Sad news gang: David "Honeyboy" Edwards passed away last week, at the age of 96. He was one of the last, if not the last, of the Delta bluesmen. His background is about as textbook blues as they come. In fact, it sounds more like a movie script. Born in Shaw, Mississippi, he was the son of a share cropper, the grandson of a slave. His dad bought him a guitar (a Silvertone of course), and at 14 he left home, traveling with guitarist Big Joe Williams. By the time he was a young adult he was hitchhiking and traveling the rails with Robert Johnson, and was present the night that Johnson drank the poisoned whiskey that killed him. (He was the last living witness to the event.) He recorded for both Sun Records and Chess (among others). When he decided to settle down, he ended up in Chicago, working in factories and doing construction during the day, and playing at night. He played with, or knew, a Who's Who of bluesmen, spanning decades. And he kept performing into his nineties. Beat that, hotshot.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Spread My Raincoat Down mp3 at Swan Fungus
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Catfish Blues mp3 at Earwig Music
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Crawling Kingsnake mp3 at BobGentile
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Hideaway mp3 at Earwig Music (ending cut)
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Decoration Day mp3 at Earwig Music (ending cut)
Watch:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Gamblin' Man at YouTube
David "Honeyboy" Edwards radio interview, and song snippets at YouTube (at age 92)
David "Honeyboy" Edwards talks about Robert Johnson at YouTube
Visit:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Official site
David "Honeyboy" Edwards at Wikipedia
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