Guitar Shorty, a musician, popularly known for influencing scores of blues players, including the iconic Jimi Hendrix, has passed away at the age of 87.
According to Guitar World, his representatives at Alligator confirmed his death. On Wednesday, the musician died of "natural causes" at his home in Los Angeles, California.
Per an autobiography written on his record label's website, the famed guitarist was born in Houston, Texas, on September 8, 1934.
He spent his early days in Kissimmee, Florida, where his grandmother raised him.
The musician's love for guitar started when he was a kid as he was fond of listening to B.B. King, Guitar Slim, John Lee Hooker, and T-Bone Walker.
He later moved to Tampa at the age of 17, where he got a position on Walter Johnson's local 18-piece orchestra.
A club owner named him "Guitar Shorty" because he was younger and the shortest among the rest of the band.
After playing a solid performance in Florida, Willie Dixon approached the guitarist, and a few weeks later, he was in Chicago, where he cut his first single for Cobra Records.
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Shorty's career continued skyrocketing when he collaborated with Ray Charles to be one of the members of his road band.
While on tour in Florida with the musician, he connected with Guitar Slim, who offered him an opening slot for his tour, which he later accepted.
In 1960, Shorty moved to Seattle, where he met Jimi Hendrix through mutual friends. The musician loved how the guitarist played his instrument.
After more than a decade in the area, the musician moved to Los Angeles, California, where he opened for some of the most prominent artists in the blues community.
He performed along with stars like Lowell Fulson, Johnny Copeland, Little Milton, and many more.
He had three records with the Black Top label throughout his career, released in the 90s. Prior to that, he had one with Evidence Records.
Shorty had a successful career which led him not just to travel in different cities in the United States but also around the world like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Europe.
He also performed at some of the biggest Blues festivals like the Monterey Bay Blues Festival, the San Fransico Blues Festival, the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and more.
All of his appearances brought him more and more audiences.
In 2004, he signed with another record label called Alligator Records, where he released three of his best-selling albums, "Watch Your Back," "We The People," and "Bare Knuckle."
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