Lonnie Pitchford facts for kids
Lonnie Pitchford (born October 8, 1955 – died November 8, 1998) was an American blues musician and a talented instrument maker from Lexington, Mississippi. He was special because he was one of the few young African American musicians from Mississippi who learned and continued the traditional Delta blues and country blues styles from older generations.
Lonnie was amazing with many instruments! He played the acoustic and electric guitar, but he was also very skilled with the one-string guitar and the diddley bow. The diddley bow is a unique one-string instrument that came from Africa. He also played the double bass, piano, and harmonica. Lonnie was a student of Robert Lockwood Jr., who taught him the playing style of the famous Robert Johnson. For a while, Lonnie performed with Johnny Shines and Robert Lockwood. His first album, called All Round Man, was released in 1994. Lonnie performed at big events like the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife and the Downhome Blues Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984.
Lonnie Pitchford passed away in his hometown of Lexington in November 1998 due to health problems. His headstone has a picture of a diddley bow on it. This special headstone was paid for by the musician John Fogerty and Rooster Blues Records through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. Lonnie's grave is located near the grave of another blues legend, Elmore James, in the New Port Baptist Church cemetery in Holmes County, Mississippi.
Lonnie Pitchford in Films
Lonnie Pitchford appeared in some films that explored the history and sound of the blues. These films help us remember his music and his contributions to this important American art form.
- American Patchwork: Songs and Stories of America, part 3: "The Land Where the Blues Began" (1990). This film was created by Alan Lomax.
- Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads (1993). This film was directed by Robert Mugge.
See also
- List of blues musicians
