Henry Townsend

Henry Townsend & Friends: Henry's Worried Blues

by Derek Taylor
May 1, 2001

Miraculously still active after nearly a century of life Henry Townsend is a certified blues legend. A native of Mississippi born in 1909, he set up residence in St. Louis in his late teens and was soon ensconced in the thriving blues scene there. His sound is indicative of the region and often features sparse, utilitarian picking and a focus on melancholy vocalized verses. Short’s style is similarly shaped, but is noticeably different in the amount of vibrato he bleeds ...

Oldest Surviving Blues Artist Henry Townsend Dies

Source: All About Jazz
September 26, 2006

Henry Townsend, who recorded every decade since the '20s, dies

--CHERYL WITTENAUER, 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 ...
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