British blues artist Long John Baldry, who helped discover several music superstars including Rod Stewart, has died in Vancouver after a long illness, his agent said Friday.
Baldry, 64, died late Thursday in a Vancouver hospital surrounded by friends and family after a four-month fight with severe chest infection, Frank Garcia said in a statement posted on Baldry’s Web site.
A hospital official confirmed the death.
Baldry, who was nicknamed Long John because of his 6’7” height, was considered a founding father of the British blues and rock ’n roll scene in the 1960s. He had lived and worked in Canada for the past 25 years.
Baldry’s early projects such as Blues Inc., Cyril Davis and the All Stars and the Hoochie Coochie Men featured a plethora of musicians would would go onto superstardom: Stewart, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, and Jimmy Page.
Elton John, then known as Reg Dwight, also performed with Baldry.