REVERED BLUESMAN EDDIE CUSIC DIES AT 89

SERVICES TENTATIVELY SET AUG. 22 IN LELAND

LELAND –Revered bluesman and acoustic guitarist Eddie Cusic of Leland, a favorite for many years on the acoustic stage of the Sunflower River Blues Festival in Clarksdale died Tuesday, August 11 following a long battle with cancer. He was 89.

Services have been set tentatively at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Leland High School Auditorium, according to Billy Johnson, a longtime Leland friend.

Cusic was booked to play at the 28th annual Sunflower Festival in Clarksdale Saturday, Aug. 8, but he was unable to travel and perform. Anthony “Big A” Sherrod sat in for him on the acoustic stage.

“Eddie always loved playing the Clarksdale festival,” Johnson said. “Clarksdale was about as far as he would travel to play.”

Eddie Cusic
Photo by Panny Mayfield