Johann Strauss ll

popular name: Mississippi Fred McDowell

date_of_death: July 3, 1972

age: 68

cause_of_death: Abdominal Cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Inspired by seeing the legend Charley Patton playing in a juke joint, McDowell secured his reputation without a back catalog of historic blues recordings but rather by playing around the world to enthusiastic fans of low country blues.

popular name: Tex Williams

date_of_death: October 11, 1985

age: 68

cause_of_death: Pancreatic cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Tex Williams was an American country music singer, songwriter, bandleader and occasional film actor. He is best known for his 1949 hit "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," which became a major crossover success. Tex Williams, along with Spade Cooley and Bob Wills, was among the most popular bandleaders in the musical genre known as "western swing" in the 1940s and 1950s. Williams began his career in music in the late 1930s, playing in local bands. After serving in World War II, he joined the Spade Cooley Orchestra, where he gained considerable recognition. He later formed his own band, Tex Williams and His Western Caravan, which helped establish his career. In the 1950s, Williams moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to record and perform. Williams' other successes included the cover of a Bob Wills' classic, 'That's What I Like About The West', and also 'Never Trust A Woman', 'Don't Telephone, Don't Telegraph, Tell A Woman', 'Suspicion' and 'Talking Boogie'. Tex's band was a frequent guest on numerous radio and TV programs in the 1950s, including the Grand Ole Opry, Spike Jones, Dinah Shore, the Jo Stafford Show and National Barn Dance. His band split up in 1965 because, as he said, he 'had no use for a band. When you have a band, you have to keep those guys working.' He continued to perform and record throughout his life, although his fame was mostly rooted in his earlier work. Tex's constant smoke, smoke, smoke of cigarettes finally caught up with him, and he died of lung and pancreatic cancer in 1985. He was laid to rest in Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newall, California.

popular name: Lead Belly

date_of_death: December 6, 1949

age: 60

cause_of_death: Lou Gehrig's disease

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Lead Belly (born Huddie William Ledbetter) was a renowned American folk and blues musician. His life was marked by his powerful voice, virtuosic 12-string guitar playing, and a history filled with both talent and adversity. More than any other blues/folk artist, Lead Belly possessed and recorded a library of ballards, blues, dance songs and minstrels richer than any other performer this century. As a young man, Lead Belly developed a strong love for music and was influenced by a wide range of styles, including traditional folk, blues, and gospel. Unfortunately his life took a dramatic turn in 1917 when he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Released in 1925, Lead Belly returned to farm labor during the day and juke joints and honky tonks at night. Five years later he found himself back in prison for attempted murder. During his incarceration, he gained a reputation for his singing and guitar playing, and his performances caught the attention of a couple of folklorists, John and Alan Lomax, who recorded his music. This led to his release from prison in 1933. After being freed, Lead Belly followed Alan Lomax to New York City where he recorded over 200 songs for the Library of Congress and American Record Company. During his time in NYC he recorded such classics as “Goodnight Irene,” “The Rock Island Line,” "Black Betty" and “Midnight Special.” After serving a brief sentence for assault in 1939, he began working with other folk artist such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Brownie McGhee. He moved to Hollywood for a brief time but moved back to NYC for good in 1947. Separated from his southern roots, Lead Belly failed to build a black audience and what few records he did sell were to white, urban hipsters. He toured Paris hoping to build a European audience but that too was a financial failure. During what came to be his final tour he began to notice spasms in both hands. Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), he passed away shortly after on December 6, 1949 at the age of 60. In a sadly ironic twist, he was virtually penniless when he died only to have his song “Goodnight, Irene” became a million-record hit for the singing group the Weavers. Upon his death he was laid to rest at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery in Mooringsport, Louisiana.