Died On This Date (July 16, 2013) T-Model Ford / Delta Blues Great

James “T-Model” Ford
1920* – July 16, 2013

t-model-fordIt wasn’t until T-Model Ford was 58 when he learned how to play the guitar, but he certainly made up for lost time over the last 20 years of his life.  Born in Mississippi, Ford waited until his 70s before he launched his music career.   His style has been described as a blend of raw Delta, Chicago, and juke joint blues.   Following a troubled life as an illiterate blue-collar worker who later served 2 years on a chain-gang for murder, Ford turned things around when he began putting his life experiences into his music.  Unable to read music or tabs, he developed his own way of playing that even he couldn’t define.  During the late 90s, Ford was discovered by the owners of Fat Possum Records who went on to release his first five albums to critical praise.  He went to release 3 more albums and continued touring until 2012.  T-Model Ford died of respiratory failure on July 16, 2013.  He was likely 93 years old*.

*Ford claimed to have been born in 1920, but no one knows for sure.

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Died On This Date (September 21, 2009) Sam Carr / Delta Blues Drummer

Sam Carr (Born Samuel McCollum)
April 17, 1926 – September 21, 2009

SamCarrSam Carr was exposed to the blues at a very young age.  His father was blues great, Robert Lee McCollum who performed under the names Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk.   As a child, Carr would dance in front of the stage during his dad’s breaks.  By the time he was a teenager, he was filling in on bass once in awhile.  Carr also played the harmonica and guitar, but it was his drumming that got him noticed.  Over the years he’s played with Buddy Guy, T-Model Ford, Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson.   Sam Carr passed away in a nursing facility at the age of 83.