Vic Chesnutt

Born November 12, 1964 in Jacksonville, Florida. Died in Athens, Georgia on December 25th, 2009. Vic Chesnutt was a singer-songwriter living in Athens, Georgia. A car crash at age 18 left him partly paralyzed, and he performed in a wheelchair. A regular of the 40 Watt Club scene, he was spotted by Michael Stipe who produced his first two albums. In 1996, Chesnutt was exposed to a wider audience with the release of the tribute album Sweet Relief II: Gravity Of The Situation (The Songs Of Vic Chesnutt), the proceeds from which went to the Sweet Relief Fund. The album consisted of Chesnutt covers by famous musicians including Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna, R.E.M. and Live. A prolific songwriter, Chesnutt worked with Lambchop, Widespread Panic (as Brute (2)), Elf Power as well as Bill Frisell, Guy Picciotto and members of A Silver Mt. Zion. On December 25, 2009, Chesnutt died from an overdose of muscle relaxants that had left him in a coma in an Athens hospital.