Margaret Branch, longtime Aretha Franklin background singer has passed. Ms. Branch often appeared in concert with Aretha Franklin, and sang on many of her albums, noticeably LIVE AT THE FILLMORE WEST. plus YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK, LET ME IN YOUR LIFE, GET IT RIGHT, and many more,

She also was in the first BLUES BROTHERS movie in the restaurant scene on "Think".

Ms, Branch also sang in the groups The Sounds Of Soul, and The Sweethearts of Soul and with The Edwin Hawkins Singers, sometimes her name was spelled Margarette.

[Edited 6/21/18 18:04pm]

[Edited 6/22/18 15:54pm]

Matt Murphy (December 29, 1929 - June 15, 2018)

By Esha Ray Jun 17, 2018 NY Daily News

Matt "Guitar" Murphy, seen in 1963, had a long career playing with the greats of blues.

Matt "Guitar" Murphy, a renowned blues guitarist who played with The Blues Brothers and jammed with musical heavyweights Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry, died Friday. He was 88.

Murphy's nephew Floyd Murphy Jr. confirmed his death in a Facebook post. It was unclear how he died.

A bluesman throughout his life, Murphy rose to fame when he joined The Blues Brothers, a band founded by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1978 as part of a musical sketch on "Saturday Night Live."

Murphy went on to appear in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers" and its 1998 sequel "Blues Brothers 2000" as the husband of a cafe owner played by Aretha Franklin.

The famed musician continued performing with The Blues Brothers until the early 2000s when he suffered from a stroke, according to Deadline.

"He was a strong man that lived a long long fruitfull (sic) life that poured his heart out in every guitar solo he took," Murphy Jr., who played with his uncle, wrote on Friday. "The master is upstairs now."

Aykroyd called Murphy "immensely talented" in his own Facebook post Saturday.

"The Blues Brothers would not have been what they were without Matt's playing power, stage magnetism and knowledge of music," he wrote.

Murphy was born in Sunflower, Miss., in December 1929, and moved to Memphis as a toddler. As a teen, he became well-known in the Memphis blues scene with his brother Floyd.

Eventually he moved to Chicago to work alongside musicians like blues singer Chester (Howlin' Wolf) Burnett and harmonica player James Cotton, Deadline reported.

In 1982, Murphy started his own band. He was touring up until recently, according to Deadline.

Fellow musicians and actors took to Twitter Saturday to mourn his death.

"He was the real deal. Incredible musician. Always called me "big stick". We will all miss you Matt. RIP," wrote Keith Carlock, a drummer who played with The Blues Brothers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"RIP Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, one of those play-all-night guys that rock 'n' roll is made of," wrote actor Michael McKean.

All the greats are gone.

2freaky4church1 said:

lool said:

We still have Dino.

The guy who sang I Like It, 24/7, & Summergirls? What does he have to do with Aretha Franklin?

°

[Edited 6/26/18 4:40am]

lool said:

2freaky4church1 said:

All the greats are gone.

We still have Dino.

RIP

Margaret is right behind Aretha in the center