One of my favorite blues musicians ever, and a man who I always believed to be indomitable, has passed, and I grieve to hear this mighty oak has fallen.
Pinetop was a bluesman of incredible character. He never stopped creating incredible music. He played at South By Southwest at least once. I never know what to say when I hear a musician has died. I feel obligated to report it, but I usually am able to produce a formal little blurb. This death hits me a little harder. The spirit of boogie woogie is such a beautiful, amazing thing, and Pinetop was one of the last greats, who really helped to shape the style. I’m at a loss for words. In a time when so much pop music is carbon copies of a proven lucrative formula, we have lost someone who’s music we will never get back.