Jan. 31 (UPI) — Blind pianist and country music legend Hargus “Pig” Robbins died Sunday at the age of 84.
Robbins played in thousands of recording sessions dating back to the late 1950s and contributed to dozens of hit songs by country, rock, folk and pop artists, including Bob Dylan, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn.
Robbins learned to play the piano by ear at the Tennessee School for the Blind, starting when he was 7 and went on to earn the Country Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award in 1976 and 2000.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
“Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins was a defining sound for so much of the historic music out of Nashville,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, said in a statement Sunday.
“His talent spoke for itself through his decades-spanning career and work as a session pianist with countless artists across genres. Our hearts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.”
