Left us on this day (Nov. 8) in 1983: New Orleans pianist & singer James Booker (renal failure, age 43), known as known as The Black Liberace; he was a virtuoso on the instrument who could just as easily play classical as he could R&B, blues & jazz; musician Dr. John famously described him as the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced; by age 15, James was doing session work for the likes of Fats Domino & Lloyd Price; he released a handful of records in the early-60s, but struggled with a growing drug habit; his career hit an upswing in the mid-70s, when he wowed the crowd at the 1975 New Orleans Jazzfest; a record deal with Island Records followed, & tours with the likes of Jerry Garcia; he made several more acclaimed albums & became a popular concert draw in Europe up through the early-80s; Patchwork: A Tribute to James Booker is a 2003 compilation of his songs performed by various pianists; the feature-length documentary, Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, premiered at the 2013 SXSW festival…
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 23:12:08 +0000