Folk

Died On This Date (March 12, 2010) Lesley Duncan / British Singer-Songwriter

Lesley Duncan
August 12, 1943 – March 12, 2010

lesley-duncanLesley Duncan was a moderately successful English folk singer during the late ’60s and ’70s.  After working on her own during the early part of her career, Duncan hooked up with Elton John in 1970 to sing a duet of her “Love Song” which appeared on his Tumbleweed Connection album.  It remains one of just a handful of songs John recorded that was penned by someone outside of his and Bernie Taupin’s creative circle.  Duncan went on to provide backing vocals on such albums as John’s Madman Across The Water, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the Alan Parsons Project’s Eve.  During the ’70s, she lent her vocal talents to recordings by Dusty Springfield, among many others.  Lesley Duncan was 66 when she died on March 12, 2010 of causes believed to be related to cerebrovascular disease.

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Died On This Date (March 6, 2009) George McKelvey / ’50s Folk Singer Turned Comedian

George McKelvey
July 22, 1936 – March 6, 2009

georgeGeorge McKelvey was a comic, actor and folk singer who achieved success during the ’60s and ’70s after he switched from music to stand-up comedy.  As a folk singer, he did have a moderate hit with the timely and satirical  “My Radiation Baby, My Teenage Fallout Queen” of 1964.  After switching to comedy, he became a popular support act for the likes of the Righteous Brothers, Tower of Power and Glenn Yarbrough.  George McKelvey, 72, died of a stroke on March 6, 2009.



Died On This Date (March 4, 2009) John Cephas / Blues Guitarist

John Cephas
1930 – March 4, 2009

john-cephasJohn Cephas was a blues guitarist and singer who, with his musical partner and harmonica player,  Phil Wiggins helped keep the Piedmont style of blues alive well into the 21st century.  Cephas began playing with Wiggins after meeting each other at a folk festival in the mid ’70s.  Over the course of their career together, they released over a dozen albums for such respected blues labels and Flying Fish and Alligator.  1987’s Dog Days Of August earned them a W.C. Handy award for Best Blues Album, while their 2002 Somebody Told The Truth shot to #8  on the Billboard Blues Chart.  John Cephas, age 78, died of pulmonary fibrosis on March  4, 2009.

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Dog Days of August - John Cephas & Phil Wiggins

Died On This Date (February 27, 1986) Robbie Basho / Progressive Folk Guitarist

Robbie Basho
August 31, 1940 – February 27, 1986

robbie-bashoRobbie Basho was a folk guitarist who is best remembered for his skills on the steel string guitar.  Unlike similar contemporaries like John Fahey, Sandy Bull and Leo Kottke, Basho generally incorporated elements of Indian, or raga music into his compositions. Over the course of his career, Basho released several albums on such respected labels as Vanguard, Windham Hill and Fahey’s Takoma.  On February 27, 1986, Robbie Basho died accidentally when a chiropractor’s adjustment ruptured blood vessels in his neck, causing him to die from a stroke.  He was 45.

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Robbie Basho

Died On This Date (February 27, 2008) Ray Kane / Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar Master

Ray Kane
October 2, 1925 – February 27, 2008

ray-kaneRay Kane was one of Hawaii’s most revered slack-key guitarists. After learning to play the ukulele as a child, Kane switched over to the slack-key guitar.  By the early ’60s, Kane was performing in front of amazed audiences and recording albums that would eventually total more than a dozen. In 1987, he was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. Kane died of respiratory failure at the age of 82.

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Punahele - Ray Kane