Instruments: vocals, guitar
Dates: born 17-Sep-34 --
Style synopsis: A huge powerful, voice used to great effect in dramatic ballads and laments. His music has a gritty feel, with pleading vocals, and (frequently) lyrics of dashed love. His typical band is piano, sax, bass and drums. Clear B. B. King influence.
Representative Recordings:(strictly my opinion - MikeL)
(1) We're Gonna Make It (1965, Checker LP 2995)
(2) Sings Big Blues (1966, Checker LP 3002)
(3) Blues 'N Soul (1974, Stax STS-5541)
History: As a "young 'n" in Inverness Mississippi, he was influenced by T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Roy Brown and Big Joe Turner. His earliest recordings were on Sam Philips' Sun label, backed by Ike Turner's band. In 1958, he moved to St. Louis and with Oliver Sain started the Bobbin label, famous for signing Albert King. In 1961, he signed with Chess' subsidiary, Checker. There, over a nine year span, he cut over a hundred sides; amongst these, several made it to the top ten on the national R&B charts, including the number one Who's Cheating Who?. In 1971 he signed on at Stax, where he built a fuller sound, recording with additional strings, the Memphis Horns, "Big" Joe Turner, and Willie "Too Big" Hall. He is still recording (with Malaco since 1984), and touring [he played in Oregon this Spring 1995, but of course missed Seattle, where I live!].
Contributor: Mike Lempriere (mikel@speakeasy.org)
Contributor's comments: In 1986, MCA released a two-fer of Sings Big Blues and We're Gonna Make It (CHD-5906). This gets you his best two disks for the price of one (buyer beware, one track was omitted from Sings... to fit it all in).
His recording of the well-known Henry Glover song Fever is the finest I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot of different versions!), and his rendition of the Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer tune Blues In The Night cannot be topped. His originals like Can't Hold Back The Tears, Believe In Me, and Life Is Like That are of the highest caliber and tell of love lost, love gained, and, you guessed it, love lost.
His 1988 release Back To Back (Malaco, 7448) has prominent backing vocals, strings and "big" horns with a mellow-ish feel. It's nice music, but a bit too polished for my taste, I prefer his earlier, huskier sound with pleading vocals and dashed-love lyrics [however this is my taste showing through, I prefer gutter/electric blues]. If your taste is like mine, you'll want some of his Checker disks; if you prefer Urban blues, try his Stax era; mellower, try his some of his Malaco releases.