Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen profile picture

Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen

About Me

Nominated Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year!

Once in a lifetime you may experience a brief moment when the stars align and something truly extraordinary happens. This was the case in October 2004, when four of the greatest living blues legends were assembled in Dallas, Texas for one incomparable night of music. At the time they ranged in age from 89 to 94 and all had received the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Award, the highest honor in the USA for traditional arts.
These musicians have devoted their entire life to playing the blues, and staging such an epic event was a rare opportunity. Once reunited, the old magic reemerged. It was if they were long lost school buddies. There was a time when
Dallas was viewed as an epicenter for the blues. It was home to such legends as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Huddie Ledbelly Ledbetter, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and others. The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas and the Zanzibar Ballroom in Fort Worth catered to well-dressed audiences who were transfixed by the soulful shouts of Johnny Taylor, the screaming Telecaster of Albert Collins and the eerie cry of Albert Kings Flying V.
On October 16th, 2004, Dallas once again reclaimed its place as a blues capitol when the four remaining elders of the blues reunited on the stage of the historic Majestic Theater for a grand performance. It was a night that was 90 years in the making, but will live on for eternity...

INTRODUCING THE LEGENDS:


HENRY JAMES TOWNSEND

He goes by the name of Henry James Townsend but his friends call him “The Mule”. Though the nickname’s origin is a mystery, it could refer to his stubborn will to keep playing. At the time of this recording, the dean of St. Louis blues and reigning patriarch of the blues, Henry James never had played Dallas in his 94 years. He is the only American recording artist to have recorded in every decade since the 1920’s. Henry’s music is a unique combination of country and city blues, tempered with just the right amount of influences from Lonnie Johnson and Roosevelt Sykes. The best part about Henry is the wisdom he shares with the audience about his life and his music. It’s insightful, provocative and timeless. Profile | Add to Friends

JOE WILLIE "PINETOP" PERKINS

Born July 7, 1913 in Belzoni, Mississippi, Grammy Award winner Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins took up piano mid-career after he was stabbed in the arm. Early on, Perkins accompanied such blues legends as Big Joe Williams and Sonny Boy Williamson. By 1953, he was well known as both a back-up player and solo act. This was also the year he made his first solo recording with Sun Records. Now living in Austin, Perkins used to visit Texas regularly when he played piano for the legendary Muddy Waters Band. Today, “Pinetop” Perkins is regarded as one of the world’s greatest blues and boogie-woogie piano players. Profile | Add to Friends

DAVID “HONEYBOY ” EDWARDS
David "Honeyboy" Edwards was born June 28, 1915 in Shaw, Mississippi. To listen to Mr. Edwards and his skilled slide guitar playing is to journey back in time to the Mississippi Delta and the street corners of Clarksdale, Mississippi. There, Honeyboy played a pivotal role in shaping the seminal moments of blues history. He is sought after by documentary filmmakers for his detailed accounts of blues folklore, especially his recollections of the day Robert Johnson died. He describes Deep Ellum, east of downtown Dallas, as if it were yesterday. He recounts with incredible accuracy his escapades near the “Central Track” (now Central Expressway) that bordered the west side of this area known for its colorful nightlife in the 30’s and 40’s. Profile | Add to Friends
ROBERT LOCKWOOD , JR .

Ninety-year-old Robert Lockwood, Jr. or “Robert Jr.” to his friends used to “play” one-month gigs in Fort Worth during the 50’s and 60’s. He learned to play guitar from the legendary Robert Johnson, who lived with Lockwood’s mother during his formative years. He learned his first song, “Sweet Home Chicago”, in about three weeks under Johnson’s tutelage. Robert is also one of the original King Biscuit Boys who once opened for King Biscuit Time, now the longest running live radio show in America. Today, Mr. Lockwood is recognized as one of the most prolific guitar players in the world. His unique chord progressions have earned him two honorary doctorate degrees for music theory. Profile | Add to Friends

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/18/2006
Band Members:




Track Listing

Listen to Album | Purchase Album | Make a donation, get the cd FREE

click here to post code to your page!


Record Label: The Blue Shoe Project
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Labor Day Blues-Saturday Night

click here repost this code   Labor Day Weekend Blues - Saturday Night   photo: Blue Shoe Mike / The Blue Shoe Project          After the Billy Bob's ...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:24:00 PST

Labor Day Weekend Blues - Friday Night

Click here to repost this codeLabor Day Weekend Blues - Friday Nightphoto: Anne Dyson / The Blue Shoe ProjectWant to start by saying that this Labor Day weekend has been one of the best-ever. Two amaz...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:52:00 PST

Album Spotlight: Last of the Delta Bluesmen

Album Spotlight: Last of the Delta BluesmenSPOTLIGHT - LAST CALL A priceless document of a rare assembly of elder statesmen, two of them now gone.Blues Revue Magazine, The world's largest blues public...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:58:00 PST

Viva La International Blues Challenge

Viva La International Blues ChallengeRyan of the Homemade Jamz' Blues Band onstage at IBC FinalsAll we have to say is that you better be there in 2008! What an unbelievable competition The Internation...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:08:00 PST

Blue Shoe Sets Sights on Schools

Blue Shoe Sets Sights on Schoolsphotos: Anne E. Dyson - The Blue Shoe Projectfrom left: Blues Legends David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Henry James Townsend...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:07:00 PST

2007 IBC Winners Band Winners Crowned

2007 IBC Winners Band Winners CrownedFrom the desk of The Blues Foundation:What an afternoon in the beautiful Orpheum Theater where Mighty Lester of the Triangle Blues Society placed third, the kids f...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:05:00 PST

Chico "The Man"

Chico "The Man"New Timesby: Gilbert GarciaThere's a famous story about Sonny Boy Williamson's attempt to record with the Yardbirds in the mid-'60s. The band entered the session with the cockiness of e...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:04:00 PST

Blues Legend Chico Chism Remembered in Photos

Blues Legend Chico Chism Remembered in PhotosChico Chism is one of the most well traveled blues drummers in the business. Best known as Howlin' Wolf's last drummer, Chico has also worked and recorded ...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:04:00 PST

IBC Memphis 2007 - Here We Come!

IBC Memphis 2007 - Here We Come!We are only a couple weeks away from the world's largest gathering of blues bands, the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. If you are a music lover, you defin...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:17:00 PST

Metalocalypse does The Blues

Metalocalypse does The BluesI'm somewhat disconnected with fantasy-land reality in that I do not watch much TV. I wish there was time to because I would probably would not have missed a show that my f...
Posted by Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen on Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:17:00 PST