Papa Charlie Jackson born November 10, 1887

William Henry "Papa Charlie" Jackson (November 10, 1887* – May 7, 1938) was an early African American bluesman and songster who accompanied himself with a banjo guitar, a guitar, or a ukulele.

Maxwell Street

According to most sources, very little information is available on the life of Papa Charlie. His draft card lists his birthplace as New Orleans, Louisiana. During the 'teens he played in medicine and vaudeville shows in New York, Memphis, and in the Midwest. He moved to Chicago in the early 20s and reportedly lived at 624 Maxwell Street. He played the Maxwell Street Market in 1924-25 and the West Side club circuit through the 1930s. Although Ed Andrews was actually the first male country Blues singer to be recorded, in April 1924 by Okeh Records in Atlanta " Barrelhouse Blues ", Papa Charlie was the first commercially successful self-accompanied Bluesman. This meant that "he was the first recorded artist to depart from the traditional orchestral style Blues, sung by women like Bessie Smith, which dominated RACE music from 1920 to 1926.

                                   

He recorded " Salt Lake City Blues ", " Airy Man Blues ", and " Salty Dog Blues " (his most famous song) in Chicago in the fall of 1924 for Paramount Records, and he continued to record for them until 1930. He also recorded two sides with Gertude " Ma" Rainey for Paramount in 1928. According to the blues writer Bruce Eder, Jackson achieved "a musical peak of sorts in September of 1929 when he got to record with his longtime idol, Blind Arthur Blake, often known as the king of ragtime guitar during this period. 'Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It' parts one and two are among the most unusual sides of the late '20s, containing elements of blues jam session, hokum recording, and ragtime. All of his recordings for Paramount were made in either Chicago or Grafton, Wisconsin. He moved to Okeh Records and recorded several sides for them elsewhere from 1930 to 1934. Among his recordings are several in which he accompanied Ida Cox and Hattie McDaniel.

Papa Charlies' immense popularity was due to his ability to sing and play for his audience in a lively and cheerful manner. His style with quick tempos was very different from that of the slow  sorrowful Blues of his contemporaries. Papa Charlie sang of the misfortunes and predicaments in life, but with amusement and a sarcastic sense of humour. " Shake That Thing ", which is about a popular dance of the time, was a prototype of a genre called hokum/blues. Several of the songs he recorded "Salt Lake City Blues", "Mama Don't Allow It ", "The Fakin' Blues", Salty Dog Blues", and "4-11-44" contain sexual innuendos. Along with the Mississippi Shieks, Papa Charlie had a great propensity for non-blues music, which may have helped account for his large record sales since most people bought records at that time to make themselves feel good. However, Papa Charlie also recorded a few traditional sounding Blues songs like "Up That Way Bound", "Red Hot Papa # 2", "Tailor Made Lover", and "Take Me Back Blues # 2" . Incidentally. he played a guitar on these songs, not his banjo.

He played a 4 string banjo like jazz and minstrel musicians and a 5 string banjo like few other Bluesmen, but he preferred the 6 string banjo. Papa Charlie was the only musician to play a 6 string banjo, which was tuned and fretted like a guitar, although its sound was much lighter. He did not play in the bluegrass clawhammer or jazz flat picking styles. Instead, he used a combination of 2 fingered picking and single strumming with free and very quick rhythms played with his thumb.

His importance in the history of the Blues has been lessened by several factors. His flair for unique and irreverent material, similar to that of Charley Patton, along with his fast upbeat tempo which made his records sell, did not fit into the traditional Blues category. His records were of poor quality since about half of his 66 sides were recorded with an acoustic horn, not a microphone. The rest contained a lot of "hiss" since Paramount used inferior quality materials in their pressing of records. Also, his banjo was not viewed as a traditional Blues instrument. However, no one has duplicated his unique performances. William Henry "Papa Charlie" Jackson died on the West Side of Chicago on May 7, 1938. He was 50 years old. Due to his early death Jackson seems to have fallen through the cracks and is all but forgotten today by critics and historians. Instrumentally he resides on the same plateau with Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn and is one pioneer who deserves wider recognition.

Due to his early death Jackson seems to have fallen through the cracks and is all but forgotten today by critics and historians. Instrumentally he resides on the same plateau with Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn and is one pioneer who deserves wider recognition. It wasn't until 2013 that the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Charlie Jackson at Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago.

(Edited from bio by Michael Agresti & Syncopated Times)(* Other sources give December as birth month)

Jacqueline Taïeb born November 9, 1948

Jacqueline Taïeb (born 9 November 1948) is a French singer and songwriter. She achieved her greatest success as a pop and yé-yé singer in the 1960s.

Born 1948 in Carthage, Tunisia, the young Taïeb arrived in France with her parents at the age of eight years old. Her father gifted her with a guitar at 12 which she must have really connected with, because soon she would be composing her own songs. It wasn’t long before a talent scout would discover her while singing with friends. It was ’66, and what an exciting time it must have been for the perky 18 year old singer-songwriter, scoring a contract with the record label Impact, and then being quickly whisked away off to London for her first recording sessions.

                                  

1967 saw a string of 7″ releases for the now 19 year old Jacqueline, but it’s her debut EP release that she is most well worshiped for. All four songs on the EP were composed by the young singer herself, which for that time, was quite rare, as most female singers were expected to perform songs that had been written for them, or perhaps covers of other popular high selling hits. Though the lead track, the almighty ye ye classic 7 heures du matin, was only a small hit at the time, it has gone on to become considered a classic of the French girl pop genre. She was voted Best Newcomer at the inaugural Midem music festival in Cannes for the song. The song was about a bored teenage girl who does not wish to go to school that day and fantasizes about rock and roll stars such as The Who and Paul McCartney.

Jacqueline had a small handful of releases in the late sixties, and while none had the impact of this garage hit, they all carry the distinctive Taieb charm. There is also a very sort after Canadian only LP release entitled simply Jacqueline Taïeb, pressed in ’67, and while it contained many of her previous releases, it also included the exclusive On Roule A 160. 

Her second album was released in April 1967 with the title "Qu'est-ce qu'on se marre à la fac", also called "La Fac de lettres", which made her widely known. 

Several albums followed without achieving the same success, and in the early 70's Jacqueline took a break from recording and began to write for other musicians. Famous artists such as Yves Montand, Michel Fugain, Fabrienne Thibault and Stone have all sung Taieb’s songs. The list goes on. In 1988, she penned the song "Ready to Follow You", which became an international hit for American singer Dana Dawson. The single sold more than 500,000 copies, and the album sold 300,000 in France alone. 

Over the decades, Taïeb's 1960s discography found a cult following worldwide, particularly in Japan, the UK, and North America. Tracks like "7 Heures du Matin" were regularly reissued on garage-rock and yé-yé compilations (such as Girls in the Garage) and licensed for international advertising campaigns (including Bentley and Lolita Lempicka). 

In 2013 Jacqueline fulfilled her teenage dream when she recorded at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, resulting in the album "Jacqueline Taieb sings Elvis". She has released sporadic new music over the years, including the single "Peace Love & Action" in 2015.

(Edited from Wikipedia, Cult 45 & Melody TV) 

Donnie Fritts born November 8, 1942

Donald Ray Fritts (November 8, 1942 – August 27, 2019) was an American session musician and songwriter. A recording artist in his own right, he was Kris Kristofferson's keyboardist for over forty years. In 2008, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Donald Ray Fritts was born in Florence, Alabama, the younger of two sons of Huey and Helen (Brown) Fritts. His father was a building contractor who played guitar and bass in a local swing band on weekends. His mother was a homemaker. He began playing drums in local bands such as The Satellites and Hollis Dixon & the Keynotes at age 15, before graduating to the Mark Vs and the Pallbearers, two formative groups led by his future co-writer, Mr. Penn. 

He switched from drums to piano when he decided to try his hand at songwriting. He later developed into a session keyboard player. Working closely with Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, Dan Penn, Arthur Alexander, David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan and Norbert Putnam, Fritts was involved in many of the early songs and recordings created in the Muscle Shoals music industry.

Kristofferson & Fritts

In 1965, Fritts signed with a Nashville publishing company. Songs which he wrote were recorded by Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. He later met Kris Kristofferson who was just beginning a career in songwriting. When forming his band, Kristofferson called on Fritts, who continued as his keyboard player for over twenty years, performing live, on recordings and allowing him to experience every musicians dream by playing at Carnegie Hall. 

Through his association with Kristofferson, Fritts appeared in over fifteen movies during his acting career, including three of Sam Peckinpah's movies: Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, and Convoy. A colourful character onscreen and off, Mr. Fritts appeared alongside Mr. Kristofferson in Frank Pierson’s 1976 remake of “A Star Is Born.” He also played keyboards on the movie’s theme song, “Evergreen,” written by Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams, which won an Academy Award for best original song and a Grammy for song of the year. He also appeared in the aptly named film "Songwriter".

Because of his acting career, Donnie was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Thus, every year when Oscar nominations rolled around, the Academy sent screeners of all the nominated files to his home in Alabama. Possessed of a rough-hewed voice akin to Mr. Kristofferson’s, Fritts was a late bloomer as a recording artist. He released only a handful of albums, and he did not release the first — “Prone to Lean,” a mix of humorous and tender-hearted originals produced by Jerry Wexler for Atlantic Records at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio until 1974. 

                                   

That album derived its title from “the Alabama Leaning Man,” an enigmatic nickname conferred on Fritts by Jerry Wexler. In the liner notes, Mr. Kristofferson chose a more decipherable and apposite sobriquet to describe his friend’s approach to writing and playing music: “Funky Donnie Fritts.” His second album, "Everybody's Got a Song" was released in 1998. It included guest appearances by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Waylon Jennings, Delbert McClinton, Tony Joe White, Leroy Parnell & John Prine.

In 2001, Fritts had a kidney transplant that closely followed seven heart operations. While he was recovering in the hospital after the transplant, a friend asked how he was doing. Fritts responded that he had "one foot in the groove." It became the title of his third album in 2008, produced by Dan Penn with Ron Laury, recorded at Dandy Studio in Nashville. On February 22, 2008, Kristofferson was on hand in Montgomery, Alabma to induct Donnie into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Fritts focused on session and touring work with his backing band the Decoys supported him during a two-week tour of Japan in 2009. His most recent on-screen role was in the 2012 film Jayne Mansfield’s Car, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton.

In 2015, he signed with Single Lock Records and released his fourth album "Oh My Goodness" which some critics sat was his masterpiece.Stripped down to the bare essentials of Fritts’ weathered vocals and his Wurlitzer electric piano, this masterful record showcased an artist who had survived with his soul, grace, and humour intact. In 2018, his last album "June (A Tribute to Arthur Alexander)" was released. It was a moving and deeply personal tribute to his long-time best friend Arthur Alexander, the soul singer and songwriter of tunes covered by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, among countless others.

After a long illness, Fritts died from complications of heart surgery on August 27, 2019, at a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 76.

(Edited from Wikipedia, New York Times, Bitter Southerner, Sigle Lock Records & AllMusic) 

Ary Barroso born November 7, 1903

Ary Barroso ONM (7 November 1903 – 9 February 1964) was a Brazilian composer, pianist, soccer commentator, and talent-show host on radio and TV. He was one of Brazil's most successful songwriters in the first half of the 20th century. Barroso also composed many songs for Carmen Miranda during her career.

He was born Ary Evangelista de Resende Barroso in Ubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and although his father, João Evangelista, was a well-known poet, guitar player, singer and lawyer, he became an orphan at the age of seven when his parents died of tuberculosis and was raised by his grandmother and aunt. At his aunt's insistence, Barroso began studying the piano at the age of ten, practicing a mandatory three hours a day. Within two years, he was playing so well that he was hired to accompany silent films at the local cinema.

Although he inherited money at the age of seventeen when his uncle died, Barroso spent it quickly and was forced to turn to music for an income. In addition to playing piano in cinemas, cabarets and with orchestras, he became involved with musical theatre, when composed two works: "Vou à Penha", recorded by the singer Mário Reis, and "Vamos deixar de intimidades", both recorded in 1929. In 1930, Barroso won his first award promoted by Casa Edison Records, in the "Carnival Songs" category. Joining forces with lyricist Luís Peixoto, Barroso composed more than 60 tunes, as well as writing scripts.

Shortly after finishing law school, in 1929, Barroso married Yvonne Arantes who was the daughter of the boarding house in which he lived. In an attempt to raise money, he entered and won a Carnaval song contest in 1930. Three years later, Barroso hosted the first of many radio shows. Music was only one outlet for Barroso's creativity. A lawyer by training, he balanced his musical career with work as a radio announcer, writer, humourist, reporter, producer, emcee, interviewer and football commentator. He was such a fan of the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo football club of Rio de Janeiro that he turned down an invitation to move to the United States at the peak of his fame in the 1940s because he didn't want to be so far from the team.

                                   

Barroso became Brazil's most influential pre-bossa nova composer. His songs were recorded by a lengthy list of artists including Carmen Miranda and João Gilberto. His 1939 composition Aquarella do Brasil, known in the English-speaking world as Brazil, was featured in the 1942 Disney film Saludos Amigos, and has gone on to become one of the 20 most recorded songs of all time. In 1944, Barroso goes to visit the USA and composes "Rio de Janeiro" for the film "Brazil". He spent eight months there, earning a thousand dollars a week and composing the theme song for the movie "Three Girls in Blue". The following year, he returned to North America to set to music the film "O Trono das Amazonas", which would have 18 of his compositions but was not completed (because of the producer's death).

His song Na Baixa do Sapateiro, based on a Brazilian pop tune, was included in the Disney film The Three Caballeros and popularised as Baía. Barroso's soundtrack for the movie Brazil was nominated for an Oscar in 1945. Although he failed to win, Barroso was presented a Merit Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work. By this time  “Aquarela” had been performed more than two million times on U.S. radio and TV. It also enjoys the dubious honour of being the seventh most frequently played song in hotels and restaurants. In the 1946 elections, Barroso ran for councillor in Guanabara for the National Democratic Union (UDN) and had the second highest vote in the Chamber of the then Federal District.

Aurora Miranda (Carmen's sister) records "Risque" in 1952, but Linda Baptista made the samba song more successful. That same year, Barroso composed "Folha Morta", recorded by Dalva de Oliveira in London (for Odeon) and released in Brazil with resounding success. Ary Barroso was often invited to tour abroad. His 1953 tour in Mexico and Venezuela resulted in the composer’s first album—the Mexican LP Fantasia Carioca, which remained practically unknown until 2003. It was for the purpose of touring that Barroso formed his Orquestra de Ritmos Brasileiros in 1953. In January 1955, he embarked with this orchestra on a tour of Uruguay and Argentina. On board were 21 musicians and singers, the latter including Sara Rios, Vera Regina, and Ernani Filho.

In 1955, Barroso  and Heitor Villa-Lobos received the National Order of Merit, the greatest honour bestowed by the Brazilian government, granted by President Café Filho. In 1957, Barroso is honoured with the show "Mr. Samba", produced by Carlos Machado at the Night and Day nightclub (Rio de Janeiro); the script alluded to Barroso's biography, using his own compositions.

In 1961, Barroso fell ill with cirrhosis of the liver and went to live on a farm in Araras, Rio de Janerio. The following year, he was well enough to resume the program "Encontro com Ary" (TV Tupi), broadcast on Sundays. He also wrote the songs “Já Era Tempo” and “Rancho das Namoradas with Bossa Nova poet Vinicius de Moraes. But by 1963, he was in and out  hospital and died there on the night of February 9, 1964 in Rio de Janeiro.

(Edited from Wikipedia, Daniella Thompson notes & UOL Education bio)

Sparkle Moore born November 6, 1936

Sparkle Moore (November 6, 1936 in Omaha, Nebraska, United States) is an American rockabilly singer who was influential as a pioneer of female rockabilly.

Sparkle Moore was born Barbara Morgan in Omaha, Nebraska. She grew up loving music and had diverse influences. She developed a particular affinity for the sound of the Hawaiian steel guitar and learned to play the instrument herself, but she also listened to country, gospel, vaudeville. She discovered rock and roll unexpectedly when she saw Bill Haley perform at a country music show in the mid 1950s. She began playing rockabilly at venues around Omaha by 1955.

Moore was discovered by a local DJ, Grahame “Crackers” Richards, who became her manager. She adopted the stage name “Sparkle Moore” because her signature stage look—a blonde pompadour—resembled the character Sparkle Plenty in the Dick Tracy comics. Her flashy jackets earned mentions in the press: teen magazine Dig declared that Moore bore “an amazing resemblance to the late James Dean…Presley’s style and Dean’s looks.” Moore recalls that she simply dressed like the male rockabilly musicians she was influenced by.

                                    

Through Richards, Moore secured an opportunity record for Cincinnati-based label Fraternity. The single the label put out for her in 1956 includes two songs she wrote: “Rock a Bop” and “Skull and Crossbones.” A second single followed the next year. Though still 19 years old she toured widely to promote the records, even opening for Gene Vincent at the peak of his fame. 

A planned appearance on radio's Grand Ol' Opry was cancelled due to a bout with laryngitis, however. She also remained active as a songwriter; by 1957, she had about forty song-writing credits to her name. The sultry yet sinister "Killer" followed in 1957, but soon after Moore learned she was pregnant and abruptly quit performing to focus on raising a family.

No subsequent recordings are known to exist, although an unreleased Fraternity ballad called "Flower of My Heart" subsequently appeared on several compilations, most notable among them 2004's Good Girls Gone Bad: Weird, Wild & Wanted, the first to assemble her complete recorded output in one disc (including a handful of alternate takes). She has kept a very low-key media profile and refused most requests for interviews since retiring from the spotlight, yet remains a strong favourite with rockabilly fans.  

In 2010, she was inducted into the Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame for the inspiration she provided to rockabilly and early female rock and roll musicians. Also in 2010, she released a home-produced album called “Spark-A-Billy” that proved that the passing of 55 years hasn’t rendered her musical talents any less captivating. 

(Edited from Women In Rock Project & AllMusic) 

Charles Bradley born November 5, 1948

Charles Edward Bradley (November 5, 1948 – September 23, 2017) was an American funk and soul singer. After years of obscurity and a part-time music career, Bradley came to prominence in the early 2000s. His performances and recording style were consistent with the revivalist approach of his main label Daptone Records, celebrating the feel of funk and soul from the 1960s and 1970s. One review said he "echoes the evocative delivery of Otis Redding".

Abandoned by his mother at eight months of age, Bradley was raised by his maternal grandmother in Gainesville, Florida. At age eight, his mother returned, and took him to live with her in Brooklyn, New York. In 1962, his sister took him to the Apollo Theater to see James Brown perform. Bradley was so inspired by the performance that he began to practice mimicking Brown's style of singing and stage mannerisms at home. When he was fourteen, Bradley ran away from home to escape poor living conditions—his bedroom was in a basement with a sand floor—and lived on the streets during the day and slept nights in subway cars for two years. 

Later, he enlisted in Job Corps which eventually led him to Bar Harbor, Maine to train as a chef. A co-worker told him he looked like James Brown and asked if he could sing; Bradley overcame his stage fright (when a crew member pushed him through the curtains onto the stage) and performed five or six times with a band. His bandmates were later drafted into the Vietnam War, and the act never re-formed.

Bradley worked in Maine as a cook for ten years, and then decided to head west, hitchhiking across the country. He lived in upstate New York, Seattle, Canada and Alaska before settling in California in 1977. There, Bradley worked odd jobs and played small shows for 20 years. He earned extra money doing James Brown performances, where he used such stage names as the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Black Velvet and even James Brown Jr.

                                  

In the mid-1990s, Bradley's mother called him and asked him to move back in with her in Brooklyn so she could get to know him. It was there he began making a living moonlighting as a James Brown impersonator in local clubs under the name Black Velvet. During this time, Bradley experienced more difficulties, including almost dying in a hospital after having an allergic reaction to penicillin, and, in a separate episode, awakening at his mother's house to a commotion as police and ambulances were arriving to the scene of his brother's murder close by.

While performing as Black Velvet, he was eventually discovered by Gabriel Roth (better known as Bosco Mann), a co-founder of Daptone Records. Roth introduced Bradley to his future producer, Daptone artist Tom Brenneck (then the songwriter and guitarist for The Bullets, and later for Menahan Street Band) who invited Bradley to his band's rehearsal. Bradley asked that the band simply perform while he made up lyrics on the spot. After writing several songs, Daptone released some of these initial recordings on vinyl starting in 2002. Brenneck and Bradley chose ten of these recordings to be released as Bradley's debut album No Time for Dreaming in 2011. It was named one of Rolling Stone magazine's best albums of the year.

In the spring of 2012, Charles Bradley: Soul of America, a documentary directed by Poull Brien, debuted at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Brien first met Bradley when he directed the music video for "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)". This feature film told Bradley's story from his childhood in Florida, to the days of homelessness and heartache, then later his gigs as Black Velvet, and finally ended with him touring and recording at Daptone Records. The film included his performance at festivals around the world.

Bradley's second album, Victim of Love came out on April 2, 2013. Speaking to the BBC's Craig Charles show in 2013, Bradley spoke about his difficult journey to stardom. "I've been out there, ever since I was 16, doing music and searching for it, but I just never could find the people that really believed in me. It took a long time coming, but God, I'm glad it's here," he said. But he admitted: "I just wish I'd have gotten my break when I was in my 20s."  

Bradley's third album, Changes, was released on April 1, 2016, and featured a cover of the Black Sabbath song "Changes" along with the original song "Change for the World", which became popularized shortly after his death as the theme for the first three seasons of the Netflix animated comedy series Big Mouth. "Changes" was widely praised and led to numerous mainstream television appearances, including a performance on "CBS This Morning Saturday" that earned an EMMY nomination for outstanding on-camera musical performance in a daytime program. He continued to perform live, often together with other Daptone artists.

In August 2016, Bradley fell ill and cancelled a Canadian tour and his appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival due to take place on July 30. Bradley died on September 23, 2017, of stomach and liver cancer in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 68. He was surrounded by family and friends, including members of all the bands he worked closely with. Since his death Bradley has featured on several archive recordings, including a live-recording from the Apollo Theatre, as part of the Daptone Super Soul Revue release.

Black Velvet was his fourth and final studio album released on 9 November 2018. The album release was preceded by two singles, "Can't Fight the Feeling" and "I Feel a Change". The album consists of songs originally recorded for Bradley's three previous studio albums, and was compiled by producer Thomas Brenneck after Bradley's death .Included are covers of "Stay Away" by Nirvana and "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young.

(Edited from Wikipedia, BBC News & IMDb) 

Willie Love born November 4, 1906

Willie Love Jr. (November 4, 1906 – August 19, 1953) was an American Delta blues pianist who was a familiar figure on the Memphis, West Memphis, and Mississippi Delta blues scenes.

Love was born in Duncan, Mississippi. Little is known of his youth only that he worked on his father's farm, was interested in music and at an early age and learned how to play the piano. He began his musical journey performing in juke joints and clubs  in Clarksdale, Tunica and Belzoni throughout the Mississippi Delta, where his adeptness at both standard blues and boogie-woogie piano styles quickly earned him local renown. In 1935/36 he worked with Barber Parkers Silver Kings band, which often played in the dance halls of the Delta. In 1938 he left Parker and together with Pinetop Perkins played in clubs in Indianola also performing occasionally with Dr. Ross. 

                        

From 1940 he stopped playing as a soloist, staying until 1952, except for a short intermission in Greenville. It was here that he would become friendly with the harmonica player Sony Boy Williamson (Alex "Rice" Miller) and from 1942 he was a regular visitor to Helena, a little town where, as one of the King Biscuit Boys, he played in the King Biscuit Time programme on KFFA Radio. Up until 1946 he was also a member of The Three Aces (the other two were Barber Parker and G.P. Jackson), a very popular act at dance parties and juke joints. In 1946 Willie played with guitarist Elmore James and his friend Sonny Boy on Greenville's WVGM radio. 

Alex "Rice" Miller

In 1948/49 Willie did a lot of work with Sonny Boy, Willie Nix and Joe Willie Wilkins as the Four Aces, at the same time playing clubs, including the Harlem Club and the 49 Club, with guitarist Little Bill and bassist Willie Dotson. In late 1949 Willie had his own Broadway Furniture Store Show on KWEM Radio in West Memphis. By 1950 he moved back with his wife to Greenville and played in the Silver Dollar Café. When Williamson recorded for Trumpet Records in March 1951, Love played the piano on the recordings. Trumpet's owner, Lillian McMurray, had Love return the following month and again in July 1951, when he recorded his best-known song, "Everybody's Fishing", which he wrote. Love played piano and sang, with guitar accompaniment by Elmore James and Joe Willie Wilkins.  A studio session in December 1951 had Love backed by Little Milton (guitar), T.J. Green (fiddle), and Junior Blackman (drums). In his teenage years, Eddie Shaw played tenor saxophone with both Milton and Love.

Baby Boy Warren

In the best traditions of the blues, Willie Love was a very heavy drinker and this began to cause trouble as he also had domestic problems because he was always away from home. In 1952 his wife left him and Willie went to Detroit to play in the Harlem Inn with guitarist Baby Boy Warren. In January 1953 he returned to Jackson in very bad health and in April 1953, he recorded "Worried Blues" "Lonesome World Blues" and "Shout Brother Shout" which was to be his final session. All of Love's recordings under his own name appeared on the compilation album Greenville Smokin', issued in 2000.

After suffering the effects of years of heavy drinking, Love died of bronchopneumonia on August 19, 1953, in the Jackson Baptist Hospital, Mississippi, at the age of 46, cutting short a promising career. Though always surrounded by friends, Willie was quickly forgotten once dead, yet his legacy lies in his contributions to the Delta blues tradition, both as a collaborator and as a solo artist. His recordings showcase his expressive piano work and soulful vocals, cementing his place among the greats of Mississippi blues. 

In 2017 the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed the headstone for Willie Love at Elmwood Cemetery in Jackson.

(Edited from Martin Van Olderen LP liner notes, Jazzapedia & Wikipedia) (Please note there seems to be only one known photograph of Willie Love so I have used others of musicians he worked with at the time)