performances. While deeply committed to his Ministry, Dixon occasionally flirted with pop music, earning accolades from the likes of Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, and Diana Ross. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Dixon was able to find an equal audience in both young and old, and black and white. Nothing spoke to that more than his longtime association with Bill Gaither and his Gospel Hour program. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Dixon began singing when he was just five. He and his family soon moved to Chicago, where he was reportedly discovered by the great James Cleveland who went on to record a few of his songs. After meeting him at his 1972 Newport Jazz Festival performance at Radio City Music Hall, Paul Simon took Dixon on tour with him, launching a collaborative relationship that would last eight years. As reported in the