Died On This Date (December 2, 1997) Michael Hedges / Acoustic Guitar Great
themusicsover Michael Hedges
December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997
Michael Hedges was a New Age multi-instrumentalist who is mostly remembered for his stellar acoustic guitar work. Hedges was still in college when he was signed to respected folk, acoustic and new age label, Windham Hill, in the early ’80s. His first two albums for the label can, as far as acoustic guitar records are concerned, rightfully stand alongside the best of John Fahey or Leo Kottke. In later recordings, he occasionally branched out to include vocals and more pop leaning songs and instrumentation. Guitar greats no less than Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Vai and David Crosby have all praised his guitar talent. On December 2, 1997, Michael Hedges, age 43, was killed when he lost control and crashed his car while driving along a slick and windy road along the coast north of San Francisco.
What You Should Own
Eric Woolfson was a much respected Scottish musician, songwriter and singer who is best remembered as one-half of the driving force behind the Alan Parsons Project. Woolfson started out mostly as a songwriter, penning songs for the likes of Marianne Faithfull, Peter Noone and the Tremeloes. In the early ’70s, he got into artist management, guiding the careers of Carl Douglas of “Kung Fu Fighting” fame and an up-and-coming producer, Alan Parsons who had previously engineered the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. In 1975, the two began collaborating creatively and the Alan Parsons Project was born. Over the next decade, the group released such popular prog rock albums as I Robot, Pyramid and Eye in the Sky. Overall, they sold in excess of 40 million albums. By the early ’90s, Woolfson and Parsons parted ways with Woolfson moving into musical theater. Woolfson was later diagnosed with cancer and died from the disease on December 2, 2009. He was 64.
Sam Maghett, more commonly known as Magic Sam, was a respected Chicago blues musician who began building a following during the early ’50s thanks in part, to his distinctive tremolo, or “trembling” style of play. He was part of a new generation of blues musician that was breathing new life into the genre. That group including Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. Maghett landed a record deal in the late ’50s and although none of his records charted, they are considered very influential upon future generations of Chicago blues musicians. The momentum of Maghett’s career was cut short when he was drafted into the army, deserted after just a few weeks, resulting in a six month jail term. Magic Sam scored a few minor hits during the early ’60s, but suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 32.