Died On This Date (January 19, 2010) C.T. Tucker / Beloved New Jersey Blues Musician

C.T. Tucker (Born Christopher Harshorne)
DOB Unknown – January 19, 2010

Photo by Alison Goessling

C.T. Tucker was a popular northwestern New Jersey R&B band leader and restaurateur.  His band, Blue Sparks From Hell, formed in 1977 and played upwards of 250 shows a year while occasionally sharing the bill with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mel Tillis, Doc Watson, Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters.  The band was a local favorite thanks to its lively shows that incorporated blues, R&B and swing.  During the ’90s, Tucker opened Tucker’s Breakfast King which served breakfast and lunch during the day, and then re-opened as a venue in the evenings.  Acts such as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Loudon Wainwright III graced its stage.   In later years, Tucker and his wife ran an animal casting business which provided critters for film and television.  On January 19, 2010, C.T. Tucker died of lymphoma at the age of 57.

Thanks to Diane Schaer for the assist.



Died On This Date (December 16, 2007) Dan Fogelberg / Popular Singer-Songwriter

Dan Fogelberg
August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007

dan-fogelbergDan Fogelberg was one of the most popular soft rock singer-songwriters of the 1970s.  Starting in 1975, Fogelberg released a string of gold and platinum selling albums including 1979’s Phoenix, which included the #2 single, “Longer,” that has since become a wedding favorite.  Two collaborations with Tim Weisberg were also very popular with his fans.  In 1981, he released High Country Snows, a bluegrass album that included such guests as Vince Gill, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas and David Grisman.  Fogelberg stayed very active either touring or recording into the early 2000s, Often using his popularity to promote social and environmental issues.  Dan Fogelberg was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004, and died of it on December 16, 2007.  He was 56.

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Nether Lands - Dan Fogelberg

Died On This Date (December 12*, 1929) Blind Lemon Jefferson / The Father Of Texas Blues

Blind Lemon Jefferson
September 24, 1893 (Assumed) – December 12, 1929 (Assumed)

One thing is known about Blind Lemon Jefferson, that he has been rightfully called the “Father of Texas Blues,”  but most else about the man still remains in question.  As the story goes, Jefferson, who was blind since birth, began learning the guitar as a young teen, and within a few years, he was performing at local dances and parties.  By the time he was in his 20s, he was touring around Texas, hooking up with the likes of Lead Belly and T-Bone Walker whom he reportedly taught how to play the guitar.  During the mid ’20s, Jefferson went up to Chicago to make records for the Paramount label and later, Okeh, churning out such blues classics as “Long Lonesome Blues” and “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” “Black Snake Moan” and “Matchbox Blues.”  Other than the records he made, everything else in this post may or may not be true.  It seems that as Jefferson’s fame grew, so did tall tales about his life.  Date of birth? Speculated.  Blind?  Probably.  Married with child?  Not proven.  Date and cause of death?   On or around December 12, 1929, Blind Lemon Jefferson did in fact, die.  The three most likely scenarios are that he became disoriented during a snow storm and suffered a fatal heart attack; he was poisoned by a jealous lover; he froze to death.  What HAS been proven, is that he left behind a catalog of over 500 songs that have influenced the likes of Lightnin’ Hopkins, B.B. King, Doc Watson, and the Beatles.

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The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson - Blind Lemon Jefferson

Died On This Date (October 20, 1983) Merle Travis / Country Music Icon

Merle Travis
November 19, 1917 – October 20, 1983

MerleMerle Travis was a country singer, songwriter and guitarist who was just as renowned for his picking as he was for his songwriting.  Born in the coal country of Kentucky, Travis struck a chord with his lyrics about the horrible conditions that coal miners worked and lived in.  Travis moved to Hollywood in the mid ’40s and found work as a studio musician.  Within a few years, he was signed to Capitol Records where he began to release a string of country albums that are considered some of the best of the genre.  His songs were recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton, Doc Watson and Tennessee Ernie Ford who made a huge hit out of his “Sixteen Tons.”  In 1953, he appeared in the blockbuster film, From Here To Eternity, performing “Reenlistment Blues.”  In later years, his music found favor with folk fans, bringing new life to his career during the folk revival of the ’60s.   Merle Travis died of a heart attack at the age of 65.

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Merle Travis