Famed jazz and R&B guitarist Cornell Dupree passed away Sunday, May 8, in his hometown of Fort Worth, TX. He was 69 years old.

At 19, the blues musician joined King Curtis and the Kingpins, playing alongside a young Jimi Hendrix. In the 1960s, he became one of Atlantic Records' studio stars, earning the nickname “Mr. 2500” for the number of recording sessions he reportedly played.

As a member of Atlantic's New York house band, he played on the Live at the Fillmore West albums by Curtis and Aretha Franklin as well as sets by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack.

Dupree also played for Bill Withers, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Herbie Mann, James Brown and Jimmy Smith.

He also released ten solo albums, with 1988's Coast to Coast receiving a Grammy nomination.

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