Les Blank. Photo: Harrod Blank
Documentary filmmaker Les Blank, notable for his interest in American roots music, died Sunday, April 7, at age 77 in Berkeley, CA.
Blank created short films that spotlighted the music of Appalachian fiddler Tommy Jarrell, zydeco music great Clifton Chenier, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Huey Lewis, Ry Cooder and blues immortals Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin’ Hopkins, as well as polka artists, Cajun fiddlers, Texas norteno bands, cowboy music and Mardi Gras culture. He was also notable for a full-length movie about acclaimed film director Werner Herzog.
He was the recipient of lifetime achievement awards from the American Film Institute and the International Documentary Association.
Several of his early films were financed by Houston, TX businessman John Lomax II, the father of Nashville music figure John Lomax III.
Les Blank is survived by children Harrod Blank, Ferris Robinson and Beau Blank as well as three grandchildren.
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Robert K. Oermann is a longtime contributor to MusicRow. He is a respected music critic, author and historian.View Author Profile
