Henry Charles Vestine (December 25, 1944 â€" October 20, 1997) a.k.a.
"The Sunflower", was an American guitar player primarily known as a
member of the band Canned Heat. He was with the group from its start
in 1966 to July 1969. In later years he played in local bands but
occasionally returned to Canned Heat for a few tours and recordings.In
2003 Vestine was ranked 77th in Rolling Stone magazine list of the
"100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".Born in Takoma Park, Maryland,
Vestine was the only son of Harry and Lois Vestine. His father was a
noted geophysicist and meteorologist. The Vestine Crater on the Moon
had been named posthumously after his father who discovered it. Henry
Vestine married twice, first in 1965 and in the mid-1970s to Lisa
Lack, with whom he moved to Anderson, South Carolina. In 1980 they had
a son, Jesse. In 1983, after they separated, Vestine moved to
Oregon.Vestine's love of music and the blues in particular was
fostered at an early age when he accompanied his father on canvasses
of black neighborhoods for old recordings. Like his father, Henry
became an avid collector, eventually owning tens of thousands of
recordings of blues, hillbilly, country, and Cajun music. At Henry’s
urging, his father also used to take him to blues shows at which he
and Henry were often the only white people present. Later Henry was
instrumental in the "rediscovery" of Skip James and other Delta
musicians.
"The Sunflower", was an American guitar player primarily known as a
member of the band Canned Heat. He was with the group from its start
in 1966 to July 1969. In later years he played in local bands but
occasionally returned to Canned Heat for a few tours and recordings.In
2003 Vestine was ranked 77th in Rolling Stone magazine list of the
"100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".Born in Takoma Park, Maryland,
Vestine was the only son of Harry and Lois Vestine. His father was a
noted geophysicist and meteorologist. The Vestine Crater on the Moon
had been named posthumously after his father who discovered it. Henry
Vestine married twice, first in 1965 and in the mid-1970s to Lisa
Lack, with whom he moved to Anderson, South Carolina. In 1980 they had
a son, Jesse. In 1983, after they separated, Vestine moved to
Oregon.Vestine's love of music and the blues in particular was
fostered at an early age when he accompanied his father on canvasses
of black neighborhoods for old recordings. Like his father, Henry
became an avid collector, eventually owning tens of thousands of
recordings of blues, hillbilly, country, and Cajun music. At Henry’s
urging, his father also used to take him to blues shows at which he
and Henry were often the only white people present. Later Henry was
instrumental in the "rediscovery" of Skip James and other Delta
musicians.
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