Alabama bluesman Willie King dies at 65
March 09, 2009 14:07 EDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama blues singer and guitarist Willie King has died, ending a career that took him from backwoods juke joints to the largest blues festivals in North American and Europe. He was 65.
Band member Debbie Bond says King had a heart attack Sunday afternoon at his home in the Old Memphis community of Pickens County near the Mississippi line. She said he died on the way to the hospital.
King was named Blues Artist of the Year by Living Blues Magazine in 2004. He appeared in the Martin Scorsese film “Feel Like Going Home.”
http://www.cdispatch.com/lifestyles/article.asp?aid=587
Really sad to hear this news. I was lucky enough to meet him in Arkansas in 2007 and he was a really decent man. Apart from being a superb stage performer who captivated his audience, he did a massive amount of work for the underprivileged, special needs and those just down on their luck. He had been active in standing up for civil rights as well. A great loss and it’s a shame he didn’t get to play one of our major festivals.
I suggest to get a true idea about what a great man he was, you check out his dvd “Down in the woods” on Visible World Films – http://www.visibleworldfilms.com
He was way too young.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM_rIBvuVmE