1899 Birleanna Blanks*
1941 Irma Thomas*
1951 Richard Bargel*
1956 Dan Sane+
2009 Snooks Eaglin+
Happy Birthday
Irma Thomas *18.02.1941
Irma Thomas (* 18. Februar 1941 in Ponchatoula, Louisiana als Irma Lee) ist eine US-amerikanische Blues-, Soul- und Gospel-Sängerin. Sie gilt als die Soul Queen of New Orleans.
Irma Thomas wuchs in New Orleans auf und sang als Teenager in einem Gospel-Chor. Im Alter von 19 Jahren war sie bereits zum zweiten Mal verheiratet und Mutter von vier Kindern. Sie arbeitete zunächst als Kellnerin und erhielt 1960 ihren ersten Plattenvertrag. Ihre erste Single (You Can Have My Husband But) Don’t Mess With My Man erreichte Platz 22 der Billboard-Rhythm-and-Blues-Charts. Der hierauf folgenden Zusammenarbeit mit Allen Toussaint entstammen unter anderem die Titel Ruler of my Heart und It’s Raining. 1964 erreichte Wish Someone Would Care mit der Rückseite Break-a-Way Platz 17 der Billboard-Pop-Charts und wurde zu erfolgreichsten Single ihrer Karriere. In der Folgezeit blieben Irma Thomas größere kommerzielle Erfolge verwehrt und nach einer längeren Schaffenspause erfuhr ihre Karriere erst Ende der 1980er Jahre eine Wiederbelebung. Nachdem ihr Album Live! Simply the Best 1991 eine Grammy-Nominierung erreichte, veröffentlichte sie unter anderem mehrere reine Gospel-Alben. Der bisherige Höhepunkt ihrer Karriere war 2007 der Gewinn eines Grammy für das Album After the Rain in der Kategorie "Bestes zeitgenössisches Blues-Album".
Der Hurrikan Katrina überschwemmte 2005 in New Orleans sowohl Irmas Privathaus als auch ihren Musik-Club Lions’s Den. 2008 veröffentlichte Irma Thomas das Album Simply Grand. Dabei wurde sie von zwölf bekannten Pianisten wie Dr. John, Randy Newman, Norah Jones und Henry Butler begleitet. Die Songs stammen unter anderem von John Fogerty (River Is Waiting), Burt Bacharach (What Can I Do"), Norah Jones (Thinking about You) und Doc Pomus (Be you).
Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial success. In 2007, she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for After the Rain, her first Grammy in a career spanning over 50 years.
Life and career
Born Irma Lee, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, auditioning for Specialty Records as a 13-year old. By the age of 19 she had been married twice and had four children. Keeping her second ex-husband's surname, she worked as a waitress in New Orleans, occasionally singing with bandleader Tommy Ridgley, who helped her land a record deal with the local Ron label. Her first single, "(You Can Have My Husband but) Don't Mess with My Man," was released in spring 1960, and reached number 22 on the Billboard R&B chart.
She then began recording on the Minit label, working with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint on songs including "It’s Raining" and "Ruler of my Heart", which was later reinterpreted by Otis Redding as "Pain In My Heart". Imperial Records acquired Minit in 1963, and a string of successful releases followed. These included "Wish Someone Would Care” (her biggest national hit), its B-side "Breakaway", written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheely (later covered by Tracey Ullman among others), "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" (co-written by a young Randy Newman and future country star Jeannie Seely, among others), and "Time Is on My Side" (a song previously recorded by Kai Winding, and later by the Rolling Stones).
Although her first four Imperial singles all charted on Billboard's pop chart, later releases were less successful, and, unlike her contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick, she never managed to cross over into mainstream commercial success. She recorded for Chess Records in 1967/68 with some success, the Otis Redding song "Good To Me" reaching the R&B chart. She then relocated to California, releasing records on various small labels, before returning to Louisiana, and in the early 1980s opened her own club, the Lion's Den.
Down By Law, the 1986 independent film by Jim Jarmusch features "It's Raining" in the soundtrack. The film's actors Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fall in love in the movie, dance to this song.
After several years’ break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records, and in 1991 earned her first-ever Grammy Award nomination for Live! Simply the Best, recorded in San Francisco. She subsequently released a number of traditional gospel albums, together with more secular recordings. The album Sing It! was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.
Thomas is still active as a performer, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. She reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season. She often headlined at her own club, but it went out of business due to Hurricane Katrina, which caused her to relocate to Gonzales, Louisiana, 60 miles (97 km) from New Orleans.[4] According to her website she is now back in her home in New Orleans.
Thomas appearing with James Taylor and others in 2008
Thomas and her husband owned the Lion's Den Club near the French Quarter of New Orleans.[5]
In April 2007, Thomas was honored for her contributions to Louisiana music with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Also in 2007, Thomas accepted an invitation to participate in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino where, singing with Marcia Ball, she contributed "I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind".
In August 2009, a compilation album with three new songs titled The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration was released from Rounder Records to commemorate Thomas' 50th year as a recording artist.
Thomas was the subject of the 2008 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival poster. She was chosen as the subject before the painting was chosen for the poster. Artist Douglas Bourgeois painted the singer in 2006. In 2010, Thomas rode in the New Orleans parade "Grela". In April that year, Thomas performed at the Corner Hotel, Richmond.
During Easter 2011, Thomas performed twice at the Bluesfest music festival in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. On April 24, she performed on the Crossroads stage, coming on after Mavis Staples; then on April 25, she headlined the Crossroads stage, coming on after Jethro Tull and Osibisa.
In December 2011, Thomas' track "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" was featured in Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror in the second installment entitled "15 Million Merits". The song was also featured in a karaoke segment in the seventh episode, December 2014's "White Christmas."
In 2013, Thomas was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Soul Blues Female Artist' category,[6] which she duly won.[7] She won the same award in 2014.[8]
Worked with
Tommy Ridgley
Eddie Bo
Edgar Blanchard
Bill Sinigal
Irving Banister
Patsy Valdalia
Marcia Ball
Dr. John
Skip Easterling[9]
Influences
Etta James
Mahalia Jackson
Pearl Bailey
Nancy Wilson
Brook Benton
John Lee Hooker
Percy Mayfield
Tommy Ridgley
Eddie Bo
Edgar Blanchard
Bill Sinigal
Irving Banister
Patsy Valdalia
Marcia Ball
Dr. John
Skip Easterling[9]
Influences
Etta James
Mahalia Jackson
Pearl Bailey
Nancy Wilson
Brook Benton
John Lee Hooker
Percy Mayfield
Birleanna Blanks *18.02.1899
Birleanna Blanks was born in Iowa on February 18, 1899, of African American/Native American descent. Her parents soon moved to East St. Louis, IL. where she attended school and college and was a schoolteacher up until around 1912. She then appeared with her sister Arsceola as a singing/dancing act as "The Blanks Sisters" playing vaudeville in theaters. Birleanna then went out on her own as a singer/actress appearing in many productions in New York City, Chicago, as well as Jersey City, and Newark, N.J. including "They're Off", "Derby Day In Dixie" and as the role of Mae Barnes in the "Lucky Sambo Revue", from 1919 until 1927. In 1922-1923 she was a member of The Three Dixie Songbirds along with Amanda Randolph & Hilda Perkins, with the act playing club dates in Chicago. Birleanna left the business in 1928 and later married baseball player Chesley Cunningham. Birleanna passed away in New York City at the Florence Nightingale Nursing Home from cancer on August 12, 1968 and is buried near Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx. Despite her credentials in the theater, Birleanna Blanks only recorded two songs during her career. This recording is the sole survivor. There's probably only one copy of the record that is known to exist, and the other side "Potomac River Blues" was too destroyed to duplicate due to drop-outs and distortion. Unless a playable copy ever turns up, we'll never hear it. "Mason-Dixon Blues" was previously recorded by Mattie Hite, Hazel Meyers, and Rosa Henderson. As a note, that is Birleanna pictured on the right-hand side of the CD cover.
Singer who recorded two songs for Paramount in 1923 with Fletcher Henderson accompanying at piano. . Her entertainment career was in singing andndancing in revues and theaters, usually with her sister Arsceola Blanks. She left show business around 1928, and worked outside of music in New York City.
"Encyclopedia of the blues / Edward Komara, editor."
Birleanna Blanks and Fletcher Henderson Mason-Dixon Blues (1923)
Richard Bargel *18.02.1951
Richard Bargel (* 1951 in Frankfurt am Main) ist ein deutscher Sänger und Slidegitarrist, Komponist, Autor, Schauspieler und Sprecher.
Leben und Wirken
Bargel wuchs in Bonn-Bad Godesberg auf. Seit seinem 12. Lebensjahr spielt er Gitarre.
In den 60er Jahren trat er als Folksänger auf und war Mitglied der Kölner Künstlergruppe COOM, mit ersten Ausstellungen seiner Grafiken und Objekte. 1969 gründete er in Köln mit Klaus dem Geiger (Klaus von Wrochem) die Künstlerkommune „Tabernakel“, die ihren Lebensunterhalt mit Straßenmusik verdiente. Kurz darauf gründete Bargel sein eigenes Puppen- und Straßentheater, das „Lumpentheater“. 1970 begann er seine Karriere als professioneller Bluesmusiker. Es folgten erste Festivalauftritte (u. a. Interfolkfestival in Osnabrück) und Tourneen ins Ausland. Mitte der 70er reiste er öfter nach England und trat in London und Birmingham auf. In London spielte er zusammen mit John B. Spencer, D. P. Costello (später Elvis Costello), Wizz Jones, Jo Ann Kelly, u. a. im 100Club, Dingwalls und im Half Moon im Stadtteil Putney.
1976 ging er mit seiner „Rolling Blues Review“ auf Tournee. Gäste dabei waren u. a. Champion Jack Dupree und Eddie Boyd. Konzerte und Auftritte mit Memphis Slim, Cousin Joe und Sunnyland Slim folgten. 1978 zog er für mehrere Jahre nach Montpellier in Südfrankreich, wo er auch mit Sugar Blue, Memphis Slim (La Grande Motte) und Miriam Makeba (Jazzfestival Nîmes) konzertierte. 1984 kehrte er nach Köln zurück und tourte in den darauf folgenden Jahren zweimal mit dem „Country Blues Festival USA“ durch Europa, gemeinsam mit Musikern wie Guitar Slim, Doctor Ross, Bowling Green John, Phil Wiggins, Archie Edwards, Flora Molton und Charlie Musselwhite.
Seit 1987 wirkte er zwei Jahre lang bei Michael Schanzes Fernsehshow Telefant mit (und verlieh dem Telefanten seine Stimme). Außerdem war er als Musiker, Regieassistent und Bühnenbildner für die WWF-Fernsehproduktionen Sprungbrett tätig und ging mit der Sängerin Big Time Sarah auf Europa-Tournee.
1990 feierte er sein 20-jähriges Bühnenjubiläum mit einem Konzert in Köln mit Gästen wie Angela Brown, Louisiana Red, Little Willie Littlefield, Paul Lamb & The King Snakes. Später ging er mit der Louisiana-Blueslegende Tabby Thomas aus Baton Rouge auf Deutschlandtournee und machte Aufnahmen zusammen mit dem Saxophonisten Big Jay McNeely. 1992 wurde seine CD Fresh Tracks mit dem Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik honoriert. An der Produktion hatten sich der texanische Bluespianist Little Willie Littlefield († 2013) und der amerikanische Mundharmonikaspieler Jack Goodfellow († 2014) beteiligt.
Talkin’ Blues
1992 gründete er in Köln, zusammen mit dem Pianisten Christian Rannenberg, seine Blues Talkshow Talkin’ Blues (1992–2000) mit mehr als 300 Folgen, in der renommierte internationale Bluesmusiker zu Gast waren, darunter Luther Allison, Johnny Copeland, Phil Upchurch, Charlie Musselwhite, Walter „Wolfman“ Washington u. v. a. Die Auftritte wurden teilweise vom Deutschlandfunk mitgeschnitten und gesendet. Hier etablierte Richard Bargel auch den ersten deutschen Blues Award, den „Talkin’ Blues Award“.
1995 entwickelte er mit dem Schlagzeuger Klaus Mages (u. a. Trio Rio, Rainbirds) und Ernest Bornemann das Jazz-Projekt Go Blue, das vom WDR-Fernsehen für eine Sendung aufgezeichnet wurde und 1999 ein Album vorlegte.
2001 veröffentlichte Richard Bargel den Gedichtband Ein Werwolf hockt im Kreidekreis, heult leise blaue Lieder (Schardt Verlag/Oldenburg). 2003 erschien im Naumann Verlag ein Karikaturenband mit seinen Zeichnungen. 2005 erschien seine CD Mojo & the Wolf, mit der er zum zweiten Mal mit dem „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ ausgezeichnet wurde. 2006 wurde seine Produktion Bones für den Preis nominiert. 2007 gründete er seine Konzertreihe Mississippi Beat im „Alten Pfandhaus“ in Köln, die er zusammen mit Charlie Musselwhite im Duo eröffnet. Das legendäre Konzert wurde vom Deutschlandfunk gesendet und ist mit einem Song auf Youtube vertreten. Der Clip wurde bereits über 800.000 aufgerufen.
Seit 2007 ist Richard Bargel auch wieder als Schauspieler tätig und war in mehreren Theaterproduktionen der freien Kölner Theaterszene zu sehen, u. a. Die Räuber (Schiller), Drei Schwestern (Tolstoi), Ein Sommernachtstraum (Shakespeare) und mehreren Kindertheaterproduktionen. Mit der Kinderoper Hänsel & Gretel (Theater Die Baustelle/Köln) trat er 2011 in den USA in Washington u. a. im renommierten „John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts“ auf.
2011 schrieb Richard Bargel die Filmmusik für den Dokumentarfilm Dad or a Life von Sandra van Slooten und Volker Maria Engel. Für das 94-minütige Roadmovie komponierte er mehr als 30 einzelne Soundtracks. Film-Premiere war am 6. April 2011 im Rex-Theater in Bonn. Im November 2011 wurde der Film auf dem „Internationalen Dokumentarfilm Festival Amsterdam“ in den Niederlanden präsentiert.
Men in Blues
Bei einer Talkshow in der Bonner „Harmonie“ im Dezember 2008 traf er auf den früheren Gitarristen von BAP, Klaus Heuser. Die spontane Jam-Session der beiden Musiker war zugleich die Geburtsstunde des gemeinsamen Projekts Men in Blues. Am 12. Dezember 2009 fand das erste Konzert der beiden Musiker statt. Von 2010 bis Herbst 2012 folgten gemeinsame Tourneen und Konzerte, erst als Duo, dann mit ihrer Band, quer durch Deutschland. Daraus hervor ging Bargels erstes Live-Album Richard Bargel LIVE mit Klaus „Major“ Heuser, das wiederum für den „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ nominiert wurde. Am 3. Februar 2012 erschien die gemeinsame Studioproduktion Men in Blues. Ein Hörsturz Bargels im September 2012 beendete die Zusammenarbeit mit Klaus „Major“ Heuser.
Dead Slow Stampede
2013 gründete Richard Bargel seine Band „Dead Slow Stampede“ und veröffentlichte 2014 das Album It’s Crap!, das erneut für den „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ nominiert wurde und im Oktober 2014 sogar auf die Nominierungsliste für den Jahrespreis gelangte. Zurzeit (Dezember 2014) besteht seine Band aus den beiden niederländischen Musikern Geert Roelofs (drums/percussion), Jo Didderen (contra bass, e-bass) und Fabio Nettekoven (guitars, lapsteel, mandolin u. a.). Aktuell ist die Band auf der „It’s Crap!“-Tournee. Im Herbst 2014 gründete Richard Bargel mit seinem Gitarristen Fabio Nettekoven das Duo „Family Business“.
Ein schwerer Hörsturz hatte Richard Bargel gezwungen, das Projekt „Men In Blues“ mit „Major“ Heuser zu beenden. Doch die vom Arzt verordnete Ruhepause hielt der Songwriter und Gitarrist nicht lange durch. Für sein neues Album „It‘s Crap!“ hat er mit Dead Slow Stampede eine neue Band gegründet. Als Gäste wirkten auch Charlie Musselwhite und Freddy Koella (Bob Dylan, Willy DeVille) mit.
Kann eine Stampede eigentlich tödlich langsam sein? Das neue Album von Bargel ist genau der richtige Beleg dafür, dass ein solch scheinbarer Widerspruch der genau passende Name sein kann. Scheinbar langsam und harmlos kommen die Lieder oft daher. Doch hinter der Fassade aus gepflegter meist akustischer Musik lauert oftmals eine nur hinter bitterem Sarkasmus versteckte Wut: Wut über den alltäglichen Müll, der einem überall angeboten wird, für den man Geld ausgeben soll. Wut auch über hirnlose Schönheiten, über schlechtes Benehmen. Bargel macht sich auch über sich selbst lustig, wenn er feststellt, dass er wahrscheinlich doch auf des Teufels Grill landen dürfte.
Solch deftigen Songs, solch bösen Humor bekommt man heutzutage nur selten noch zu hören. Und so kann man auch die Kollegen verstehen, die Randy Newman als Vergleich heranziehen.
Dann gibt es auf dem Album noch die andere, die tief romantische und verletzliche Seite des Richard Bargel zu hören. Ein Mann, der hoffnungslos romantisch ist und sich nach gelingender Liebe sehnt, der den Kreislauf von Rache und Gewalt durchbrechen will. Und auch wenn vor dem Kuss der Lady Of The Black Bamboo gewarnt wird: Irgendwie muss er selbst dieses Risiko auf sich nehmen.
Die Musik dazu? Klar ist hier Blues zu vernehmen, doch keiner der sturen 12 Takte. Nein, Bargels Songs verdanken dem Blues ebensoviel wie dem Country und Folk. Und die Band (Gitarrist Roger Schaffrath, Paul G. Ulrich - b, Geert Roelofs - dr) tut gerade soviel, um die jeweils notwendige Atmosphäre zu unterstützen. Die bluesigsten Stücke sind der Titelsong und „Devil‘s Bar-B-Que“. Hier setzt die prägnante Harp von Charlie Musselwhite die entscheidenden Akzente. Faszinierend bei Liedern wie „Slow Dancing Woman“ auch die Violine von Freddy Koella. Manche Lieder spielt Bargel auch allein mit seiner Dobro - denn mehr braucht es eben oft doch nicht, um die Botschaft zu vermitteln. Bargel ist ein Bluesprediger im besten Wortsinne, ein Musiker, dem die Welt nicht egal ist und der sich die Wut aus Rücksicht auf Verkaufszahlen und Zielgruppen nicht verbieten lässt, der aber tief im inneren weder zynisch noch resigniert ist sondern an eine Verbesserung der Welt und des eigenen Lebens glaubt. (Meyer Records)
Can a stampede actually be deadly slow? The new album by Bargel is just the proof that such an apparent contradiction of exactly matching name can be. Seemingly slow and harmless songs come along often. But behind the facade kept mostly acoustic music lurks a hidden just behind bitter sarcasm anger: anger at the daily waste, which is an available everywhere for you to spend money. Anger also brainless beauties on bad behavior. Bargel makes about himself funny, if it finds that he probably still likely end up on the Devil Grill.
Such hefty songs such wicked humor it is only rarely hear about these days. And one can also understand the colleagues use the Randy Newman as a comparison.
Then there is the album nor the other to hear the deeply romantic and vulnerable side of Richard Bargel. A man who is a hopeless romantic and longs for of successful love, wants to break the cycle of revenge and violence. And although before the kiss of Lady Of The Black Bamboo is warned: Somehow he has to take the risk himself.
The music? One thing is clear here Blues heard, but none of the stubborn 12 clocks. No, Bargel songs owe the blues as much as the country and folk. And the band (guitarist Roger Schaffrath, Paul G. Ulrich - b, Geert Roelofs - dr) is doing so much to support each necessary atmosphere. The bluesiest pieces are the title track and "Devil's Bar-B-Que". This is where the concise Harp of Charlie Musselwhite decisive accents. Fascinating in songs like "Slow Dancing Woman" and the violin by Freddy Koella. Some songs play Bargel alone with his Dobro - because more often it just needs not to convey the message. Bargel is a Blue preacher in the best sense of the word, a musician, which the world does matter and can not be prohibiting the anger out of consideration for sales and target groups of the but deep inside neither cynical nor resigned but to improve the world and own life believed. (Meyer Records)
Richard Bargel w/ Charlie Musselwhite "It's Crap!"
Richard Bargel LIVE w/ 'Major' Heuser & Band | Bad Bad Whiskey
Richard Bargel & Dead Slow Stampede - Highway 51 - Live at Bonn Pantheon
R.I.P.
Snooks Eaglin Todestag 18.02.2009
Snooks Eaglin (* 21. Januar 1936 in New Orleans als Fird Eaglin, Jr.; † 18. Februar 2009 ebd.) war ein afroamerikanischer Gitarrist und Sänger. In jungen Jahren wurde er auch Blind Snooks Eaglin genannt. Er hatte ein immenses Repertoire; nach eigenen Angaben konnte er um die 2.500 Stücke vortragen[1] – dies trug ihm die Bezeichnung „human jukebox“ ein.[2] Auf der Bühne hatte er gewöhnlich keine vorbereitete Titelfolge; er spielte, was ihm in den Sinn kam oder was das Publikum hören wollte. Seine Stücke deckten die verschiedensten Stilrichtungen ab, darunter Blues, Rock ’n’ Roll, Jazz, Country und Lateinamerikanische Musik. Sein Gesang glich dem von Ray Charles; in den 1950ern bezeichnete er sich zeitweise als „Little Ray Charles“.
Mit 19 Monaten verlor Eaglin sein Augenlicht aufgrund eines Glaukoms. Wegen verschiedener Krankheiten verbrachte er mehrere Jahre im Krankenhaus. Mit fünf Jahren bekam er von seinem Vater eine Gitarre, und er brachte sich selbst mithilfe des Radios das Spielen bei. Den Spitznamen „Snooks“ erhielt er nach der Radiofigur „Baby Snooks“.[1]
Die frühen Jahre
1947, mit 11 Jahren, gewann Eaglin einen Talentwettbewerb des Radiosenders WNOE. Drei Jahre später verließ er die Blindenschule und begann, als Musiker zu arbeiten. 1952 wurde er Mitglied der Flamingoes, der Band von Allen Toussaint. Er blieb in der Band bis zu deren Auflösung Mitte der 1950er.[1]
Erste Aufnahmen machte Eaglin 1953 als Begleitmusiker von James „Sugar Boy“ Crawford. Seine ersten Aufnahmen unter eigenem Namen entstanden zwischen 1958 und 1960 in sieben Sitzungen, die der Folkloreforscher Harry Oster organisierte. Es waren akustische Bluesnummern, die später mehrfach veröffentlicht wurden.[1]
1960er und 1970er Jahre
Von 1960 bis 1963 nahm Eaglin insgesamt 26 Stücke für Imperial Records auf. Er spielte elektrische Gitarre, zu seiner Band gehörten James Booker am Piano und Smokey Johnson am Schlagzeug. Dave Bartholomew hatte eine guten Teil der Titel geschrieben. Es handelte sich durchweg um Rhythm & Blues, für den Eaglin heute am bekanntesten ist.[1] 1964 machte Eaglin zu Hause Aufnahmen für eine schwedische Veröffentlichung.
Die nächsten Aufnahmen kamen erst 1971, wiederum für ein schwedisches Label. Das Album Down Yonder mit Ellis Marsalis am Piano erschien 1978. Neben seinen eigenen Arbeiten beteiligte Eaglin sich an Professor Longhairs Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge (1971-72) sowie am Debütalbum der Wild Magnolias (erschienen 1974).[1]
Black Top und die späten Jahre
Zwischen 1987 und 1999 nahm Eaglin vier Studio- und ein Live-Album für das Label Black Top Records der Brüder Nauman und Hammond Scott auf. Als Gastmusiker spielte er für andere Black-Top-Künstler, darunter Henry Butler, Earl King und Tommy Ridgley.
Nach dem Ende von Black Top Records veröffentlichte Eaglin The Way It Is bei Money Pit Records, produziert von den Scott-Brüdern, die Black Top betrieben hatten. 1997 wurde Eaglins Version des St. James Infirmary Blues in Großbritannien für einen Fernsehwerbespot eingesetzt.
Snooks Eaglin starb am 18. Februar 2009 nach einem Herzinfarkt im Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. 2008 war bei ihm Prostatakrebs diagnostiziert worden. Im Frühjahr 2009 sollte er beim New Orleans Jazz Fest wieder auftreten
Snooks Eaglin (January 21, 1936[1][2][3][4] – February 18, 2009)[5] was an American, New Orleans-based guitarist and singer. He was also referred to as Blind Snooks Eaglin in his early years.
Born Fird Eaglin, Jr., his vocal style was reminiscent of Ray Charles; in the 1950s, when he was in his late teens, he would sometimes bill himself as "Little Ray Charles". Generally regarded as a legend of New Orleans music, he played a wide range of music within the same concert, album, or even song: blues, rock and roll, jazz, country, and Latin.[6] In his early years, he also played some straight-ahead acoustic blues.[6]
His ability to play a wide range of songs and make them his own earned him the nickname "the human jukebox." Eaglin claimed in interviews that his musical repertoire included some 2,500 songs.[1]
At live shows, he did not usually prepare set lists, and was unpredictable, even to his bandmates. He played songs that came to his head, and he also took requests from the audience.
Career
Childhood
Eaglin lost his sight not long after his first birthday after being stricken with glaucoma, and spent several years in the hospital with other ailments. Around the age of five Eaglin received a guitar from his father; he taught himself to play by listening to and playing along with the radio. A mischievous youngster, he was given the nickname "Snooks" after a radio character named Baby Snooks.
Early years
In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin won a talent contest organized by the radio station WNOE by playing "Twelfth Street Rag".[1][7][8] Three years later, he dropped out of the school for the blind to become a professional musician. In 1952, Eaglin joined the Flamingoes, a local seven-piece band started by Allen Toussaint. The Flamingoes did not have a bass player, and according to Eaglin, he played both the guitar and the bass parts at the same time on his guitar. He stayed with The Flamingoes for several years, until their dissolution in the mid-1950s.
As a solo artist, his recording and touring were inconsistent, and for a man with a career of about 50 years, his discography is rather slim. His first recording was in 1953, playing guitar at a recording session for James "Sugar Boy" Crawford.
The first recordings under his own name came when Harry Oster, a folklorist from Louisiana State University, found him playing in the streets of New Orleans. Oster made recordings of Eaglin between 1958 and 1960 during seven sessions which later became records on various labels including Folkways, Folklyric, and Prestige/Bluesville.[9] These recordings were in folk blues style, Eaglin with an acoustic guitar without a band.
1960s and 1970s
From 1960 to 1963, Eaglin recorded for Imperial.[6] He played electric guitar on Imperial sessions with backup from a band including James Booker on piano and Smokey Johnson on drums. He recorded a total of 26 tracks which can be heard on The Complete Imperial Recordings. Much of the material on Imperial was written by Dave Bartholomew. Unlike the Harry Oster recordings, these works on Imperial are New Orleans R&B in the style for which he is widely known today.[6] After Imperial, in 1964, he recorded alone at his home with a guitar for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation, released as I Blueskvarter 1964: Vol.3.[10] For the remainder of the 1960s, he apparently made no recordings.
His next work came on the Swedish label Sonet in 1971. Another album Down Yonder was released in 1978 featuring Ellis Marsalis on piano. Apart from his own work, he joined recording sessions with Professor Longhair in 1971 and 72 (Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge). He also played guitar on The Wild Magnolias' first album recorded in 1973.
Black Top and later years
He joined Nauman and Hammond Scott of Black Top Records in the 1980s which led to a recording contract with the label.[6] Eaglin's Black Top years were the most consistent years of his recording career. Between 1987 and 1999, he recorded four studio albums and a live album, and appeared as a guest on a number of recordings by other Black Top artists, including Henry Butler, Earl King, and Tommy Ridgley.
After Black Top Records closed its doors, Eaglin released The Way It Is on Money Pit Records, produced by the same Scott brothers of Black Top. In 1997, Eaglin's version of "St. James Infirmary", was featured in a UK television advertisement for Budweiser lager.[11]
Death
Eaglin died of a heart attack at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans on February 18, 2009.[5][12] He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and had been hospitalized for treatment.[12][13] He was scheduled to make a comeback appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in Spring of 2009.[5][12] In honor of his contributions to New Orleans music, he was depicted in an artist's rendering on the cover of the "Jazz Fest Bible" edition of Offbeat magazine, for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2009.
For many years, Eaglin lived in St. Rose in the suburbs of New Orleans with his wife Dorothea. Though he did not play many live shows, he regularly performed at Rock n' Bowl in New Orleans, and also at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Born Fird Eaglin, Jr., his vocal style was reminiscent of Ray Charles; in the 1950s, when he was in his late teens, he would sometimes bill himself as "Little Ray Charles". Generally regarded as a legend of New Orleans music, he played a wide range of music within the same concert, album, or even song: blues, rock and roll, jazz, country, and Latin.[6] In his early years, he also played some straight-ahead acoustic blues.[6]
His ability to play a wide range of songs and make them his own earned him the nickname "the human jukebox." Eaglin claimed in interviews that his musical repertoire included some 2,500 songs.[1]
At live shows, he did not usually prepare set lists, and was unpredictable, even to his bandmates. He played songs that came to his head, and he also took requests from the audience.
Career
Childhood
Eaglin lost his sight not long after his first birthday after being stricken with glaucoma, and spent several years in the hospital with other ailments. Around the age of five Eaglin received a guitar from his father; he taught himself to play by listening to and playing along with the radio. A mischievous youngster, he was given the nickname "Snooks" after a radio character named Baby Snooks.
Early years
In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin won a talent contest organized by the radio station WNOE by playing "Twelfth Street Rag".[1][7][8] Three years later, he dropped out of the school for the blind to become a professional musician. In 1952, Eaglin joined the Flamingoes, a local seven-piece band started by Allen Toussaint. The Flamingoes did not have a bass player, and according to Eaglin, he played both the guitar and the bass parts at the same time on his guitar. He stayed with The Flamingoes for several years, until their dissolution in the mid-1950s.
As a solo artist, his recording and touring were inconsistent, and for a man with a career of about 50 years, his discography is rather slim. His first recording was in 1953, playing guitar at a recording session for James "Sugar Boy" Crawford.
The first recordings under his own name came when Harry Oster, a folklorist from Louisiana State University, found him playing in the streets of New Orleans. Oster made recordings of Eaglin between 1958 and 1960 during seven sessions which later became records on various labels including Folkways, Folklyric, and Prestige/Bluesville.[9] These recordings were in folk blues style, Eaglin with an acoustic guitar without a band.
1960s and 1970s
From 1960 to 1963, Eaglin recorded for Imperial.[6] He played electric guitar on Imperial sessions with backup from a band including James Booker on piano and Smokey Johnson on drums. He recorded a total of 26 tracks which can be heard on The Complete Imperial Recordings. Much of the material on Imperial was written by Dave Bartholomew. Unlike the Harry Oster recordings, these works on Imperial are New Orleans R&B in the style for which he is widely known today.[6] After Imperial, in 1964, he recorded alone at his home with a guitar for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation, released as I Blueskvarter 1964: Vol.3.[10] For the remainder of the 1960s, he apparently made no recordings.
His next work came on the Swedish label Sonet in 1971. Another album Down Yonder was released in 1978 featuring Ellis Marsalis on piano. Apart from his own work, he joined recording sessions with Professor Longhair in 1971 and 72 (Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge). He also played guitar on The Wild Magnolias' first album recorded in 1973.
Black Top and later years
He joined Nauman and Hammond Scott of Black Top Records in the 1980s which led to a recording contract with the label.[6] Eaglin's Black Top years were the most consistent years of his recording career. Between 1987 and 1999, he recorded four studio albums and a live album, and appeared as a guest on a number of recordings by other Black Top artists, including Henry Butler, Earl King, and Tommy Ridgley.
After Black Top Records closed its doors, Eaglin released The Way It Is on Money Pit Records, produced by the same Scott brothers of Black Top. In 1997, Eaglin's version of "St. James Infirmary", was featured in a UK television advertisement for Budweiser lager.[11]
Death
Eaglin died of a heart attack at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans on February 18, 2009.[5][12] He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and had been hospitalized for treatment.[12][13] He was scheduled to make a comeback appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in Spring of 2009.[5][12] In honor of his contributions to New Orleans music, he was depicted in an artist's rendering on the cover of the "Jazz Fest Bible" edition of Offbeat magazine, for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2009.
For many years, Eaglin lived in St. Rose in the suburbs of New Orleans with his wife Dorothea. Though he did not play many live shows, he regularly performed at Rock n' Bowl in New Orleans, and also at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Dan Sane +18.02.1956
Dan
Sane (September 22, 1896[2] – February 18, 1956) was an American
Memphis and country blues guitarist and songwriter.[1] He was a working
associate of Frank Stokes and, according to Allmusic journalist, Jason
Ankeny, "they had emerged among the most complementary duos in all of
the blues, with Sane's flatpicking ideally embellished by Stokes' fluid
rhythms."[1] The best known of Sane's penned songs were "Downtown Blues"
and "Mr. Crump Don't Like It." His surname was alternatively spelt as
'Sain'.[3]
Biography
Sane was born in Hernando, Mississippi.[4] He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and played in Will Batts' string band,[1] before meeting guitar player Frank Stokes. Sane and Stokes busked together around Memphis' Beale Street at weekends.[4] During the 1920s the pair performed on Beale Street as a duo billed as the Beale Street Sheiks and played in white venues, including country clubs, parties and dances, as members of Jack Kelly's Jug Busters.[1][5][6] Their first recording was for Paramount Records in August 1927, under the Beale Street Sheiks name.[4] A National Park Service's tourist guide to the blues heritage of the Mississippi Delta says: "The fluid guitar interplay between Stokes and Sane, combined with a propulsive beat, witty lyrics, and Stokes's stentorian voice, make their recordings irresistible."[6]
They moved to Victor Records in 1928, where the recordings were under Stokes' own name.[4] They recorded a two-part version of "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do", a song well known in later versions by Bessie Smith and Jimmy Witherspoon, but whose origin lies somewhere in the pre-blues era.[7] A locally popular song was "Mr. Crump Don't Like It," whose lyrics referred to Memphis mayor E. H. Crump and his campaign to clean up Memphis' less salubrious areas. That song may have been based on an earlier song on the same topic by W. C. Handy.[4][8] The Sheiks also continued to busk the streets, and play informally at parties.
In 1929, Stokes and Sane recorded again for Paramount, resuming their 'Beale Street Sheiks' billing for a few cuts.[4] These 1929 sides were their last together, although Sane and Stokes continued their intermittent performing partnership up to the latter's retirement from music in 1952.[1]
In 1933, Sane and Batts (1904–1956), alongside Kelly, recorded as the South Memphis Jug Band.[4][9]
Sane died in Memphis in February 1956, aged 59.[1]
His guitar playing contributions have appeared on numerous compilation albums, including The Best of Frank Stokes (Yazoo Records, 2005).
Biography
Sane was born in Hernando, Mississippi.[4] He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and played in Will Batts' string band,[1] before meeting guitar player Frank Stokes. Sane and Stokes busked together around Memphis' Beale Street at weekends.[4] During the 1920s the pair performed on Beale Street as a duo billed as the Beale Street Sheiks and played in white venues, including country clubs, parties and dances, as members of Jack Kelly's Jug Busters.[1][5][6] Their first recording was for Paramount Records in August 1927, under the Beale Street Sheiks name.[4] A National Park Service's tourist guide to the blues heritage of the Mississippi Delta says: "The fluid guitar interplay between Stokes and Sane, combined with a propulsive beat, witty lyrics, and Stokes's stentorian voice, make their recordings irresistible."[6]
They moved to Victor Records in 1928, where the recordings were under Stokes' own name.[4] They recorded a two-part version of "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do", a song well known in later versions by Bessie Smith and Jimmy Witherspoon, but whose origin lies somewhere in the pre-blues era.[7] A locally popular song was "Mr. Crump Don't Like It," whose lyrics referred to Memphis mayor E. H. Crump and his campaign to clean up Memphis' less salubrious areas. That song may have been based on an earlier song on the same topic by W. C. Handy.[4][8] The Sheiks also continued to busk the streets, and play informally at parties.
In 1929, Stokes and Sane recorded again for Paramount, resuming their 'Beale Street Sheiks' billing for a few cuts.[4] These 1929 sides were their last together, although Sane and Stokes continued their intermittent performing partnership up to the latter's retirement from music in 1952.[1]
In 1933, Sane and Batts (1904–1956), alongside Kelly, recorded as the South Memphis Jug Band.[4][9]
Sane died in Memphis in February 1956, aged 59.[1]
His guitar playing contributions have appeared on numerous compilation albums, including The Best of Frank Stokes (Yazoo Records, 2005).
Beale Street Shieks Frank Stokes Dan Sane IT'S A GOOD THING
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