Eddie Kirkland
Encyclopedia
Eddie Kirkland was an American
electric blues
guitarist
, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter
.
Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John Lee Hooker
from 1949 to 1962. After his period of working in tandem with Hooker he pursued a successful solo career, recording for RPM Records, Fortune Records
, Volt Records, and King Records
, sometimes under the stage name
Eddie Kirk. Kirkland continued to tour, write and record albums until his death in February 2011.
to a mother, aged 11, and first heard the blues from "field hollers", and raised in Dothan, Alabama
until 1935, when he stowed away in the Sugar Girls Medicine Show tent truck and left town. Blind Blake
was the one who influenced him the most in those early days. He was placed on the chorus line with "Diamond Tooth Mary" McLean. When the show closed a year later, he was in Dunkirk, Indiana
where he briefly returned to school.
He joined the United States Army
during World War II
. It was racism in the military, he said, that led him to seek out the devil. After his discharge Kirkland traveled to Detroit where his mother had relocated. After a days work at the Ford Rouge Plant, Kirkland played his guitar at house parties, and there he met John Lee Hooker
. Kirkland, a frequent second guitarist in recordings from 1949-1962. "It was difficult playin' behind Hooker but I had a good ear and was able to move in behind him on anything he did."
Kirkland fashioned his own style of playing open chords, and transformed the rough, porch style delta blues
into the electric age by using his thumb, rather than a guitar pick
. He secured his own series of recordings
with Sid Nathan of King Records
in 1953, at Fortune Records
in 1958 and, by 1961, on his own album
It's the Blues Man, with the King Curtis
Band.
Kirkland became Hooker's road manager
and the two traveled from Detroit to the Deep South
on many tours, the last being in 1962 when Hooker abandoned Kirkland to go overseas. Kirkland found his way to Macon, Georgia
and began performing with Otis Redding
as his guitarist and band leader. As Eddie Kirk, he released "The Hawg" as a single
on Volt Records in 1963. The record
was overshadowed by Rufus Thomas
's recordings, and Kirkland, discouraged by the music industry and his own lack of education to change the situation, turned to his other skill and sought work as an auto mechanic
to earn a living for his growing family.
In 1970, one of the revivals of the blues was taking place. Peter B. Lowry
found Kirkland in Macon and convinced him to record again. His first sessions were done in a motel room, resulting in the acoustic
, solo LP Front and Center; his second was a studio-recorded band album, the funk
y The Devil... and other blues demons. Both were released on Lowry's Trix Records
label. It was during the mid 1970s that Kirkland befriended the British blues-rock band, Foghat
. Kirkland remained with Lowry, Trix, and was based in the Hudson Valley
for twelve years. It was during this period that Kirkland appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
with Muddy Waters
, Honeyboy Edwards, and Foghat
. These were also the years that Kirkland again energized his sound. "Eddie's thumb pick and fingers style give him freedom to play powerful chord riffs rich in rhythms and harmonic tension. He plays like a funky pianist, simultaneously covering bass lines, chord kick, and counterpoint."
The 1990s brought Randy Labbe as manager, booking agent and on his own record label
, Deluge, recorded Kirkland. Three albums were produced during this Maine period, one live, one with a guest appearance from Hooker and one containing a duet
with Christine Ohlman. By 2000, Kirkland was on his own again, always doing his own driving to concert
s in his Ford County Squires, crossing the country several times a year. Labeled now as the Road Warrior, "A thickset, powerful man in the waistcoat and pants of a pin strip suit; red shirt, medallion, shades and a black leather cap over a bandanna, his heavy leather overcoat slung over his arm,.... he's already a Road Warrior par excellence."
Well into his eighties Kirkland continued to drive himself to gigs along the coast and in Europe
, frequently playing with the Wentus Blues Band from Finland
.
A documentary short entitled PICK UP THE PIECES was made about a year in Eddie's life (2010) and it could be be viewed on youtube.com up until Eddie's death when the family asked that it be removed. It followed Eddie's struggles as an uneducated African American trying to make it as a Blues musician and it chronicled his hard life that included taking three lives in self defense, his stint in the armed forces resulting in an unfair discharge, his struggles with poverty, his many children ( he claimed 73), and his love of music.
. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. after a bus hit Kirkland's car, a 1998 Ford Taurus
wagon. Reportedly Kirkland attempted to make a U-turn on U.S. 98 and Oak Park Boulevard, putting him directly in the path of a Greyhound bus. The bus struck the vehicle on the right side and pushed it approximately 200 feet from the point of impact. The matter is currently under investigation. Kirkland suffered serious injuries and was transported by helicopter
to Tampa General Hospital, where died a short time later. The bus driver and 13 passengers on the bus were not hurt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
from 1949 to 1962. After his period of working in tandem with Hooker he pursued a successful solo career, recording for RPM Records, Fortune Records
Fortune Records
Fortune Records was a family operated, independent record label located in Detroit, Michigan from 1946 to 1995. The label owners were Jack and Devora Brown, their son Sheldon Brown recorded for the label...
, Volt Records, and King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
, sometimes under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Eddie Kirk. Kirkland continued to tour, write and record albums until his death in February 2011.
Biography
Kirkland was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
to a mother, aged 11, and first heard the blues from "field hollers", and raised in Dothan, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
until 1935, when he stowed away in the Sugar Girls Medicine Show tent truck and left town. Blind Blake
Blind Blake
"Blind" Blake was an American blues and ragtime singer and guitarist.-Biography:...
was the one who influenced him the most in those early days. He was placed on the chorus line with "Diamond Tooth Mary" McLean. When the show closed a year later, he was in Dunkirk, Indiana
Dunkirk, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,646 people, 1,093 households, and 746 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,351.4 people per square mile . There were 1,214 housing units at an average density of 1,078.8 per square mile...
where he briefly returned to school.
He joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was racism in the military, he said, that led him to seek out the devil. After his discharge Kirkland traveled to Detroit where his mother had relocated. After a days work at the Ford Rouge Plant, Kirkland played his guitar at house parties, and there he met John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
. Kirkland, a frequent second guitarist in recordings from 1949-1962. "It was difficult playin' behind Hooker but I had a good ear and was able to move in behind him on anything he did."
Kirkland fashioned his own style of playing open chords, and transformed the rough, porch style delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
into the electric age by using his thumb, rather than a guitar pick
Guitar pick
A guitar pick is a plectrum used for guitars. A pick is generally made of one uniform material; examples include plastic, nylon, rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, and stone...
. He secured his own series of recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with Sid Nathan of King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
in 1953, at Fortune Records
Fortune Records
Fortune Records was a family operated, independent record label located in Detroit, Michigan from 1946 to 1995. The label owners were Jack and Devora Brown, their son Sheldon Brown recorded for the label...
in 1958 and, by 1961, on his own album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
It's the Blues Man, with the King Curtis
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
Band.
Kirkland became Hooker's road manager
Road manager
In music industry, a Road Manager is a person who works with small to mid-sized tours...
and the two traveled from Detroit to the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
on many tours, the last being in 1962 when Hooker abandoned Kirkland to go overseas. Kirkland found his way to Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
and began performing with Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
as his guitarist and band leader. As Eddie Kirk, he released "The Hawg" as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on Volt Records in 1963. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was overshadowed by Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
's recordings, and Kirkland, discouraged by the music industry and his own lack of education to change the situation, turned to his other skill and sought work as an auto mechanic
Auto mechanic
An auto mechanic is a mechanic with a variety of car makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly...
to earn a living for his growing family.
In 1970, one of the revivals of the blues was taking place. Peter B. Lowry
Peter B. Lowry
Peter B. Lowry , is a folklorist, writer, record producer, ethnomusicologist, historian, photographer, and teacher on popular music in his seventies specializing in blues, and jazz with a primary focus on the Piedmont blues of the south-eastern United States.-Ethnomusicological Field Research:Mr...
found Kirkland in Macon and convinced him to record again. His first sessions were done in a motel room, resulting in the acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
, solo LP Front and Center; his second was a studio-recorded band album, the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
y The Devil... and other blues demons. Both were released on Lowry's Trix Records
Trix Records
Trix Records was a record label set up in 1972 by folklorist Peter B. Lowry.It lasted just under a decade as an active label dealing mainly with Piedmont blues artists from the Southeastern states , together with the anthology Detroit After Hours, a collection of Detroit piano players...
label. It was during the mid 1970s that Kirkland befriended the British blues-rock band, Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
. Kirkland remained with Lowry, Trix, and was based in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
for twelve years. It was during this period that Kirkland appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
with Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, Honeyboy Edwards, and Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
. These were also the years that Kirkland again energized his sound. "Eddie's thumb pick and fingers style give him freedom to play powerful chord riffs rich in rhythms and harmonic tension. He plays like a funky pianist, simultaneously covering bass lines, chord kick, and counterpoint."
The 1990s brought Randy Labbe as manager, booking agent and on his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Deluge, recorded Kirkland. Three albums were produced during this Maine period, one live, one with a guest appearance from Hooker and one containing a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Christine Ohlman. By 2000, Kirkland was on his own again, always doing his own driving to concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s in his Ford County Squires, crossing the country several times a year. Labeled now as the Road Warrior, "A thickset, powerful man in the waistcoat and pants of a pin strip suit; red shirt, medallion, shades and a black leather cap over a bandanna, his heavy leather overcoat slung over his arm,.... he's already a Road Warrior par excellence."
Well into his eighties Kirkland continued to drive himself to gigs along the coast and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, frequently playing with the Wentus Blues Band from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
A documentary short entitled PICK UP THE PIECES was made about a year in Eddie's life (2010) and it could be be viewed on youtube.com up until Eddie's death when the family asked that it be removed. It followed Eddie's struggles as an uneducated African American trying to make it as a Blues musician and it chronicled his hard life that included taking three lives in self defense, his stint in the armed forces resulting in an unfair discharge, his struggles with poverty, his many children ( he claimed 73), and his love of music.
Death
Kirkland died in an automobile accident on the morning of February 27, 2011 in Crystal River, FloridaCrystal River, Florida
Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,485 at the 2000 census. . According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,539. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self professed "Home of the Manatee"....
. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. after a bus hit Kirkland's car, a 1998 Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
wagon. Reportedly Kirkland attempted to make a U-turn on U.S. 98 and Oak Park Boulevard, putting him directly in the path of a Greyhound bus. The bus struck the vehicle on the right side and pushed it approximately 200 feet from the point of impact. The matter is currently under investigation. Kirkland suffered serious injuries and was transported by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
to Tampa General Hospital, where died a short time later. The bus driver and 13 passengers on the bus were not hurt.
Family
Kirkland was survived by his wife, Mary, and nine children. He was predeceased by one child Betty, and his first wife Ida.Discography
(Note: On some of the 1960s recordings Kirkland was billed as Eddie Kirk)- It's Time for Lovin' to be Done (1952) as Little Eddie Kirkland
- That's All Right (1952) as Little Eddie Kirkland
- Please Don't Think I'm Nosey (1953)
- No Shoes (1953)
- Mistreated Woman (1953)
- I Need You Baby (1959)
- Done Somebody Wrong (1959)
- ??? (1961)
- ??? (1962)
- It's the Blues Man! (Tru-Sound Records, 1962)
- Let Me Walk With You (1964)
- Monkey Tonight (1964)
- Hog Killing Time (1964/65)
- Treat me The Way You Want (1964/65)
- The Hawg Pt. 1 (1965)
- The Hawg Pt. 2 (1965)
- Dem Bones (1965)
- I Found A New Love (1965)
- Front and Center (Trix RecordsTrix RecordsTrix Records was a record label set up in 1972 by folklorist Peter B. Lowry.It lasted just under a decade as an active label dealing mainly with Piedmont blues artists from the Southeastern states , together with the anthology Detroit After Hours, a collection of Detroit piano players...
, 1972) (1970) - The Devil and Other Blues Demons (Trix RecordsTrix RecordsTrix Records was a record label set up in 1972 by folklorist Peter B. Lowry.It lasted just under a decade as an active label dealing mainly with Piedmont blues artists from the Southeastern states , together with the anthology Detroit After Hours, a collection of Detroit piano players...
, 1973) (1972) - Pick Up The Pieces (1981) JSP
- Three Shades Of Blue (1987)
- Have Mercy (Pulsar Records) reissued by (Evidence Records, 1988)
- All Around the World (Deluge Records, 1992)
- Some Like it Raw (Deluge, 1993)
- Where You Get Your Sugar (Deluge, 1995)
- Lonely Street (Telarc Records, 1997)
- Movin' On (JSP RecordsJSP RecordsJSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman , releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. The label is based in London, England.JSP now predominantly releases remastered CDs...
, 1999) - Hastings Street Grease, Vol 1 (Blue Suit Records, 1998)
- The Complete Trix Recordings (1999) (32 Records)
- Hastings Street Grease, Vol 2 (Blue Suit Records, 1999)
- Democrat Blues (Blue Suit Records, 2004)
- The Way It Was (2005)
- Booty Blues (2006)(2005)
- Crash Boom Bang (2008)
- Foghat Last Train Home (2010)
- Ma-Me-O (2010)