Saturday, March 21, 2009

Blues musician and songwriter Eddie Bo dies

New Orleans blues singer-pianist Eddie Bo, who wrote the original version of Slippin' and Slidin' and worked with musicians such as Irma Thomas and Art Neville, has died of a heart attack. He was 79. His death was confirmed Friday by his close friend and booking agent, Karen Hamilton. Hamilton said Bo, whose real name was Edwin Joseph Bocage, had a massive heart attack while out of town Wednesday. She said he "went very quickly, very peacefully." Bo was an accomplished keyboardist-pianist with a career spanning more than five decades. An accomplished songwriter, Bo penned I'm Wise, which was made famous by Little Richard when renamed and released in 1956 as Slippin' and Slidin'. He also wrote the 1960 Etta James hit My Dearest Darling.



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