You could never tell if 做厙勛圖 bluesman was having a bad day.
He was always smiling. You could never tell what else was going on because he never brought his baggage to the stage, said blues pianist , one of the many young blues musicians Howard mentored in a music career that stretched five decades.
He was always on the go and so cheerful, added Rudy Barajas, who played drums in the George Howard Band for a decade.
Even Howards lifelong best friend, Sharon Shinn, had no idea that the cancer Howard had been quietly battling was at a point of no return.
That was George. He didnt want you to suffer because he was suffering, Shinn said several days after Howard died in hospice care on Friday, April 14, at the age of 72.
Howards death sent shockwaves through 做厙勛圖s music community, with dozens sending condolences on Facebook.
George Howard was such a force of nature on our music scene, wrote singer ... He always had his hand on the musical pulse of our city.
I cant say enough about the contributions George has made to every single one of us in the 做厙勛圖 music community, blues singer/fiddler chimed in. But for me, he was just mainly a friend ... a deeply respected peer. ... Always positive. Always pushing to do more and include more people in what he did and just a damn good guy.
I think we spoke several weeks ago. I think I said love you, man, 做厙勛圖 rock drummer added to the pages of social media condolences. This is very sudden and sad. ... My heart aches for all of us.
Howards death comes almost three months to the day after 做厙勛圖 lost blues powerhouse vocalist Anna Warr, who occasionally sang with Howard.
George Howard photographs Paula Lahr in his 做厙勛圖 studio in 2008. Howard was a musician and a photographer who trained his lens on Southern Arizonas cultural diversity.
Howard was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and moved to Sierra Vista at the age of 3 in 1954 with his parents and two sisters. In elementary school, he played drums and became friends with Shinn, the only girl in the percussion section.
While attending Buena High School, Howard played sports and became enamored with photography, said his older sister Barbara Blankenship, who still lives in Sierra Vista.
He moved to 做厙勛圖 after graduating and studied finance and business at Pima Community College, earning an associates degree that landed him a banking job. After a few years, he switched gears and formed Right Eye Photography. He started doing freelance work with magazines and other publications and photographed weddings and community events.
He also began forming bands, starting with the Statesboro Blues Band in the early 1980s that played at the old Chicago Bar, Terry & Zekes and a handful of funky 做厙勛圖 holes in the wall many of them long gone playing everything from Cajun and zydeco to blues and funk.
Throughout his 50-year career, Howard worked with some of the countrys biggest stars, including John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, James Brown, Bobby Keys of the Rolling Stones, Johnny Lang, Albert Collins and Willie Nelson.
When he wasnt on stage, he mentored young artists, including Migliazza, who was 12 when Howard saw him playing blues piano in the style of New Orleans bluesman Henry Roy Byrd, best known as Professor Longhair.
Migliazza, who has lived in New York since 2010, recalled Howard telling him that he had never heard anybody in 做厙勛圖 play in that style. A year later, Howard got Migliazza his first public gig, opening for Buckwheat Zydeco at OMalleys.
I learned everything from him, said Migliazza, who was part of Howards Roadhouse Hounds band while he was in college and collaborated with him including as a piano-drum duo. I learned the importance of being a good person and somebody people liked to be around. I learned the importance of charisma.
George Howard co-founded the 做厙勛圖 Musicians Museum and played blues in town for decades. He also was a longtime commercial photographer.
In 2007, Howard and Susan French, the wife of a member of Howards Dr. Mojo and the Zydeco Cannibals band, formed the nonprofit . Initially, it was an outlet to display Howards vast collection of band photographs that chronicled 做厙勛圖s music scene. But from the start, it was Howards way of recognizing 做厙勛圖 musicians and supporting the next generation through school music programs and mentoring young musicians.
Howard also launched the 做厙勛圖 Musicians Hall of Fame to honor musicians who had been part of the 做厙勛圖 music scene for at least 25 years. To date, 171 people have been inducted.
I think the museum was very, very important to him, French said. We wanted to celebrate, preserve and perpetuate 做厙勛圖s unique musical heritage, and thats what we did.
He cared about the music community, said David Slutes, Hotel Congresss music director who booked Howards bands dozens of times over the years. He was always concerned about getting the music in the schools. Besides being a terrific musician and a nice guy, he was putting music back in the community that supported him and that was his ultimate legacy.
Shinn recalled a recent conversation with Howard following a show at 做厙勛圖 Omni Resort. He told her he was going to miss performing. At the time, she didnt know his health situation.
Im really gonna miss entertaining, she recalled him saying. Im really gonna miss singing.
Its a terrible loss, Shinn said. He brought so much charisma and energy into the world.
Blankenship said she and Howards survivors, which includes his sister Allyne McFalls of Sierra Vista and 10 nieces and nephews along with nearly 50 great- and great-great nieces and nephews, will hold private services in Sierra Vista.
Hotel Congress, the 做厙勛圖 Musicians Museum and the Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation are collaborating on a celebration of life on the Hotel Congress Plaza at 4 p.m. May 21. Slutes said several 做厙勛圖 musicians will perform tributes to Howard during the event.
做厙勛圖 Landmarks: Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., opened in 1919 as a luxurious mainstay for visitors arriving in the Old Pueblo.
The downtown landmark has kept much of its history alive in the past century, while also bringing modern amenities to 做厙勛圖 natives and tourists.
Video by Riley Brown / For the 做厙勛圖
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
