Chalmers Edward "Spanky" Alford (May 22, 1955 – March 24, 2008) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

guitarist. Alford was born in Philadelphia. He was well known for his playing style and use of arpeggiations. He had an illustrious career as a gospel quartet guitar player in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with groups such as the Mighty Clouds of Joy. Later in life, he found a new career in the

neo-soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contem ...

movement of the 1990s and 2000s, most notably contributing to the sounds of D'Angelo and Tony Toni Toné. Alford played guitar as part of

The Soultronics The Soultronics was an R&B and neo soul supergroup formed in 2000, which served as the backing band for musician D'Angelo in 2000 during The Voodoo Tour, the supporting tour for his second studio album '' Voodoo''. Several members of the group ...

( D'angelo's band for his 2000 "Voodoo" tour), alongside Questlove,

James Poyser James Jason Poyser is an American songwriter, record producer, musician and current member of the hip hop band The Roots. Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, ...

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

, and Anthony Hamilton. He was a teacher, and was credited with teaching

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

among others to play guitar. He played on several albums with artists such as Joss Stone, John Mayer,

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

, Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo and Roy Hargrove. Though he retired from touring years prior, Alford made a rare public appearance performing with the

John Mayer Trio The John Mayer Trio is a blues rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2005. Comprising singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer, bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, the band has released one live album, ''Try!'' in 2005 ...

as a surprise guest on September 26, 2005, during their stop in Nashville, Tennessee. It is his last known public performance. Audio from the show eventually ended up on the Trio's only official release, a compilation of performances from the tour called ''

Try! ''Try!'' is the first live album by the John Mayer Trio. It was recorded at the House of Blues, Chicago, Illinois and released by Columbia Records on November 22, 2005. The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards ...

'', appearing on the title track at the end of the album. Alford died in March 2008, at the age of 52, in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

due to complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

Discography

As sideman/guest * Stan Jones, ''Out of the Shadows'' * D'Angelo, '' Voodoo'' * D'Angelo, Black Messiah * The Roots, ''

Illadelph Halflife ''Illadelph Halflife'' is the third studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released September 24, 1996 on DGC and Geffen Records. It features a tougher and broader sound than their previous album, '' Do You Want More?!!!??!'' (1995). Th ...

'', ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the invasion by Europeans during the late 19th century. It is seen as the ...

'' * Joss Stone, ''

Introducing Joss Stone ''Introducing Joss Stone'' (stylised as ''Introducing... Joss Stone'') is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Joss Stone, released on 9 March 2007 by Virgin Records. Stone began writing the album in April 2006 in Barbados, b ...

'' * Vikter Duplaix, ''Bold and Beautiful'' * John Mayer, '' Continuum'' * Vick Allen, ''Simply Soul'' * Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, ''Call Jesus'' * Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, ''Go Through'' *

Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...

, '' Shaheedullah and Stereotypes'' * A Tribe Called Quest, '' The Love Movement'' * Roy Hargrove, ''Strength'' *

, ''

The Breakthrough ''The Breakthrough'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 20, 2005, by Geffen Records. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including 9th Wonder, Rodney Jerkins, ...

'' * Norman Brown, ''West Coast Coolin *

The Canton Spirituals The Canton Spirituals are an American gospel recording group founded in Canton, Mississippi in 1943. Background The original Canton Spirituals from 1943 were Reverend Arthur Lee Jackson Sr., Reverend I.S. Watkins, Claude Nichols, Warren G. ...

, ''New Life: Live in Harvey, IL'' *

Rhian Benson Rhiannon Afua "Rhian" Benson (born 10 January 1977 in Accra, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-British soul and jazz singer and songwriter. Early life Benson was born in Accra, Ghana, to a Welsh mother, who was a singer, and an Ashanti father, who was a g ...

, ''Gold Coast'' * Roy Hargrove, ''Hard Groove'' *

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

, '' Black Diamond'' *

, '' Instant Vintage'' * Anthony Hamilton *

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, '' Until the End of Time'' * Al Green, '' Lay It Down'' *

The Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy are an American traditional gospel music quartet. Joe Ligon Bio: Willie Joe Ligon was born on October 11, 1936, and died on December 11, 2016 (80 years, 2 months). He dedicated his life to Jesus making many hit songs ...

, ''Pray for Me'' * D'Angelo and the Vanguard, '' Black Messiah''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alford, Chalmers 1955 births 2008 deaths American blues guitarists American soul guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Philadelphia 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians The Soultronics members