Luke Jordan (January 28, 1892 or November 1893 – June 25, 1952) 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 A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

of some renown, particularly in the area of his home, in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

Biography

Sources conflict on Jordan's birthplace. Some sources list his birthplace as

Appomattox County, Virginia Appomattox County ( ) is a United States county located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is part of the Lynchburg metropolitan area, and its county seat is the town of Appomattox. Appom ...

, or

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia, which had a populatio ...

. According to his

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

draft registration card, Jordan was born in

. At the time of his registration on June 5, 1917, he was living in Bluefield and worked as a delivery boy and janitor. Jordan's gravestone mentions that he served in the "7th Development Battalion" during the war. His professional career started at age 35, when he was noticed by

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

. He went to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

in 1927 and made several records. The records sold moderately well, and Victor decided to take Jordan to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1929 for two more sessions. He recorded few known tracks in his career. In comparison with the harsh voices of many contemporary

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

musicians, Jordan sang in a smooth and relaxed

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Jordan stayed in Lynchburg, and was often found playing by the Craddock Terry Shoe Company building. By the 1940s, Jordan had lost his voice, and had stopped singing. According to a second draft registration card filled out on April 27, 1942 for

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 ...

, Jordan was living in Lynchburg, and was unemployed. Jordan was known in his early years to be a

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

addict, and later in life as a heavy alcoholic who was unable to hold down steady employment. He died in Lynchburg in June 1952. His gravestone lies at Forest Hill Burial Park, in Lynchburg, Virginia. His song "Church Bells Blues" was later recorded by

Ralph Willis Ralph Willis AO (born 14 April 1938) is an Australian former politician who served as a Cabinet Minister during the entirety of the Hawke-Keating government from 1983 to 1996, most notably as Treasurer of Australia from 1993 to 1996 and brie ...

. It was also recorded by

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass rock, blues rock, folk rock, jazz rock, country rock, ...

as a medley with

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was an American Piedmont blues and ragtime singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played in a fluid, syncopated finger picking guitar style common among many Eas ...

's "

Statesboro Blues "Statesboro Blues" is a Piedmont blues song written by Blind Willie McTell, who recorded it in 1928. The title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. In 1968, Taj Mahal recorded a popular blues rock adaptation of the song with a prominent sli ...

Known recordings

Recorded August 16, 1927, Charlotte, North Carolina

* 39819-1. "Church Bells Blues." Victor unissued * 39819-2. "Church Bells Blues." Vi 21076 * 39820-1. "Pick Poor Robin Clean." Victor unissued * 39820-2. "Pick Poor Robin Clean." Vi 20957 * 39821-2. "Cocaine Blues." Vi 21076 * 39822-1. "Traveling Coon." Vi 20957

Recorded November 18, 1929, New York City

* 57703-1. "My Gal's Done Quit Me." Vi V38564 * 57704-3. "Won't You Be Kind?" Vi V38564

Recorded November 19, 1929, New York City

* 57705- . "If I Call You Mama." Vi 23400 * 57706-2. "Look Up, Look Down." Victor unissued * 57707- . "Tom Brown Sits in His Prison Cell." Vi 23400 * 57708-2. " That's a Plenty." Victor unissued

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Luke 1892 births 1952 deaths American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Songwriters from Virginia Piedmont blues musicians Musicians from Lynchburg, Virginia 20th-century American guitarists African-American military personnel Guitarists from Virginia Victor Records artists African-American male songwriters African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American songwriters Military personnel from Bluefield, West Virginia Musicians from Bluefield, West Virginia