John Morthland, Pioneering Music Writer, Has Died
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John Morthland, the pioneering rock writer and editor, has died, the Austin American-Statesman reports. He was 68. Though the cause of death is unknown, he had been recovering from a broken leg and other health issues, according to the Statesman.
Morthland was among the first wave of rock critics who revolutionized the form, writing to capture the spirit of the music and audience. He worked at Rolling Stone and Creem in the late 1960s and ’70s. He befriended Lester Bangs, and became Bangs’ estate’s literary executor after his death. Morthland published his book The Best of Country Music, in 1984.
In the late ’80s, after settling in at Texas Monthly, Morthland helped establish SXSW, working as a panel organizer and general advisor.
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