First, a little Blues tidbit: If you've been around me for any length of time, you've heard me say that "people hear the blues every day -- they just don't know that it's blues". With that in mind, have you seen the Geico insurance ad showing the gecko on a front porch, with an older gentleman, sitting to his left, in a rocking chair, blowing some notes on a harmonica ? You should recognize him -- it's Leslie Johnson. You've probably heard him if you like the "swamp blues", but most likely under his performing or stage name -- Lazy Lester. He recorded from 1956 to '62 on the Excello label, in Crowley, Louisiana. He did a full album for them, "I'm a Lover, Not A Fighter", but also did a lot of session work for that label, on other artists songs/albums, as a harp player, a guitarist, or a drummer.
Some August Blues Births:
- August1st.,1951-- Deitra Kimberly Farr
- August 18th.,1923-- James "Jimmy" Witherspoon
- August 31st.,1907-- James Founty, who performed/recorded under the name Dan Pickett
Answer to The July 2018 Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for was/is Monroe Vincent, born, depending on where you look, on December 9, shown either 1919 or 1926, in Woodville, Mississippi. I believe that the 1919 is correct, as he is shown to have moved around in New Orleans, then on to New York City, in the 1930's. He was in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1954. He lived in New Orleans from '54 up into '58, when he moved to Baton Rouge, where he sometimes worked with Lightnin' Slim, performing in clubs or working the streets for tips. He played harmonica when he was the frontman, and harp or drums as a sideman. Most of his recording was done in 1959 (?) on the Excello label, with a few done on the Zynn label, both located in Baton Rouge. He recorded under the names Mr. Calhoun, Vince Monroe, or Polka Dot Slim, in different sessions. In 1963 he recorded on the Instant label, in Detroit. He supposedly died of a heart attack in Oakland, California, on June 22,1981. Another source lists his death occurring in April,1982, no day given. Neither, at this time, can be verified or confirmed by me.
Blues Question For August 2018: Another "not well-known" bluesman who had some relatives who were prominent and well-known. He served some prison time for the murder of his wife. Now, keep in mind that this info is from one source, where another disputes all those statements/facts. Any idea who this bluesman is/was ??
Blues Song(s) and Artist(s) for August 2018: The song is "Let Me Be Your Hatchet", and the artist is Silas Hogan, and the recording was done "live" at Tabby's Blues Box, in Baton Rouge. I chose this song and artist because it's tied to and a big part of the "swamp blues" I mentioned in the "tidbit" at the beginning and in the Blues Question Answer. Silas Hogan was another artist who recorded for Excello.
Blues Trivia For August 2018: Since I already included some Excello swamp blues artists earlier in the blog, thought I might as well add another one here -- Ernest Joseph "Tabby" Thomas, born January 5,1929, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After high school he joined the U.S. Air Force, which, in 1959, after his discharge, put him in San Francisco, where he won a talent contest that was sponsored by local radio station KSAN. Out of that, he did some recordings for Don Pierce's Hollywood Records (NOT the same as the current Disney- owned Hollywood Records!), but they weren't successful. He then moved back to Baton Rouge, where he recorded for several small, local labels. He finally had success when he recorded for Excello, in 1961. From that point, up into the late '60's, he performed locally with his band, the Mellow, Mellow Men. He also worked for the Ciba- Geigy company, and was a union steward there. He semi-retired at that point to start his own record company-- Blue Beat Records (Not the same as the current Blue Beat, which mostly records reggae, hip-hop, rap,punk, etc.), to record both his own music and that of other local musicians, In 1978, he, along with other family members, started "Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall ( I mentioned Tabby's Blues Box in the song of the month section), in an old, run-down building, to be an authentic blues club. The club moved to another location in 2000, and shut down in 2004. Here's the trivia-- one of those family members who helped start that club was his son, who you should know-- Chris Thomas King !!
Some August Blues Passings:
- August 2nd.,1994-- Mahalia Lucille Jenkins, better-known as Lucille Spann
- August 15th.,1991-- Yavuz Hilmi Cetin
- August 27th.,1982-- Lewis Anderson "Rabbit" Muse
RSS Feed