Died On This Date (July 30, 2003) Sam Phillips / Legendary Record Producer

Sam Phillips
January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003

samAs a producer, Sam Phillips was one of the key architects of early rock ‘n roll.  What he helped create in his Sun Studios would become the foundation on which current popular music was built.   Phillips opened his Memphis recording studio in 1950 to make records for his own label, Sun Records.  One of his early recordings was Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88,” that many consider the first rock ‘n roll record ever.  Other future legends he worked with were B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Rufus Thomas and Howlin’ Wolf, whom he considers his greatest discovery.   Of course most consider his OTHER “discovery” to be his greatest – Elvis Presley.   Phillips recorded some of the biggest early records by some of the greatest names in rock history.  They included hits by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Ike Turner,  and Roy Orbison.  Sam Phillips died of respiratory failure at the age of 80.


Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Ben Keith / Steel Guitar Legend; Played With Neil Young

Ben Keith (Born Bennett Schaeufle)
March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010

Ben Keith was a successful Nashville session player, producer, and singer-songwriter who is perhaps best remembered for his many collaborations with Neil Young.  Keith first began making a name for himself in Nashville during the ’50s and ’60s when he played on numerous country and early rock ‘n roll hits.  That list includes his steel guitar on Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces.”  During the early ’70s, Keith was invited to play on Young Harvest album that went on to become the most successful album of 1971 and spawned such rock staples as “Old Man” and “Heart Of Gold,” both of which featured Keith’s playing.   That was the beginning of a nearly 40-year musical partnership that found Keith playing on over a dozen Young albums and in countless concerts.  Over the course of his career, Keith also collaborated with a group of some of popular music’s most beloved artists.  That list includes Waylon Jennings, Jewel, Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson, the Band, Johnny Cash, and Ringo Starr.  He also released a handful of his albums.  Ben Keith passed away on July 26, 2010 at the age of 73.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Died On This Date (June 4, 2001) John Hartford / Influential Folk & Bluegrass Pioneer

John Hartford (Born John Harford)
December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001

Photo by Jerry Brendle

John Hartford was a beloved folk singer-songwriter who was also proficient in several stringed instruments.  He is probably mostly associated with the banjo and fiddle.   Hartford mastered those instruments while still in his mid teens, and by the time he was in college, he had already built a name for himself throughout the St. Louis music scene.  Hartford released his first album, Looks At Life, on RCA Records in 1966.  A year later, he put out its follow-up album, which included the song, “Gentle On My Mind.”  Soon made into a pop hit by Glen Campbell, the tune earned Hartford two Grammys.  It has also been covered by Elvis Presley, R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin, to name a few.   During the ’70s, Hartford released a string of albums that would lay the foundation for the “newgrass” movement to follow – a more electrifying form of bluegrass, sometimes even incorporating drums.   His 1976, Mark Twang earned Hartford another Grammy while his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack of 2000 landed him yet another.  Hartford battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for the better part of the the last 20 years of his life, finally forcing him to retire from the road in 2001.  It wasn’t long after that he died as a result of the disease on June 4, 2001.  He was 63.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

John Hartford

 

Died On This Date (May 15, 2003) June Carter Cash / Country Music Icon

June Carter
June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003

juneJune Carter was born into country music’s iconic Carter Family on May 23, 1929.  By the time she was just ten, she was performing as part of the family group.  In 1961, the Carter Family went on the road with Johnny Cash where a romance blossomed between June and Johnny.  Two years later, Carter co-wrote “Ring Of Fire,” apparently inspired by Cash, who made it one of country music’s greatest recording’s ever.  In 1968, Carter and Cash married.  In later years, Cash would publicly credit Carter for saving his life by forcing him to kick his legendary drug habits.  Together Carter and Cash recorded several songs together, including the Grammy-winning “Jackson,” and “If I Were A Carpenter.”   Carter set her sites on writing and acting during the ’70s and ’80s, publishing two autobiographies and appearing in The Apostle, and on television’s Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.  She returned to recording in the late ’90s, releasing the Grammy-winning Press On in 1999.  June Carter Cash died unexpectedly on May 15, 2003 due to complications from heart surgery.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Press On - June Carter Cash

 

Died On This Date (May 10, 1998) Lester Butler / The Red Devils

Lester Butler
November 12, 1959 – May 10, 1998

Lester Butler was a blues harmonica player and singer who was in the Red Devils (previously known as the Blue Shadows), a Los Angeles blues rock band who also included members of the Blasters and the Knitters.  In 1992, the band caught the ear of Rick Rubin who produced their debut album.  That lead to some studio work with Mick Jagger and Johnny Cash.  On May 10, 1998, Lester Butler, age 38, died of a drug overdose.