Died On This Date (July 3, 1972) Mississippi Fred McDowell / Blues Icon
themusicsover Mississippi Fred McDowell
January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born outside of Memphis and picked up the guitar at the age of 14. By his early 20s, McDowell was playing dances in and around Memphis, mastering the art of the slide guitar. In the late ’50s, he was exposed to a larger audience thanks to recordings he made for folklorist, Alan Lomax. He was a direct influence on Bonnie Raitt, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, the Rolling Stones and countless others. McDowell died of cancer at the age of 67.
What You Should Own
Born in Russia, Natasha Shneider, was a multi-instrumentalist and singer for, most notably, ’90s rock band Eleven. Shneider moved to the United States, where her band, with former Red Hot Chili Pepper, Jack Irons and husband, Alain Johannes, had a few minor hits through the early ’90s thanks to their hard alternative rock sound that was part grunge and part funk-metal. In later years, Shneider and Johannes lent their talents on recordings by No Doubt, Chris Cornell, and Queens Of The Stone Age, with whom they also toured. Natasha Shneider lost her battle with cancer on July 2, 2008.
Luther Vandross was one of America’s most successful R&B singers during the ’80s and ’90s, selling over 25 million albums and scoring eight Grammy wins. In the early part of his career, Vandross sang back up for the likes of Robert Flack, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Barbra Streisand. By 1981, Vandross was on his way to becoming a superstar in his own right. The new decade saw him release hit after hit with songs like “Never Too Much,” “A House Is Not A Home,” and “Stop The Love.” But perhaps his biggest legacy is his 1989 recording of Terry Steele’s “Here And Now,” one of the most popular wedding songs out there. In 1985, tragedy struck in the form of a fatal car accident. While at the wheel, Vandross crossed a center divider and crashed into two oncoming vehicles, killing one of his passengers. Vandross pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and later reached an out-of-court financial settlement with the victim’s family. Vandross continued to stay active through the ’90s and into the early 2000’s. Suffering from diabetes and hypertension, Vandross suffered a stroke in early 2003. He suffered a fatal heart attack on July 1, 2005.
Philip Lithman, or as he was known professionally, Snakefinger was an English multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his collaborations with the Residents. Although he came out of the British blues scene, Lithman’s guitar fret work had more in common with Robert Fripp than John Mayall. In 1971, Lithman moved to San Francisco where he hooked up with avant-garde art rockers, the Residents to perform in their live band. Over the next few years would move back to the UK and then back to California where he shopped around a light rock album and eventually hooked back up with the Residents. In 1982, Lithman put together his own backing band called the Vestal Virgins. It was with this band that Lithman was performing in Austria on July 1, 1987. Midway during the show, Lithman died of a heart attack.