Hosea Leavy RIP

More bad blues news. Hosea Leavy has also passed away. Bob Corritore has the info below.

• RIP Hosea Leavy 11/26/1927- 08/12/2008: Another great one is gone. Fresno, California blues singer and guitarist Hosea Leavy died on Monday, August 12, 2008 of liver cancer. He was 80 years old. Born in Altheimer, Arkansas, just outside of Little Rock, he learned blues guitar from his father, and played throughout Arkansas before venturing out west during the 1960s. In 1968, Hosea's younger brother Calvin Leavy would record the hit record “Cummings Prison Farm” for Soul Beat Records, featuring Hosea's combo as the backing band. This led to a string of subsequent singles for both Calvin and Hosea. In 1977, Hosea settled permanently in Fresno, where he became a major part of that town's blues scene. In the 1990s, drummer Chris Millar produced sessions with Hosea that led to his only CDs, You Gotta Move, and a collaboration with Harmonica Slim called Cold Tacos and Warm Beer on the Fedora record label. A few additional cuts appear on the now out of print CD West Fresno Blues Masters, also on Fedora. A stirring vocalist and down home guitarist, Hosea had toured Europe and recently made a well-received appearance at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Don Heflin of Central Valley Blues Society and Deja Blues reports the following funeral information: The funeral service for Hosea Leavy (Granddaddy of the Blues) will be held this Friday, August 22, 2008 at 1pm. It will be at the Cooley Funeral Home, located at 1830 S. Fruit Ave, Fresno, CA 93706, tel. (559)268-6123. Afterwards, there will be a music celebration of life at the Hinton Community Center, 2385 S. Fairview Ave, Fresno, CA 93706, tel. (559)497-0795. To read the Hosea’s obituary in the Fresno Beehive, click here.