Memphis Minnie – The Music's Over

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

themusicsover August 6, 2010 0 Comments

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 Songwriter

Died On This Date (February 15, 1968) Little Walter / Blues Great

themusicsover February 15, 2010 2 Comments

Little Walter (Born Marion Walter Jacobs)
May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968

little-walter Little Walter was an influential blues harmonica player whose revolutionary style of play often had later fans calling him the “Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica.” Little Walter launched his career while still a young teen, busking throughout the southern states. It was during those early years that he learned the ropes from the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson II and Honeyboy Edwards. He moved to Chicago in 1945 and began releasing records within two years. Little Walter began playing with Muddy Waters, both in his band and later on record, during the late ’40s. Throughout the ’50s, Little Walter released several records on his own with songs like “Juke” and “Roller Coaster” landing on the R&B charts. As a session player, he can be heard on records by the likes of Memphis Minnie, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush. Notorious for his abuse of alcohol and a hot temper, Littler Walter died in his sleep following a fight outside of a Chicago club. Though never made official, it is believed that the blows from that encounter inflamed internal injuries sustained from an earlier fight, resulting in a blood clot in the heart. He was 37 years old.