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- Blues guitarist Blind Willie McTell was born in Thompson, GA, in 1901. His mother taught him how to play guitar when he was young (accounts differ as to how he became blind; some historians say he was born blind, others that he was blinded as a teenager). When his mother died he left home and hooked up with a succession of traveling medicine shows and carnivals. He played in Atlanta with such blues artists as Buddy Moss and Curley Weaver at various community events, such as fish fries and house parties, and his reputation as a virtuoso on the 12-string guitar grew to the point where in 1927 he recorded albums for Victor Records, and in 1928 for Columbia Records. He continued recording into the 1930s, and because of contractual disputes and obligations, he often used pseudonyms when he recorded for smaller labels. In any case, however, he had a string of respectable hits as both a performer and a songwriter (his most famous composition, "Statesboro Blues", was recorded by The Allman Brothers Band in 1969 and became their signature song when they performed in concerts).
After World War II he signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records, and in 1949 with Regal Records. Unfortunately, his albums didn't do well, as by this time his type of music was fading away. He returned to Atlanta, where he went back to his old habit of singing on street corners. In 1981 he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame.
He died in Milledgeville, GA. - Alfred Kubin was born on 10 April 1877 in Leitmeritz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Litomerice, Czech Republic]. He was a writer, known for Dream City (1973) and Cineficción Radio (2019). He was married to Hedwig. He died on 19 August 1959 in Zwickledt, Austria.
- Else Günther-Geffers was a German parapsychological medium. When she was four years old, she had warned neighbors that the Neuwieder Kathedrale (Cathedral in Neuwieder, East Prussia) would burn down. Four days later the cathedral did burn down. While attending Turnschule (physical education class), young Else remarked to a girl who stood next to her in class: "You better not exercise today, for before long you are due to have a baby." An indignant teacher expelled Else for this "wicked and untrue" remark. It didn't take the school authorities long, however, to discover that Else had spoken the truth and she was reinstated. Else married in 1897 at the age of 26. Her husband Kurt Günther was a businessman in Königsberg. The couple had four children. In 1912 Else Günther-Geffers began to read palms and give advice to acquaintances regarding sale of land, investments and petty thievery. Around 1922 she began working professionally with telepathy, in addition to chiromancy (palmistry) and clairvoyance. The media celebrated her as a maverick medium, which lead to her being hired for criminal investigations by police and court officials, as well as members of the public who desperately hoped for cases involving loved ones to be solved. She appeared in the 1929 German silent horror film "Somnambul" directed by Adolf Trotz. Several books were written about Else in the late 1920s, and newspapers continued to report about her as well, such as when she visited her son Armin in New York in 1932. After World War II, Else Günther-Geffers settled in Brandenburg, where she only worked as a spiritual healer. She died on August 19, 1959 in Treuenbrietzen, East Germany.
- Actor
Dewey Skipworth was born on 28 July 1899 in Alabama, USA. He was an actor. He died on 19 August 1959 in Los Angeles, California, USA.