Athens, GA-based singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt was paralyzed for life following a 1983 car accident. Despite his condition, Chesnutt learned to play the guitar and began performing in local clubs. At the urging of R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Chesnutt started recording, and would go on to release numerous albums of stirring, melancholy roots-rock full of desperate characters and Southern Gothic imagery. He continued to record and perform well throughout the 2000s, but passed away on Christmas Day, 2009.