James Keys Markham (March 16, 1941 – September 21, 2018) was an American harmonica player and singer. Inducted into both the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, he is considered a pioneer of the "

Tulsa sound The Tulsa sound is a popular musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the second half of the twentieth century. It is a mix of blues, blues rock, country, rock and roll and swamp pop sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Artis ...

Early life

James Keys Markham was born and raised in

Pryor, Oklahoma Pryor Creek or Pryor''Oklahoma Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1st Edition, 1998, p. 36 is a city in and county seat of Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 9,444 as of the 2020 census. Originally named ''Coo-Y-Yah'', Chero ...

. His parents were Elisabeth and James Clarence Markham. Markham never completed high school, but dropped out. Markham listened to blues radio and records of

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. In 1956, as a teenager, he got the chance to see his idol play at the

Expo Square Pavilion The Expo Square Pavilion, sometimes called simply The Pavilion, and formerly known as the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion, is a 6,311-seat multi-purpose arena, in the Tulsa State Fairgrounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was built in 1932; the architect was ...

at the

Tulsa State Fair The Tulsa State Fair is an annual event held at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The state fair, fair takes place in late September (usually on the fourth Tuesday after Labor Day, and occasionally in early October) and lasts 11 days. History The ...

. Markham remembered it as the day that "Ruined my life". Markham even got the chance to meet Presley: "I walked back in there and looked up and there’s Elvis Presley. I visited with him. He wanted to know where the bathroom was, and we went to the bathroom. Actually, his first words were, 'Do you know where a guy can take a piss around here?' I said, 'Yeah, follow me'." Markham spent much of his childhood on the North side of Tulsa going into clubs underage with a note from his parents, which allowed him to see

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

, and

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

Career

After being convinced by his friend

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...

, Markham left Tulsa in the early 1960s for Los Angeles. Drummer

David Teegarden David Teegarden is an American musician who was a member of the American psych-rock group Teegarden & Van Winkle. He is a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Teegarden has worked with many musicians including J. J. Cale, Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, and Bo ...

would later join them about 6 months after Markham and Russell were out there. They all lived in the same house. During this time, Markham was a trumpet player. He played trumpet since he was in grade school in

Chouteau, Oklahoma Chouteau is the second-largest town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,059 at the 2020 census. History Chouteau, originally called "Cody's Creek", became a stop on the Katy railroad in 1871. It soon became a thrivin ...

. Markham got a recording contract for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. This is where Markham met

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

from

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...

and became a regular opener for them. Markham also met

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Nilsson, Delaney ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

keyboardist and saxophonist. These tapes from Capitol are assumed to be lost. While out on tour in 1962, a drummer named Bill Boatman told Markham that he should learn to play the harmonica to go along with

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with a wide variety of audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), "Baby Wha ...

songs the band was covering. Markham returned to Tulsa in 1969. In 2013, Markham and his band at the time, The Governor's Blues Revue, opened for B.B. King in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin cities, twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2 ...

. Markham also ran a club called the Paradise Club. It was located at 6200 South Lewis Avenue in Tulsa. After he closed the club, he opened a restaurant called Jimmy's Bar-B-Que.

Music

Markham has credits on a vast array of recordings ranging from

The Tractors The Tractors (formerly known as Uncle Steve & The Tractors) were an American country rock band composed of a loosely associated group of musicians headed by guitarist Steve Ripley. The original lineup consisted of Steve Ripley (lead vocals, gui ...

' self titled album to A.C. Reed's album ''I'm in the Wrong Business''. Markham did two 45s in his band Junior Markham and the Tulsa Review in 1965. These recordings feature

Carl Radle Carl Dean Radle (June 18, 1942 – May 30, 1980) was an American bassist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was posthumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame ...

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Eri ...

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

, and others. Markham has two solo albums out to date. The first one was released on September 7, 1999, on King Snake Records called ''Wound Up Tight''. This album features

on keys as well as King Snake artists Ace Moreland (a guitar player who is also considered a Tulsa musician even though he is from Miami, Oklahoma) and Bob "Rattlesnake" Greenlee who produced the album. At the time of that album's release, King Snake had signed a new distribution deal with a company out of Florida. The distribution company had been shipping drugs in CD cases all over the world which meant that King Snake products could not be distributed. Markham's second album is called ''Get Ya Head Right'' and was released in 2018 on Tulsa Blues Project Records. The album features

Johnny Sansone John Sansone (born September 27, 1957), also known as Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, harmonicist, accordionist, guitarist and piano player. He was nominated for seven music awards in 2012, including a B ...

Marcy Levy Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit " Lay Down Sally" and released her debut ...

, Walt Richmond, and Charles Tuberville Markham was inducted into both the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

House fire

In the morning on May 7, 2018, Markham's house caught on fire, although he was not at his property and was said to be fine. The fire was caused by an electrical problem. Markham had no insurance on his house and he lost belongings and personal memorabilia.

Death

On September 21, 2018, Markham died; he was 78 years old.

Discography

*1967 – The Leathercoated Minds – ''A Trip Down The Sunset Strip'' *1968 – Asylum Choir – ''Look Inside The Asylum Choir'' *1984 – .38 Special (band) – '' Tour de Force'' *1987 – A.C. Reed – ''I'm in the Wrong Business'' (Plays on the same track

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

does) *1994 –

– ''

'' *1995 –

David Olney David Charles Olney (March 23, 1948 – January 18, 2020) was an American folk singer-songwriter. Olney recorded more than twenty albums over his five-decade career. His songs have been covered by numerous artists, including Emmylou Harris, Del ...

– ''High, Wide And Lonesome'' *1995 – Various – ''Even More Good Whiskey: A Collection Of Contemporary Blues Songs From The State Of Tennessee'' (Made in Germany) *1998 – Various – ''Blues on the High Seas: King Snake LIVE!'' (with Ace Moreland,

Floyd Miles Floyd Miles (April 13, 1943 – January 25, 2018) was an American electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released four solo albums from 1992 onwards. Life and career Miles was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Flori ...

, and Sonny Rhodes) *1998 – Brad Absher – ''Find You Tonight'' *1999 – Jimmy Markham – ''Wound Up Tight'' *2004 – JJ Cale – ''To Tulsa And Back'' *2007 – Red Dirt Rangers – ''Ranger Motel'' *2009 –

JJ Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

– ''Roll On'' *2009 – Little Joe McLerran – ''Believe I'll Make A Change'' *2014 –

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

& Friends – '' The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale'' *2017 – Scott Ellison – ''Good Morning Midnight'' *2018 – Jimmy Markham – ''Get Ya Head Right''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Markham, Junior 1941 births 2018 deaths American harmonica players People from Pryor Creek, Oklahoma