Remembering Blues Pianist David Maxwell

We want to remember Boston-based blues pianist David Maxwell, who died this past Friday. Maxwell was a supremely talented pianist, composer and producer, but he wasn't your typical bluesman. He was a classically trained pianist who grew up in the Boston suburbs. Maxwell was drawn to the blues as a young man, and he played with some of the greats, including John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, James Cotton, Pine Top Perkins and Otis Spann.

In an interview for WBUR's On Point in 2006, Maxwell explained, "I didn't grow up in any shape, way or form in the way that you'd think a typical blues man grew up, and I've been interested in music from all around the world — particularly music from India, and the near east — all over the place. There's blues everywhere."

David Maxwell lived in Concord. He died on Friday from prostate cancer at the age of 71.

Radio Boston, "Blues is often regarded as an American form of music, but Maxwell explained it wasn’t difficult for him to expand the style. 'I don’t see why one has to be limited,' he said."