Died On This Date (March 17, 1939) Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne / Influential Early Blues Guitarist
themusicsover Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne
DOB Unknown – March 17, 1939
Tee Tot Payne was an early southern blues musician who indirectly inspired future generations of country and rock ‘n roll stars. It was during Hank Williams’ formative years that he learned about blues and other traditional Black music under the tutelage of Payne. Williams, in turn married those influences with hillbilly music to create a more appealing country sound that appealed to both Black and White audiences. Payne was never known much beyond his home region other than when referenced by Williams and his followers. Hank Williams Jr. gave a nod to Payne with his “The Tee Tot Song” of 2002. Tee Tot Payne died of unknown causes on March 17, 1939. He is believed to have been 55 years old.
Charlie Gillett was an influential British radio disc jockey, music historian and writer. During the mid ’60s, Gillett was working as a college professor when he began contributing weekly music-related articles to the Record Mirror. In 1970, he released his first book, The Sound Of The City: The Rise of Rock and Roll, a comprehensive history of popular music that is still considered one of the best. He was soon contributing to Rolling Stone and New Musical Express magazines. In 1972, Gillett moved over to radio where he hosted a popular weekly program on Radio London. It was through that medium that he was the first to play early demos by the likes of Elvis Costello, 
Samuel George was the lead singer and drummer for early ’60s soul vocal trio, the Capitols. They were initially signed to Detroit’s Karen Records, and in 1963, they released their first single, “Dog and Cat.” After the record failed to catch on, the group split up. But in 1966, the group re-formed to record a song called “Cool Jerk” which was written to capitalize on a current Detroit dance craze. Backed by Motown’s legendary house band, the Funk Brothers, the Capitols delivered a single that shot to #7 on the pop charts and #2 on the R&B charts. The song remains a staple at oldies radio and has been covered by the likes of the Go-Go’s, Todd Rundgren and the Creation. On March 17, 1982, Samuel George died of stab wounds suffered during a domestic dispute.
Zenon de Fleur was the guitarist for British punk band the Count Bishops. He died of a heart attack following an auto accident in London. He was just 28.