Died On This Date (July 19, 2002) Alan Lomax / Music Historian

Alan Lomax
January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002

Alan Lomax was an ethnomusicologist who, like his sister, Bess Lomax, followed in the footsteps of his father, John A. Lomax by documenting folk music around the world in the form of field recordings.  After he got out of college during the ’30s, the younger Lomax went to work archiving folk music at the Library of Congress.  Around this time, he traveled through the southern states of America to record the local blues and folk musicians.  While visiting a Louisiana prison, he discovered Lead Belly.   Besides making field recordings, Lomax interviewed countless music pioneers.  That list includes Muddy Waters, Jelly Roll Morton, and Woody Guthrie.  He also penned numerous best selling folk music history book.  During the ’50s, Lomax traveled Europe in search of its hidden folk music.  In all, he is said to have recorded thousands of songs.  Alan Lomax was 87 when he passed away on July 19, 2002.

What You Should Own

The Alan Lomax Collection: Prison Songs, Vol. 1 - Murderous Home - Alan Lomax & Various Artists

DIed On This Date (July 17, 2010) Fred Carter Jr. / Country Music Legend

Fred Carter, Jr.
December 31, 1933 – July 17, 2010

Fred Carter, Jr. was a highly respected studio musician, producer and composer who has played on some of the biggest hits from legends like Roy Orbison, Muddy Waters, the Band and Waylon Jennings.  The list of songs on which he played include Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,” Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.”  As a songwriter, he’s been recorded by the likes of Chet Atkins and Dean Martin.  He was also the father of country star, Deana Carter, with whom he also worked.  Fred Carter, Jr. was 76 when he died from complications of a stroke.



Died On This Date (May 5, 2010) Willie Pooch / Popular Ohio Blues Singer

Willie Pooch (Born William Joseph)
1937 – May 5, 2010

Willie Pooch was a popular Columbus, Ohio area blues singer who began his career in gospel groups while still just a child in and around Tupelo, Mississippi.  During his teens, he and his family moved to Chicago where Pooch fell under the tutelage of Luther Allison who schooled him in the art of the blues guitar.  Over the next several years, Pooch played with the likes of Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor.  After spending many years touring the mid west, Pooch settled in Columbus during the early ’60s.  By then he was fronting his own band who became a local blues staple for the better part of the next four decades.  On May 5, 2010, Willie Pooch died from complications of diabetes.  He was 72 years old.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Died On This Date (May 4, 1987) Paul Butterfield / Blues Great

Paul Butterfield
December 17, 1942 – May 4, 1987

Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF

Paul Butterfield was a harmonica player and  singer who was an integral part of the growth of blues rock.  He was also part of the Chicago scene of the early ’60s that introduced the blues to middle class white kids.  He was also one of the few “blues” artists that performed at Woodstock.  In his early days, Butterfield, along with friend Elvin Bishop, played with the likes of Muddy Waters, Junior Wells and Howlin’ Wolf.  He spent the next two decades performing and recording with various versions of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In the early ’80s, Butterfield was diagnosed with peritonitis, a serious and painful inflammation of the intestines which would dog him for the rest of his life, and unfortunately, he developed an addiction to herion to help with the pain. His drug use eventually bankrupted him and ultimately took his life when he died of what was ruled an accidentaly overdose on May 4th, 1987. He was 44 years old.

What You Should Own

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Died On This Date (April 30, 1983) Muddy Waters / Blues Icon

Muddy Waters (Born McKinley Morganfield)
April 4, 1914 – April 30, 1983

Although he was born in Mississippi, Muddy Waters is considered the Father of Chicago Blues.  By electrifying the delta blues of his youth, Waters almost singlehandedly influenced the British blues explosion of the ’60s.  Acts like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Cream might not have been born if it weren’t for Muddy Waters. By the early 1950s, Waters, along with his sidemen, Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf were the biggest draw in Chicago, and in 1958, he set out to conquer the UK, who until that point had only known the acoustic blues of the likes of  Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.  In doing so, Waters sparked a musical revolution.  Waters died in his sleep of natural causes on April 30, 1983.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Muddy Waters: The Definitive Collection - Muddy Waters