Dorothy Love Coates Dies

 Dorothy Love Coates died April 11th at age 74 in her hometown of Birmingham, a nearly forgotten superstar of gospel music's golden era. Mrs. Coates wrote and recorded more than 300 songs such as "Get Away Jordan" and "That's Enough," many later recorded by other stars such as Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson and the Blackwood Brothers. She joined the church at 10 and started her own group, the Royal Gospel Singers, in her early teens. In 1947, she joined the Original Gospel Harmonettes, another Birmingham group, and became their lead singer and songwriter. Until recent years, Mrs. Coates performed with her own group of backup singers, which she had done since the Harmonettes disbanded in 1977.

Big Bad Smitty Dies

 Bluesman Big Bad Smitty (John Henry Smith) died in Jackson, Mississippi, on
April 3. He was in the hospital for treatment of complications of diabetes. Big Bad Smitty was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on February 11, 1940. In his teens he often played in Greenville with Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes, and in 1966 he moved to St. Louis for the first time, and came to be associated with that city's blues scene, playing with the city's leading musicians. He made his first recordings for Johnny Vincent in Jackson in the '70s, and in the late '70s JC & E records released the album "St. Louis On A High Hill". In 1991 the Dutch label Black Magic released his critically acclaimed "Mean Disposition," and in 1997 HMG released the CD "Cold Blood". Find out more about Big Bad Smitty at: www.bluesworld.com/Smitty.html

Frank Edwards Dies

 Atlanta's senior statesman of the blues, Frank Edwards, passed away March 22nd. He was 93. Edwards was in Greenville, SC working all day in a recording session when he suffered a heart attack. Edwards had just celebrated his 93rd birthday two days before. He was born in Washington, GA and had lived in Atlanta about 65 years. He made his first recordings in 1941 cutting four sides for Okeh and two sides for Regal in 1949. In 1972 he cut Done Some Travelin', his only full length record, for the Trix label. He drove himself to Atlanta clubs the Northside Tavern and Blind Willie's almost every day to listen to performances and hold court. He performed occasionally all the way up to the end. Find out more about Frank Edwards at: mrfrankedwards.com

Blues GRAMMY Awards Announced

 The 44th annual GRAMMY awards announced their winners on February 27th. The "Best Traditional Blues Album" was won by Jimmie Vaughn for "Do You Get The Blues?" on Artemis Records and "Best Contemporary Blues Album" was won by Delbert McClinton for "Nothing Personal" on New West Records.

Abie "Boogaloo" Ames Dies

 Blues and jazz pianist Abie "Boogaloo" Ames died February 4th in Greenville, Mississippi from a prolonged illness. He was 83. He began playing piano at the age of 5, and his style earned him the nickname "Boogaloo" in the 1940s. Ames moved to Detroit as a teenager and started a band, touring Europe with Louis Armstrong in 1936. He worked at Motown Studio and befriended musicians like Nat King Cole and Errol Garner. In 1980, Ames moved to Greenville where he became a regular performer at local clubs and festivals. His work will soon appear on another Mississippi musician's CD. Ames was named the 2001 winner of the Artist's Achievement Award of the Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts in the state of Mississippi.

Nominations For 23rd Annual W.C. Handy Awards Announced

 The Blues Foundation today announced the nominees for the 23rd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards to be presented on Thursday, May 23, 2002 at the
Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. The star-studded ceremony features Blues performances, and will be followed by two-days of Blues music on Beale Street, "the home of the Blues." For a list of the nominees click here.

John Jackson Dies

 John Jackson, who went from gravedigger to one of the pre-eminent blues musicians in the country, died Sunday, January 20th at his home in Fairfax County just outside Washington, D.C. He was 77. He drew inspiration from the family Victrola listening to the records of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jimmie Rodgers, Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Blake among others. For most of his life he played for friends and at house parties until he was discovered during the blues revival of the 60’s. Since then he has recorded several albums for Arhoolie, Rounder and most recently for Alligator in 1999.

Nauman Steele Scott III Dies

 Nauman Steele Scott III, co-owner of Black Top Records which gained an international reputation for its blues, rhythm-and-blues and zydeco recordings, died Tuesday. Scott suffered from heart disease. He was 56. Scott owned Black Top Records with his brother Hammond. The label featured such artists as Earl King, Snooks Eaglin and the Neville Brothers. Black Top releases picked up two Grammy nominations and won more than 30 W.C. Handy Blues Awards.

Christene Kitrell Dies

 Blues and jazz singer Christine Kittrell died December 19th of emphysema, she was 72. During the 1940s and 50's, Kittrell toured extensively, sang in the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and recorded on the Tennessee, Republic and Vee-Jay labels. The songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller sought her out and wrote the song "I'm a Woman" for her. In 1952, Little Richard played piano on one of her songs, "Lord Have Mercy." She also performed with B.B. King, Louis Armstrong, Paul Williams, Louis Brooks and Earl Bostic and toured as a backup singer for Johnny Otis. Kittrell spent the past few years working with a beautification group, the Linden Community in Action, and was inducted into the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame in 1998.

Rufus Thomas Dies

 The world's oldest teenager died December 15th at the age of 84. Rufus Thomas, one of the city's most influential and colorful entertainers, died of apparent heart failure after a brief illness. Mr. Thomas's career spanned more than 70 years in
which he was never far from the pulse of the Memphis musical scene. At WDIA-AM, Mr. Thomas spun blues records at an important time in the popularization of black music. Mr. Thomas even maintained a show for years until recently every Saturday at WDIA. Mr. Thomas also emceed amateur talent contests on Beale Street in the 1940s and '50s at the old Palace Theater, where he helped launch the careers of
B. B. King, Bobby 'Blue' Bland and others who competed for a prize of a few dollars. In 1953, Mr. Thomas gave new label Sun its first big hit, "Bear Cat" - an answer song to Big Mama Thornton's Hound Dog. Mr. Thomas also was there at Satellite when it formed, giving it its first big hit, the 1960 duet with daughter Carla Thomas called "'Cause I Love You." That song sparked a distribution deal with Atlantic that soon gave the world the label under its better-known name, Stax. At Stax, Mr. Thomas had some of the label's most memorable songs, a string of novelty classics that included "Walking the Dog", "Do the Funky Chicken", "Can Your Monkey Do the Dog?", "(Do the) Push and Pull" and "Do the Funky Penguin." Mr. Thomas also recorded for Alligator, Ecko and in 1999 for High Stacks. In his later years, Mr. Thomas appeared in virtually every documentary made about any aspect of Memphis music.

James Crutchfield Dies

 James Crutchfield, once called the "king of barrelhouse blues" in St. Louis died Friday (Dec. 7, 2001) of complications from heart disease at St. Louis University Hospital. He was 89 and lived in St. Louis. Before coming to St. Louis, Mr. Crutchfield played in Memphis, Tenn., with the late guitarist Elmore James. In 1948, he moved to St. Louis and found work as a cook, at a car wash and shining shoes. When his musical talent was discovered by local blues lovers, he landed a gig as a house pianist and vocalist at the old Left Bank Club in Gaslight Square. When Gaslight Square faded, Mr. Crutchfield's blues career hit a lull. He retired and found a job hauling bald tires for scrap rubber. In his early 70s, Mr. Crutchfield was rediscovered by a Dutch record company. He also played with guitarist Bennie Smith here and was featured on a recording on the Delmark label called "Biddle Street Barrelhousin'." Soon, he was embarking on a European tour. He later returned to St. Louis and performed regularly at the Venice Cafe and many other bars in the Soulard area.