Max Voorhees Drake II (born June 1, 1952) is 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 and songwriter from

Yanceyville, North Carolina Yanceyville is a town in, and the county seat of, Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, it had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 census. Established in 1791 as Caswell Court House, Yanc ...

. He has performed with musicians such as

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 ...

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

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 ...

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...

, and

Nappy Brown Napoleon Brown Goodson Culp (October 12, 1929 – September 20, 2008) better known by his stage name Nappy Brown, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singing, singer. His hit record, hits include the 1955 ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard' ...

Biography

Early life and career

Max Drake was born in

Burlington, North Carolina Burlington is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance and Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which en ...

and grew up in Reidsville. He started his first band at age 23 in 1975. From the mid-1970s until 1989 he gained distinction as a guitarist in Arhooly R&B Deluxe Band. While in Arhooly, there were performances with prominent bluesmen including B.B. King, Bo Diddley, and

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

. Drake became especially known for his agility on

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

. In the 1990s, Drake performed with the Charlotte-based Extraordinaires and also Thomas "Mookie" Brill before recording and performing frequently with

Skeeter Brandon Skeeter Brandon (April 22, 1948 – March 20, 2008) was an American blind blues keyboardist, singer and songwriter. From 1966 to 1991, Brandon played in various bands across the United States. He joined Highway 61 in 1991, and recorded four alb ...

. In the 2000s, he played rhythm guitar in Big Bill Morganfield's band, going on worldwide tours. Morganfield is the son of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

(aka McKinley Morganfield) often cited as the "father of modern

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

." As the band toured Europe, blues enthusiasts became increasingly interested in Morganfield. Many were familiar with his father's seminal contributions to electric blues from his work on

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 ...

. It was said that the band's version of Waters' "

Got My Mojo Working "Got My Mojo Working" is a blues song written by Preston "Red" Foster and first recorded by R&B singer Ann Cole in 1956. Foster's lyrics describe several amulets or talismans, called ''mojo'', which are associated with hoodoo, an early Africa ...

" stood up to the original. Tours in Spain that Drake accompanied him on particularly enjoyed popularity due to the legacy connection to Waters. After the multiyear run with Morganfield ended, Drake stayed closer to his home and family in

Caswell County, North Carolina Caswell County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yancey ...

. He went on to work extensively with Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos in the 2010s while teaching aspiring blues artists. Drake has performed at public schools in North Carolina in partnership with the

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

-based Piedmont Blues Preservation Society.

Discography

*''Got it Bad'' (1995) *''New Moon Blues on Rise'' (1996) *''Global Voices: Traditional, Sacred & Contemporary Vocal Music'' (1998) *''Contemporary Global Voices'' (2000) *''Popskull & High Art'' (2008)

References

External links

Skeeter Brandon: "The Sky is Crying" (Max Drake, guitar)

Extraordinaires: "Dark End of the Street" (Max Drake on lead guitar)

All Music – Max Drake
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Max 1952 births American blues guitarists American male guitarists People from Burlington, North Carolina People from Reidsville, North Carolina People from Yanceyville, North Carolina People from Caswell County, North Carolina Guitarists from North Carolina 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Living people