Songwriter and Roots Guitarist Stephen Bruton Dies

Stephen Bruton, a songwriter, actor, and producer who also served as a guitarist for Bonnie Raitt and Kris Kristofferson, died Saturday in Los Angeles of complications from cancer. He was 60.

Bruton hailed from Fort Worth, Texas, and played in Kristofferson’s band for nearly 40 years. His guitar work can be heard on albums by Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, and Waylon Jennings. Bruton also released five solo albums, with a sixth, Starlight and Stone, due out this fall.

“Stephen is an extraordinarily influential character,” longtime friend T Bone Burnett told The LA Times; Bruton introduced the song “O Death” to the producer, who made it the centerpiece of the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. “He had broad knowledge of music and music history. He never was a household name, but his influence behind the scenes has been profound, and it will be felt for a long, long time.”

Bonnie Raitt performed Bruton’s song “Too Many Memories,” (recorded by both Patty Loveless and Hank Ketchum) at her concert in Austin, Texas on Sunday, which features the following lyrics:

There are those moments and they just never fade
Like the look in her eyes and the way the light played
God moved in that moment and the angels all cried
And they gave you a memory that you’ll have till you die
Now the lesson you learned and you don’t dare forget
What makes you grow old is replacing hope with regret

Burnett called it “one of the best songs anybody’s written in at least the last 30 years, and I suspect it’ll be a huge hit now.”

To learn more about Stephen Bruton and to hear his music, visit his website.