Died On This Date (February 15, 1981) Mike Bloomfield / Blues Rock Legend

Mike Bloomfield
July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981

michael-bloomfieldMike Bloomfield was an influential electric guitarist who came on like a sonic boom during the ’60s Chicago blues revival.  Bloomfield took Chicago by storm, winning early accolades from the likes of Buddy Guy, Bob Dylan and B.B King.  In 1964, Bloomfield was signed to Columbia Records by legendary talent scout and producer, John Hammond Sr.   Rather than pursue a solo career, he opted to join the Paul Butterfield Blues Band with whom he recorded two seminal electric blues albums.  In later years, Bloomfield collaborated with Dylan and Al Kooper, and finally made recordings of his own.  In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed Mike Bloomfield and #22 on their list of the greatest guitarists of all time.  On February 15, 1981, Bloomfield was found in his car dead of a drug overdose.

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Super Session - Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Steve Stills

Died On This Date (February 15, 1968) Little Walter / Blues Great

Little Walter (Born Marion Walter Jacobs)
May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968

little-walter Little Walter was an influential blues harmonica player whose revolutionary style of play often had later fans calling him the “Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica.”  Little Walter launched his career while still a young teen, busking throughout the southern states.  It was during those early years that he learned the ropes from the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson II and Honeyboy Edwards.  He moved to Chicago in 1945 and began releasing records within two years.  Little Walter began playing with Muddy Waters, both in his band and later on record, during the late ’40s.  Throughout the ’50s, Little Walter released several records on his own with songs like “Juke” and “Roller Coaster” landing on the R&B charts.  As a session player, he can be heard on records by the likes of Memphis Minnie, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush.  Notorious for his abuse of alcohol and a hot temper, Littler Walter died in his sleep following a fight outside of a Chicago club.  Though never made official, it is believed that the blows from that encounter inflamed internal injuries sustained from an earlier fight, resulting in a blood clot in the heart.  He was 37 years old.

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The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: Little Walter - His Best - Little Walter

Died On This Date (February 13, 1941) Blind Boy Fuller / Piedmont Blues Great

Blind Boy Fuller (Born Fulton Allen)
July 10, 1907 – February 13, 1941

blind-boy-fuller

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.

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Truckin' My Blues Away - Blind Boy Fuller

Died On This Date (February 7, 1959) Guitar Slim / New Orleans Blues Great

Guitar Slim (Born Eddie Jones)
December 10, 1926 – February 7, 1959

guitar-slimGuitar Slim was a New Orleans blues singer and guitarist whose “The Things That I Used To Do” is considered one of the most important records to the birth of rock ‘n roll.  Slim learned to play the guitar as a child while working the cotton fields of Mississippi.  After serving in the military during WWII, Slim began to build a local following due to his dynamic live shows.  He was one of the first to wear outlandishly colorful outfits while sometimes dying his hair to match.  And he is likely the first to commonly roam through the audience attached to a long guitar chord.  On occasion he’d even walk out the front door of the club and literary stop traffic while playing a solo.  He was also one of the earliest users of distortion in his playing.  In 1954, he released his biggest hit, “That Thing That I Used To Do,” which was later covered by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy.  Slim’s version was produced and arranged by a young Ray Charles.   Just five years later, Guitar Slim died of pneumonia at the age of 32.

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Sufferin' Mind - Guitar Slim

Died On This Date (February 5, 2009) Piney Brown / Blues Pioneer

Piney Brown
1922 – February 5, 2009

piney-brownPiney Brown was a blues singer and songwriter who was not only known for his dynamic performances but for his skills as a songwriter.  Over the years, his songs have been recorded by the likes of Little Milton and James Brown.  His career spanned the better part of sixty years, and over the course of that time, he shared the stage with such greats as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.  He released several singles but never had nothing more than a regional hit or two.  Piney Brown was 87 when he passed away on February 5, 2009.

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Piney Brown