Blues

Died On This Date (October 3, 1976) Victoria Spivey / Early Blues Great

Victoria Spivey
October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976

With Louis Armstrong
With Louis Armstrong

Victoria Spivey was a Houston born blues singer who came to prominence in the 1930s.  Her career began with her singing at local parties and clubs while still in her teens.  Before she knew it she was sharing the stage or singing on records with the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.  Spivey transitioned to film during the ’30s, appearing in such movies as Hallelujah!.  She retired from show business in 1951, but made a comeback during the folk revival of the early ’60s.  During her later career she recorded with the likes such greats as Otis Rush, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, and even Bob Dylan who played harmonica and sang back-up on a 1962 recording.  Victoria Spivey died of an internal hemorrhage at the age of 69.

What You Should Own

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Victoria Spivey Vol. 1 1926-1927 - Victoria Spivey

Died On This Date (October 3, 2009) Laura Mae Gross / L.A. Blues Club Owner

Laura Mae Gross
1920 – October 3, 2009

lauramaeKnown around the Los Angeles blues scene as “Mama,” Laura Mae Gross was the owner of Babe and Ricky’s Inn which she opened on the storied Central Avenue in 1964.  In no time, the club became a destination of local and traveling blues musicians alike.  She hosted the likes of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Big Mama Thornton, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, John Lee Hooker and Albert King to name just a few.  In 1987, the mayor of Los Angeles signed a proclamation honoring Gross for her commitment to keeping the Central Avenue music scene alive.  After a downturn in the area during the ’90s, Gross moved the club to the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles.  Laura Mae Gross died of heart failure at the age of 89.

Died On This Date (September 23, 2007) Gary Primich / Legendary Blues Harmonica Player

Gary Primich
April 20, 1958 – September 23, 2007

Gary Primich was an Austin-based blues harmonica wiz who stood out in a city full of some of the best musicians in the country.  He moved to Austin during the ’80s and formed the Mannish Boys with Jimmy Carl Black, a former drummer for Frank Zappa.  Primich recorded eight solo albums over his career, one of which, Mr. Freeze, was called one of the twenty best blues albums of the 1990s by Chicago paper, New City.  Gary Primich died at the age of 49 on September 23, 2007.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

What You Should Own

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Mr. Freeze - Gary Primich

Died On This Date (September 21, 2009) Sam Carr / Delta Blues Drummer

Sam Carr (Born Samuel McCollum)
April 17, 1926 – September 21, 2009

SamCarrSam Carr was exposed to the blues at a very young age.  His father was blues great, Robert Lee McCollum who performed under the names Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk.   As a child, Carr would dance in front of the stage during his dad’s breaks.  By the time he was a teenager, he was filling in on bass once in awhile.  Carr also played the harmonica and guitar, but it was his drumming that got him noticed.  Over the years he’s played with Buddy Guy, T-Model Ford, Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson.   Sam Carr passed away in a nursing facility at the age of 83.



Died On This Date (September 19, 2008) Earl Palmer / Legendary Session Drummer

Earl Palmer
October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008

Earl Palmer was a session drummer with a resume that reads like a who’s who of popular music.  He has been called the “most recorded drummer in history.”  Over a career that spanned over 50 years, Palmer played on hit recordings by the likes of Little Richard, Fats Domino, Frank Sinatra, Rick Nelson, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, B.B. King, Randy Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and many many more.   Palmer was recognized for his incomparable contribution to rock ‘n roll by being the first session musician elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.   Earl Palmer passed away in 2008 at the age of 83.