Queen Candice Anderson

popular name: Elvin Shepherd

date_of_death: June 2, 1995

age: 72

cause_of_death: Undisclosed

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Elvin "Shep" Shepherd was a legendary saxophonist whose career spanned half a century. He traveled with such big name bands as Buck Clayton, Bill Doggett, Billy Ekstine, Erskin Hawkins, Lucky Milinder, and Nat Towles. During his storied career he also accompanied such artists as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Ray Price, Della Reese, and Dakota Staton.

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.

popular name: Pete Drake

date_of_death: July 29, 1988

age: 55

cause_of_death: Emphysema

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Pete Drake was one of the greatest pedal-steel musicians who played on 118 Gold and Platinum albums with artists ranging from Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Marty Robbins, Elvis Presley, Ernst Tubb and George Jones. His session work alone on Bob Dylan's "John Wesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline" made him the choice session player in Nashville from the 1960s through the late 1980s. Equally in demand in the studio and at the Grand Ole Opry, Drake was always an innovator. He has been credited with popularizing the "talking" guitar long before Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck made it to the airwaves. As Drake's career and reputation grew, he branched out into production, publishing and became the owner of a highly successful recording studio on Music Row in Nashville. His work with Ernst Tubb (with whom he produced 20 of Tubb's greatest hits) earns him a place as a leader of the Nashville Sound. Pete Drake was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2021, 33 years after his death.