I learned yesterday that Piedmont blues guitarist John Cephas died on March 4 at the age of 78. He and his musical partner Phil Wiggins spent time with Howard Armstrong at the Centrum Country Blues Festival in Port Townsend, Washington, when I was making “Sweet Old Song.” In the film they play “Louie Bluie Blues” together and talk about the fact that young African Americans aren’t generally into this kind of music anymore. But, John says, “The music is still there. It hasn’t died and it’s not going to die. Because it’s recorded. And there are people who are interested.”

Click here for John Cephas’ obituary and here for the Cephas and Wiggins Web site and keep the music alive.