Musician

Died On This Date (April 28, 2009) Vern Gosdin / Country Music Star

Vern Gosdin
August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009

vernVern Gosdin was nicknamed “The Voice” for a reason.  He had one of the most beautifully soulful singing voices in all of country music, and if honky-tonk had a Mount Rushmore, Vern Gosdin would likely sit alongside George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell and Buck Owens.   Gosdin scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, including “Set ’em Up Joe,” “Chisled In Stone,” and “If You’re Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right).”   Gosdin began singing as a child in his Alabama church.  In the early ’60s he moved to Los Angeles where he became an integral part of the blossoming west coast country scene.  He soon signed to Capitol Records where he released a few marginal hits.  But it wasn’t until he moved to Atlanta, retired and then came out of retirement that he hit his stride with a series of chart toppers throughout the ’80s.  Vern Gosdin passed away in a Nashville hospital after suffering a stroke in recent weeks.

Thanks to Stephen of Stephen Brower for the assist.

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Chiseled In Stone - Vern Gosdin

Died On This Date (April 28, 1980) Tommy Caldwell / Marshall Tucker Band

Tommy Caldwell
November 9, 1949 – April 28, 1980

Tommy Caldwell was best known as the bassist the Marshall Tucker  Band from 1973 until his death in 1980.   The charismatic performer was the crowd-pleaser of the band.  He also sang backup and wrote some of their songs, including “Melody Ann,” their only song on which he sang lead.  His final performance with the band came on the night of April 19, 1980 which was later released as Live On Long Island.  Caldwell died just ten days later from injuries he suffered in a jeep accident.

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The Marshall Tucker Band: Greatest Hits - The Marshall Tucker Band

Died On This Date (April 28, 1988) B.W. Stevenson / Had hit With “My Maria”

B.W. Stevenson (Born Lewis Stevenson)
October 5, 1949 – April 28, 1988

Born in Dallas, Texas, B.W. Stevenson was  singer-songwriter of country pop songs. He had one big hit, 1973’s “My Maria,” which reached #9 on the Billboard pop singles chart.  The song became a #1 country hit for Brook & Dunn in 1996.   Stevenson died while undergoing heart valve surgery on April 28, 1988.  He was 38.

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B.W. Stevenson

Died On This Date (April 28, 1934) Charley Patton / Blues Legend

Charley Patton
DOB Unknown – April 28, 1934

If Delta Blues has a flash point, it was most likely Charley Patton. His gritty voice, passionate singing and flashy guitar playing made him a local celebrity throughout the juke joints and plantation dances of the 1920s South. He’s influenced no less than John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. As stated at allmusic.com, “He epitomized the image of a ’20s sport blues singer: rakish, raffish, easy to provoke, capable of downing massive quantities of food and liquor, a woman on each arm, with a flashy, expensive-looking guitar fitted with a strap and kept in a traveling case by his side, only to be opened up when there was money or good times involved.” Charley Patton was indeed the blues’ first superstar.  He died of heart failure on April 28, 1934.  Although his actual date of birth remains a mystery, most believe he was 34 when he died.

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Charley Patton

Died On This Date (April 27, 1999) Al Hirt / Jazz Icon

Al Hirt
November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999

Al Hirt was given his first trumpet at six and by sixteen, he and friend Pete Fountain were already playing professionally around New Orleans.  After a tour of duty as a bugler in WWII, went to work in various swing bands, backing the likes of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey.  He settled back in New Orleans by the ’50s, becoming an integral part of the city and its musical heritage.  Over the next two decades, more than twenty of his  albums appeared on the Billboard pop charts.  One of Hirt’s other loves was football, and in 1967, he became a minority owner of the New Orleans Saints.  Al Hirt died at 76 of liver failure after spending a year in a wheelchair due to edema in his leg.

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Al Hirt