Died On This Date (September 1, 2005) R.L. Burnside / Blues Great
themusicsover Robert “R.L.” Burnside
November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005
R.L. Burnside was a Mississippi back country blues musician who remained in relative obscurity until he was championed by alternative blues rocker, Jon Spencer in the mid ’90s. Born in Mississippi, Burnside spent his early adult life as a sharecropper and fisherman, playing at parties on the weekends. After a stint living in Chicago, Burnside moved back to Mississippi and was soon convicted of murder for shooting a man in the head. He was sentenced to six months at the notorious Parchman prison. Upon release, Burnside began making records for roots label, Arhoolie. During the ’90s, Burnside began recording for Fat Possum Records, a label that specialized in “rediscovering” aging and relative obscure blues artists from the southern region. He then hooked up with Spencer to record and tour, exposing him to a whole new generation of underground “punk blues” fans. Burnside had heart surgery in 1999 and a heart attack in 2001. He passed away at the age of 78 in a Memphis hospital.
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