Died On This Date (September 22, 1980) Jimmy Bryant / Famed Session Guitarist
themusicsover Jimmy Bryant
March 5, 1925 – September 22, 1980
Jimmy Bryant was an in-demand session guitarist whose played on numerous country and jazz recordings during the ’50s and ’60s, most notably those by Tennessee Ernie Ford. He was equally adept at country and jazz, and was often referred to as the fastest guitarist in the country. During the ’50s, Bryant partnered with steel guitar great, Speedy West to record for Capitol Records. A heavy smoker, Jimmy Bryant died of lung cancer at the age of 55.
What You Should Own
Larry Fuller was a bluegrass guitar picker who was well known in and around the Kentucky music community. Fuller began his music career during the 1970s when he was working as a coal miner. A job injury in 1986 forced him out of the mines and into music full time. A traditionalist, Fuller’s music was rooted deep in the mountain music he grew up hearing around him. Larry Fuller’s life came to a tragic end when he died in a fire that engulfed his tour bus. For reasons unknown, Fuller was inside the bus as it was parked in his driveway around 2 am. He was 58 years old.
One of the most influential bassists of all time, Jaco Pastorius was arguably the greatest modern jazz bass player of all time. Regarded as a gifted athlete growing up, Pastorius began to focus on his second love, music following a football injury to his wrist at the age of 13. At the time he was playing to drums, but the injury was bad enough that he had to give up the sticks and find another instrument to excel at. It was then that he picked up the bass. As he developed, his interests began to lean toward jazz and R&B. He began playing with then-unknown Pat Metheny, with whom he made his first recordings. He got is break in 1975 when Bobby Colomby, then of Blood, Sweat & Tears helped him get a deal with CBS Records who released his self-titled solo debut in 1976. With a stellar cast that included David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, many consider Jaco Pastorius to be the best bass album ever recorded. Shortly thereafter, Pastorius was invited by 