Some April Blues Births:
- April 1,1895—Alberta Hunter, aka May Alix, Josephine Beatty, or Helen Robert
- April 15,1936—Johnny Fuller
- April 28, 1940—Phillip “Phil” Guy, Buddy’s brother
Answer to the March 2015 Blues Question: The blueswoman we were looking for is/was “Little” Laura Ella Dukes, also sometimes known as “Little Bit”. The nickname came from the fact that she was 4 feet, 7 inches tall. She worked as a child singer, at around age 6, with Laura Smith in local theaters in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was born. She worked in tent shows and amusement parks as a singer/dancer in Arkansas, Texas and Illinois from about age 21. She met then learned guitar from Robert Nighthawk (born Robert Lee McCollum) and then performed with him in local juke joints in East St. Louis, Illinois. She then went on to tour and perform with the Will Batts South Memphis Jug Band throughout Mississippi, Arkansas, and Indiana. She recorded with the Will Batts Novelty Band in Cleveland, Ohio around 1954. Along the way, she taught herself to also play the banjo, ukulele, and mandolin. She also performed on riverboats out of Memphis and festivals in Tennessee and Kentucky. She passed away on October 14th. 1992, in Memphis. Her gravestone, in the Melton Cemetery, shows the date as being the 10th. Which is incorrect according to all other records.
Blues Trivia for April: last month’s trivia section focused on the Thomas family, which included George W.—senior and junior, Hersal, Hociel, and Sippie (Thomas) Wallace. I made note there that Sippie was a large influence to Bonnie Raitt. This month’s trivia is also in reference to Bonnie. This one is about the bluesman who taught her how to play slide guitar. That man is none other than Mississippi Fred McDowell. He taught himself guitar at around 14 years of age. He would go on to record on at least 17 different record labels throughout his career. He also appeared in several films, all of which, of course, were related to or featuring blues performances. He toured/ performed at blues festivals all over the U.S.A., from the south to the north and from the east to the west The one U.S.A. festival that I have to mention is the Notre Dame Blues Festival(s) of 1970 and 1971, only because, and this is on a personal note, one of my 3 sons (Brian) attended and graduated, with a master’s degree, from there. Anyhow, I digress. Fred also toured/ played all over Europe. The trivia part is that at many festivals, both here and abroad, after he was on stage, seated, and ready to perform, he would do a self- introduction. It was simple and well-said: “My name is Mississippi Fred McDowell and I do not play no rock and roll!” The next time you go out on a Friday or Saturday night or a blues festival to hear some live blues, think about that statement. If it’s a typical “bar band” cranking out 120 or 130 decibels of sound off the stage, it isn’t blues. It’s about one click away from somewhere between heavy metal and hard rock. If you have followed the blues for awhile you know that the Chicago “amplified” blues was so that the people could hear the music over the normal sounds of a busy club or juke, not make it difficult to have a conversation or drown out all sound for a 3-block area.
Some April Blues Passings:
· April 3, 1960—Joe Bennie Pugh aka Forrest City Joe
· April 15, 2008—Sean Costello
· April 28, 1984—Moses “Whispering” Smith
· April 3, 1960—Joe Bennie Pugh aka Forrest City Joe
· April 15, 2008—Sean Costello
· April 28, 1984—Moses “Whispering” Smith
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