18 April 2008 11,563 views 3 Comments

I was stunned last night to receive an email from Mark at the A1 Artist Spotlight podcast, nothing that young blues phenom and personal favorite Sean Costello died in his Atlanta hotel room on Tuesday night. Mark did the last interview with Sean, just hours before his death. You can listen to that interview here.

Macon.com has the story, though the details are still very thin.

Young blues musician Sean Costello was found dead in his Atlanta hotel room late Tuesday.

He was a frequent visitor to Columbus, Ga., through gigs at The Loft and regular bookings at bygone outdoor music festivals like The Uptown Jam and RiverFest. He also played with B.B. King at the Columbus Civic Center, in a benefit show for the restoration of the Ma Rainey house.

Sean would have turned 29 on Wednesday.

Pico at blogcritics.com had this to say:

Sean’s soulful throat, tasty guitar licks and quality songwriting with an unwavering reverence to his rootsy forebears was just the kind of talent that reinvigorates the blues and keeps it going for a new generation of listeners. Just as Sean Costello got excited about the blues from discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan — another huge talent who’s life was cut short — perhaps someday a Costello record will inspire a kid or two to dedicate their lives toward keeping this grandest of music forms alive and dynamic.

I was privileged to introduce Sean Costello’s music to a lot of new fans in The Roadhouse. It was a personal introduction, as well, as I’d not heard of him prior to receiving permissions from Tone-Cool to include their artists in the show. I was blown away immediately by the spirit in his voice and by the emotional range of his singing, his guitar playing and his lyrics. In short, he was an old soul musically, capturing the vibe of R & B and contemporary blues before he reached the age of 21. I was, frankly, giddy when I received “We Can Get Together” in the mail, knowing I’d be able to share it in the show and enjoy it daily on the iPod. And, I took for granted that we’d have many more of those “new release moments” well into the future.

As further details on Sean Costello’s death become available, I’ll have them here and in the show.

Sean Costello home page.
Sean Costello on MySpace.