Died On This Date (November 24, 1993) Albert Collins / Texas Blues Guitar Great

Albert Collins
October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993

Albert Collins was an electric blues guitarist so great, that he was awarded not one, but three nicknames – the Iceman, the Master of the Telecaster, and the Razor Blade.  Born in a small Texas town mid-way between Dallas and Houston, Collins took an early shine to the music he heard around him.  When he was 7, he and his family moved to Houston, and it was there that he eventually began making a name for himself by playing a style that was equal parts Texas, Mississippi, and Chicago blues.  In 1952, Collins formed his first band and within two years, he was headlining clubs in and around Houston.  He began making records in 1958, and went on to record for such respected labels as Imperial, Alligator, and Point Blank.  Collins was also an in-demand side man and be heard playing on records by the likes of David Bowie, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall, and Gary Moore.  In August of 1993, Albert Collins learned he was suffering from lung and liver cancer.  He died of the disease three months later, on November 24, 1993.  He was 61.

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Showdown! (Remastered) - Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland


Died On This Date (June 21, 2001) John Lee Hooker / Blues Icon

John Lee Hooker
August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001

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He’s been called the “Worlds Greatest Blues Singer,”  but John Lee Hooker was much more than that.  With over 100 albums to his credit, he was one of the most influential singers, guitarists and songwriters the world has ever known, blues or otherwise.  A son of a sharecropper, Hooker was born near Clarksdale, MS where he developed his unique style of picking and “talk singing” that is often associated with Delta blues.  His cousin, Earl Hooker was also a respected blues musician.  By the late ’40s, Hooker found himself living in Detroit where he worked he assembly line at Ford by day and jammed at the local blues clubs by night.   In 1948, his first single was released.  It was called “Boogie Chillen” and it became a hit, but as was the case with many blues artists of the day, his record label heads made most of the money from its success.   Another of his signature songs, “Boom Boom” was released in 1962 during the folk and blues revival of the early ’60s.  In the ’80s, Hooker was back in vogue after appearing in the films, The Blues Brothers and the Last Waltz.  In 1989, a stellar cast of admirers joined him on his The Healer album for which he won a Grammy.  John Lee Hooker passed away of natural causes at 83.

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John Lee Hooker



Died On This Date (April 28, 1934) Charley Patton / Blues Legend

Charley Patton
DOB Unknown – April 28, 1934

If Delta Blues has a flash point, it was most likely Charley Patton. His gritty voice, passionate singing and flashy guitar playing made him a local celebrity throughout the juke joints and plantation dances of the 1920s South. He’s influenced no less than John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. As stated at allmusic.com, “He epitomized the image of a ’20s sport blues singer: rakish, raffish, easy to provoke, capable of downing massive quantities of food and liquor, a woman on each arm, with a flashy, expensive-looking guitar fitted with a strap and kept in a traveling case by his side, only to be opened up when there was money or good times involved.” Charley Patton was indeed the blues’ first superstar.  He died of heart failure on April 28, 1934.  Although his actual date of birth remains a mystery, most believe he was 34 when he died.

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Charley Patton

Died On This Date (April 21, 1970) Earl Hooker / Blues Guitar Great

Earl Hooker
January 2, 1929 – April 21, 1970

Earl Hooker was born into a family that already had one great bluesman, cousin John Lee Hooker.  Hooker taught himself to play the guitar at ten years old, and was soon living in Chicago where he honed his skills at a music school.  In Chicago, Hooker began making a name for himself by playing alongside the likes of Bo Diddley on street corners.  By the early ’50s, Hooker was living in Memphis playing with Ike Turner and Sonny Boy Williamson II.  Hooker died at the age of 41 as a result of tuberculosis.

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Simply The Best - Earl Hooker

Died On This Date (April 13, 2005) Johnnie Johnson / Pianist for Chuck Berry

Johnnie Johnson
July 8, 1924 – April 13, 2005

Johnnie Johnson was a jazz and blues pianist who joined forces with Chuck Berry with whom he spent over twenty years collaborating on such rock ‘n’ roll classics as “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Nadine,” even though he never received song-writing credits or royalties. It has been reported that “Johnnie B. Goode” was actually inspired by Johnson. After his run with Berry, Johnson was all but retired from music and working as a bus driver in St. Louis until he heard the praise being given him by the likes of Keith Richards. That motivated him to get back into music and record his first album in 1987 which lead to him sharing the stage with such luminaries as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, and John Lee Hooker, and later hitting the road as part of Bob Weir’s Ratdog. In 1999, writer Travis Fitzpatrick released a biography of Johnson entitled Father of Rock and Roll: The Story of Johnnie B. Goode Johnson. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In 2001, Johnson received his well-deserved place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 81.

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Johnnie Johnson