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Spivey Records
Spivey Records was a specialist blues record label founded by blues singer Victoria Spivey and jazz historian Len Kunstadt in 1961. Spivey Records released a series of blues and jazz albums between 1961 and 1985. History of Spivey Records The label recorded a wide variety of blues musicians who were friends of Spivey and Kunstadt, including Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Big Joe Williams, Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Slim, and Louis Armstrong. Kunstadt had a rough and ready approach to recording; he was known to walk through the session and shout "More mistakes!" On March 2, 1962, Bob Dylan contributed harmonica and backing vocals to a recording session featuring Big Joe Williams. These tracks appeared on Spivey LP 1004, ''Three Kings And The Queen''. However, this was not Dylan's first recording session. He had already recorded his debut album ''Bob Dylan'' for Columbia Records, which was released on March 19, 1962. In recognition of her entrepreneurial achievements with Spivey Rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 African-American culture. The blues form is ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll, and is characterized by the call-and-response pattern (the blues scale and specific chord progressions) of which the twelve-bar blues is the most common. Blue notes (or "worried notes"), usually thirds, fifths or sevenths flattened in pitch, are also an essential part of the sound. Blues shuffles or walking bass reinforce the trance-like rhythm and form a repetitive effect known as the groove. Blues as a genre is also characterized by its lyrics, bass lines, and instrumentation. Early traditional blues verses consisted of a single line repeated four times. It was only in the first decades of the 20th century that the most common c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hannah Sylvester
Hannah Sylvester (January 19, 1903 – October 15, 1973) was an American blues singer who performed in the classic female blues style, which was popular during the 1920s. She was billed as "Harlem's Mae West".Harris 1994, p. 492. Biography Sylvester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and sang and danced from the age of three.Harris 1994, p. 491. She is thought to have moved to New York City about 1920. In the early 1920s she appeared at the Paradise Cafe in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1923 she recorded eleven sides with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. Thereafter she toured the theater circuit in vaudeville shows throughout the 1920s. In the early 1930s she appeared in numerous revues in New York City. In 1931 she performed with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Howard Theater, in Washington, D.C., for broadcast on WSJV radio. She toured with the Snooky Russell Orchestra in 1940. By the early 1950s Sylvester worked primarily outside music; she tended bar at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 his childhood in Memphis, playing slide guitar at an early age in juke joints and on the street. He moved to Hughes, Arkansas, in 1932 and worked on farms for three years, putting aside his music career.Johnny Shines interviewed by John Hammond Jr. in '' The Search for Robert Johnson'' (UK, 1991). A chance meeting with Robert Johnson, his greatest influence, gave him the inspiration to return to music. In 1935, Shines began traveling with Johnson, touring in the United States and Canada. They parted in 1937, one year before Johnson's death. Shines played throughout the southern United States until 1941, when he settled in Chicago. There he found work in the construction industry but continued to play in local bars. He made his first r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washboard Doc
Joseph Doctor (September 8, 1911 – September 16, 1988), known as Washboard Doc, was an American New York blues musician, who specialised in playing the washboard. He recorded with Victoria Spivey, Alec Seward, Paul Oscher, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Big Joe Turner among others. Biography He was born in Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. Scant details exist of Doctor's early life, but it is known that he relocated to New York in 1935. Once established, using the 'stage name' of Washboard Doc, he performed on the streets of the city playing an improvised washboard with various percussive attachments. In addition, he sang to entertain the passers-by. For many years, he remained at the extreme edge of black music performers, having later claimed to have recorded with both Ralph Willis and Sonny Terry in the 1950s. The liner notes to ''Early Morning Blues'' (1980) relating to Washboard Doc stated, "His first recording was with bluesman Ralph Will ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James "Pee Wee" Madison
James "Pee Wee" Madison (May 4, 1935 – January 7, 2008) was an American blues guitar player. Early life Born in Osceola, Arkansas, he moved to Chicago in the late 1950s, molding his musicianship on that of Little Walter. His big chance came when he joined the band of Muddy Waters in 1963, replacing guitarist Pat Hare who was incarcerated for killing his girlfriend. Career Starting in 1964, Madison played on most of Muddy Waters' recordings. He played with Muddy Waters' band until the ending of Muddy Waters' world tour in 1973, mostly playing rhythm guitar on an upside-down Fender Mustang. While traveling through Illinois with Muddy Waters on Oct. 26, 1969, Madison was injured in an accident. He spent two days in the hospital recovering from his injuries. The young couple that collided with Muddy waters and his band on U.S. Route 45 were both killed in the accident. Discography With Muddy Waters *''Muddy, Brass & the Blues'' (Chess, 1966) *''Live at Mr. Kelly's'' (Chess, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucille Spann
Lucille Spann (June 23, 1938 – August 2, 1994), was an American blues singer who participated in the Chicago Blues community in the 1960s and 1970s. Life and works Lucille Spann was born Mahalia Lucille Jenkins in Bolton, Mississippi, the ninth child of Gertrude and Sherman Jenkins.''Cry Before I Go'' - sleeve notes, 1974 Her mother died before she was five, and she was brought up by her father and her sisters. She started out singing gospel music, and was banned from listening to the blues. Nevertheless, she developed a liking for Bessie Smith, T-Bone Walker and other blues singers. She moved to Chicago in her teens, where she met Otis Spann whilst working as a barmaid. Soon she started working with him musically and later married him in 1969. She became one of the musicians who record with Spivey Records alongside Otis, Muddy Waters, Luther Johnson, Sammy Lawhorn, Paul Oscher, Pee Wee Madison, S. P. Leary and Willie Smith. After Otis Spann's death in 1970, she continued ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viola Wells
Viola Gertrude Wells Evans (December 14, 1902, Newark, New Jersey – December 22, 1984, Belleville, New Jersey), better known by her stage names Viola Wells or Miss Rhapsody, was an American jazz, blues, and religious singer. The book ''Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50'' by Barbara J. Kukla is dedicated to Viola Wells. Early life Wells was the first child of Robert Olivia Simmons and Earle Henry Wells, who had moved to Newark from Surry County, Virginia. She had three siblings: Isabelle, Estelle, and Earle. When her mother died from giving birth to her sister Estelle, she briefly went to live with her maternal grandparents Rev. Morgan and Annie Simmons in Virginia. Rev. Morgan was a Baptist minister who only liked to listen to secular music. In contrast, his son "Uncle Charlie" was popular locally for his song and dance routines. She returned to Newark, New Jersey, in 1910 after her father remarried. She started to sing in her church's Salika Johnson choir under the directi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John P
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died c. AD 30), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (lived c. AD 30), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sammy Lawhorn
Sammy David Lawhorn (July 12, 1935 – April 29, 1990) was an American Chicago blues guitarist, best known as a member of Muddy Waters's band. He also accompanied many other blues musicians, including Otis Spann, Willie Cobbs, Eddie Boyd, Roy Brown, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton and Junior Wells. Biography Lawhorn was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His parents soon separated, and his mother remarried, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. He made his own diddley bow, nailing baling twine to the side of their house. He frequently visited his mother and stepfather in Chicago. They bought him a ukulele, then an acoustic guitar and finally an electric guitar. By the age of fifteen, he was proficient enough to accompany Driftin' Slim on stage. With further guidance from Sonny Boy Williamson II, Lawhorn began playing with him on the radio program ''King Biscuit Time''. He was conscripted in 1953 and served in the United States Navy. On a tour of duty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luther Johnson (Guitar Junior)
Luther Johnson (April 11, 1939 – December 25, 2022) was an American blues singer and guitarist, who performed under the name Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. He is not to be confused with Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, Luther "Houserocker" Johnson, or Lonnie "Guitar Junior" Brooks. Career Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Johnson moved to Chicago with his family in 1955. During the 1960s, he performed with Magic Sam. He performed in Muddy Waters' band from 1972 to 1980. In 1980, four of his songs were included in an anthology released by Alligator Records. That same year he appeared as a member of the Legendary Blues Band, backing John Lee Hooker in the movie '' The Blues Brothers''. Johnson moved to the East Coast and began fronting his own band, the Magic Rockers. His "Walkin' the Dog" was recorded live at the Montreux Festival's Blues Night. He won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Traditional Blues Album for his part in ''Blues Explosion''. He recorded three albums r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George "Harmonica" Smith
George "Harmonica" Smith (born Allen George Smith, April 22, 1924 – October 2, 1983) was an American electric blues harmonica player. Apart from his solo recordings, Smith is best known for his work backing both Muddy Waters and Big Mama Thornton. Life and career Born in West Helena, Arkansas, United States, but brought up in Cairo, Illinois, Smith's mother taught him how to play the harmonica from the age of 4. In his teenage years he performed in a country band with Early Woods and Curtis Gould. He also joined Mississippi gospel group, the Jackson Jubilee Singers. From the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Smith travelled throughout the south and played harmonica on the streets. In 1941, Smith moved to Rock Island, Illinois and joined a group with drummer Francis Clay. Around this time he was working at the Dixie theatre and began to use an amplifier he'd salvaged from an old projector to amplify his harmonica playing on the streets. He moved to Chicago and began playing profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Brother Montgomery
Eurreal Wilford "Little Brother" Montgomery (April 18, 1906 – September 6, 1985) was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and blues pianist and singer. Largely self-taught, Montgomery was an important blues pianist with an original style. He was also versatile, working in jazz bands, including larger ensembles that used written arrangements. He did not read music but learned band routines by ear. Career Montgomery was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, United States, a sawmill town near the Mississippi border, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, where he spent much of his childhood. Both his parents were of African-American and Creek Indian ancestry. As a child he looked like his father, Harper Montgomery, and was called Little Brother Harper. The name evolved into Little Brother Montgomery, and the nickname stuck. He started playing piano at the age of four, and by age 11 he left home for four years and played at barrelhouses in Louisiana. His main musical influence was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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