Fifteen years ago this Sunday, the pioneering guitarist died in a single-vehicle accident off Highway 128 Rather than rue what might have been, those who loved the music of Michael Hedges should remember and celebrate what was. "It becomes an impediment to some extent.''. little bit restricted by the categorization that happens in the commercial end of music,'' But Hedges, Burgess said, considered himself a composer var plc208206 = window.plc208206 || 0; He was a guest musician on albums by David Crosby and Pat Martino, among others. and "deep-tissue gladiator guitar,'' according to Windham Hill's Web site. first -- one who just happened to play guitar, as well as flute, cello, clarinet and His flame went out when it was just starting to achieve full burn, and it is a great loss to the world. We'll hear some of his music in this remembrance of his career. When he was 3, he immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Scarsdale, N.Y. musician David Crosby, one of many to collaborate with Hedges, told the Associated Press. In the ensuing discussions with Burgess, the label expressed some initial interest in the notion of an album whose proceeds would benefit Hedges children, as a way to compensate somewhat for his lack of life insurance. cummings poem i carry your heart with David Crosby and Nash on harmonies; The Road to Return (1994), a collection of intensely personal material, predominately vocal; the Grammy-winning Oracle (1996), a return to solo guitar, again featuring a lone vocal. He caressed the guitar effortlessly and spun enchanted melodies from it. In the mid-1980s, he was assigned to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency as director of international security policy. It was released posthumously James Herbert Henry, 75, who retired in 1986 as a defense analyst and physicist with the Institute for Defense Analysis, died of congestive heart failure Nov. 30 at his home in Hollywood, Md. they're devastated,'' he said. His marriage to Virginia Ste. On this day 20 years agoDecember 2, 1997the amazing and influential fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges was killed when the car he was driving veered off a cliff in Mendocino County, California. Torched consists of recordings that guitarist Michael Hedges was working on at the time of his fatal automobile accident in December 1997. Mr. Parry, who lived in Chevy Chase, was born in London. var plc208206 = window.plc208206 || 0; Such an artist was Michael Hedges . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He received a master's degree in electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. McCollum, who lived in Chevy Chase, was born in North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina. He listened to Martin Carthy, John Martyn, and the Beatles, but his approach to composition owed much to Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varse, Anton Webern, and Steve Reich, in addition to experimental composers such as Morton Feldman. During the 1980s, Mr. McCollum served on the board of directors for Hospice Care of the District of Columbia. Michael once said that if he had a set formula, it would be one more limitation hed have to deal with; that he wasnt in this business to find limitations. The smart ones didnt hang around for autographs. Mr. Tyree was treasurer of the Northern Virginia Builders Association, an elder of Falls Church Presbyterian Church, a Mason and a member of the construction board of the National Capital Presbytery and the Washington Golf and Country Club. home Created by his family and friends, this website is a place to remember, celebrate and learn about the life and music of Michael Hedges. Elizabeth J. Walter, 73, an enthusiastic gardener and former first vice president of the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Garden Club, died of lung cancer Nov. 27 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. His body was discovered by a road crew Dec. 2, 120 feet down an embankment in a rural area. They had had Michael tour with them as an opening act, contribute his guitar playing and songwriting talents to their albums, and appear with them at numerous high-profile benefits. Among them, Torched will surely be among the most highly prized. I had a sense that there were a handful of songs that could be complete enough to release, says Burgess, but I wasnt able to envision it as a complete album. The working title for the book is Dream Out Loud: Michael Hedges, A Guitar Heros Journey. He eventually earned a degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Virginia McCorkle Tyree of Falls Church; four children, Mildred Tyree Ramsauer of Schwelm, Germany, the Rev. She graduated from Oberlin Conservatory. Santa Rosa Press Democrat, December 5, 1997. Hedges leaves two sons, Mischa, 11, and Jasper, 13, of Mendicino. He followed that with Live on the Double Planet (1987), a collection of live recordings featuring a roughly 50-50 mix of vocals and instrumentals; Taproot (1990), which featured a lone closing vocal, a stunning setting of the e.e. Acoustic guitarist Michael Hedges, one of the performers who helped establish the Windham Hill music label, has died in a car crash. Since earlier this year, Ms. Watkins had been music director of the Annapolis Symphony Chamber Orchestra and resident conductor of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. These shows included solo performances by Kottke and Hedges and, as a finale, a number of duets including performances of Kottke's "Doodles" with Hedges playing a high-strung parlor guitar. She received a master's degree in fine arts at the University of Northern Iowa. found dead down a steep embankment Tuesday. Mr. Hedges was driving to his Mendocino, Calif., home from San Francisco, where he had flown in Nov. 28 after spending Thanksgiving with his girlfriend on Long Island, N.Y., his manager, Hilleary Burgess, told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Ultimately, after much careful consideration, the consensus was that, under the circumstances, the interests of both the music and Michaels vision for it would best be served by the latter approach.. WebMichael Hedges, an acclaimed acoustic guitarist and composer known for his unusual two-handed picking style, was killed in an automobile crash. His own tongue-in-cheek description was "edgy pastoral," "heavy mental," "acoustic thrash" and "new edge.". Hedges toured briefly with Leo Kottke. had tumbled 120 feet over the cliff, apparently after skidding on a rain-slicked S-curve, Michael often credited David for his early awakening to the idea of altered guitar tunings, and CSNs influence on him was undeniable.. Survivors include two children, Courtney McCollum Doherty of Washington and Bradley C. McCollum of Gorham, Maine; a sister, Marguerite McCollum Howe of Winston-Salem, N.C.; and a brother, Henry E. McCollum Jr. of Martinsville, Va. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. But it wasnt until I met him that my suspicions of his warm personality were verified. Michael Hedges said heaven is all around, translated to sound. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Marie lived in the Washington area off and on from the late 1950s until the mid-1990s, when he moved from Arlington County to Rockledge. while driving home from San Francisco International Airport after a Thanksgiving visit to With his tragic death on a northern California highway in early December 1997, a great artistic voice was silenced. [Rory] Block introduced him as the guitar Buddha, and his music is indeed meditative but very playful and rarely peaceful.. var abkw = window.abkw || ''; Authorities still weren't certain Wednesday groundbreaking,'' Burgess said. But unlike most of the label's roster, he was a flamboyant virtuoso whose music pushed against boundaries. "Breakfast in the Field,'' recorded in 1983, "was looked upon as being However, he had always been so protective of his autonomy in the recording process, producing, engineering, and in most cases performing everything himself, that the idea of introducing any other sensibilities in his absence seemed, to Burgess, counter to the very nature of the project. I feel I can always hear his heart when he plays. WebIn December 1997, Hedges was tragically killed in an automobile accident on his way home from the San Francisco airport after an East Coast tour. Hedges died in a His honors included a Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Meritorious Service and Army Commendation medals. "Michael tore my head off," Ackerman once said of Mr. Hedges' playing. Mr. Tyree was a native of Lexington, Va., and a graduate of Virginia Military Institute. A 12-year resident of document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208206_'+plc208206+'">'); See the article in its original context from. in 1984, Hedges "blew the genre apart,'' according to a 1990 cover story in With its yearning melodies and expressive yet mature emotional language, Taproot reinforces Hedges' reputation as a gifted, self-realized composer, musician, and human being. WebThe closer "I Carry Your Heart" (adapted from the poetry of e.e. all over the country and people are just stunned,'' he said. Marie and Christine Ste. Hedges. Emily S. Moore, 81, a founding member of the Bren Mar Park Civic and Recreation associations and its Neighborhood Watch program in Fairfax County, died of stomach cancer Dec. 3 at Inova Fairfax Hospital. A resident of Chevy Chase, Dr. Argy was born in Washington and attended St. Anselm's School. According to his manager Hilleary Burgess, Hedges was driving home from San Francisco International Airport after a visit to a girlfriend in Long Island, New York. His body was found a few days afterward. Copyright 1997 NPR. Hedges' Aerial Boundaries album, released in 1984, included a tribute piece to the works of acoustic guitarist Pierre Bensusan, simply entitled "Bensusan". WebMichael Hedges is perhaps the most innovative and kinetic acoustic guitarist in the history of the instrument, but he is first and foremost a composer who plays guitar, not a guitarist who plays compositions. He was survived by his ex-wife A work crew discovered the guitarists body in his wrecked 1986 BMW Tuesday morning. He was 43, said his manager, Hillary Burgess. Survivors include two children, Shanie Gal-Edd and Neely Gal-Edd, both of Rockville; her companion, Bruce Trock of Rockville; her parents, Irving and Shirley Weiss of Silver Spring; and a brother, Robert Weiss of Arlington County. Marie of Virginia Beach; two stepchildren, Shaun Dougherty of Port St. Lucie, Fla. and Steven Dougherty of Sarasota, Fla.; a brother and two grandchildren. He was as good at friendship as he was at music and I miss him everyday., Steve Vai Michael was unique. A native of Oklahoma, he had trained classically on the Windham Hill co-founder and guitarist Will Ackerman first heard Hill record label. Frequently, she performed with the Theatre Chamber Players, with whom she had been scheduled to appear on the weekend of Dec. 6 and 7. Her husband, Ralph H. Holtje, died in 1979. Survivors include a son from his first marriage, John W. Parry, of Silver Spring; a son from his second marriage, Brian Parry of Chevy Chase; and two stepchildren, Stephen Brawer of Stockholm and Roberta Brawer of Cambridge, Mass. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ms. Gal-Edd was a member of B'nai Israel Congregation in Rockville. [1] He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound Mixing and has been nominated for another two in the same category. Without doubt Michael raised the bar and set new goals for upcoming guitar players with his unique sensibility and playing style. She studied conducting at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where she received the Artist Diploma in Conducting. Survivors include two sons. document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208209_'+plc208209+'">'); As a chamber music performer, Ms. Watkins performed with several international artists and had made recordings of chamber music and works for oboe and orchestras from the 18th century to the 20th century. Known for innovations such as simultaneously picking both ends of the guitar, Mr. Hedges resisted efforts to classify his music as new age, the sound Windham pioneered. It was so transcendently strong that it cut through even my drug haze. The first time I heard him play, I was stunned into silence. (Crashes investigated by agencies outside the Missouri State Highway Patrol are not included.) His early albums for Windham Hill included "Breakfast in the Field" (1983) and "Aerial Boundaries" (1984). He also was a tax consultant and operated a private security firm. His latest and, unfortunately, last studio album reflects just how talented he really was. In 1976, he enrolled at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where he studied composition, guitar and electronic music; he was also listening to guitarists like Pat Metheny and Ralph Towner. His marriages to Ellen Saxon and Suzanne McCollam ended in divorce. He also had been working on his next album, tentatively titled "Torched.". Survivors include a son, J. Terence Moore of Fairfax; two sisters; and a brother. He was 43. On a napkin, Ackerman signed Hedges to a recording contract with Windham Hill Records.[1]. recently ""Oracle'' in 1996. Mr. Hedges's first albums were primarily acoustic-guitar solos, but he soon added electric guitar, vocals and additional instruments, often overdubbing all the parts himself. by Don Record | Feb 23, 2022 | Career & Life, Taproot. Mr. Hedges died in When Michael built his studio in Mendocino I would take many trips up the coast to hang out with the Hedges family and record some original songs together. Survivors include his wife, Kay Ste. She also had been an arts and crafts counselor at Capitol Camps. Some of the songs have been live favorites for several years; others will be heard for the first time. Michael Munro, 31, from Orange, Connecticut, was named as the victim of the crash that took place on the Gracehill Road in Armoy, Co Antrim. Mr. Ertzinger, who was born in Huntington, Ind., graduated from Manchester College and received an accounting degree from Benjamin Franklin University. Her husband, Regis J. Walter, died in 1986. Marie, 67, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served largely in intelligence assignments and then was a civilian intelligence analyst, died Nov. 17 at a hospital in Rockledge, Fla. William Bradley Tyree Sr., 85, a retired general contractor, died of an intestinal blood clot Dec. 3 at his home in Falls Church. Subscribe to the Michael Hedges Newsletter. Because of my initial misgivings about turning anything over to the industry so soon after Michaels death, compounded by the fact that, personally, I wasnt immediately ready to spend a lot of time in Michaels studio listening to him sing, the album ended up revealing itself gradually over a period of months., Using Michaels notes, his own recollections, and the sometimes cryptic markings on tapes, Burgess was able to ascertain Michaels intended sequence. She later served on the wind and chamber music faculties at Peabody. ", In recent years, Mr. Hedges lived in Mendocino, recording in his Naked Ear Music studio. The world is a much better place because of the music that Michael made. Graham Nash, Michael Hedges Music is old and new, delicate and powerful. Early in his recording career, noting the enthusiastic response of concert audiences to his original vocal numbers, Windham Hill gave Hedges the opportunity to record Watching My Life Go By (1985), an all vocal album produced by Elliot Mazer for its Open Air label, which also hosted Jane Siberrys U.S. debut. She was a legal secretary in Washington in the early 1950s. Burke said it appeared that Mr. Hedges' car skidded off a curve and down a steep embankment a few days earlier. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. He joined the Windham Hill label in 1980 and released his first record in '81, "Breakfast In The Fields." Robert M. Guth, 69, a retired senior U.S. intelligence officer, died of cancer Nov. 23 at his home in Falls Church. "Guitar Player'' magazine. As a songwriter, Michael didnt have a standard M.O. Says Hedges long-time friend and manager Hilleary Burgess, With Torched, I think Michael hoped to cast off some of the artificial limits that had subtly been imposed on him by his success as a composer and instrumentalist. ""I mean, I was somewhat aware of that, but I'm becoming These Echoes recordings of Gospel, Sofa No 1, and Rickovers Dream later appeared on the compilation CD Beyond Boundaries, but sadly, those tracks are not included on any current streaming versions of the album,. WebMichael Hedges is a sound engineer from Wellington, New Zealand. He also studied electronic music at Stanford University. After serving as radar officer with the Royal Canadian Navy during the 1940s, he came to the United States. Survivors include her husband, John Shirley-Quirk, and three children, Ben, Emily and Julia Lucy, all of Clarksville. He also studied electronic music at Stanford University, where he met Windham Hill co-founder and guitarist Will Ackerman. At the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, Accident won the Grand This story includes information from Windham Hill's Web Burke said it appeared that Hedges car had skidded off a curve and down a steep embankment a few days earlier. He apparently had died several days earlier "He really touched a lot of people,'' a still-numb Michael Hedges, an acoustic guitarist and composer known for his unusual two-handed picking style, was killed in an automobile crash at age 43. William P. Argy, 63, a physician and kidney specialist who had been a full professor at Georgetown University medical school since 1981, died of a heart attack Dec. 2 at Georgetown University Hospital. If what they say about reincarnation is true, next time, I hope were in a band together., Click to view the original document from Torched, by Mischa Hedges | Mar 8, 2022 | Breakfast in the Field, Career & Life, Michael's Lyrics & Sound. award, as was "Taproot,'' released in 1990. His life in music began in Enid, Oklahoma, playing flute and guitar. Seven years later, he became a professor at George Washington University and served as associate director of the university's Social Research Group, which among other topics examined attitudes toward drug use. He attended Washington and Lee University law school. WebMendocino guitarist Michael Hedges, an innovative and eclectic musician with a national following, was identified Wednesday as the victim of a fatal weekend car crash on From 1978 until his retirement in 1992, Mr. Guth was an intelligence officer with the permanent staff of Intelligence Community Staff, an interagency organization headed by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. liked to be flexible about his schedule. It was like watching the guitar being reinvented.'' Michael Hedges died just after Thanksgiving, a holiday that celebrates gratitude. Eventually Hedges earned a degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. He was 43. Once in a blue moon, an our artist comes along who totally redefines his or her musical territory. Mendocino guitarist Michael Hedges, an innovative and Later, she taught school in Detroit and in Abington Heights, Pa., where she retired in 1989. He was working on a new album tentatively called He had a heart ailment. Hedges was thrown from his car and appeared to have died nearly instantly. He graduated from Syracuse University and received a master's degree in international affairs from Boston University. Hedges' sons from a previous marriage, Mischa, 13, and Sometimes a song would originate with a musical idea; other times it would be a concept or a phrase. Mendocino and father of two young boys, Hedges was best known for his work on the Windham For eight years, she had been a teacher at the Jewish Community Center. The accident cut short the brilliant career of one of the steel-string guitars most unique voices. Burgess said family and friends in Mendocino Subsequent releases included the Grammy-nominated "Aerial Boundaries" ('84) and "Taproot" ('90), as well as "Oracle" in 1996. OTIS R. McCOLLUM Stockbroker. exactly when Hedges died, but said they believed he was dead for at least two days before For more than twenty years many of us have waited for a book that captures Michaels compositional genius, innovative guitar techniques and tunings, his unique approach to performance and recording, along with the triumphs, adventures and Mr. Williams was born in Westport, Conn., and attended Cornell University. According to his manager Hilleary Burgess, Hedges was driving home from San Francisco International Airport after a visit to a girlfriend in Long Island, New York. He attended Naenae College. His 36-year marriage to Hilda Hutchins McCollum ended in divorce in 1996. After serving in the Army during the Korean War, he graduated from the Naval War College and began a career with the Defense Intelligence Agency. A son from his second marriage, Josiah Shaler Williams, died in January. For the last 3 1/2 years, she had lived both in Clarks Summit, Pa. and Alexandria, where she took art classes at the Torpedo Factory. Hedges was thrown from his car and appeared to have died nearly instantly. The 43-year-old Grammy nominee was Survivors include four children, Glenn Holtje of Catlett, Va., Lynn Forconi of Silver Spring, Nelson Holtje of Edgewater, Md. WebTorched is the final recording guitarist Michael Hedges was working on at the time of his death, caused by a fatal car accident on December 2, 1997. His early recordings and most of the Breakfast in the Field album were recorded on the Ken DuBourg guitar and his Martin D-28, named "Barbara". Susan Gal-Edd, 44, a kindergarten and preschool teacher at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, died of cancer Dec. 1 at her home in Rockville. Not only did I know what must have gone into practicing and performing his pieces, but I could also tell so much about his personality by the way he played. Click on a letter to view crashes by troop. Her avocations included flower arranging, travel and interior design. He was born in Zurich. He saw himself as a composer who played guitar, rather than a guitarist who composed music. Survivors include two children, Regis J. Walter Jr. and Barbara M. Rebstock, and a granddaughter, all of Gaithersburg. Her marriage to Jonathan Gal-Edd ended in divorce. 28:56. Survivors include his wife, Whitney Watriss, and their daughter, Samantha Williams, both of Washington; a daughter from his first marriage, Tonia Saxon of Ithaca, N.Y.; a daughter from his second marriage, Jennifer Porter of Reisterstown, Md. Marie of Rockledge; four children from his first marriage, Denise Ste. Hedges also was working on projects at his private Naked Her avocations included horse-race handicapping, University of Maryland sports and doing crossword puzzles. Burgess. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Carolyn Ertzinger and their son, Richard, both of Rockville; and two grandchildren. He also was a vocalist and had recorded two albums that were primarily vocal, Nonetheless, his early recordings for the label, including the astounding Aerial Boundaries (1984), which has been called one of the most important acoustic guitar records ever made, did much to help establish Windham Hills dominance in the then-emerging new age genre. Michael Hedges, an acoustic guitarist and composer known for his unusual two-handed picking style, has died in an automobile crash. He won a guitar scholarship to the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp and went on to study music at Phillips University in Enid. ROBERT M. GUTH Senior Intelligence Officer. Its truly musical, fun, and enlightening. The incident took place near popular tourist attraction Dark Hedges, made popular by TV show Game of Thrones. He retired in 1993. Bensusan posthumously returned tribute on his 2001 release Intuite ("Favored Nations"), with a composition entitled "So Long Michael". In high school, he also played the flute in the stage band. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was a special education teacher in Prince George's County schools. We remember him here with a video of Hedges playing his best-known original piece, Aerial Boundaries, which appeared on a hit Windham Hill album of the same name in 1984. if (!window.AdButler){(function(){var s = document.createElement("script"); s.async = true; s.type = "text/javascript";s.src = 'https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);}());} var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; (Hot Springs in Lake County) for a couple of days,'' Burgess said. Marie-Barry of Springfield, Lisa Ste. I said, Please come home with me and do that again. He did I have loved him with my whole heart ever since. A work crew discovered the guitarist's body in his wrecked 1986 BMW on Tuesday morning. After high school, she was a secretary and an administrative assistant at the atomic energy division of Westinghouse in Pittsburgh. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. So I thought: This is what I need to write about!, The lyrics of several of the songs on Torched reflect these ruminations; most notably Free Swinging Soul and Rough Wind in Oklahoma. Michael often introduced the latter to audiences as a song about turning 40. Other songs on Torched relate to specific events in his life. A resident of Clarksville, Ms. Watkins was born in Illinois. She graduated from American University and received a master's degree in special education at George Washington University. He made extensive use of string damping as employed in classical guitar, and was known to insist strongly on the precise duration of sounds and silences in his pieces. His 1990 album, ''Taproot,'' was nominated for a Grammy Award as best New Age album. Michael Hedges was sent Susan McCorkle Tyree-Cuevas of Fairfax, and William Bradley Tyree Jr. and Virginia Ann Tyree Colligan, both of Falls Church; and a grandson. var plc208209 = window.plc208209 || 0; He began playing piano, cello and clarinet while growing up in Enid, Okla. He had a second home in St. Simons Island, Ga. In his second album, " Aerial Boundaries'', released textures that made it sound like many instruments at once. He showed up at my house and invited me into his traveling home (his van) and gave me a private concert. WILLIAM P. ARGY Physician. The son of Thayne Alden Hedges and Ruth Evelyn Hedges Ipsen, Michael Hedges was born in Sacramento, California. Hedges' first two albums for Windham Hill were Breakfast in the Field and Aerial Boundaries. Friday evening and called Burgess from the plane, but the accident could have occurred as document.write('<'+'div id="placement_208209_'+plc208209+'">'); But now, Michael Hedges last recordings have been assembled into a magnificent final tribute, Torched, the album he was working on at the time of his death. He also studied electronic music at Stanford University, where he met Windham Hill co-founder and guitarist Will Ackerman. There, he incorporated vocals into albums such as "Taproot" (1990) and "The Road To Return" (1994), but he had returned to instrumentals in his most recent album, "Oracle. Authorities say the incident happened around 9:00 a.m. along Route 50 near River Road in Athens. var plc208209 = window.plc208209 || 0; In his retirement, he served as executive director of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and assistant vice president of B.F. Saul Real Estate Co. Make a pledge to support our work (and get special perks in return.). Hedges' first album, He was an expert witness in auto and motorcycle liability lawsuits and he was a consultant with the State Department, VISTA, the Peace Corps and the Navy. The rest is told in his gripping visuals, The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist. studied electronic music at Stanford University, according to another Web site devoted to He served with the Navy in the Aleutian Islands during World War II, then became an intelligence officer with the occupation forces in Germany after the war. She left the National Symphony in 1981 to pursue a dual career as a soloist and conductor, and in the years since she had played and conducted with major orchestras and at music festivals in the United States, Europe and South America. After Michael, it goes from near the rest of us, where he found it, to out on the other side of the world, where he set it down for just a little while. North Main St., Fort Bragg 95437. In the mid-90s, his studies with Chi Kung master Paulie Zink led him to explore other aspects of eastern philosophy and spirituality, and eventually brought him to The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which became a major influence. His work as a singer/songwriter was, to him, as important a part of his life-blood as his guitar work, and he wanted that to be reflected as much in his recordings as it had always been on stage. On this day 20 years agoDecember 2, 1997the amazing and influential fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges was killed when the car he was driving veered off a Private security firm late 1970s and early 1980s, she was a flamboyant virtuoso whose pushed... Comes along who totally redefines his or her musical territory songwriter, Michael Hedges, one the! She also had been an arts and crafts counselor at Capitol Camps along who totally redefines his or her territory. `` Torched. `` his van ) and gave me a private security.! 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