The Week in Review - Elvis Has Left the Building!

This is the week that was in matters musical …

1938, the legendary Robert Johnson dies in Greenwood, Mississippi, after having been apparently poisoned … known for his womanizing, the murderer was presumed to be the angered spouse of one of his paramours … it was rumored that Johnson's talent came at the expense of his soul, the result of a midnight deal struck with Satan at a Mississippi crossroads … probably the most influential bluesman to emerge in the 20th century, his songs and riffs have become a foundation for the genre …

1939, pioneering electric guitarist Charlie Christian sits in with Benny Goodman's jazz combo at a Beverly Hills club … the clarinetist isn't interested in hearing Christian, but the guitarist's avid supporter, Columbia talent scout John Hammond gets him onstage while Goodman is on a break … Christian proceeds to wow the crowd and musicians alike with his seemingly endless single-string virtuosity … he will go on to redefine the role of the electric guitar in jazz …

1958, influential bluesman Big Bill Broonzy who composed over 2,000 songs including the blues standard, "Key To The Highway," dies in Chicago at age 65 …

1959, bluesman Blind Willie McTell dies of a brain hemorrhage in Georgia … a brilliant 12-string guitarist, he wrote "Statesboro Blues," later covered by the Allman Brothers … McTell recorded using several aliases throughout his career …

1967, The New York Times reports on a new noise-reduction system for records and tapes pioneered by the Dolby brothers … drummers everywhere pan the system as a cymbal killer …

1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Festival is held on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York … nearly half a million will gather to celebrate what is billed as "3 Days of Peace and Music" and enjoy performances by a stellar lineup including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ten Years After, and Jefferson Airplane among others … meanwhile at London's Abbey Road Studios, the Beatles cut "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" … the occasion marks the last time all four Beatles will converge on this hallowed ground together …

1977, The King leaves the building … the 42-year-old Elvis (at the same age and in the same week in which his mother died in 1958) is found dead in his bathroom by girlfriend, Ginger Alden … according to the autopsy, death resulted from coronary arrhythmia … within days his death becomes a media event of major proportions … it also sparks the debate as to whether his death has been staged and rumors that he is alive and well … even today sightings are reported, though usually now in jest …

1988, undervalued blues, rock, and jazz guitarist Roy Buchanan, whose career was plagued by bouts of depression, commits suicide in a Virginia jail after being arrested for being publicly drunk …

1990, in a tragic freak accident, part of a lighting rig falls on Curtis Mayfield during a performance in Brooklyn, New York … the incident leaves the celebrated soul singer and songwriter paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life that will end in 1999 …

More at http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=104061&src=3TP8HC&ZYXSEM=0&Prime= but this is the good stuff.

Bake