[Slowhand] Henry Townsend

[Tony Boulton]

We lost a great man among men Sunday, September 24th, at 9:25 PM near Grafton , WI . 96 year old blues legend Henry James "The Mule" Townsend died with his son Alonzo and his long time friends Scott Shuman and John May at his side. 

Known as the Dean of St. Louis Blues, Henry was the oldest living recording artist, recording in every decade since the 1920's. He was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Award, the highest honor our country bestows on an artist of the Traditional Arts. 

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Blues guitarist Henry Townsend, who fled to St. Louis as a boy then stayed for a prolific career that spanned eight decades, died Sunday of pulmonary embolism in Grafton, Wis., where he was being honored. He was 96.

Townsend, who wrote and published hundreds of songs and accompanied musicians on hundreds more, began recording in 1929 and continued every decade since, an accomplishment that put him in rare company, said Mark O'Shaughnessy, president of BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

"He was the patriarch of St. Louis blues," O'Shaughnessy said. "He wasn't in it for the money. He believed in the music. It told a very honest story." 

Henry Townsend recorded in every decade since the 1920's.
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