"Vincent Craig, famed Navajo artist, musician, humorist, poet and creator of the boarding-school survivor and comic strip hero, Muttonman, has died. New Mexico's urban and reservation Indians have long known about the legendary entertainer. Fans of the popular Sunday-afternoon KUNM-FM radio show, Singing Wire, know Craig through his humorous telling of the story of Rita and the candy bar, a twisting tale that shows how love can lead a poor boy astray. For Rita, the hero steals the crazy candy bar and ends up, without her, sitting in the Window Rock jail. It's just one of Craig's many songs, but for whatever reason, "Rita" crossed cultures and audiences to find fans. Craig, who would have turned 60 on June 6, died after a long battle with cancer Saturday night in a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital, his family surrounding him. Despite the severity of his cancer, Craig remained optimistic, telling the Navajo Times earlier this year he hoped to be back performing in April, and that he was planning new recordings and writing an audio book about a Vietnam veteran." Get the Story:
Editorial: Goodbye, Vincent Craig (The Santa Fe New Mexican 5/18) Related Stories:
Vincent Craig, Navajo Nation humorist, passes on at age 59 (5/18)