Oscar Pettiford born 30 September 1922

Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. 

Pettiford was born at Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His mother was Choctaw, and his father was half Cherokee and half African American. He grew up playing in the family band in which he sang and danced before switching to piano at the age of 12, then to double bass when he was 14. He is quoted as saying he did not like the way people were playing the bass so he developed his own way of playing it. Despite being admired by the likes of Milt Hinton at the age of 14, he gave up in 1941 as he did not believe he could make a living. Five months later, he once again met Hinton, who persuaded him to return to music. 

In 1942 he joined the Charlie Barnet band and in 1943 gained wider public attention after recording with Coleman Hawkins on his "The Man I Love". Pettiford also recorded with Earl Hines and Ben Webster around this time. After he moved to New York, he was one of the musicians (together with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke) who in the early 1940s jammed at Minton's Playhouse, where the music style developed that later was called bebop. 

He and Dizzy Gillespie led a bop group in 1943. In 1945 Pettiford went with Hawkins to California, where he appeared in The Crimson Canary, a mystery movie known for its jazz soundtrack, which also featured Josh White. He then worked with Duke Ellington from 1945 to 1948 and for Woody Herman in 1949 before working mainly as a leader in the 1950s.As a leader he inadvertently discovered Cannonball Adderley. After one of his musicians had tricked him into letting Adderley, an unknown music teacher, onto the stand, he had Adderley solo on a demanding piece, on which Adderley performed impressively. 

                               

Pettiford is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz music. He first played the cello as a practical joke on his band leader (Woody Herman) when he walked off stage during his solo spot and came back, unexpectedly with a cello and played on that. In 1949, after suffering a broken arm, Pettiford found it impossible to play his bass, so he experimented with a cello a friend had lent him. 

Tuning it in fourths, like a double bass, but one octave higher, Pettiford found it possible to perform during his rehabilitation (during which time his arm was in a sling) and made his first recordings with the instrument in 1950. The cello thus became his secondary instrument, and he continued to perform and record with it throughout the remainder of his career. 

He recorded extensively during the 1950s for the Debut, Bethlehem and ABC Paramount labels among others. During the mid-1950s he played on the first three albums Thelonious Monk's recorded for the Riverside label. Among Pettiford's better-known compositions are "Tricotism," "Laverne Walk," "Bohemia After Dark," and "Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home."  Pettiford brought new dimensions in establishing the double bass and cello as solo instruments and was honoured by numerous jazz polls, including Esquire Gold Award (1944–45), Metronome poll (1945), and Down Beat Critics Poll (1953, 1955–57) 

Between 1954 and 1958, Pettiford also led sextets, big bands and jazz orchestras which played dates in Manhattan venues like Birdland, where he continued to explore unusual instrumental voicing including French horns and harp. The reedist and composer Gigi Gryce collaborated with Pettiford on the novel arrangements for the orchestra‘s hi-fi albums. In 1958, Pettiford moved to Copenhagen, Denmark and started recording for European companies. After his move to Europe he often performed with European musicians, like Attila Zoller, and also with other Americans who had settled in Europe, like Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke. 

In 1958, Pettiford was involved in an auto accident that fractured his skull, though this did little to slow him down. That same year he performed with saxophonist Stan Getz in Sven Methlings film Soldaterkammerater and with Getz’s quartet at the Montmartre Club in Copenhagen until 1960. 

Pettiford performed for the last time on Sunday, September 4, 1960, at an art exhibit in Copenhagen. The following day, he was taken to the hospital where he fell into a coma. Pettiford passed away on September 8, 1960, in Copenhagen’s Fiedfrederiksberg Hospital at the age of thirty-seven. His death was caused by a Polio-like viral infection. One other source claimed that his death was caused by complications that stemmed from the auto accident two years earlier. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & African American Registry)

Tommy Boyce born 29 September 1939

Sidney Thomas "Tommy" Boyce (September 29, 1939 – November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman; February 18, 1939) were a prolific American duo of singer-songwriters. In addition to three top-40 hits as artists, the duo is well known for its songwriting for The Monkees. 

Hart's father was a church minister and he himself served in the Army after leaving high school. Upon discharge, he travelled to Los Angeles seeking a career as a singer. Boyce was separately pursuing a career as a songwriter. After being rejected numerous times, Boyce took his father's suggestion to write a song called "Be My Guest" for rock and roll star Fats Domino. He waited six hours at Domino's hotel room to present him with the demo, and got Domino to promise to listen to the song. The song hit No. 8 in the US and No. 11 in the UK, becoming Domino's biggest hit there in several years, and sold over a million copies. Boyce also found success as the co-writer, with Curtis Lee, of Lee's 1961 hits "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" and "Under the Moon of Love". 

Boyce met Hart in 1959, and the following year played guitar on Hart's single "Girl in the Window", which flopped, but marked the first time he used the name Bobby Hart, since his manager shortened his surname from Harshman to fit the label. Their partnership made a breakthrough with a song recorded by Chubby Checker, "Lazy Elsie Molly", in 1964. They went on to write hits for Jay & the Americans ("Come a Little Bit Closer"), Paul Revere and the Raiders ("(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"), and The Leaves ("Words"). The latter two songs provided the Monkees with hit B-sides in 1967.

The duo also wrote the theme song of the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. At one point in this period, Hart also co-wrote "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony & the Imperials with Teddy Randazzo and his regular songwriting partner, Bobby Weinstein. Boyce co-wrote the song "Hello Pretty Girl", which was a minor hit for singer Ronnie Dove, with Wes Farrell. Boyce also co-wrote the hit "Peaches 'N' Cream" by the Ikettes. 

In late 1965, they wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack of the pilot for The Monkees, including singing lead vocals (which were later replaced, once the show was cast). In 1966, despite some conflicts with Don Kirshner, who was the show's musical supervisor, they were retained in essentially the same role. It was Boyce and Hart who wrote, produced and recorded, accompanied by their backing band, the Candy Store Prophets, backing tracks for a large portion of the first season of The Monkees, and the band's accompanying debut album.

The Monkees themselves re-recorded their vocals over Boyce and Hart's when it came time to release the songs, including both "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville", the latter being a huge hit. Kirshner suddenly relieved Boyce and Hart as producers, by claiming they were using studio time booked for Monkees songs to record tracks for their own solo project. 

                     

While working with The Monkees, Boyce and Hart embarked on a successful career as recording artists in their own right, releasing three albums on A&M Records: Test Patterns, I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight, and It's All Happening on the Inside. The duo also had five charting singles; the most well-known of these was "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight", which reached No. 8 in early 1968. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

 In the mid-1970s, Boyce and Hart reunited with Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, performing the songs Boyce and Hart had written for The Monkees a decade before. Legally prohibited from using the Monkees name, they called themselves Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. The group toured amusement parks and other venues throughout America, Japan and other locations from July 4, 1975, to early 1977, also becoming the first American band to play in Thailand.  They also starred in their own TV special called The Great Golden Hits of the Monkees Show, which appeared in syndication. It featured a medley of other Boyce and Hart songs, as well as the songs they had produced for the Monkees. It did not include any songs from their new album. 

Boyce released an album under the pseudonym Christopher Cloud in 1973. He produced several hit records UK rock n roll revival group Darts including, "Daddy Cool/The Girl Can't Help It", "Come Back My Love" and "It's Raining". In 1979, he formed his own band, called The Tommy Band, and toured the UK as support for Andrew Matheson (ex-Hollywood Brats). Boyce and Hart reunited during the 1980s resurgence of the Monkees, and performed live. 

After a stint living in the UK, Boyce returned to live in Memphis, Tennessee, where he taught songwriting on Beale Street, and Nashville, Tennessee. But he struggled with depression, and later suffered a brain aneurysm. On November 23, 1994, he committed suicide by gunshot in Nashville, Tennessee, due to his declining health. 

Bobby Hart subsequently worked as a producer and/or writer with New Edition, LaToya Jackson, and Robbie Nevil, among others.   (Edited mainly from Wikipedia)

Morris Nanton born 28 September 1929

Morris Nanton (September 28, 1929 - November 15, 2009) was an American Jazz pianist. 

Nanton was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and lived there all his life. He served in the US Armed Forces during the Korean War and played in the 5th Army Division Band. He graduated from the Perth Amboy High school, then studied at the Juilliard Conservatory of Music in New York. 

Known throughout the metropolitan area, The Morris Nanton Trio performed for over 50 years; 53 of those years together with bassist extraordinaire, Norman Edge. The trio also included drummers Al Beldini, Oliver Jackson and Jeff Brillinger. They completed an unprecedented 22-year stand at the Cove in Roselle, where such jazz greats as Rashan Roland Kirk, Don Elliott, Sal Nestico, Babs Gonzalez, and Joe Morello shared the spotlight with the group. 

They have performed at numerous jazz festivals and universities, sharing the stage with the Count Basie Orchestra and Tito Puente. They have accompanied vocalists Jack Jones, Mel Torme, Nel Carter, and Barbara Streisand, to name a few. They recorded several soul jazz albums from 1958, first for Warner Bros. and then for Prestige Records, such as Roberta (1959) , Something We've Got (1965) and Soul Fingers (1967), with “Troubles of the World” / “ The Shadow of Your Smile ” as a single. 

                    

Their recordings include "Flower Drum Song," "Roberta," and "The First Jazz Piano Trio" on the Warner Bros. label; "Ray Ellis Orchestra and Chorus," "Big Big Voice of Lovelace Watkins" on the MGM label, and Roberta (1959), Something We've Got (1965) and "Soul Fingers (1967) on the Prestige label, with “Troubles of the World” and “The Shadow of Your Smile ” as a single. 

Their recording of "Ja Da" (1959) was the first music to be heard on outer space, as the recording came over Apollo's radio during the first orbit around the Earth.In addition to his own compositions his repertoire included mostly popular film themes like Black Orpheus as well as pop and jazz standards such as " Fly Me to the Moon ," " I'll Remember April " , "My Man's Gone Now ”and“ Things Ain't What They Used to Be ”. 

The New York Times covered the Trio's performance at Shanghai Jazz in May 2008, showering their performance with accolades in an article entitled, "Jazz Survivors." The Trio has been performing at Shanghai Jazz in Madison up to and as recently as September 2009, and as a soloist at the Quay in Sea Bright on Sundays. Morris' last performance was Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, the day before his 80th birthday. 

He died peacefully at his home on 15^th November 2009. Morris mentored and taught several of the musicians who play in the Consortium's jam sessions. 

(Edited from The Star-Ledger & Wikipedia)

Lynn Hope born 26 September 1926

Lynn Hope, also known as El Hajj Abdullah Rasheed Ahmad, (September 26, 1926 – February 24, 1993) was an American jazz and blues tenor saxophonist noted for his instrumental remakes of established pre-rock pop anthems.

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, United States and he first learned music from this town’s legendary “Maker of Musicians,” the bandleader and teacher Fess Whatley, whose classroom launched the careers of many scores of jazz players. Hope joined King Kolax's band when he graduated from high school in Birmingham during the 1940s, before forming his own outfit with his sister and brothers. After converting to Islam, he became noted for wearing a turban or fez. 

                              

Hope signed with Miracle Records in 1950, but the contract proved invalid. He moved to Premium Records, where he recorded "Tenderly," a song that was later picked up by Chess Records. Hope recorded often for Aladdin Records between 1951 and 1957, doing such reworked standards as "September Song" and "Summertime." These numbers were often performed with little or no melodic embellishment or improvisation; however the B-sides were often up tempo blues or jump tunes. The recording of "Tenderly" earned Hope his only hit in 1950, reaching number eight on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 19 on the pop music chart. 

Lynn Hope was one of the “screamers,” the wild r&b saxophone honkers whose horns helped beget rock and roll. He strode up and down bar tops blowing his horn, bent over backwards and wailed, jumped from the bandstand and paraded through his crowd, worked each room he played until it was ready to explode. His straight, melodic saxophone playing was derided by the musically hip - who renamed him ‘No Hope’ - but his modernization of old standards was loved by the general public (in person, if not on record), and his records often harboured an exciting blues or jump tune on the b-side. Hope recorded his last sessions for King in 1960. 

He was also, in the late 1940s into the ‘50s, one of black America’s most prominent Muslims. He twice pilgrimaged to Mecca and traveled all over the Middle East, led prayers at a Philadelphia mosque, taught classes on the Koran and the Arabic language, and he brought hundreds of new converts to the faith. Fans and the media loved his jewelled turbans and his long Egyptian robes, embracing the exotic novelty of his performance and persona. But when Hope spoke out against American racism he found himself the subject of smears, blacklisted from the clubs where he’d once been a star. 

In the 1960s, Hope suffered a series of setbacks — personal, financial, and political — and he struggled to stay relevant in a shifting cultural and musical landscape. By the end of the decade, he had faded into obscurity. 

Hope died in February 1993, at the age of 66, in Collingswood, New Jersey, United States. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, Burgin Mathews & Oldies.com

Kathi McDonald born 25 September 1948

 

Kathryn Marie "Kathi" McDonald (September 25, 1948 – October 3, 2012) was an American blues and rock singer and songwriter. 

Kathi McDonald's voice was so riveting, people took notice even when she wasn’t the main attraction. In fact, the strength of her voice is what landed the vocalist her first big professional gig when she was attending a concert and joined in as part of the audience. McDonald's powerful voice drew Ike Turner's notice in a club called the Winterland, and he invited the aspiring singer to his and Tina Turner's next rehearsal. McDonald had snagged a spot in the Ikettes, the Turners' backing group, without even trying. It was a heady and magical beginning for someone who never had any formal lessons. 

McDonald was born in Anacortes, Washington.  She began singing at an early age. The first song she fully learned was "Goodnight Irene" by Huddie Leadbetter and at age two she would sing all five verses from her crib. McDonald performed professionally for the first time around Seattle when she was 12 years old. Her musical influences were Gail Harris and Tina Turner.  At the age of 19 she set off for San Francisco and its burgeoning musical climate, where she met the Turners and, through her association with them, took the first step on a career path that would span more than three decades. 

While living in Seattle, McDonald developed strong San Francisco music connections and promoter Chet Helms invited her to audition for Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966. He also invited a then-unknown Janis Joplin from Austin, Texas. Joplin arrived in San Francisco before McDonald and was hired to front the band. McDonald relocated to San Francisco at the age of 19. At an Ike & Tina Turner concert at promoter Bill Graham's Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco, McDonald caught the attention of bandleader Ike Turner when she was singing along to "River Deep, Mountain High". She was pregnant at the time and he invited her to record as an Ikette in the studio. As an Ikette, she sang on their album Come Together (1970). She then recorded with Big Brother and the Holding Company after Joplin split with the band. 

Around this time, McDonald became one of Leon Russell's Shelter People and joined him on the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour with Joe Cocker. Her session work included recordings for such artists as the Rolling Stones, Nils Lofgren, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie, and Dave Mason. Her work for other musical artists totals up to appearances on almost 150 albums, more than six dozen of which achieved gold status. 

                             

In addition, McDonald also launched a solo career in 1974 with the release of the album Insane Asylum. The recording was arranged by Pete Sears, whose formal band associations include Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Insane Asylum featured performances by Tower of Power, the Pointer Sisters, Aynsley Dunbar, John Cippolina, Neil Schon, and Ronnie Montrose. Sales were disappointing, however, and the singer did not release another solo effort for 20 years, when Save Your Breath appeared. 

In 1976, McDonald met blues singer Long John Baldry and they collaborated until his death in 2005. She toured with him and they enjoyed success in Australia where their duet "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" reached #2 in 1980. Twenty years after her debut, she released her sophomore album, Save Your Breath, in 1994. McDonald reunited with Big Brother and the Holding Company in California for a concert on New Year's Eve, 1997. Her next album, Above and Beyond, was released in 1999. It featured Lee Oskar on harmonica and Brian Auger on keyboards. 

She was inducted into the Washington Blues Society's Hall of Fame in 1999 and In later years she contributed to the Seattle Women in Rhythm and Blues project. McDonald eventually fronted her own band and continued to perform regionally. Following her rash of success, Kathi would go on to make two more records: the eponymous Kathi McDonald in 2003 and On with the Show, by Kathi McDonald & Friends, in 2010. A year earlier she performed at the opening gala for the San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design along with Sam Andrew, welcoming in a new exhibition dedicated to the art and music of San Francisco of the 1965-1975 era. 

McDonald who had a continual struggle with alcoholism and drug abuse died at the age of 64 in Seattle, Washington on October 3, 2012. According to Toronto Blues Diary, McDonald slipped into a coma and never woke up again. No cause of death has been revealed. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)

James "Shep" Sheppard born 24 September 1935

James "Shep" Sheppard (September 24, 1935 – January 24, 1970) was an American R&B and Doo-Wop singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the vocal groups The Heartbeats and Shep & The Limelites whose name will forever be etched in rock & roll history for recording the endearing "Daddy's Home," a tender ballad about returning from war that soared to number two on the pop charts in May 1961. 

James Shane Sheppard was born in Queens, New York City. His career began when he joined the Hearts, a band from Jamaica, Queens, NY. The Hearts would mimic songs by the Orioles, the Ravens, Five Keys, the Moonglows, the Larks, the Flamingos, and others. When not rehearsing, they competed with wannabes in parks and under street corner lamps. During one encounter they battled a group led by James Sheppard; impressed, the Hearts asked Sheppard to be their new lead. 

The acquisition of Sheppard helped the Hearts twofold: not only could he blow, he also wrote gorgeous ballads. Shortly after he joined the Hearts, they became the Heartbeat Quintet and started playing clubs, weddings, graduations, ceremonies, and basement parties. Jazz saxophonist Illinois Jacquet befriended them and let them rehearse in his basement. Jacquet's brother arranged their first recording opportunity. "Tormented," a ballad written by Sheppard, was released on Network Records in Philadelphia, but lack of promotion killed any chance of success. 

After shortening their name to the Heartbeats, they came to the attention of William Miller, who worked for Hull Records. He introduced the quintet to owner Bea Caslin, who was impressed by their tight harmonies and Sheppard's songwriting skills; the group was soon signed to the label. Three initial releases sold well, particularly the magnificent "Your Way"; all were ballads written by Sheppard. 

The minor successes of the recordings encouraged Hull Records to invest in professional choreography to tighten the band's stage presentation. Appearances at premier New York venues like the Brooklyn Fox and the Apollo had become common. To the surprise of Hull Records, fans called radio stations in record numbers demanding to hear the flip of "Baby Don't Go," the exquisite "A Thousand Miles Away." Sheppard's craving for an ex-girlfriend who moved to Texas had inspired "A Thousand." 

Not only did the song do well locally and regionally, it started selling nationwide. Bookings poured in, providing appearances with luminaries like Ray Charles, B.B. King, and the Flamingos. Touring, however, didn't prove lucrative, as they experienced an inordinate share of misfortunes including vehicle breakdowns and promoters leaving with the proceeds. "Daddy's Home" would be the Heartbeats' final Hull Record release. 

                    

Bea Caslin then sold the Heartbeats' contract and the publishing rights to the Roulette Record conglomerate. "I Won't Be the Fool Anymore" came out on Rama Records in 1957; after another Rama release, Roulette switched them to Gee Records, and eventually to Roulette itself. "500 Miles to Go" and "After New Year's Eve" were the most successful commercially, while "Down on My Knees" was the most notable artistically. 

Problems within the group began to show: the last straw came when Sheppard passed out at the microphone in Philadelphia, and bandmate Al Crump sang the lyrics until Sheppard was able to continue. The group wanted to breakup after this embarrassment but had commitments, so the group sang on gigs as a quartet doing standards, and Sheppard appeared afterward to sing the Heartbeat hits. They did their last gig in 1959 at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., and Sheppard opened a restaurant in Jamaica, Queens, singing solo on the side. 

Two years after the the Heartbeats' demise, Sheppard met some old friends -- Clarence Bassett and Charles Baskerville of the Videos -- and formed Shep & the Limelites. Bassett had also warbled with the Five Sharps. After two flops on Apt. Records, Shep returned to Hull Records and Caslin signed them on the spot. "Daddy's Home" was Shep & the Limelites' first Hull release and it nearly aced the pop chart, stopping at number two. (Ricky Nelson's "Travelin' Man" kept it from the top spot.) 

Hull released 12 Shep & the Limelites singles between 1961 and 1965. "Our Anniversary" went to number seven R&B in 1962 and was their only other chart success. Personal differences caused the Limelites to disband by 1966. Baskervlle joined the Players, and Bassett sang with the Flamingos and later Creative Funk. 

Sheppard reunited with the Limelites in 1970 to perform on the oldie revival circuit, but this quickly ended when after being paid for an appearance, he had been drinking in Queens and was followed out of the bar. He was beaten unconscious near the Van Wyck Expressway, and, since the assailants also took his clothes, froze to death overnight where he was found on January 24, 1970.

(Edited from AllMusic & Marv Goldberg)

Joe Hill Louis born 23 September 1921

Joe Hill Louis (September 23, 1921 – August 5, 1957), born Lester Hill, was an American singer, guitarist, harmonica player and one-man band. He was one of a small number of one-man blues bands (along with fellow Memphis bluesman Doctor Ross) to have recorded commercially in the 1950s. He was also a session musician for Sun Records. He recorded as Chicago Sunny Boy for Meteor Records in 1953.

Louis was born Lester (or possibly Leslie) Hill in Raines, Tennessee. His nickname "Joe Louis" arose as a result of a childhood fight with another youth. At the age of 14 he left home to work as a servant for the Canales', a wealthy Memphis family. He also worked at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis in the late 1930s. From the early 1940s onwards he worked as a musician and one-man band. By the late '40s, his one-man musical attack was a popular attraction in Handy Park and on WDIA, the groundbreaking Memphis radio station where he hosted a 15-minute program billed as The Pepticon Boy.

It was future politician Drew Canale who would be the first to record Joe Hill Louis, recording four tunes in Nashville in November of 1949 that he would sell to Columbia Records before the year ended. Also known as the Be-Bop Boy, his music was released on a variety of labels through the 1950s, such as Modern, Checker, Meteor, and Big Town. Louis most notably recording for Sam Phillips' Sun Records, for whom he recorded extensively as a backing musician for a wide variety of other singers as well as under his own name.

                            

His most notable electric blues single, "Boogie in the Park" (recorded in July 1950 and released the following month), featured Louis performing "one of the loudest, most overdriven, and distorted guitar stomps ever recorded" while also playing a rudimentary drum kit. It was the only record released on Sam Phillips's early Phillips label before he founded Sun Records. Phillips and Memphis dee-Jay Dewey Phillips pooled their efforts and resources to record, press, and distribute 300 copies of this record. Louis's electric guitar playing is also considered a predecessor of heavy metal music.

His most notable recording at Sun Records was probably as guitarist on Rufus Thomas's "Bear Cat", an answer record to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog", which reached number 3 on the R&B chart and resulted in legal action for copyright infringement. He also shared writing credit for the song "Tiger Man", which has been recorded by Thomas and Elvis Presley, among others. Around 1950 he took over the Pepticon Boy radio program on WDIA from B. B. King.

                                    L-R. Joe Hill Louis, BB King, Ford Nelson, Rufus Thomas,                                     Wlla Monroe, Nat D. Williams, Starr McKinney. 

Like Charlie Feathers before him, frustrated by Phillips unwillingness to issue more discs he headed across town to Meteor Records, who recorded two singles with Joe, issued under the moniker Chicago Sunny Boy and released in 1953. From here Joe Hill Louis would record for tiny local labels like Rockin’, Big Town, Vendor, Mimosa  and House Of Sound, most of these were cut with a full band including a tenor sax player, an obvious attempt to update his sound to compete with the onslaught of rock’n’roll. These discs all very rare, and most of them have never been re-issued.

In the summer of 1957 Joe was doing some yard work for the Canales’ when he cut his finger which then became infected by the fertilizer he was using. He didn’t bother to get it treated and a few days later he collapsed on Beale Street. Rushed to the hospital, on Aug. 5, 1957, he died a painful death from tetanus (lock jaw) at John Gaston Hospital, where Bessie Smith had died two decades earlier.

Joe Hill Louis was remembered as a likable, humorous sort of fellow, a ladies man, and a nice guy. His music may have been too crude and distorted to be commercial, although crude and distorted didn’t hurt the careers of John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Howlin’ Wolf, all who where enjoying good record sales during the years that Louis’ discs were first released. Most likely his lack of touring, and a lack of promotion are what kept him in obscurity to all but Memphis residents to whom he was a familiar site on Beale Street, Handy Park, and on WDIA. He died too young to reap the benefits of the sixties blues revival, but his records sound better than ever today, he was a unique guitarist, and the one man band style served his unique sense of timing well, in a gloriously clattering musical racket. Although he’s best remembered for putting Sam C. Phillips in the record biz, Joe Hill Louis was more than just historically important, he was one of the greats.

 (Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & The Hound NYC)