While we're always saddened by the passing of blues talents that leave behind a lifetime of great music and mourning fans, it seems like 2011 had more than its share of artist deaths. We lost a handful of elder statesmen of the blues this year in Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, and David "Honeyboy" Edwards, while on the peripheral of the blues world, talents like Clarence Clemons, Gary Moore, and Gil Scott-Heron passed on to the other side.
We honor these bluesmen and women, obscure and well-known alike, with our annual list of blues artists that died in 2011.
Hubert Sumlin photo by Fernando Leon, courtesy Getty Images
Comments
I must add the name of my drummer Gerry Guzman, to the list of dearly departed,who died of a stroke last January. Singer/songwriter/tour manager/bluesman Gerry toured the US, UK and Canada (voted Top 5 blues drummer in Canada in 2007)toured and recorded with Byther Smith, Buddy Guy, The Homewreckers, Ruff Stuff and The Richard Black Project. Life long resident of Blue Island Illinois.
Yeah, 2011 was a bad year for this. I think it was a crappy year in general, though.