Rich people got the blues because they are trying to keep the money, the poor people are trying to get the money and I ain't got no money.They call me the blues Doctor 'cause I can play all the styles, bottleneck, ragtime, Piedmont Blues I can tear them up, Chicago Blues; I am the blues Doctor.Jesus had the blues. He had them because he didn't want the devil to get all of the souls. He turned the rocks to souls, so the devil wouldn't get them all. You know he turned the water into wine, I guess he did get drunk. Three quarters of the world is water. I'm glad he didn't turn all of the water into wine or we would be in trouble.I was born in 1933 in Lee County in Bishopville, South Carolina. I started playing when I was 11 years old. We had an old pump organ; I started playing Coon Shine Baby on that. Then I started on the one string guitar; I played Bottle, Up and Go. My uncle had a guitar around and I fooled around on that. I made my own little guitar, for strings I cut up an old inner tube.When I was in high school I organized a group called the 6 stars. I was ashamed to sing, I was playing instrumental songs like Blind Boy Fuller stuff. I played piano in the church. Then I began to start singing. I came up playing both blues and gospel. On Friday and Saturday night I would make five dollars a night playing at house parties. That was more than a man plowing a mule all week was getting was.I then went to school to be a barber but I did not want to cut no hair I wanted to cut up.I became a great guitar player. I joined the Spiritualaires. We recorded on the Vee Jay label. We played the Apollo and toured with Sam Cooke, the Harmonizing Four, and the Staple Singers. We were out there with all the big groups.When we broke up I came back to Columbia, South Carolina and I started to play for the college kids and they went wild. I recorded a song, "I Love You Alberta" and "Cold, Cold, Rain" on the Sharp label a subsidiary of Savoy. Tarhill Slim was on that label. Since that time I have been to Europe, played at Wolf Trap and toured around the country.-Drink SmallDrink Small (his real name) was born in 1933 in Bishopville (Lee County), SC. Known worldwide as "The Blues Doctor", he plays virtuoso blues guitar, two-fisted piano, and sings in an inimitable basso profundo voice.Drink is a recipient of the S.C. Folk Heritage Award, a member of the S.C. Hall of Fame, and has spent his life touring, recording, and playing a spectrum of Southern roots musics.He has performed at some of the nation's top music festivals - Chicago Blues Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Smithsonian-Folklife Festival, Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Lincoln Center and Central Park concert series (NYC), and every major blues festival in the Southeast.He has been written up in myriad music magazines (downbeat, Metronome, Blues Revue, Il Blues, Juke Blues, Soul Bag, Blues News) and even made the cover of Living Blues (July/August, 1992 issue).At the age of 74, Drink Small is at the top of his game and performing better than ever.Drink performs solo (acoustic or electric) and with his band.Music can be purchased at iTunes and www.cdbaby.com/drinksmallThis page is sanctioned by Drink Small, but not maintained by him. Drink will see the page from time to time...so we'd love for you to leave comments!BOOKING INQUIRIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO:
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