Charley Booker (September 3, 1925 – September 20, 1989) was an American blues singer and guitarist from the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...

, who recorded in the early 1950s for Modern Records.

Early life and career

Booker was born in 1925 on a plantation between the

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 ...

communities of Moorhead and Sunflower, the son of Lucius Booker.Harris, S (1981). ''Blues Who's Who''. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 59. There is some doubt about his date of birth: in interviews, Booker stated that he was born in 1925, but Social Security records give the date as September 3, 1919.O'Neal, J. (2003). "Greenville, Mississippi". CD booklet. ''The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions Vol. 1: Arkansas & Mississippi 1951–1952''. London: Ace Records. pp. 11–12. He learned to play guitar from his uncle, who had played with

Charley Patton Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American musi ...

. Booker stated that as a child he saw Patton perform near

indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a U.S. city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County. History In 1891, Minnie M. Cox was appointed postmaster of Indianola, b ...

.Wardlow, G.D. (1998). ''Chasin' That Devil Music''. E. Komara, ed. San Francisco: Miller Freeman. pp. 73–74. He worked occasionally as a musician from the late 1930s. By the early 1940s he had moved to

Leland, Mississippi Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. It is located within the Mississippi Delta, on the banks of Deer Creek. The population was 4,481 at the 2010 census. It was once a railway town and had long been a center of cot ...

, and in 1947 he moved to

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. ...

, where he worked with the pianist

Willie Love Willie Love Jr. (November 4, 1906 – August 19, 1953) was an American Delta blues pianist. He is best known for his association with and accompaniment of Sonny Boy Williamson II. Biography Love was born in Duncan, Mississippi. In 1942, he ...

and also met or worked with

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp s ...

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include " Baby, I Lov ...

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

and Houston Boines. By 1951 he had his own radio show (possibly on station WDVM).

Recordings

In 1952 Booker was approached by Ike Turner to record for

Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...

. The recording session was set up by

Joe Bihari The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers w ...

of Modern Records at the Club Casablanca on Nelson Street, in Greenville, on January 23, 1952. Booker was backed by Houston Boines on harmonica, Turner on piano and Jesse "Cleanhead" Love on drums. The same band also backed several songs by Boines.Leadbitter, M., and Slaven, N. (1987). ''Blues Records 1943–1970: A Selective Discography''. London: Record Information Services. p. 130. Despite the piano being "horribly out of tune" and problems with local law enforcement,Broven, J. (2009).
Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers
'. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 155. the session resulted in two singles released under Booker's name, one on Modern Records and the other on the associated Blues & Rhythm label, as well as releases by Boines. The Blues & Rhythm release, pairing "No Ridin' Blues" with "Rabbit Blues", sold well locally, but Booker did not record again for Modern. A session later the same year for

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis ...

was unreleased at the time.

Later life and death

Early in 1953 Booker moved to

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

, and ceased playing music as a full-time occupation. He continued to play locally, but his only further recording was a live appearance with

Joe Willie Wilkins Joe Willie Wilkins (January 7, 1921 or 1923O'Neal, Jim (1979). "Joe Willie Wilkins – 1923–1979". ''Living Blues'' 42 (January–February 1979), pp. 8–9. – March 28, 1979)Huggins, Cilla (1979). "Joe Willie Wilkins". '' Blues Unlimited'' ...

at a 1973 blues festival at the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend. He died on September 20, 1989.

Discography

*"No Ridin' Blues"/"Rabbit Blues" (Blues & Rhythm 7003) *"Moonrise Blues"/"Charley's Boogie Woogie" (Modern 878)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Charley 1925 births 1989 deaths Delta blues musicians Blues musicians from Mississippi American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers People from Moorhead, Mississippi Modern Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Mississippi 20th-century American male musicians