The middle-aged calendar informs me that Lee Conley Bradley was born 26th June, 1903 in Jefferson County, Arkansas. Big Bill Broonzy was one of the first musicians to make his way to Chicago. Here's a classic from 1941 of Bill playing 'Key to the Highway' with Jazz Gillum on moothie.
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Last edited by johncorrigan; 26-06-21, 07:15. -
Mississippi John Hurt's birthday - born 3rd July 1893 in Teoc, Mississippi; one of the great voices.
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Not in the calendar but couldn't let the birthday of the mighty Mavis Staples pass by uncelebrated. Mavis was born 10th July, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois - here she is singing Stephen Foster's 'Hard Times Come Again No More'.
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Washboard Sam was born Robert Clifford Brown on 15th July, 1910 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. He moved to Memphis in the twenties playing for tips on the street with the likes of Sleepy John Estes. He was the most popular of the washboard players of the time, playing alongside his half-brother, Big Bill Broonzy, as well as Memphis Slim, Jazz Gillum and Bukka White. Sam made lots of recordings and moved to Chicago in the thirties where he was very successful. However, after WW2 his fame dwindled in part, I suppose, because he couldn't electrify his washboard. He did make a few re-appearances in the fifties and sixties but never got back that early success, but his music still sounds great to me. Here's 'River Hip Mama' with Sam and his Washboard Band (She's a river hip mama and they all wanna be baptised)
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The calendar on the kitchen wall's been a bit quiet this last wee while, but I couldn't let Blind Willie McTell's death day pass without mention. Willie died aged 61, following a stroke, on 19th August, 1959 in Milledgeville, Georgia, although his career had been cut short by diabetes and alcohol. We all know Dylan's admiration of Blind Willie from his wonderful song, but Dylan also covered some of his songs including this classic on 'World Gone Wrong'; here's Willie in tip-top form on 'Little Delia'.
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I am informed by the Blues calendar that John Lee Hooker was born on August 22, 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the youngest of 11 children, to a sharecropping Baptist preacher. At 14 he took his guitar to Memphis where he played house parties, and then in his twenties headed north to Detroit where working in the Ford plant he got enough money to trade in for an electric guitar, and developed that hard-rocking boogie style of his to go with his dark, moody, mumblin’, barking voice. Here's John Lee on 'Groundhog Blues'.
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Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post
I think it was this recording that first led me to an interest in John Lee’s recordings - your desription of JLH’s voice is a fair match for Eric Burdon’s. Longevity meant that we were blessed with some really good modern recordings in the last 20 years of his life.Comment
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Belter, cloughie. My pal, who is a fine soul singer, said he saw Eric Burdon in a cafe a number of years ago - he approached Eric just to say how much he had loved his voice, and how jealous he had been of him. He said that Eric could not have been nicer, invited him across and they blethered for half an hour - my pal said that this was one hero he had been delighted to meet.Originally posted by cloughie View Post
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Lovely story - I think we have not heard enough of Eric over the years. One of many who the record companies have served badly.Originally posted by johncorrigan View PostBelter, cloughie. My pal, who is a fine soul singer, said he saw Eric Burdon in a cafe a number of years ago - he approached Eric just to say how much he had loved his voice, and how jealous he had been of him. He said that Eric could not have been nicer, invited him across and they blethered for half an hour - my pal said that this was one hero he had been delighted to meet.Comment
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Died at the age of 78 if I remember correctly, which still seems too young.Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post
I found this documentary, if you're short of time watch the last bit from 1h 15m. Such affection for him. Touching.
King of the Boogie.Comment
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His obituaries say he was 83 which matches in with born 1917 died Jan 2001, but there is some disagreement as to his birth date and it has been quoted as early as 1912 which would have made him 88 - who knows? - whenever it was he had a good whack and left a cracking blues legacy. Which British R & B group in the 60s didn’t do ‘Dimples’ or ‘Boom Boom’ or if you were The Animals both?Originally posted by Globaltruth View PostDied at the age of 78 if I remember correctly, which still seems too young.
I found this documentary, if you're short of time watch the last bit from 1h 15m. Such affection for him. Touching.
King of the Boogie.Comment
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Freddie King's birthday has come round again...seems like no time since the last.
Freddie was born September 3rd, 1934 in Gilmer, Texas - a great influence on Clapton. Here he is on a slow blues, 'Same Old Blues'...great voice, wonderful guitar.
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I’d say Clapton copied him lick for lick and also he influenced his blues vocal style!Originally posted by johncorrigan View PostFreddie King's birthday has come round again...seems like no time since the last. Freddie was born September 3rd, 1934 in Gilmer, Texas - a great influence on Clapton. Here he is on a slow blues, 'Same Old Blues'...great voice, wonderful guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLTEJQJqGikComment
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Time to dust off the BBQ today and celebrate Robert Hicks' birthday, born this day in 1902 in Walnut Grove, Georgia. One of the greats of the country blues, Barbecue Bob played 12-string often using bottleneck and sang upbeat songs at community dances and picnics with his brother, Charley, and his pal Curley Weaver. He was one of the most popular acts of the twenties. He was dead by aged 29 having lived hard and fast. Here's 'Going Up the Country' from 1928.
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Gospel blues singer and guitarist, Blind Willie Johnson, died this day in 1945 in Beaumont, Texas aged forty-eight. The cause of death started with his home, 'The House of Prayer', burning down. With nowhere to go he stayed in the ruins and eventually contracted malaria which killed him. Here's Willie's mighty voice and slide performing 'It's Nobody's Fault But Mine'.
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