Died On This Date (May 30, 1993) Sun Ra / Acclaimed Jazz Innovator
themusicsover Herman “Sun Ra” Blount
May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993
Jazz innovator Herman Blount (aka Sun Ra)was born either in Birmingham, Alabama or on another planet, as he would like us to believe. Wherever he came from, his influence on contemporary music is as big as the persona he created. Hard Bop, Swing, Poet, Avant Garde, Big Band Leader, Philosopher, Pianist, Composer, Organist, Cosmic, Educator, Student, American, Extraterrestrial…are all words that make up Sun Ra. Much of Blount’s life remained a mystery for decades. What is known is that he was a skilled pianist in his early teens, and by his mid teens he was performing semi professionally. At twenty, he joined a touring group that he eventually took over and renamed the Sonny Blount Orchestra. Two years later the band was dissolved when he accepted a scholarship to Alabama A&M. It is said that while in college, Blount experienced some sort of mind altering event that would start him on the journey that would lead him to eventually become Sun Ra. He and his “Arkestra” stayed extremely active into the early ’90s, only slowing down when Blount suffered a stroke in 1990. Within a couple of years Sun Ra was too ill to go on so he moved back to Birmingham where he passed away while suffering from a bout of pneumonia. He was 79 (maybe!). Sun Ra been credited for being a direct influence on the likes of Sonic Youth, New York Dolls, George Clinton, King Crimson, Phish, Frank Zappa, and many many more.
What You Should Own
Eddie Hazel was a pioneering funk guitarist best remembered for his work with Parliament and Funkadelic. Hazel learned to play the guitar as a child growing up on New Jersey. In 1967, he was hired by George Clinton to play back-up for his doo-wop group, the Parliaments. The backing band eventually came to be known as Funkadelic and enjoyed a life both with and without the Parliaments, later known simply as, Parliament. Funkadelic released three albums with Hazel. They are considered milestones of the funk genre. A heavy drinker, Eddie Hazel died on December 23, 1992 from liver failure and internal bleeding caused by stomach issues related to his drinking. He was 42 when he died.