August 14, 1958

Blues musician “Big Bill” Broonzy died in Chicago. Although Broonzy achieved fame and success in the Chicago blues scene and the folk revival in the United States and abroad, some of his earliest encounters with the blues and his earliest experiences as a performer and songwriter were in Arkansas. He spent most of his childhood in the Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) area. Broonzy had been diagnosed with throat and lung cancer, but he continued to perform until his death. Broonzy was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980.