Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963)
was an American
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
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 Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1992.
His
slide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar".
Biography
Elmore James was born Elmore Brooks in
Richland, Holmes County, Mississippi, the son of 15-year-old Leola Brooks, a field hand.
His father was probably Joe Willie "Frost" James,
who moved in with Leola, and Elmore took his surname. He began making music at the age of 12, using a simple one-string instrument (
diddley bow, or jitterbug) strung on a shack wall.
As a teen he performed at dances under the names Cleanhead and Joe Willie James.
James was influenced by
Robert Johnson,
Kokomo Arnold and
Tampa Red. He recorded several of Tampa Red's songs. He also inherited from Tampa Red's band two musicians who joined his own backing band, the Broomdusters,
"Little" Johnny Jones (piano) and
Odie Payne (drums).
In the late 1930s, James worked alongside
Sonny Boy Williamson II.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, James joined the U.S. Navy, was promoted to
coxswain
The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...
and took part in the invasion of
Guam
Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
.
Upon his discharge, he returned to central Mississippi and settled in the town of
Canton with his adopted brother, Robert Holston.
He began recording with
Trumpet Records in nearby Jackson in January 1951, first as a sideman again for Sonny Boy Williamson II and for their mutual friend
Willie Love and possibly others.
He made his debut as a session leader in August that year recording a Robert Johnson composition, "
Dust My Broom", which was a surprise R&B hit in 1952.
His backing musicians became known as the Broomdusters.
James broke his contract with Trumpet Records to sign with the
Bihari brothers through their scout
Ike Turner, who played guitar and piano on a couple of his early Bihari recordings. His "I Believe" was a hit a year later.
During the 1950s he recorded for the Bihari brothers'
Flair Records,
Meteor Records, and
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 Hadda Brooks, Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turn ...
; he also recorded for
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...
and
Mel London's
Chief Records. He played lead guitar on
Big Joe Turner
Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fa ...
's 1954 top 10 R&B hit "TV Mama".
In 1959, he began recording for
Bobby Robinson's
Fire Records, which released "
The Sky Is Crying", "
My Bleeding Heart", "Stranger Blues", "
Look on Yonder Wall", "
Done Somebody Wrong", and "
Shake Your Moneymaker", among others.
James died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in Chicago in 1963, at the age of 45,
as he was about to tour Europe with that year's
American Folk Blues Festival. He was buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery, in
Ebenezer, Mississippi.
Phil Walden of
Capricorn Records raised funds for a granite headstone for James's grave. The headstone which reads "King of the Slide Guitar", features a bronze
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
of James playing guitar. It was revealed at a dedication ceremony sponsored by the
Mt. Zion Memorial Fund in 1992.
James was posthumously inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1992 as an "Early Influence" inductee.
He had been inducted in the
Blues Hall of Fame within its initial list of inductions in 1980. In 2012, he was honored with a marker on the
Mississippi Blues Trail in Ebenezer.
Influence
James influenced many slide players, such as blues guitarists
Homesick James,
Hound Dog Taylor
Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer.
Life and career
Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played t ...
, and
J. B. Hutto.
His single string playing also influenced
B.B. King and
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
.
Rock guitarists
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
,
Duane Allman,
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones r ...
,
Jeremy Spencer, and
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
have acknowledged his influence. In the
Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' song "
For You Blue",
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
plays a slide solo on a
Höfner lap steel guitar;
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
encourages him with "Go, Johnny, go... Elmore James got nothin' on this, baby".
Discography
Selected singles
* "
Dust My Broom" (1951 and 1965)
* "
I Believe" (1953)
* "
Standing at the Crossroads" (1954 and 1965)
* "
Dust My Blues" (1955)
* "
It Hurts Me Too" (1957 and 1965)
* "
The Sky Is Crying" (1960)
* "
I Can't Hold Out" (1960)
* "
Rollin' and Tumblin'" (1960)
* "
Shake Your Moneymaker" (1961)
* "
Look on Yonder Wall" (1961)
* "
Bleeding Heart" (1965)
* "
One Way Out" (1965)
* "
Every Day I Have the Blues" (1965)
* "
Madison Blues" (1968)
Selected compilation albums
* ''Blues After Hours'' (Crown, 1960)
* ''The Sky Is Crying'' (Sphere Sound, 1965)
* ''I Need You'' (Sphere Sound, 1966)
* ''Whose Muddy Shoes'' (Chess, 1969) (split album with
John Brim)
* ''Street Talkin' '' (Muse, 1975) (split album with
Eddie Taylor)
* ''Shake Your Money Maker'' (Charly R&B, 1986)
* ''Golden Classics'' (Collectables, 1988)
* ''King of the Slide Guitar'' (Capricorn, 1992)
* ''The Classic Early Recordings: 1951–1956'' (Virgin/Flair, 1993)
* ''The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James'' (Rhino, 1993)
* ''Rollin' and Tumblin' '' (Recall/Snapper, 1999)
Gallery
File:Elmore James Blues Trail Marker.jpg, Blues Trail Marker
File:Elmore James Headstone.jpg, Gravesite located at Newport Missionary Baptist Church
References
External links
Illustrated Elmore James discographyElmore James , Mount Zion Memorial Fund1980 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Inductee
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Elmore
1918 births
1963 deaths
People from Holmes County, Mississippi
American blues singers
Trumpet Records artists
Flair Records artists
Meteor Records artists
USA Records artists
Checker Records artists
Modern Records artists
Chess Records artists
Crown Records artists
Blues musicians from Mississippi
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American slide guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Mississippi
Mississippi Blues Trail
African-American guitarists
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
People from Canton, Mississippi