John Cephas, a Piedmont blues guitarist and singer with the duo Cephas & Wiggins, has died.
He was 78. Cephas' label, Alligator Records, said Cephas died of natural causes today at his home in Bowling Green.
Cephas, a 1989 National Heritage Fellowship Award winner, was known for his delicate finger picking and baritone vocals. He served on the executive committee of the National Council for the Traditional Arts and also founded the Washington, D.C., Blues Society.
After performing extensively overseas, Cephas and Phil Wiggins recorded their first U.S. album "Dog Days of August" in 1987. It won a Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.
Most recently, Cephas performed at the National Folk Festival in Richmond in 2007 and appeared at Ashland Coffee & Tea last year.
He was honored as one of the Library of Virginia's 2009 African American Trailblazers last week but was too sick to attend the reception. He sent recorded remarks saying how touched he was by the honor.
--The Associated Press
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