Lonnie Pitchford
Lonnie Pitchford (October 8, 1955 – November 8, 1998) was an American blues musician and instrument maker from Lexington, Mississippi. He was notable in that he was one of only a handful of young African American musicians from Mississippi who had learned and was continuing the Delta blues and country blues traditions of the older generations.
In addition to the acoustic and electric guitar, Pitchford was also skilled at the one-string guitar and diddley bow, a one-string instrument of African origin, as well as the double bass, piano and harmonica.[1] He was a protégé of Robert Lockwood, Jr., from whom he learned the style of Robert Johnson.[1] His own debut album, All Round Man was released on Rooster Blues Records in 1994.[1]
In November 1998, Pitchford died at his home in Lexington, from AIDS. A diddley bow is featured on his headstone which was paid for by John Fogerty and Rooster Blues Records through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. His grave is located near the grave of Elmore James, in the New Port Baptist Church cemetery in Holmes County, Mississippi.
Film
- American Patchwork: Songs and Stories of America, part 3: "The Land Where the Blues Began" (1990). Written, directed, and produced by Alan Lomax; developed by the Association for Cultural Equity at Columbia University and Hunter College. North Carolina Public TV; A Dibb Direction production for Channel 4.
- Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads (1993). Directed by Robert Mugge.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues – From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 156. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
External links
- "Lonnie Pitchford", from The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School
- Illustrated Lonnie Pitchford discography
- Pitchford biography at AllMusic
- Lonnie Pitchford at Find a Grave
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