Died On This Date (August 19, 1959) Blind Willie McTell / Influential Blues Singer
themusicsover Blind Willie McTell (Born William McTier)
May 5, 1898 (or 1901 or 1903) – August 19, 1959
Blind Willie McTell was an influential blues singer and guitarist during the ’20s and 30s. He played a form of blues that found an audience right between country and urban, or Piedmont blues. McTell began his career by busking during the mid ’20s which lead to his being signed by RCA Victor in 1927. During a career in which he recorded nearly 150 songs, McTell played on the road extensively and recorded for several labels, oftentimes using different names like Blind Sammie, Hot Shot Willie, or Willie Glaze. By the late ’40s, McTell was suffering from diabetes and alcoholism and therefore not able to earn much of a living. In 1956, he was found playing for quarters on the streets of Atlanta by a local record retailer who invited him into his shop to play into a tape recorder. Those recordings were eventually released as his final recordings. Blind Willie McTell died of a stroke on August 19, 1959.
What You Should Own
Dorsey Burnette was born into a musical family that included brother, 
LeRoi Moore was the saxophonist in and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore met Matthews in 1991 and the two began to collaborate and eventually form the band. He also wrote several songs for DMB, including the hits, “Stay (Wasting Time)” and “Too Much.” LeRoi Moore died of pneumonia related to an ATV accident three weeks prior. He was severely injured when he flipped an ATV on his property. Moore was 46 when he died.
Joe Shikany was a respected guitarist in Seattle’s rock scene for the better part of three decades. One of his early bands, Bighorn was signed to Columbia Records who released their debut album in 1979. In recent years, Shikany was lead guitarist in Paul Rodgers‘ touring band. Joe Shikany died in a freak accident when he was hit by an airborne tree while trying to secure a dock during a storm. He was 58.