Cornell Dupree

Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist.

He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, and Steve Gadd, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, and wrote a book on soul and blues guitar, Rhythm and Blues Guitar.

He reportedly recorded on 2,500 sessions.

Dupree was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he graduated from I.M. Terrell High School.

He began his career playing in the studio band for Atlantic Records, recording albums by Aretha Franklin (Aretha Live at Fillmore West) and King Curtis as a member of Curtis's band The King Pins, having grown up with King Curtis in Fort Worth). He appeared on the 1969 Lena Horne and Gábor Szabó recording and on recordings with Archie Shepp, Grover Washington Jr.., Snooky Young, and Miles Davis.

He played soulful guitar on Brook Benton's hit Rainy Night in Georgia in 1970.

Late 1970s Dupree formed new jazz fusion group.

He was a founding member of the band Stuff with Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd, Chris Parker, and Gordon Edwards.

Dupree and Tee recorded together on many occasions.

Yamaha produced a signature guitar called the Cornell Dupree Model.

In December 1972, the British music magazine New Musical Express reported that Dupree, Roberta Flack, and Jerry Jemmott, were injured in an auto accident in Manhattan.

Dupree appeared on Joe Cocker's Stingray and Luxury You Can Afford.

He released solo albums such as Teasin, Saturday Night Fever, Shadow Dancing, Can't Get Through, Coast to Coast, Uncle Funky, Child's Play, Bop 'n' Blues, and Unstuffed.

East coast jazz fusion musicians joined Van McCoy's big hit "The Hustle"(1975).

In 1989, Cornell recorded a video for Arlen Roth called Mastering R&B Guitar, which documented his style, technique, and influences.

In 2009, Dupree appeared in a documentary entitled Still Bill, which chronicled the life and times of Bill Withers.

He appeared on stage playing a guitar-led version of Grandma's Hands.

Withers, at first, was sitting in the audience, but ended up joining him on stage to sing the lyrics to the song.

In this part of the documentary, Dupree played his guitar on a stool, breathing using an oxygen machine, which foretold his suffering from emphysema.

Dupree died on May 8, 2011, at his home in Fort Worth, Texas.

He had been waiting for a lung transplant as a result of emphysema.

With Gadd Gang

With Rainbow

With Stuff

With Joe Cocker

With Hank Crawford

With Aretha Franklin

With Donny Hathaway

With The Joneses

With Margie Joseph

With King Curtis

With Roland Kirk

With Van McCoy

With Geoff Muldaur

With David "Fathead" Newman

With Esther Phillips

With Wilson Pickett

With Lou Rawls

With Archie Shepp

With Stanley Turrentine