BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Albert Washington, 59, a leader in Cincinnati's blues scene for more than 35 years, died Friday in Columbus after a long battle with diabetes.
Unable to perform for much of the '90s because of health problems, Mr. Washington is remembered as the area's top modern bluesman.
"Most of the people playing blues in Cincinnati, especially in the older school, they came through Albert's bands," said Washington protege Sweet Alice Hoskins, counting such prominent names as H-Bomb Ferguson and the late Big Ed Thompson.
Another was former Cincinnatian Steve Tracy, who performed with Mr. Washington and wrote about him in his local blues history, Going to Cincinnati.
"Albert was like a mentor to me," said Mr. Tracy, who teaches black studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. "He would ask me to come up and play with his band. That was my entrance to performing in public. That was the greatest thing in the world to me."
Mr. Washington performed at such past area nightspots as Vet's Lounge, the Viking Lounge, the Soul Lounge and the Sha-Rah Lounge. The last is now Sonny's All Blues Lounge. Owner Sonny Lewis held a benefit last December for the ailing Mr. Washington, whose Madisonville home burned in February 1996. Mr. Lewis is planning a tribute to the late bluesman Nov. 8 at his club.
Mr. Washington began his career on guitar, but in recent years, as his diabetes worsened, he concentrated on keyboards, which allowed him to sit down. He augmented his musical income as a painter and car detailer.
Born in Rome, Ga., he came to Cincinnati in the late 1940s. His mother, Helen, wanted him to be a gospel singer, but in 1962, after her death, he began singing the blues in a style influenced by former gospel star Sam Cooke.
Mr. Washington recorded for such companies as Bluestown, Eastbound and the Cincinnati labels Fraternity, Jewel and his own Preston. His style ranged from modern blues to Southern soul, including "You're Gonna Miss Me," "Doggin' Me Around" and "Turn on the Bright Lights."
His records failed to chart, but became classics to blues collectors in the States, Europe and Japan. Mr. Washington is the only contemporary Cincinnati musician listed in the Blues Who's Who.
He remained active in the blues as long as health permitted. "He was my inspiration," Ms. Hoskins said. "He could sing . . . every night, all night, and I never heard his voice crack. He was as talented as B.B. King or any of them. But he just never got the breaks."
Mr. Washington is survived by: his wife, Deborah Davenport Washington; a brother, Carl Burnside of Detroit; a sister, Ruth Washington of North Carolina; 10 children, Lisa Yates and Alden, Aaron, Partania and Jerry Washington, all of Columbus; Mary Cody, JefferyDavenport and Charles, Chester and Debbie Washington, all of Cincinnati; 23 grandchildren; and manygreat-grandchildren.
Visitation will be noon-12:30 p.m. Friday at Naegele, Kleb & Ihlendorf Funeral Home, 3900 Montgomery Road, Norwood. A procession will leave at 12:30 for Baltimore Pike Cemetery, 3200 Costello Ave., Westwood.
Donations can be made to: The Albert Washington Fund, 5369 Broadview Road, Gahanna, Ohio 43230.
