1939 Eddie C. Campbell*
1948 Shaun Murphy*
2007 Big Joe Duskin+
2007 Carey Bell+
2012 Michael Burks+
2016 Candye Kane+
Franco Paletta*
Happy Birthday
Eddie C. Campbell *06.05.1939
Eddie C. Campbell (born May 6, 1939, Duncan, Mississippi, United States)[1] is an American blues guitarist and singer, active in the Chicago blues scene.Campbell moved to Chicago at the age of ten, and by age 12 was already learning ffrom musicians Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush.[2] In his early years as a professional musician, Campbell played as a sideman with Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Little Johnny Taylor, and Jimmy Reed.[1] In 1976, Willie Dixon hired him to play in the Chicago Blues All-Stars.[1] Campbell's debut album, King of the Jungle, featuring Carey Bell on harmonica and Lafayette Leake on piano was released the next year.[2]
In 1984, Campbell left Chicago for Europe, living first in the Netherlands,[2] and later in Duisburg, Germany, where he remained for ten years before returning to Chicago.[1][2]
Campbell's latest album is Spider Eating Preacher (Delmark, 2012). It was nominated fro a Blues Music Award in 2013 in the 'Traditional Blues Album' category.[3]
In February 2013, Campbell suffered a stroke and a heart attack while on tour in Germany, leaving him paralyzed on the right side of his body. His wife Barbara then started an Eddie C. Campbell Assistance Fund to raise money to fly him back to Chicago for further medical treatment.
Franco Paletta *06.05.
“Franco Paletta and The Stingers are swingers and slingers with rapid rhythm, blazing guitar, hot harp and ferocious vocals! With his unique polished tone on harp and vocals, listening to Franco is double the pleasure. Be ready to shake, rattle and roll like you've never shook, rattled and rolled before! "HIRED!"....is all I'd be able to say.”
~ Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro, 2011 "Keeping The Blues Alive Award" Recipient, Mary4Music
Franco Paletta, following in the footsteps of distinguished Portland Oregon Blues legends, Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones, and the impossible to forget, Paul DeLay has been a popular mainstay on the Portland Blues scene since the late 80's. Franco has performed on stages from Memphis, Chicago, San Francisco, to Seattle...and had the pleasure of playing with such greats as Tommy Castro, Kenny Neal, and Magic Dick.
Playing in the harmonica styling of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, James Cotton, Big Walter, Kim Wilson, William Clarke, and Rod Piazza, “Franco blows the back off of it!" As good as his harp playing is, Franco's strong vocals are what thrills the listeners. His unique vocal style lets you know that you are listening to a true Blues Man......
Franco and his band, The Stingers, won the Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award for "Best New Act" in 2007, and represented the CBA at the International Blues Challenge, in Memphis, two of the last five years. Franco’s CD's, "Can't Kick Love"(2010), and "I Like It Just Like That"(2013) receive regular airplay on radio stations all around the world, including Europe and Sirius-XM's Bluesville.
"It's always great to hear a rollicking blues & boogie record standing out from the independent world. It's amazing to me this band remains unsigned. When I compare them to other great Northwest bands (The Insomniacs, John Nemeth) it occurs to me that they are every bit as polished and entertaining.” ~ Big Daddy, Blues Therapy Radio Station
Franco Paletta & The Stingers - Pretty Baby
R.I.P.
Big Joe Duskin +06.05.2007
Mit sieben Jahren begann Big Joe mit dem Klavierspiel. Er begleitete in der Kirche die Predigten seines Vaters Reverend Perry Duskin. Nach dem Umzug nach Cincinnati, Ohio hörte er im lokalen Radiosender Fats Waller und Pete Johnson, die seine ersten großen Einflüsse wurden. Big Joe spielte in lokalen Klubs. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs spielte er weiterhin Klavier bei der Truppenbetreuung, wo er seine großen Idole Albert Ammons und Meade Lux Lewis kennenlernte.[2]
Nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs nahm ihm sein Vater das Versprechen ab, nicht mehr zu spielen, solange er am Leben sei. Das wirkte sich für seine Karriere schlecht aus, da Reverend Perry 105 Jahre alt wurde. Big Joe wurde Polizist und arbeitete bei der Post.[3]
Anfang der 1970er-Jahre begann er, ermutigt vom Blueshistoriker Steven C. Tracy, mit Konzerttourneen in ganz Europa und den USA. Zu dieser Zeit entstand auch seine erste Platte, der zahlreiche weitere folgten. 2007 verstarb Big Joe Duskin an den Folgen seiner Zuckerkrankheit.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Joe_Duskin
Big Joe Duskin (February 10, 1921 – May 6, 2007)[1] was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist. He is best known for his debut album, Cincinnati Stomp (1978), and the tracks "Well, Well Baby" and "I Met a Girl Named Martha".
Biography
Born Joseph L. Duskin in Birmingham, Alabama,[1] by the age of seven he had started playing piano. He played in church, accompanying his preacher father, the Rev. Perry Duskin. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Duskin was raised near to the Union Terminal train station where his father worked.[2] On his local radio station, WLW, Duskin heard his hero Fats Waller play.[3] He was also inspired to play in a boogie-woogie style by Pete Johnson's, "627 Stomp".[4]
In his younger days Duskin performed in clubs in Cincinnati and across the river in Newport, Kentucky. While serving in the US Army in World War II, he continued to play and, in entertaining the US forces, met his idols Johnson, Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis.[3]
After his military service ended, Duskin's father made him promise to stop playing while the elder Duskin was still alive. However, Rev. Duskin lived to the age of 105, and Joe found alternative employment as a police officer and a postal worker.[2] Therefore Duskin, effectively in the middle of his career, never played a keyboard for sixteen years.[3]
With the encouragement of a blues historian, Steven C. Tracy, by the early 1970s Duskin had begun playing the piano at festivals in the US and across Europe. By 1978, and with the reputation for his concert playing now growing, his first recording, Cincinnati Stomp, was released on Arhoolie Records.[2] The album contained Duskin's cover version of the track, "Down the Road a Piece" [5] and featured Muddy Waters' guitarist Bob Margolin.
He subsequently toured both Austria and Germany, and in 1987 made his inaugural visit to the UK.[3] The same year his part in John Jeremy's film, Boogie Woogie Special, recorded for The South Bank Show, increased Duskin's profile.[3][4] In 1988, accompanied by the guitar-playing Dave Peabody, Duskin recorded his second album, Don't Mess with the Boogie Man.[3] In the following decade, Duskin performed at both the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival.[2]
His touring in Europe continued before he recorded his final album at the Quai du Blues in Neuilly, France.[3] Several Duskin albums were issued on European labels in the 1980s and 1990s. It was 2004 before Big Joe Jumps Again! (Yellow Dog Records) became his second US-based release, and his first studio recording for sixteen years. It featured Phillip Paul (drums), Ed Conley (bass), and Peter Frampton on guitar.[2]
Duskin was presented with a key to the city in 2004 by the Mayor of Cincinnati.[2] The following year he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the Ohio Arts Council.[3]
Suffering from the effects of diabetes, Duskin was on the eve of having legs amputated, when he died in May 2007, at the age of 86.[3] The Ohio based Big Joe Duskin Music Education Foundation keeps his musical ideals alive by producing in-school music presentations for public school children.
Biography
Born Joseph L. Duskin in Birmingham, Alabama,[1] by the age of seven he had started playing piano. He played in church, accompanying his preacher father, the Rev. Perry Duskin. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Duskin was raised near to the Union Terminal train station where his father worked.[2] On his local radio station, WLW, Duskin heard his hero Fats Waller play.[3] He was also inspired to play in a boogie-woogie style by Pete Johnson's, "627 Stomp".[4]
In his younger days Duskin performed in clubs in Cincinnati and across the river in Newport, Kentucky. While serving in the US Army in World War II, he continued to play and, in entertaining the US forces, met his idols Johnson, Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis.[3]
After his military service ended, Duskin's father made him promise to stop playing while the elder Duskin was still alive. However, Rev. Duskin lived to the age of 105, and Joe found alternative employment as a police officer and a postal worker.[2] Therefore Duskin, effectively in the middle of his career, never played a keyboard for sixteen years.[3]
With the encouragement of a blues historian, Steven C. Tracy, by the early 1970s Duskin had begun playing the piano at festivals in the US and across Europe. By 1978, and with the reputation for his concert playing now growing, his first recording, Cincinnati Stomp, was released on Arhoolie Records.[2] The album contained Duskin's cover version of the track, "Down the Road a Piece" [5] and featured Muddy Waters' guitarist Bob Margolin.
He subsequently toured both Austria and Germany, and in 1987 made his inaugural visit to the UK.[3] The same year his part in John Jeremy's film, Boogie Woogie Special, recorded for The South Bank Show, increased Duskin's profile.[3][4] In 1988, accompanied by the guitar-playing Dave Peabody, Duskin recorded his second album, Don't Mess with the Boogie Man.[3] In the following decade, Duskin performed at both the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival.[2]
His touring in Europe continued before he recorded his final album at the Quai du Blues in Neuilly, France.[3] Several Duskin albums were issued on European labels in the 1980s and 1990s. It was 2004 before Big Joe Jumps Again! (Yellow Dog Records) became his second US-based release, and his first studio recording for sixteen years. It featured Phillip Paul (drums), Ed Conley (bass), and Peter Frampton on guitar.[2]
Duskin was presented with a key to the city in 2004 by the Mayor of Cincinnati.[2] The following year he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the Ohio Arts Council.[3]
Suffering from the effects of diabetes, Duskin was on the eve of having legs amputated, when he died in May 2007, at the age of 86.[3] The Ohio based Big Joe Duskin Music Education Foundation keeps his musical ideals alive by producing in-school music presentations for public school children.
Carey Bell +06.05.2007
Carey Bell (eigentlich Carey Bell Harrington; * 14. November 1936 in Macon, Mississippi; † 6. Mai 2007 in Chicago, Illinois) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Musiker. Er spielte Blues Harp und war ein Vertreter des Chicago Blues.Als Kind bewunderte Bell die Musik von Louis Jordan. Er wollte ebenfalls Saxophon spielen, doch das konnte sich seine Familie nicht leisten. Daher spielte er das „Mississippi saxophone“, die Blues Harp; das Spielen auf der Mundharmonika brachte er sich selbst bei. Seine Vorbilder waren DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion „Little Walter“ Jacobs sowie Sonny Boy Williamson I. und II. Mit 13 spielte er in der Band seines Patenonkels Lovie Lee.
1956 ging Bell mit Lee nach Chicago. Hier lernte Bell von Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II. und Big Walter Horton. Mit der steigenden Popularität der elektrischen Gitarre verlor jedoch die Blues Harp an Attraktivität und Bell lernte bei Hound Dog Taylor elektrischen Bass zu spielen. Er spielte zeitweise Bass bei Robert Nighthawk, Johnny Young und Big Walter, spielte jedoch weiterhin Blues Harp in den Bands von Muddy Waters und Willie Dixon.
1972 erschien das Album Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell, im Jahr darauf Bells erstes Soloalbum. Bell spielte weiterhin bei Dixon, dessen Album Living Chicago Blues (1978) für einen Grammy nominiert wurde.
In den 1980ern war Bell hauptsächlich live zu hören, oftmals im Duo mit Louisiana Red. 1990 nahm er mit Junior Wells, James Cotton und Billy Branch das Album Harp Attack! auf, das ein Bestseller für die Plattenfirma Alligator wurde. Das Soloalbum Deep Down (1995) verschaffte Bell auch außerhalb der Blues-Szene Beachtung. Als bester Harmonikaspieler erhielt er in diesem Jahr auch den Living Blues Award. Auch in Deutschland war Bell aktiv. So nahm er 1994 mit der Berliner Bluesband East Blues Experience ein Album mit dem Titel "Good Unterstandig" auf.
Carey Bell war bis kurz vor seinem Tod auf Tour und brachte Alben heraus, häufig begleitet von seinem Sohn Lurrie Bell, einem Blues-Gitarristen.
Er starb 2007 in einem Chicagoer Krankenhaus an Herzversagen.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carey_Bell
Carey Bell (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007)[1] was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians in the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s before embarking on a solo career. Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Louisiana Red, Jimmy Dawkins as well as a frequent partner with his son, guitarist Lurrie Bell. Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago’s finest harpists."[2] The Chicago Tribune said Bell is "a terrific talent in the tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter."[3]
Career
Early life
Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, Mississippi.[4] As a child, Bell was intrigued by the music of Louis Jordan. Bell wanted a saxophone in order to be like his hero Jordan; however, Bell's family could not afford a saxophone he had to settle for the harmonica, colloquially known as a "Mississippi saxophone." Soon Bell was attracted by the blues harmonica greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, and Sonny Boy Williamson I and II. Bell taught himself to play. By the time he was eight, he was quite proficient on the instrument. When he was thirteen, Bell joined his pianist godfather Lovie Lee's blues band.
Chicago
In September 1956, Lovie Lee convinced Bell to go with him to Chicago.[4] Not long after arriving, Bell went to the Club Zanzibar, where Little Walter was appearing. Bell met Walter and later learned some harp playing from him and his main Chicago teacher, Big Walter Horton.[4] To help further his chances of employment as a musician, Bell learned how to play the electric bass from Hound Dog Taylor.[5]
Despite Bell's learning from some of the greatest blues harp players of the genre, he arrived in Chicago at an unfortunate time. The demand for harp players was decreasing there as electric guitar became the prominent blues instrument. To pay the bills, Bell continued to play bass and joined several bands as a bassist. In the late 1960s, he appeared regularly on the West Side of Chicago with guitarists Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, playing both harmonica and bass. In 1969, Bell toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival, and played at the Royal Albert Hall in London, appearing on a live recording of the event.
Debut through 1980s
In 1969, Delmark Records in Chicago released Bell's debut LP, Carey Bell's Blues Harp.[4] Bell played with Muddy Waters in late 1970 and 1971 and later with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars.[4] In 1972, Bell teamed up with Big Walter in the studio and released Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell for Alligator Records. A year later Bell released a solo project entitled Last Night for ABC Bluesway. Bell continued to play with Dixon as well as with his own groups, and in 1978, Bell was featured on the Grammy-nominated album Living Chicago Blues on Alligator. Also, in the 1970s, Bell appeared on two Bob Riedy Blues Band recordings.[6]
During the 1980s Bell continued to record for various labels and to tour. In 1990, Bell teamed up with fellow harpists Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch to record Harp Attack!.[4] A modern Blues classic, Harp Attack! became one of Alligator Records's best selling albums.[5]
Alligator years
Despite years in the business and work with Alligator, Bell's first full-length solo album for the label was not until Deep Down, released in 1995. In 1997, Bell released the second album on the label Good Luck Man. Second Nature (originally recorded in Finland a few years earlier) followed in 2004; an album with his guitarist son, Lurrie Bell (who shared the guitar duties with Carl Weathersby on Deep Down).
In 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year.
Final work
In 2007, Delmark Records released a live set by Bell, accompanied by a band which included his son Lurrie, guitarist Scott Cable, Kenny Smith, Bob Stroger and Joe Thomas.
Death
Carey Bell died of heart failure on 6 May 2007 in Chicago.
Career
Early life
Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, Mississippi.[4] As a child, Bell was intrigued by the music of Louis Jordan. Bell wanted a saxophone in order to be like his hero Jordan; however, Bell's family could not afford a saxophone he had to settle for the harmonica, colloquially known as a "Mississippi saxophone." Soon Bell was attracted by the blues harmonica greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, and Sonny Boy Williamson I and II. Bell taught himself to play. By the time he was eight, he was quite proficient on the instrument. When he was thirteen, Bell joined his pianist godfather Lovie Lee's blues band.
Chicago
In September 1956, Lovie Lee convinced Bell to go with him to Chicago.[4] Not long after arriving, Bell went to the Club Zanzibar, where Little Walter was appearing. Bell met Walter and later learned some harp playing from him and his main Chicago teacher, Big Walter Horton.[4] To help further his chances of employment as a musician, Bell learned how to play the electric bass from Hound Dog Taylor.[5]
Despite Bell's learning from some of the greatest blues harp players of the genre, he arrived in Chicago at an unfortunate time. The demand for harp players was decreasing there as electric guitar became the prominent blues instrument. To pay the bills, Bell continued to play bass and joined several bands as a bassist. In the late 1960s, he appeared regularly on the West Side of Chicago with guitarists Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, playing both harmonica and bass. In 1969, Bell toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival, and played at the Royal Albert Hall in London, appearing on a live recording of the event.
Debut through 1980s
In 1969, Delmark Records in Chicago released Bell's debut LP, Carey Bell's Blues Harp.[4] Bell played with Muddy Waters in late 1970 and 1971 and later with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars.[4] In 1972, Bell teamed up with Big Walter in the studio and released Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell for Alligator Records. A year later Bell released a solo project entitled Last Night for ABC Bluesway. Bell continued to play with Dixon as well as with his own groups, and in 1978, Bell was featured on the Grammy-nominated album Living Chicago Blues on Alligator. Also, in the 1970s, Bell appeared on two Bob Riedy Blues Band recordings.[6]
During the 1980s Bell continued to record for various labels and to tour. In 1990, Bell teamed up with fellow harpists Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch to record Harp Attack!.[4] A modern Blues classic, Harp Attack! became one of Alligator Records's best selling albums.[5]
Alligator years
Despite years in the business and work with Alligator, Bell's first full-length solo album for the label was not until Deep Down, released in 1995. In 1997, Bell released the second album on the label Good Luck Man. Second Nature (originally recorded in Finland a few years earlier) followed in 2004; an album with his guitarist son, Lurrie Bell (who shared the guitar duties with Carl Weathersby on Deep Down).
In 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year.
Final work
In 2007, Delmark Records released a live set by Bell, accompanied by a band which included his son Lurrie, guitarist Scott Cable, Kenny Smith, Bob Stroger and Joe Thomas.
Death
Carey Bell died of heart failure on 6 May 2007 in Chicago.
Michael Burks +06.05.2012
Michael „Iron Man“ Burks (* 30. Juli 1957 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; † 6. Mai 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia[1]) war ein US-amerikanischer Bluesgitarrist.
Burks kommt aus einer musikalischen Familie, in der der Blues einen großen Stellenwert hat. Schon sein Großvater Joe Burks spielte in lokalen Bars in Camden, Arkansas und auch sein Vater Frederik spielte nach der Arbeit in den Bluesklubs und unterstützte Tourmusiker, unter anderem Sonny Boy Williamson II.[2] Schon im Alter von zwei Jahren begann er mit dem Gitarrespielen, indem er Platten seines Vaters nachspielte. Er erhielt immer einen Dollar, wenn ihm das gelang, bis sein Vater von der Arbeit nach Hause kam. Seinen ersten öffentlichen Auftritt hatte er im Alter von sechs Jahren auf einer Reise nach Arkansas.[2]In den frühen 1970er Jahren, nachdem sich sein Vater an der Hand schwer verletzt hatte, gingen er und seine Familie nach Arkansas, wo sie den „Bradley Ferry Country Club“ eröffneten, in dem Michael die Hausband leitete.[3] Sie unterstützten zahlreiche Blues- und Rhythm-’n-Blues-Stars, die dort auftraten. Tische in der Nähe der Bühne mussten schon zwei Wochen im Voraus reserviert werden.[2]
Als der Klub Mitte der 1980er Jahre schloss, nahm Burks einen Job bei Lockheed Martin an, spielte aber noch bei lokalen Festivals und in lokalen Klubs. Lockheed brachte sogar Kunden zu seinen Auftritten.[2] 1997 nahm er sein erstes Album, From the Inside Out, auf, das er selbst produzierte und das in den Medien stürmisch begrüßt wurde (Blues Access: „…das beeindruckendste Indiealbum in der jüngeren Zeit“; Living Blues:„…das beste Debütalbum des Jahres“). 2001 unterschrieb er bei Alligator Records, die bisher drei Alben von ihm veröffentlichten.[3] Seinen Stil beschrieb Michael Burks so: „Wirf Freddie King, Albert King, B.B. King, Albert Collins, Wes Montgomery und Chuck Berry in einen großen Topf, koche alles durch und du bekommst mich!“[4]
Am 6. Mai 2012 brach Burks nach einer Europatour auf dem Flughafen von Atlanta mit einem Herzinfark zusammen. Im Krankenhaus konnte er nicht mehr wiederbelebt werden. Burks starb im Alter von 54 Jahren.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Burks
Michael Burks (July 30, 1957 – May 6, 2012) was an American electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his tracks, "I Smell Smoke" and "Hard Come, Easy Go", and variously worked with Johnnie Taylor, O. V. Wright, and Marquise Knox. He was the son of the bassist, Frederick Burks.[2]
The Allmusic journalist, Tim Sheridan once noted "... while his vocals are not stellar, he has a rich, gritty quality to his singing that is nicely matched to his guitar playing."[3] Burks was known as 'Iron Man' for his energetic and passion filled performances on stage. He was nominated five times for a Blues Music Award and, in 2004, Living Blues presented him with the Critics' Award for Best Guitarist.[4][5]
Life and career
Burks was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States,[6] and had a musical heritage. His father played the bass guitar, and performed with Sonny Boy Williamson II, whilst his grandfather had played in a delta blues style. Burks junior had learned to play the guitar by the age of five, and first played on stage in his cousin's band.[1] In the early 1970s, Burks moved with his family to Camden, Arkansas. It was there that Burks and his father built a 300 seater juke joint named the Bradley Ferry Country Club, where Burks duly led the house band.[1][6]
After the club closed in the mid 1980s, Burks was employed as a mechanic at Lockheed Martin. He continued to play at local clubs and music festivals, until 1997, when he recorded and produced his debut album, From the Inside Out. The magazine, Blues Access, stated it was "the most impressive indie in recent memory", and Living Blues described it as one of "the best debut discs of the year."[1] In 2001, Alligator Records signed Burks to a recording contract, and he released Make It Rain with them the same year. Make It Rain was produced by Jim Gaines and Bruce Iglauer. I Smell Smoke followed in 2003, and five years later Burks issued what turned out to be the final album in his lifetime, Iron Man, named for his long held nickname.[1][2][6]
Burks was a regular performer at the King Biscuit Blues Festival.[6] He also appeared at Memphis in May in 2004 and 2009. Burks had completed recording his fifth album, which was due to be released in July 2012.[4]
On May 6, 2012, upon returning from a tour of Europe, Burks collapsed at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He was shortly after pronounced dead from a heart attack, at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 54.[2][6]
In 2013, Burks took the Blues Music Award "Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" and "Album of the Year" categories with his posthumous release, Show Of Strength.
The Allmusic journalist, Tim Sheridan once noted "... while his vocals are not stellar, he has a rich, gritty quality to his singing that is nicely matched to his guitar playing."[3] Burks was known as 'Iron Man' for his energetic and passion filled performances on stage. He was nominated five times for a Blues Music Award and, in 2004, Living Blues presented him with the Critics' Award for Best Guitarist.[4][5]
Life and career
Burks was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States,[6] and had a musical heritage. His father played the bass guitar, and performed with Sonny Boy Williamson II, whilst his grandfather had played in a delta blues style. Burks junior had learned to play the guitar by the age of five, and first played on stage in his cousin's band.[1] In the early 1970s, Burks moved with his family to Camden, Arkansas. It was there that Burks and his father built a 300 seater juke joint named the Bradley Ferry Country Club, where Burks duly led the house band.[1][6]
After the club closed in the mid 1980s, Burks was employed as a mechanic at Lockheed Martin. He continued to play at local clubs and music festivals, until 1997, when he recorded and produced his debut album, From the Inside Out. The magazine, Blues Access, stated it was "the most impressive indie in recent memory", and Living Blues described it as one of "the best debut discs of the year."[1] In 2001, Alligator Records signed Burks to a recording contract, and he released Make It Rain with them the same year. Make It Rain was produced by Jim Gaines and Bruce Iglauer. I Smell Smoke followed in 2003, and five years later Burks issued what turned out to be the final album in his lifetime, Iron Man, named for his long held nickname.[1][2][6]
Burks was a regular performer at the King Biscuit Blues Festival.[6] He also appeared at Memphis in May in 2004 and 2009. Burks had completed recording his fifth album, which was due to be released in July 2012.[4]
On May 6, 2012, upon returning from a tour of Europe, Burks collapsed at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He was shortly after pronounced dead from a heart attack, at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 54.[2][6]
In 2013, Burks took the Blues Music Award "Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" and "Album of the Year" categories with his posthumous release, Show Of Strength.
Candye Kane +06.05.2016
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