January 29
British folk lost one of its most innovative voices today in 2009 when John Martyn died in Ireland from double pneumonia at 60, ending the career of the guitarist whose jazzy acoustic explorations and collaborations with Nick Drake influenced generations of singer-songwriters… Chicago blues lost its greatest songwriter today in 1992 when Willie Dixon died of heart failure at 76, ending the life of the bassist whose compositions like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I Just Want to Make Love to You" became standards covered by every British blues-rock band… Motown lost one of its pioneering voices on this day in 2023 when Barrett Strong died at 81, ending the life of the singer whose "Money (That's What I Want)" became one of the label's first hits while his songwriting with Norman Whitfield produced Temptations classics… We remember Motown's greatest bassist James Jamerson on his birthday today in 1938, the Funk Brothers' mel...
