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Edward 'Little Buster' Forehand Passes Away


Edward 'Little Buster' Forehand

By Tiffany Razzano

Edward "Little Buster" Forehand, a local blues legend, died in a Nassau County nursing home last week of complications from a series of strokes he suffered two years ago. He was 63.

Born in North Carolina, he began to lose his eyesight while still a child. He attended the North Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, where he taught himself several instruments, including piano and guitar.

In 1959, he came to Long Island, moving into the Westbury home of his brother-in-law from his first marriage. He later met his second wife, Mary, while playing at a club in Roosevelt.

He began playing back-up guitar for Alan Freed's Rock and Roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount. In 1964 he won the Tip Top Bread talent contest held at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Forehand, along with his band Little Buster and the Soul Brothers, became a staple on the Long Island blues scene, playing nearly every night of the week in venues from Western Nassau to the East End, covering blues standards such as "The Thrill Is Gone" and "I Got You." He opened for many of the blues greats that came through the area, including B.B. King, James Brown and Etta James. He also toured Europe, Asia and Canada.

He released his first album of original songs, Right on Time, in 1995 at the age of 52. The album was nominated for a WC Handy award and was a runner-up for the Living Blues critics' choice.

The Long Island Blues Society honored Forehand with a lifetime achievement award in 2002. He is also to be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame this coming fall.

Services will be held at the Massapequa Full Gospel Tabernacle at 4100 Jerusalem Avenue in Massapequa. A wake will be held on May 18 at the church. Immediately following this, Little Buster's band will play. Anyone with stories about Little Buster is welcome to speak at this time.

Flowers can be sent to the Tabernacle and donations to the family can be sent to Mary Forehand, P.O. Box 227, West Hempstead, NY, 11552. The burial will be on Friday morning at 10 a.m.

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