Douglas Allen Woody
October 3, 1955 – August 26, 2000
Allen Woody was a bass player best remembered for his work with the Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule. Woody joined the Allman Brothers when they reunited in 1989. He played on such albums as Seven Turns, Shades Of Two Worlds, and Where It All Begins. In 1994, Woody and Warren Haynes formed Gov’t Mule, first as an Allman’s side project, then as a full-fledged band in 1997. Woody died of a heroin overdose on August 26, 2000.
Eddie “Son” House
March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988
Son House was a pioneering Delta blues musician who was an immediate influence on the likes of Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. His innovative style of slide guitar playing and chain-gaing style of repetitive singing further influenced a slew of contemporary artists as well. His songs have been covered by the White Stripes, John Mellencamp, and Gov’t Mule. Born outside of Clarksdale, Mississippi, House’s early teens were filled with gospel music while he was a practicing Baptist minister. He soon became intrigued by the blues and taught himself to play the guitar in his early 20s. He set his sights on music as a career and started playing with the likes ofCharley Patton and Robert Johnson from Clarksdale to Memphis. In 1928, House served about one year of a 15-year sentence at the notorious Parchman Work Farm for shooting a man in what he claimed was self-defense. The story goes that while House was performing at a juke joint, an unknown man came in and opened fire in an apparent random shooting spree. After being shot in the leg, House grabbed his gun and shot the man dead. Upon his release, House made several recordings for famed musicologist, Alan Lomax. But like so many of his contemporaries, House and his music fell out of favor as the ’50s dawned. Fortunately, he was “re-discovered” like many of the others during the folk revival of the mid ’60s. After years working on the railroad, House found himself touring again and playing high-profile gigs at the Newport Folk Festival. Son House permanently retired in 1974 due to health problems and died from cancer of the larynx in 1988.