January 20
We remember folk blues' greatest voice Huddie William Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, on his birthday today in 1888, the Louisiana guitarist whose massive song repertoire and twelve-string guitar mastery preserved African-American musical traditions before his death in 1949… Blues lost its most ferocious voice today in 2011 when Etta James died from leukemia complications at 73, ending the life of the singer whose powerful delivery on "At Last" and raw emotional honesty made her one of music's most respected and influential vocalists… Electronic music mourned a pioneer today in 2015 when Tangerine Dream's Edgar Froese died of a pulmonary embolism at 70, ending the career of the German synthesizer explorer whose ambient soundscapes influenced everyone from Kraftwerk to modern electronic artists… Rock theater lost its most operatic voice on this day in 2022 when Meat Loaf died in Nashville at 74, ending the life of Marvin Lee Aday whose "B...
