Elmore James had the misfortune of drinking himself to death just before the late sixties explosion in Rock that gave many black Blues performers the recognition they deserve. While James is certainly known, I think his rep is actually stronger among musicians than it is with the public as he wasn't around to perform and there's little if any video of him. There isn't even much in the way of pictures. Check out the singing on the cut in the video below - It Hurts Me, Too - if nothing else.
The story goes he started out on a one string diddley bow and built his own electric guitar while working at a radio repair shop. His grave: King of the Slide Guitar.
YouTube has some great cuts that speak to his influence: Done Somebody Wrong, One Way Out,- two the Allman Brothers covered. The Sky Is Crying, Long Tall Women, Every Day I Have The Blues, Got To Move. Too many to list.
Thanks, Dan. If I remember correctly, Eric Clapton does this song on one of his blues CDs. He also has Buddy Guy's Tore Down and some other good stuff.
Posted by: Fred Beloit | Friday, January 23, 2009 at 06:17 PM