Died On This Date (July 16, 2014) Johnny Winter / American Blues Great
themusicsover Johnny Winter
February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014
Johnny Winter was an American blues musician and producer who can rightfully be called one of the architects of blues-rock. An electric guitarist who had few equals, Winter was signed to Columbia Records in 1969 to what is believed to have been the biggest deal for a solo artist at the time. Born in Beaumont, Texas, Winter and his younger brother, Edgar Winter, took to music at an early age. By the time he was 10, Winter was already performing with a ukulele on local television. When he was just 15, his band, Johnny and the Jammers, released their first single, “School Day Blues.” He released his first album, The Progressive Blues Experiment, in 1968. That was followed by Johnny Winter, his first with Columbia Records. The following year, he released Second Winter, which included several songs that would become staples of his live shows and would enjoy recurring airplay on rock (and then classic rock) and blues stations ever since. Over the next 40 years, Winter released critical and fan-acclaimed albums for such labels as Columbia, MCA, Alligator, and Virgin. As a producer, Winter was recognized with three Grammys for albums he produced for Muddy Waters. In 2003, Rolling Stone named him #63 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. According to Guitar Blues Scene, Johnny Winter was 70 when he passed away on July 16, 2014. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to David Plastik of eRockPhotos for the assist.
What You Should Own
Bobby Parker was an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who counted no less than Led Zeppelin and the Beatles as his disciples. His biggest hit, 1961’s “Watch Your Step,” was covered by Santana, Manfred Mann and the Spencer Davis Group, while its primary lick was borrowed by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Deep Purple and countless more. 
It wasn’t until T-Model Ford was 58 when he learned how to play the guitar, but he certainly made up for lost time over the last 20 years of his life. Born in Mississippi, Ford waited until his 70s before he launched his music career. His style has been described as a blend of raw Delta, Chicago, and juke joint blues. Following a troubled life as an illiterate blue-collar worker who later served 2 years on a chain-gang for murder, Ford turned things around when he began putting his life experiences into his music. Unable to read music or tabs, he developed his own way of playing that even he couldn’t define. During the late 90s, Ford was discovered by the owners of Fat Possum Records who went on to release his first five albums to critical praise. He went to release 3 more albums and continued touring until 2012. T-Model Ford died of respiratory failure on July 16, 2013. He was likely 93 years old*.
Known as the “Lion of the Blues” as well as the “