Cornell Dupree born 19 December 1942

Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist who worked on over 2,500 recording sessions. He played R&B and blues, but he was equally at home in jazz, particularly funky fusion and soul-jazz. 

Dupree was born in Fort Worth, Texas, a city that produced many notable blues and jazz musicians. His first music lessons were on the saxophone, but at the age of 13 he saw a show by Johnny "Guitar" Watson and was impressed enough to make the switch to the instrument of which he would eventually become a master. King Curtis, another native of Fort Worth, invited Dupree to travel to New York and join his band, the King Pins, who were in regular employment in clubs and recording studios, reaping the rewards of such hits as Soul Twist and Soul Serenade. 

Dupree and his wife Erma made the move, the couple settling into a one-room flat on Central Park South. He became a session musician soon after and was a part of the Atlantic Records studio band. That’s his guitar playing on Aretha’s “Respect” and the album “Aretha Live at Fillmore West.” 

He would go on to work with many legendary artists like Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Lou Rawls, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, Lena Horne, Roberta Flack, Joe Cocker, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, and countless others. In the mid-’60s, he worked alongside Jimi Hendrix and played in an opening band for The Beatles. 

Dupree was also a member of Aretha Franklin's touring band from 1967-1976, and during that time also became a presence on many jazz-funk recordings, the sort that would find favour with rare groove and acid jazz fans in the years to come. Some of his prettiest guitar lines colored one of the most melancholy and sentimental songs in rhythm and blues, Brook Benton’s 1970 recording of “Rainy Night in Georgia.” 

                  Here's "Okie dokie stomp" from above album.

                            

The guitarist, who earned the nickname Uncle Funky, began releasing solo  albums. His first jazz session as a leader was 1974's Teasin', which was followed by Saturday Night Fever in 1977, and Shadow Dancing in 1978. During the same period, Dupree was a member of the studio-musician fusion supergroup Stuff with Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd, Chris Parker, and Gordon Edwards. They signed with Warner Bros. in 1975 and recorded four albums. They also reunited periodically in the '80s and spawned a mid-'80s spin-off group called the Gadd Gang, which Dupree also belonged to. Dupree also appeared on Joe Cocker's Stingray and Luxury You Can Afford. 

Some of Dupree's most rewarding jazz albums came in the late '80s and early '90s; 1988's Coast to Coast was nominated for a Grammy, and funky sessions like 1991's Can't Get Through, 1992's live Uncle Funky, and 1993's Child's Play received positive reviews. 1994's Bop 'n' Blues was his most straight-ahead jazz album, also ranking as one of his best. He was also a part of the original Saturday Night Live band. He also wrote a book about his craft: Rhythm and Blues Guitar. In 1989, Cornell recorded a video for Arlen Roth called Mastering R&B Guitar, which documented his style, technique, and influences. Yamaha produced a signature guitar called the Cornell Dupree Model. 

In 2006, he formed Cornell Dupree and the Soul Survivors, a ‘supergroup’ highlighting the renowned artistry of pianist Les McCann, baritone saxophonist and fellow Gadd Gang member Ronnie Cuber, bass great Jerry Jemott (who featured with Dupree on many of those Atlantic sides of yore) and drummer Buddy Williams. In 2009, Dupree appeared in a documentary entitled Still Bill, which chronicled the life and times of Bill Withers. He appeared on stage playing a guitar-led version of Grandma's Hands. Withers, at first, was sitting in the audience, but ended up joining him on stage to sing the lyrics to the song. In this part of the documentary, Dupree played his guitar on a stool, breathing using an oxygen machine, which foretold his suffering from emphysema. 

During 2011 at  a January performance in Austin, he had to be carried in a chair up a flight of stairs to the stage. The guitarist recorded his 10th solo album in April even as he struggled with his illness. 

Dupree died on May 8, 2011 at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. He had been waiting for a lung transplant. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & the Guardian)