Chris Whitley

A modern blues genius who specialized in combining the progressive with the traditional, Chris Whitley drew from influences across the musical galaxy from John Lee Hooker to John Coltrane, and counted among his hardcore fans artists as diverse as Dave Matthews and Iggy Pop. Over many albums in the '90s and '00s, he pursued a restless muse through singer-songwriter, alternative rock, and slide blues idioms in creating a unique electric roots milieu. Existing for the most part on the fringes of the mainstream, Whitley had a career that zig-zagged from busker to Danois Lanois-produced lifelong overnight sensation to stalwart critical success (though substantial commercial success eluded him). Whitley died in 2005 of lung cancer.