Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known as Louisiana Red, was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. He was best known for his song "Sweet Blood Call".

Biography

Born in

Bessemer, Alabama Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the ...

, Minter lost his parents early in life; his mother died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

shortly after his birth, and his father was

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

by the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

in 1937.Wynn, Ron. Louisiana Red: Biography Allmusic.com. He was brought up by a series of relatives in various towns and cities. Red recorded for

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

in 1949, before joining the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. He was trained as a parachutist with the 82nd Airborne and was sent to Korea in 1951. The 82nd Airborne was not deployed as a complete unit in Korea, but soldiers from this unit were dispatched as Rangers in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions. Minter said he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. After leaving the Army, he played with

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often in ...

in Detroit for two years in the late 1950s. He recorded for

Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Record ...

in 1952, billed as Rocky Fuller. His first album, ''Lowdown Back Porch Blues'', was recorded in New York City with Tommy Tucker and released in 1963. His second album, ''Seventh Son'', was released later the same year.Owens, Thom " Louisiana Red, ''Lowdown Back Porch Blues''. Allmusic.com. Louisiana Red released the single "I'm Too Poor to Die" for the Glover label in 1964. It peaked at number 117 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and number 30 on the '' Cashbox''

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

. (''Billboard'' did not publish an R&B chart in 1964.) He maintained a busy recording and performing schedule through the 1960s and 1970s, working in sessions for Chess, Checker, Atlas, Glover,

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, L&R and

Tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

, amongst others. In 1983 he won a W. C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Blues Male Artist. He lived in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Germany, from 1981. He appeared in the films ''

Rockpalast ''Rockpalast'' (''Rock Palace'') is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). ''Rockpalast'' started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock, heavy metal and ja ...

'' (1976), ''

Comeback Comeback, The Comeback or Come Back may refer to: General * Comeback (publicity), a return to prominence by a well-known person * Comeback (retort), a witty response to an insult or criticism * Comeback (sports), an event where an athlete or team ...

'' (1982), ''Ballhaus Barmbek'' (1988), ''Red and Blues'' (2005) and ''Family Meeting'' (2008). In 1994, Louisiana Red fused the blues with the urban Greek music of the

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

player Stelios Vamvakaris, on the album ''Blues Meets Rembetika''. He continued to tour, including regular returns to the United States, until his death. In 2011, Louisiana Red released the album ''Memphis Mojo'', to broad public acclaim.

Death

Michael Messer noted on February 25, 2012, "I am very sorry to be bringer of such sad news that my dear friend, Louisiana Red, died this morning. He had a stroke on Monday and had been in a coma." He died in Hanover, aged 79.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
Accessed February 28, 2012.

Awards

* W. C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Blues Male Artist, 1983 *Lifetime Achievement Award, Blues Trust Productions, 2006 * Grand Prix du Disque (Blues) for ''Back to the Black Bayou'', 2009 * German Record Critics Award (2nd quarter) for Best New Release (Blues), 2009 * Bluesnews Poll for ''Back to the Black Bayou'', 2009 *

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Hand ...

for Acoustic Album of the Year (''You Got to Move''), 2010

Discography

Albums

* ''Lowdown Back Porch Blues'' (1963, Roulette) * ''Seventh Son'' (1963, Carnival) his is a 1972 reissue of ''Lowdown Back Porch Blues'' with Glover single 3002 added* ''Shouts the Blues'' (1970, Forum Circle) his is a 1970 reissue of ''Lowdown Back Porch Blues'' with the last two tracks deleted* ''Louisiana Red Sings the Blues'' (1972, Atlantic) * ''Sweet Blood Call'' (1975, Blue Labor) * ''Dead Stray Dog'' (1976, Blue Labor) * ''New York Blues'' (1979, L+R) * ''Reality Blues'' (1980, L+R) * ''High Voltage Blues'', with

Sugar Blue Sugar Blue (born James Joshua "Jimmie" Whiting, December 16, 1949, Harlem, New York City) is an American blues harmonica player. He is probably best known for playing on the Rolling Stones' single " Miss You", and in partnering Louisiana Red. ...

(1980, Black Panther) * ''Midnight Rambler'' (1982, Tomato/Rhino) * ''Blues for Ida B'' (1982, JSP) * ''Boy from Black Bayou'' (1983, L+R) * ''Blues from the Heart'' (1983, JSP) * ''Anti Nuclear Blues'' (1983, L+R) * ''Bluesman'' (1984, JSP) * ''Back to the Road Again'' (1984, MMG) * ''My Life'', with

Carey Bell Carey Bell Harrington (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s befo ...

(1984, L+R) * ''World on Fire'' (1985, MMG) * ''Brothers in Blues'' (1985, CMA) * ''Back to the Roots'' (1987, CMA) * ''Last Mohican of the Blues'' (1992,

Polton Polton is a village located in Lasswade parish, Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian li ...

) * ''Ashland Avenue Blues'' (1992, Schubert) * ''Always Played the Blues'' (1994, JSP) * ''Louisiana Red'' (1994, Forum) * ''Blues Meets Rembetika'' (1994, Distazi) * ''Sittin' Here Wonderin (1995, Earwig Music) * ''Sugar Hips'' (1995, CMA) * ''Rising Sun Collection'' (1996, JAMR) * ''I Hear the Train Coming'' (1997, Chrisly) * ''Over My Head'' (1997, Chrisly) * '' Walked All Night Long'' with

Lefty Dizz Lefty Dizz (April 29, 1937 – September 7, 1993) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer whose recorded work was released on eight albums. As well as fronting his own band, he worked with Junior Wells, J. B. Lenoir and Hound Dog Ta ...

, originally recorded in 1976 (1997, Blues Alliance) * ''Rip Off Blues'' (1998, Chrisly) * ''Winter & Summer Sessions'' (1998, Blues Factory) * ''Driftin (1999, Earwig Music) * ''Millennium Blues'' (1999, Earwig Music) * ''Sings Deep Blues'' (2001, P-Vine) * ''A Different Shade of Red'' (2002,

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

) * ''No Turn on Red'' (2005, Hightone) * ''Hot Sauce'' (2005, Red Lightnin') * ''Back to the Black Bayou'', with

Kim Wilson Kim Wilson (born January 6, 1951) is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the Fabulous Thunderbirds on two hit songs of the 1980s, " Tuff Enuff" (which was the group's only Top 40 ...

and Little Victor (2008, Bluestown) * ''You Got to Move'', with David Maxwell (2009, Blu Max/Vizztone) * ''Memphis Mojo'', with Little Victor (2011, Ruf) * ''When My Mama Was Living'' (2012, Labor Records; recorded 1975)

Live albums

* ''Live & Well'' (1976, Ornament) * ''King Bee'', with Sugar Blue (1978, Orchid) * ''Red, Funk and Blue'', with Sugar Blue (1978, Black Panther) * ''Live in Montreux'' (2000, Labor) * ''Live at 55'', with Carey Bell (1994, Enja) * ''Bad Case of the Blues'', with Carey Bell (2004, Mojo Tone) * ''Live at Painted Sky'' (2008, Paul Productions) * ''Red Funk 'n Blue: The Complete 1978 Recordings'' ith Sugar Blue(2021, JSP Records)

Compilation albums

* ''Anthologie du Blues'', vol. 11 (Roulette) * ''Blues Classics'' (1983, L+R) * ''Pretty Woman'' (1991, Blues Beacon) * ''The Best of Louisiana Red'' (1995, Evidence) * ''The Blues Spectrum of Louisiana Red'', with Sugar Blue (1998, JSP) * ''The Sky Is Crying'' (2014, Wolf Records)

Guest appearances (selected)

, ''Brought Up the Hard Way'' *

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

, ''

'' *

Kent Cooper Kent Cooper (March 22, 1880 – January 31, 1965) served with the Associated Press (AP) for 41 years, last as executive director. Background Kent Cooper was born on March 22, 1880, in Columbus, Indiana; his father was Democratic U.S. Congressma ...

, ''The Blues and Other Songs'' * Bob Corritore, ''Harmonica Blues'' *

Champion Jack Dupree William Thomas "Champion Jack" Dupree (July 23, 1909 or July 4, 1910 – January 21, 1992) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. His nickname was derived from his early career as a boxer. Biography Dupree was a New Orleans ...

, ''After All'' *

, ''Down Child'' *

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

, ''Blues Guitar Killers'', with

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

and

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

, ''Live'' *

Brownie McGhee Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee (November 30, 1915 – February 16, 1996) was an American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaboration with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. Life and career McGhee was ...

, ''Rainy Day'' *

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

, '' Blown Bone'' *

Johnny Shines John Ned Shines (April 26, 1915 – April 20, 1992) was an American blues singer and guitarist. Biography Shines was born in the community of Frayser, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was taught to play the guitar by his mother and spent most of ...

, ''Too Wet to Plow'' *

Sunnyland Slim Albert Luandrew (September 5, 1906March 17, 1995), "Blues pianist and singer Sunnyland Slim was born Albert Luandrew in Vance, Mississippi, September 5, 1906 (most sources say 1907, but the Social Security Death Index and 1920 census data give t ...

, ''Decoration Day'' *

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

, ''Boogie & Blues'' *

, ''Music Is My Business'' * Wentus Blues Band, ''Family Album''

Various artists (selected)

* ''The Paul Jones Rhythm & Blues Show – The American Guests'' (JSP CD210) * ''The Paul Jones Rhythm & Blues Show – The American Guests'', vol. 3 (JSP CD235) * ''Chicago Blues'', vol. 2 * ''Earwig 16. Ann. Sampler'' (1995, Earwig Music) * ''Earwig 20. Ann. Sampler'' (2000, Earwig Music) * ''American Folk Blues Festival'' (1980, 1983, L+R) * ''The 1. Blues Sampler'' (1980, L+R) * ''Blues Legends – Blues Giants'' (1993, Castle Communications) * ''Live at Boston Blues Festival'', vol. 2 (2007, Blues Trust) * ''Family Meeting'', Wentus Blues Band with Mick Taylor and

Lazy Lester Leslie Johnson (June 20, 1933 – August 22, 2018), better known as Lazy Lester, was an American blues musician who sang and played the harmonica and guitar. In a career spanning the 1950s to 2018, he pioneered swamp blues, and also played h ...

(2008, Ruf) * ''Blues Wire Birthday Tour'' (Greece, 2007) * ''Houserockin' and Blues Shoutin – Rhythm Room 15 Year Anniversary Album'' (2006, Blue Witch Records)

References

External links

Official websiteEarwig Music label websiteLouisiana Red profile, Ponderosa Stomp
*
Pittsburgh Music History profile of Louisiana Red
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisiana Red 1932 births 2012 deaths People from Bessemer, Alabama African-American male singer-songwriters American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singer-songwriters Louisiana blues musicians Contemporary blues musicians Country blues musicians 20th-century African-American male singers African-American guitarists American blues harmonica players American expatriates in Germany Chess Records artists Blues musicians from Louisiana Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Guitarists from Alabama Guitarists from Louisiana 20th-century American guitarists JSP Records artists Earwig Music artists Ruf Records artists 21st-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Alabama