Elmore James (January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader.[1] He was known as King of the Slide Guitar,James was born Elmore Brooks in Richland, Holmes County, Mississippi, the illegitimate son of 15-year-old Leola Brooks, a field hand. His father was probably Joe Willie Frost James, who moved in with Leola, and so Elmore took this as his name. Elmore began making music at the age of 12 using a simple one-string instrument (diddley bow or jitterbug) strung up on a shack wall. As a teen he was playing at local dances under the names Cleanhead and Joe Willie James. His first marriage, circa 1942, was to Minnie Mae.[2] He subsequently married at least twice more.[citation needed] James was strongly influenced by Robert Johnson, as well as by Kokomo Arnold and Tampa Red. James recorded several of Tampas songs, and even inherited from his band two of his famous Broomdusters, Little Johnny Jones (piano) and Odie Payne (drums). There is a dispute as to whether Robert Johnson or Elmore wrote James trademark song, Dust My Broom.[2] During World War II, James joined the United States Navy, was promoted to coxswain and took part in the invasion of Guam. Upon his discharge, James returned to central Mississippi and eventually settled in Canton with his adopted brother Robert Holston; it was at this time he learned that he had a serious heart condition. Working in Roberts electrical shop, he devised his unique electric sound, using parts from the shop and an unusual placement of two DArmond pickups.[2] He began recording with Trumpet Records in nearby Jackson in January 1951, first as sideman to the second Sonny Boy Williamson and also to their mutual friend Willie Love and possibly others, then debuting as a session leader in August with Dust My Broom, which was a surprise R&B hit in 1952.[1] He broke his recording contract with Trumpet Records to sign up 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 another hit a year later.[1] During the 1950s he recorded for the Bihari brothers Flair Records, Meteor Records[3] and Modern Records labels, as well as for Chess Records and Mel Londons Chief Records.[4] He played lead guitar on Joe Turners 1954 top 10 R&B hit TV Mama.[5] His backing musicians were known as the Broomdusters.[1] In 1959, he began recording for Bobby Robinsons Fire Records label. These include The Sky Is Crying, My Bleeding Heart, Stranger Blues, Look on Yonder Wall, Done Somebody Wrong, and Shake Your Moneymaker.[1] Death James died of a heart attack in Chicago in 1963,[1] just prior to a tour of Europe with that years American Folk Blues Festival. He was buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery in Ebenezer, Mississippi. Sound James played a wide variety of blues (which often crossed over into other styles of music) similar to that of Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and some of B. B. Kings work, but distinguished by his guitars unique tone coming from a modified, hollow body traditional acoustic guitar, which sounded like an amped up version of the more modern solid body guitars. Muddy Waters took the Belgian blues fan George Adins to see James play in Chicago in 1959, Adins recalled, Elmore will always remain the most exciting, dramatic blues singer and guitarist that Ive ever had a chance to see perform in the flesh. On our way we listened to him on the radio as Big Bill Hill ... was broadcasting direct from that place. I was burning to see Elmore James and before we even pushed open the door of the club, we could hear Elmores violent guitar sound. Although the place was overcrowded, we managed to find a seat close to the bandstand and the blues came falling down on me as it had never done before. Watching Elmore sing and play, backed by a solid blues band (Homesick James, J.T. Brown, Boyd Atkins and Sam Cassell) made me feel real fine. Wearing thick glasses, Elmores face always had an expressive and dramatic look, especially when he was real gone on the slow blues. Singing with a strong and rough voice, he really didnt need a mike. On such slow blues as Im Worried - Make My Dreams Come True - It Hurts Me, his voice reached a climax and created a tension that was unmistakably the down and out blues. Notwithstanding that raw voice, Elmore sang his blues with a particular feeling, an emotion and depth that showed his country background. His singing was... fed, reinforced by his own guitar accompaniment which was as rough, violent and expressive as was his voice. Using the bottleneck technique most of the time, Elmore really let his guitar sound as I had never heard a guitar sound before. You just couldnt sit still! You had to move... Adins also witnessed James at Alex Club in West Side Chicago where... ...he always played for a dance audience and he made the people jump. Bobbys Rock was at that time one of the favourite numbers with the crowd and Elmore used to play [it] for fifteen minutes and more. You just couldnt stand that hysteric sound coming down on you. The place was rocking, swinging![6] His best known song is the blues standard Dust My Broom (also known as Dust My Blues). The song gave its name to James band, The Broomdusters. The songs opening slide guitar riff is one of the best-known sounds in all of blues. It is essentially the same riff that appeared in the recording of the same song by Robert Johnson, but James played the riff with electric slide guitar. B. B. King used this riff to open his 1953 #1 R&B hit Please Love Me. It was even transformed into a doo-wop chorus on Jesse Stones Down in the Alley, recorded by The Clovers and Elvis Presley. Stone transcribed the riff as: Changety changety changety changety chang chang![citation needed] Influence Many electric slide guitar players will admit to the influence of James style. He was also a major influence on such successful blues guitarists as Homesick James, John Littlejohn, Hound Dog Taylor, J. B. Hutto and many others. He also influenced many rock guitarists such as The Rolling Stones Brian Jones (Keith Richards wrote in his book that at the time he met Brian Jones, Brian called himself Elmo Lewis, and that he wanted to be Elmore James), Canned Heats Alan Wilson and in particular Fleetwood Macs Jeremy Spencer. John Mayall included Mr. James on his 1969 Looking Back album as a dedication to James. James songs Done Somebody Wrong and One Way Out were often covered by The Allman Brothers Band, who were influenced by James.[7] James was also covered by blues-rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble many times in concert. The most famous of these covers is one that came by an indirect route - James fellow bluesman Albert King recorded a cover of The Sky Is Crying, and Stevie Ray Vaughan copied Kings version of the song. That song was also covered by George Thorogood on his second album, Move It On Over and by Eric Clapton on his album Theres One in Every Crowd. The most famous guitarist who admired James was Jimi Hendrix. Early in his career Hendrix styled himself variously as Maurice James and subsequently as Jimmy James. This, according to former bandmate and recording partner Lonnie Youngblood, was a tribute to Elmore James.[8] There is a photo of Hendrix (that can be seen in the sleeve of his Blues album) in London wearing his iconic military jacket and holding Elmore Jamess UK LP The Best Of Elmore James. (Hendrix was frequently photographed throughout his performing career holding LP covers of musicians that influenced him.) He performed James Bleeding Heart during the Experiences Royal Albert Hall concert in 1969, and also with the Band of Gypsys at their New Years concerts at the Fillmore East in 1969/70 as well as recording two different versions of it in the studio.[citation needed] James is referenced in The Beatles song For You Blue: while John Lennon plays the slide guitar (James trademark), George Harrison says, Elmore James got nothin on this, baby. Other artists influenced by Elmore James include Frank Zappa[9] Discography Main article: Elmore James discography Selected singles Dust My Broom (1951 & 1965) I Believe (1953) Standing at the Crossroads (1954 & 1965) Dust My Blues (1955) It Hurts Me Too (1957 & 1965) The Sky Is Crying (1960) I Cant 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) Selected compilation albums Blues After Hours (1960) Whose Muddy Shoes (1969) Street Talkin (1975) Elmore James — King of the Slide Guitar (1992) Elmore James — The Classic Early Records 1951–1956 (1993) The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James (1993) References Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh, Scotland: Mojo Books. pp. 493–494. ISBN 978-1-84195-017-4. Franz, Steve. The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James, BlueSource Publications, 2003. Meteor Records. Retrieved 2006-11-06. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942-1988. Record Research, Inc. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-89820-068-3. Swyner, Alan, liner notes to The Very Best of Big Joe Turner, Rhino 72968 (CD), 1998 Bromberg liner notes to the compilation The Legend Of Elmore James (Kent Records 9001). Dicaire, David. Blues Singers: Elmore James entry. Retrieved 2013-06-02. Egan, Sean. The Making of Are You Experienced, A Capella Books, 2002, p. 14. Guitar Player Magazine, 1983. Home.online.no. 1984-01-09. Retrieved 2011-12-30. External links Illustrated Elmore James discography Discography at MusicBrainz Elmore James on Find-A-Grave Elmore James | Mount Zion Memorial Fund 1980 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Inductee Review of The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 17:20:00 +0000
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