Jazz & Blues Lounge

Wow, this is one of those posts you know is coming, and yet when it happens, you really don’t want to make the announcement. One of the biggest influences on early Rock and Roll and the man who invented his own style of “beat,” Bo Diddley, has passed away at the age of 79. The initial reports are that he died of heart failure. For the story as it is at CNN you can click on the link.
Bo Diddley was a contemporary of the likes of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and even Elvis Presley. He was …read more

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I know this is a music blog.  I have been struggling, since last night, to think of things to write here.  It should be some kind of respite for those in and around the Chicago area from the tragic events that happened here yesterday.  The problem is, I am not able to separate myself that much, I am afraid.
On the campus of nearby Northern Illinois University, yesterday, a gunman entered a lecture hall, came out from behind a curtain and started shooting.  As I write this, seven people including the gunman, was dead and 15 were in the hospital with …read more

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The problem with the older blues musicians is the exact same problem we have with the older jazz musicians.  Namely, the problem is, they keep dying off.  Of course, sometimes they die off for reasons that seem rather stupid.  In this case, it wasn’t drug use, but it was smoking and the fire a cigarette caused.
This story is from the Associated Press and is copyright 2007 by The Associated Press and was found on my Comcast News home page:
Blues Artist “Weepin” Willie Dies at 81
Weepin’ Willie Robinson, a blues singer who performed with Steven Tyler and Bonnie Raitt but also spent …read more

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