Died On This Date (August 10, 2013) Jody Payne / Longtime Guitarist For Willie Nelson

Jody Payne
January 11, 1936 – August 10, 2013

jody-payneJody Payne was a country singer and musician who spent decades as Willie Nelson‘s guitarist on album and in concert.  Nelson formed his perennial back-up band, the Family in 1973, and Payne was by his side until he retired in 2008.  Born in Kentucky, Payne was singing with his sister as far back as five years old.  He learned to play the mandolin around that time as well.  A gig at his older (yes older) sister’s 1st grade graduation was his first gig.  He could be heard singing on a local radio station by the time he was 11.  He hit the road with a bluegrass band in 1951, and after being discharged from the Army in 1961, he went on to tour with Merle Haggard, and later recorded with the Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Leon Russell, and Hank Snow.  Jody Payne died from cardiac problems on August 10, 2013.  He was 77.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus of Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com



Died On This Date (December 29, 2012) Mike Auldridge / Dobro Legend

Mike Auldridge
December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012

Mike-AuldridgeMike Auldridge was a much respected master of the resophonic guitar, or as it is more commonly known, the dobro.  Born in Washington, DC, Auldridge began playing the guitar at the age of 13.  He eventually transitioned to the dobro, but didn’t began playing music full-time until he was around 40, when the Washington Star-News closed its doors.  He had had been earning his living as a graphic artist for the paper.  In 1971, Auldridge co-founded the Seldom Scene with a handful of musicians he jammed with each week.  The band, much to the chagrin of traditionalists, married bluegrass with jazz, folk, and rock.  By doing so, they were pioneers of progressive bluegrass, or what they called “acid grass,” which has been popularized by such jam bands as String Cheese Incident. As an in-demand session player, Auldridge played on records by Bill Monroe, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, and many more.   During the ’90s, he played in Chesapeake with former members of the Seldom Scene.  Over the course of his career, Auldridge was awarded a Grammy as well as numerous other accolades, and in 2012, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow.  Mike Auldridge was 73 when he died of cancer on December 29, 2012.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com
Click to find at amazon.com

Dobro / Blues and Bluegrass (Reissue) - Mike Auldridge

Died On This Date (June 27, 2012) Susanna Clark / American Songwriter & Artist / Wife Of Guy Clark

Susanna Clark
1939 – June 27, 2012

Susanna Clark was a Texas-born songwriter and artist.  She was also the longtime wife, muse, and occasional song character of fellow songwriting great, Guy Clark.  A one-time art instructor herself, Clark’s paintings have appeared on album covers for the likes of her husband (Old No. 1), Emmylou Harris (Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town), and Willie Nelson (Stardust).  As a songwriter, she either wrote or co-wrote songs that were recorded by Emmylou Harris, Carlene Carter, Jessi Colter, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Miranda Lambert.    The Clarks married in Nashville in 1972, and opened their home to friends for jams and master songwriting classes of sorts.  Regular guests included Townes Van Zandt, Crowell, and Earle.  In poor health in recent years, Susanna Clark passed away on June 27, 2012.  She was 73.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.



Died On This Date (May 17, 2012) Donna Summer / Disco Icon

Donna Summer (Born LaDonna Gaines)
December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012

Donna Summer was a world-renowned American R&B singer who hit her stride during the disco era.  Unlike many of her contemporaries, Summer, with her mezzo-soprano vocal range, needed very little studio trickery for her vocals.  Coming of age in Boston during the early ’60s, Summer spent countless hours listening to records by and imitating the likes of the Supremes and Martha & the Vandellas. By then she had already been singing in church gospel groups.  As the ’60s rolled on, Summer discovered the powerhouse vocals of Janis Joplin, who, along with the early girl groups, influenced her own singing. Upon hearing Joplin sing on her Big Brother and the Holding Company records, she decided that’s what she wanted to do, so she joined her first band as lead singer, the psychedelic rock outfit, Crow.   That brought her to New York City where she focused on Broadway.  Her first role of significance was in the European company of Hair!. In 1975, Summer cut her first record, “Love To Love You Baby,” which although banned by most American radio stations due to its raw sexuality, became an instant smash in Europe.  From there it was a deal with Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records who began pumping an extended version of the song to underground discos and Summer’s massive gay following was born.  She went on to release several albums that helped define the disco era and became the first artist to have three consecutive #1 albums that were two-record sets.  During the ’80s, Summer broke away from disco by adding a more rock sound to her records, and even though she had tracks on the soundtracks for the blockbuster films, Flashdance and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the decade was not terribly kind to her.  She continued to make records well into the 2000s – some faring better than others, but for the most part were very well received.  Throughout her career, Summer was recognized with five Grammy awards (17 nominations), three multi-platinum albums, 11 gold albums, an NAACP Image Award, and six American Music Awards.  Her songs have been covered (or sampled) by Sheena Easton, David Guetta, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and many more.  Donna Summer passed away after a long struggle with cancer on May 17, 2012.  She was 63.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

On the Radio - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 - Donna Summer

Died On This Date (December 18, 2011) Warren Hellman / Founder Of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

Warren Hellman
January 25, 1934 – December 18, 2011

Warren Hellman was a successful private equity investor whose Hellman & Friedman rose to become a multi-billion dollar firm.  He was also a philanthropist and music junkie who founded AND funded San Francisco’s popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.  A banjo player himself, Hellman launched the Golden Gate Park event in 2001 to an audience of  just 13,000.  Since then, it has swelled to be one of the world’s greatest music events, drawing as many 500,000 each year over two days.  And the best part, it is FREE to attend as Hellman’s gift back to the city.  The inaugural festival presented just four acts on the main stage and another five on its second.  Performers included Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Hazel Dickens.   The 2011 event hosted over 100 performers including Chris Isaak, Bright EyesM. Ward, Steve Earle, Robert Plant, and Del McCoury.  Warren Hellman was 77 when he died from complications of leukemia on December 18, 2011.  Hellman reportedly left a trust fund to finance future festivals.

Do yourself a favor and attend Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival next year!