Lefty Bates
1920–2007 (age 87)
blues guitarist
Biography
Lefty Bates, born in 1920, anchored many of the grooves that defined Chicago blues, offering a reliable rhythm guitar that let singers and soloists shine. He played on countless sessions, leaving fingerprints on records that captured the city’s soulful energy.
His influence endures at Homewood Memorial Gardens, where musicians remember his steady hands and his encouragement of younger artists striving to find their own voices.