Died On This Date (October 5, 2011) Bert Jansch / Scottish Folk Great

Bert Jansch
November 3, 1943 – October 5, 2011

A highly influential singer-songwriter, Bert Jansch was one of the cornerstones of the British folk revival of the ’60s.  Cited as an influence by no less than Neil Young, Jimmy Page, and  Paul Simon, Jansch’s mark was made on younger generations as well as evident by praise from and collaborations with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Pete Doherty, Johnny Marr, and Beth Orton.  Considered a virtuoso of the acoustic guitar, he is often mentioned in the same breath as John Fahey or Leo Kottke.  Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Jansch launched his career in 1960 and began building a following by playing British folk clubs.  By the mid ’60s he was hitchhiking and busking across Europe.  He soon settled in London where he recorded his first album, Bert Jansch, which has since been included in the reference guide, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.   In 1968, Jansch co-founded Pentangle, a British folk supergroup of sorts that counted John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson, and Terry Cox among its members.  Perhaps a bit more jazz and baroque influenced than Jansch’s solo work, the group was one of the most popular of its kind during the late ’60s and early ’70s.   Pentangle disbanded in 1973 after which Jansch moved to a farm and took a bit of a break from the business.  He had regrouped by the end of the ’70s and continued on as a solo performer but reunited with Pentangle during the ’80s.  He continued on and off with the band for the better part of the next decade.  The 2000s found Jansch enjoying a renaissance of sorts, as evident by releases coming out on such hipster indie labels as Drag City and Cooking Vinyl.  His 2006 release for Drag City, The Black Swan, is considered one of his finest.  As reported by ABC News, Bert Jansch died of lung cancer on October 5, 2011.  He was 67.

Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.

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L.A. Turnaround (Remastered) - Bert Jansch

Died On This Date (July 14, 2000) Bill Barth / Blues Guitarist

Bill Barth
December 13, 1942 – July 14, 2000

Photo by Tim Kendall

Bill Barth was a festival planner and blues guitarist who is perhaps best remembered for being with John Fahey and Henry Vestine when the found early blues great, Skip James in a Mississippi hospital and relaunched his career in 1964.  As a musician, Barth helped form blues rock band, The Insect Trust who were likened to Jefferson Airplane and Fairport Convention.  The band, which also included Elvin Jones and future rock critic, Robert Palmer, released two albums.  During the mid ’60s, Barth founded the Memphis Valley Blues Society which produced five festivals during the late ’60s and featured the likes of Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Sleepy John Estes.  Bill Barth was 57 when he passed away on July 14, 2000.

 



Died On This Date (April 11, 2001) Sandy Bull / Folk Guitar Great

Sandy Bull
January 1, 1941 – April 11, 2001

sandy-bullSandy Bull was a musical genius.  Best known for his brilliant folk guitar playing, he was also a master of the banjo, aud, pedal steel and other stringed instruments.  Like Vanguard Records label mate, John Fahey, Bull’s finger-picking incorporated various styles of music – in Bull’s case, classical, jazz and middle Eastern.  And like Fahey, he rose to prominence during the ’60s folk revival and influenced the likes of Leo KottkeRy Cooder, Richard Thompson, and later, M. Ward.  Bull struggled with drug addiction which forced him into early retirement in the early ’70s.  After successfully completing rehab, Bull was back in the studio and on stage by the early 80s.  He died of lung cancer on April 11, 2001 at the age of 60.

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Vanguard Visionaries: Sandy Bull - Sandy Bull

Died On This Date (February 27, 1986) Robbie Basho / Progressive Folk Guitarist

Robbie Basho
August 31, 1940 – February 27, 1986

robbie-bashoRobbie Basho was a folk guitarist who is best remembered for his skills on the steel string guitar.  Unlike similar contemporaries like John Fahey, Sandy Bull and Leo Kottke, Basho generally incorporated elements of Indian, or raga music into his compositions. Over the course of his career, Basho released several albums on such respected labels as Vanguard, Windham Hill and Fahey’s Takoma.  On February 27, 1986, Robbie Basho died accidentally when a chiropractor’s adjustment ruptured blood vessels in his neck, causing him to die from a stroke.  He was 45.

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Robbie Basho

Died On This Date (February 26, 1977) Bukka White / Blues Legend

Booker “Bukka” White
November 12, 1909 – February 26, 1977

bukka-whiteBukka White was an influential Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.  He began making records in 1930, and about a decade later, he recorded for noted folklorist, Alan Lomax.  During the mid ’60s, White enjoyed a career renaissance thanks, in part, to Bob Dylan who covered his “Fixin’ to Die Blues.”  It was around that time that he also got a helping hand from John Fahey who “rediscovered” him just in time to take advantage of the folk and blues revival of the period.  Bukka White was 70 years old when he died of cancer on February 26, 1977.

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Bukka White