TRIBUTES TO AWARD WINNING BLUES MUSICIAN SEAN COSTELLO, 28, DEAD IN ATLANTA ON BIRTHDAY

( Atlanta , GA )---Blues singer, guitarist, composer Sean  Costello was found dead in his Atlanta, GA. Hotel room, Tues., April 15 - the  eve of his 29th birthday.        
Cause  of death has yet to be  determined.
            Costello,  a highly regarded blues musician since age 14, was in the middle of touring to  support his latest album "We Can Get Together" (Delta Groove  Records)
            In  a statement Robert Fitzpatrick, Delta Groove president and Rand Chortoff, CEO,  said: "Losing someone as young, talented and vibrant as Sean, who has  accomplished so much in just a few short years and still had so much potential  is a terribly difficult blow.  
            "Sean  had friends and fans around the world and was unanimously praised, by critics  and fans alike, as one of the main torch bearers of the blues  flame.
            "Now  that potential will go sadly  unfulfilled."
            Costello's  manager Carol Peters: "Everybody who saw Sean saw a brilliant musician working  in an authentic American art form, the blues, in a really personal and  creative way. A tragic loss not just to his friends, family and fans but to  the music community at  large."
            Veteran  producer Michael Rothschild, who worked on three previous albums with  Costello, starting with "Cuttin' In" (2000) that earned Costello a W.C. Handy  Blues award: "I first saw him when he was 14 and he knew all about the music,  and the great guitarists like T. Bone Walker and Charlie Christian - he was  also a great swing guitar player. He was mild mannered, an immense talent in a  small package. There's no telling how far he would have gone with a longer  life."
            Costello  had been called a Bluesman for the 21st Century, one that incorporated the  eclectic mix of music that surrounded him since his early days in Philadelphia (where he  was born) when street corner doo wop entranced his young ears. He had the  chance as a young musician to play with traditionalists (B.B. King), gospel  performers (Five Blind Boys of Alabama), the new wave (Susan Tedeschi), Dylan  expatriates (Levon Helm) and any number of the bluegrass, folk or rock  community who crossed his path.  
            But  Costello never left the bedrock blues elements, using them as energy to extend  his musical thinking and  vision.
            At  age 9 Costello moved to Atlanta . As he was about to graduate high  school with a local reputation as a guitarist, he was offered a record date  with Susan Tedeschi. The resulting album became a hit, Costello joined  Tedeschi and his own career began. Between the ages of 19 and 23 he won awards  (from the Memphis Blues Society, W.C. Handy award nomination), was in and out  of the recording studio, and earned the respect of his peers, such as B.B.  King, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, and  James Cotton.  
            In  one of his last interviews Costello observed: "All I ever wanted to do was  play the guitar well and I've been fortunate to be able to make a good living  doing it."

Sean Costello – April 16, 1979 to April 15, 2008
 
Arrangements for Sean Costello have been made and are below.
 
VIEWING:
Mayes Ward Dobbins Funeral Home
180 Church Street
Marietta , GA
Fri 6:00-9:00
 
FUNERAL:
Shrine of Immaculate Conception
48 Martin Luther King Jr Dr SW
Atlanta , GA 30303
(404) 521-1866
 
BURIAL:
Crest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
2000 Marietta Blvd NW
Atlanta , GA 30318
11:00 AM
 
FOUNDATION:
Sean Costello Foundation for Bi-Polar Research
Toby Ray @ BB&T: 678.384.0063 / tray@bbandt.com