Cat-Iron, real name William Carridine Cat-Iron' was not his actual nickname, but a mishearing of his surname by his "discoverer" (September 8, 1898 in Roxie,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

– November 11, 1958 in Natchez,

) was an American blues singer and guitarist. During the

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and blues revival, "Cat-Iron" was "discovered" and recorded in 1957 by Frederic Ramsey Jr.; the recordings were released in the United States in 1958 on the Folkways label, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1969 on the XTRA label. His song, "Jimmy Bell" has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by many other musicians, first by Koerner, Ray & Glover on their 1963 album, '' Blues, Rags and Hollers'', later by

Stoney & Meatloaf ''Stoney and Meatloaf'' is the only album by Stoney & Meatloaf, a collaboration between Meat Loaf and female vocalist Shaun Murphy, released in 1971 on the Motown subsidiary label Rare Earth. Meat Loaf and Murphy met while performing with the D ...

, The Numbers Band, Peter Lang, The Sharks,

Tom Doughty Thomas Doughty is an English, Cheshire-based lap steel acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter, who has released four albums. His style is free-flowing and improvisational, drawing from the blues, folk and jazz-swing standards. He has played ...

and

Watermelon Slim William P. Homans III, (born 1949) professionally known as "Watermelon Slim", is an American blues musician. He plays both guitar and harmonica. He is currently signed to NorthernBlues Music, based in Toronto, Ontario. Homans has also earned ba ...

Discography

*''Cat-Iron Sings Blues And Hymns'' (Folkways, 1958)

References

External links

Illustrated Cat Iron discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cat Iron 1896 births 1958 deaths African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Musicians from Louisiana People from St. Mary Parish, Louisiana People from Franklin County, Mississippi