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Blues Musician Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (August 6, 1973) Memphis Minnie / Early Blues Great

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Memphis Minnie (Born Lizzie Douglas)
June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973

With a career that spanned an impressive four decades, Memphis Minnie is considered one of the most influential female blues guitarists of all time, and having started her career in the ’20s, she is definitely a blues pioneer.  Minnie learned to play the guitar as a child, and by the time she was 14, she had run away from home and joined the Ringling Brothers circus.  In 1929, she landed her first contract with Columbia Records who released her first hit, “Bumble Bee.”  In the early ’40s, Minnie added the electic guitar to her country blues repertoire, being one of the first blues artists to do so, thus paving the way for Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Jimmy Rogers.  Minnie continued to perform and record until her health started to decline in the mid-’50s, at which time she retired.  She died of a stroke in a Memphis nursing home on August 6, 1973.

 

Blues Musician Singer

Died On This Date (December 19, 1997) Jimmy Rogers / Played With Muddy Waters

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Jimmy Rogers (Born James Lane)
June 3, 1924 – December 19, 1997

jimmy-rogers

Jimmy Rogers was a blues musician and singer who helped develop the Chicago blues sound as a guitarist in Muddy Waters’ band.  Rogers first learned to play the harmonica as a child, and by his teen years, he added the guitar and was well on his way to a career in music.  He made his first record in 1948, and within a year, he was playing with Waters with whom he worked while continuing to make his own records on Chess.  Rogers left Waters in 1954 and worked as a solo act, but joined up with Howlin’ Wolf in later years.  He all but retired from the music business during the ’60s, working  as a cab driver and later running his own clothing store.  He worked with Waters on a reunion album in 1977 and made a complete comeback during the ’80s  On December 19, 1997, Jimmy Rogers died of colon cancer at the age of 73.

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Blues Musician Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (October 8, 2009) Abu Talib / Bluesman; Played With Ray Charles

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Abu Talib (Born Freddy Robinson)
February 24, 1939 – October 8, 2009

Photo by Tony Berg

Freddy Robinson, who changed his name to Abu Talib when he converted to Islam during the ’70s, was a blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player.  Very diverse in his playing, Talib was comfortable in both blues and jazz combos.  During the ’50s and ’60s, he worked with Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers.  In the ’70s and ’80s, he played with the likes of Stanley Turrentine, Bobby “Blue” Bland, John Mayall and Blue Mitchell.  He also played with Ray Charles.  Abu Talib died of cancer at the age of 70.



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