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Elmore James (January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 guitarist
Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres....
, singer, song writer and band leader. He was known as "The King of the Slide Guitar
Slide guitar

Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide is in reference to the sliding motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides, which were the necks of glass bottles....
" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.

s was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in Holmes County
Holmes County, Mississippi

Holmes County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 21,609. It is named in honor of David Holmes , the first governor of the state of Mississippi....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 (not to be confused with two other locations of the same name in Mississippi, one in Humphreys County and the other in Rankin County).






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Encyclopedia


Elmore James (January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 guitarist
Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres....
, singer, song writer and band leader. He was known as "The King of the Slide Guitar
Slide guitar

Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide is in reference to the sliding motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides, which were the necks of glass bottles....
" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.

Biography

James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in Holmes County
Holmes County, Mississippi

Holmes County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 21,609. It is named in honor of David Holmes , the first governor of the state of Mississippi....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 (not to be confused with two other locations of the same name in Mississippi, one in Humphreys County and the other in Rankin County). He was the illegitimate son of 15-year-old Leola Brooks, a field hand. His father was probably Joe Willie "Frost" James, who moved in with Leola, and so Elmore took this as his surname. His parents adopted an orphaned boy, Robert Holston, at some point.

Elmore began making music at age 12 using a simple one-string instrument ('diddley bow' or 'jitterbug') strung up on a shack wall. As a teen he was playing at local dances under the names "Cleanhead" and "Joe Willie James." His first marriage was to Minnie Mae in or around 1942, whom he apparently never divorced. He subsequently married twice, to Georgianna Crump in 1947 and to a woman called Janice in or around 1954. (Another reported marriage of Elmore to a Josephine Harris has been found to be a mistaken record; a different Elmore James.)

Other well-known musicians of that time with whom he played included the "second"' Sonny Boy Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson II

Aleck "Rice" Miller , a.k.a. Aleck Ford, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Williamson, Willie Miller, "Little Boy Blue", "The Goat" and "Footsie," was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter....
 and the legendary Robert Johnson. (There is a dispute as to whether Robert Johnson or Elmore wrote James's trademark song, "Dust My Broom
Dust My Broom

"Dust My Broom" is a blues standard originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"by Robert Johnson , the Mississippi Delta blues singer and guitarist, on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas....
".. Elmore was still under 20 when Johnson had recorded his version of the song.) Although Johnson died in 1938, James (like many other musicians) was strongly influenced by him, and also by Kokomo Arnold
Kokomo Arnold

Kokomo Arnold was an United States blues musician.Born James Arnold in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, Georgia , Arnold received his nickname in 1934 after releasing "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for the Decca Records record label; it was a cover version of the Scrapper Blackwell blues song about the Kokomo brand of coffee....
 and Tampa Red
Tampa Red

Tampa Red , born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential United States musician.Tampa Red is best known as an accomplished and influential blues guitarist who had a unique single-string bottleneck style....
. Elmore recorded several of Tampa Red's songs, and even inherited from his band two of his famous "Broomdusters", 'Little' Johnny Jones
Little Johnny Jones (pianist)

"Little" Johnny Jones was a Chicago blues harmonica player and pianist born in Jackson, Mississippi. He came to Chicago, Illinois in 1946 and began playing with Tampa Red and later backed Muddy Waters....
 (piano) and Odie Payne (drums).

An important side to Elmore's character which may have hastened his demise was his lifelong taste for, and manufacture of, moonshine
Moonshine

}Moonshine is a common term for home-distilled alcoholic beverage, especially in places where this production is illegal.The name is often assumed to be derived from the fact that moonshine producers and smugglers would often work at night ....
 whiskey, to which he was introduced at an early age. Alcohol killed his bandmates and friends Willie Love and Johnny Jones at an early age, and probably others too. His regular rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chord al accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the country music, blues music, rock music or Heavy metal music genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the melodic lines and solos play...
ist Homesick James
Homesick James

Homesick James was a African American American blues musician. He is believed to have been born John William Henderson, but later used the name James A....
 maintained his longevity was due to his not partaking of the heavy drinking sessions after — and often during — gigs, a refusal that was unpopular with the rest of the band. Elmore was also reportedly an extremely fast driver who also loved hunting with guns and dogs down in Mississippi, whence he would head off for protracted periods.

During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 James joined the United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
, was promoted to coxswain
Coxswain

The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority....
 and took part in the invasion of Guam
Guam

Guam , officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated insular area of the United States....
 against the Japanese. Upon his discharge, Elmore returned to central Mississippi and eventually settled in Canton
Canton, Mississippi

Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, Mississippi, and situated in the northern part of the Jackson metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson, Mississippi....
 with his adopted brother Robert Holston, it was at this time he learned that he had a serious heart condition. Working in Robert's electrical shop he devised his unique electric sound, using parts from the shop and an unusual placement of two D'Armond pick ups. He began recording with Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records

Trumpet Records was a recording company started by Henry and Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951 in music....
 in nearby Jackson in January 1951, first as sideman to the second Sonny Boy Williamson and also to their mutual friend Wille Love and possibly others, then debuting as a session leader in August with "Dust My Broom
Dust My Broom

"Dust My Broom" is a blues standard originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"by Robert Johnson , the Mississippi Delta blues singer and guitarist, on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas....
". It was a surprise R&B hit in 1952 and turned James into a star. He then broke his contract with Trumpet Records to sign up with the Bihari Brothers
Bihari brothers

The Bihari Brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American music entrepreneurs and the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries such as Meteor Records based in Memphis, Tennessee....
 through Ike Turner
Ike Turner

Ike Wister Turner was an United States musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. His first recording, "Rocket 88" by "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats," in 1951, is considered by some to be the "First rock and roll record" ever....
 (who played guitar and piano on a couple of his early Bihari recordings). James' "I Believe" was another hit a year later. During the 1950s he recorded for the Bihari Brothers' Flair Records
Flair Records

Flair Records was a record label owned by the Bihari brothers, launched in the early fifties. It was a subsidiary of Modern Records. It's most famous artist was Elmore James who released ten singles with this company...
, Meteor Records
Meteor Records

Meteor Records was a record label started by the Bihari brothers, owners of Modern Records in Los Angeles, in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee. The label, to be run by Lester Bihari, was a bold experiment to broaden the talent base by focusing on signing and recording Southern regional talent by having recording studios locally available....
  and Modern Records
Modern Records

Modern Records was an United States record label formed in 1945 in music in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers ? Jules Bihari, Saul Bihari, Lester Bihari and Joe Bihari....
 labels, as well as for Chess Records
Chess Records

Chess Records was an United States record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
 and Mel London
Mel London

Mel London born Melvin London, was a producer, songwriter, and composer who was born in 1932 in Mississippi, and died in Chicago in 1975 at the early age of 43....
's Chief Records for whom "It Hurts Me Too" was a hit. His backing musicians were known as the Broomdusters. In 1959 he began recording what are perhaps his best sides for Bobby Robinson
Bobby Robinson (record producer)

Bobby Robinson is a prominent African-American independent record producer in New York, most active from the 1950s through the mid-1980s. He established several highly successful record labels, and produced numerous records that sold in the millions....
's Fire Records
Fire Records

Fire Records was an independent record label set up in 1959 in music by Bobby Robinson . Among others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Liars, Elmore James and Arthur Crudup....
 label. These include "The Sky Is Crying
The Sky Is Crying (song)

"The Sky Is Crying" is a blues song that has become a classic of the genre. First recorded by Elmore James, the song is a slow tempo 12-bar blues that features a powerful vocal, evocative lyrics, and shimmering slide-guitar fills....
" (credited to Elmo James and His Broomdusters), "My Bleeding Heart
Bleeding heart

Bleeding heart, bleeding-heart or Bleeding Heart may refer to:Organisms:* Doves in the genus Gallicolumba* Flowering plants in the genus Dicentra of the Fumariaceae...
", "Stranger Blues", "Look On Yonder Wall", "Done Somebody Wrong", and "Shake Your Moneymaker", all of which are among the most famous of blues recordings.

Elmore James died of his third heart attack in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
 in 1963, just prior to a tour of Europe with that year's American Folk Blues Festival. He is buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery, Ebenezer, Holmes County, Mississippi. His headstone was provided for by Phil Walden
Phil Walden

Phil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic record executive, Frank Fenter....
 and Capricorn Records
Capricorn Records

Capricorn Records is an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in music in Macon, Georgia....
 through a grant to the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
Mt. Zion Memorial Fund

The Mt. Zion Memorial Fund is a Mississippi non-profit corporation formed in 1989 and named after the 108 year old Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Morgan City, Mississippi, Mississippi....
. The bronze and granite memorial features a statuary likness of James playing the guitar. The memorial unveiling took place on December 10, 1992 with several members of the Mississippi State Legislature in attendance along with Dick Waterman
Dick Waterman

Dick Waterman is an American writer, promoter and photographer who has been influential in the development and recording of blues music since the 1960s....
, Phil Walden
Phil Walden

Phil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic record executive, Frank Fenter....
, musician Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw

Marshall Crenshaw is an United States singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he grew up in the suburb of Berkley, Michigan....
, members of James' family, and many others.

Sound

James played a wide variety of blues (which often crossed over into other styles of music) similar to that of Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....
, Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett , better known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player.With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match [Howlin' Wolf] for the singular...
 and some of B. B. King
B. B. King

B. B. King is an United States blues guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his expressive singing and inimitable guitar playing. As Komara has written, "King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." Critic...
's work, but distinguished by the powerful sound coming from a modified hollow-bodied traditional acoustic guitar. He most often played using a slide, but on several recordings he plays without. His voice and style was as instantly recognisable as B. B.'s, Muddy's and Wolf's and, until he fell afoul of the Chicago union, he and his Broomdusters were as popular in the Chicago clubs as any of these musicians' bands.

Due to his early death, just before the 1960s "blues boom", and the silence of other famous blues performers, then current "music writers" only being interested in "The Stars" not caring to interview his ex-band members, immediate family, children, friends etc. little is known about him. There are no known photos of Elmore performing, apart from those taken (some at the following occasion, and some at a packed club with stylishly dressed couples dancing closely) by Georges Adins and no other detailed descriptions or any live recordings either.

Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....
 took the Belgian blues fan (Georges Adins) to see Elmore play in Chicago in 1959, Adins recalled,
"Elmore will always remain the most exciting, dramatic blues singer and guitarist that I've ever had a chance to see perform in the flesh. On our way we listened to him on the radio as Big Bill Hill ... was broadcasting direct from that place. I was burning to see Elmore James and before we even pushed open the door of the club, we could hear Elmore's violent guitar sound. Although the place was overcrowded, we managed to find a seat close to the bandstand and the blues came falling down on me as it had never done before. Watching Elmore sing and play, backed by a solid blues band (Homesick James, J.T. Brown, Boyd Atkins and Sam Cassell) made me feel real fine. Wearing thick glasses, Elmore's face always had an expressive and dramatic look, especially when he was real gone on the slow blues. Singing with a strong and rough voice, he really didn't need a mike. On such slow blues as "I'm Worried - "Make My Dreams Come True" - "It Hurts Me", his voice reached a climax and created a tension that was unmistakably the down and out blues. Notwithstanding that raw voice, Elmore sang his blues with a particular feeling, an emotion and depth that showed his country background. His singing was... fed, reinforced by his own guitar accompaniment which was as rough, violent and expressive as was his voice. Using the bottleneck technique most of the time, Elmore really let his guitar sound as I had never heard a guitar sound before. You just couldn't sit still! You had to move..."
Georges also witnessed Elmore at 'Alex Club' in West Side Chicago where...
"...he always played for a dance audience and he made the people jump. 'Bobby's Rock' was at that time one of the favourite numbers with the crowd and Elmore used to play [it] for fifteen minutes and more. You just couldn't stand that hysteric sound coming down on you. The place was rocking, swinging!"


The nearest we have to a recording of a 'live' set by Elmore is his last recorded session by Bobby Robinson of Fire records & Enjoy records etc., in New York City 1963 shortly before his death, aged only 45. This session features several takes of 'Hand In Hand' which is abandoned and Elmo then plays a 'live' set.

His best known song is the blues standard
Blues standard

A blues standard is a blues song that is widely known, performed, and recorded by List of blues musicians. The following list identifies blues standards and some of the blues artists that have recorded them....
 "Dust My Broom" (also known as "Dust My Blues"). The song gave its name to James's band, The Broomdusters. The song's opening slide guitar riff
RIFF

The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic meta-format for storing data in tagged chunks.It was introduced in 1991 by Microsoft and International Business Machines, and was presented by Microsoft as the default format for Windows 3.1x multimedia files....
  is one of the best-known sounds in all of blues. It is essentially the same riff that appears in the recording of the same song by Robert Johnson, but James played the riff with electric slide guitar. It was even transformed into a doo-wop
Doo-wop

Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music, which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s the 1960s....
 chorus on Jesse Stone
Jesse Stone

Jesse Stone was an United States rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun....
's "Down in the Alley", recorded by The Clovers
The Clovers

The Clovers are an American rhythm & blues group....
 and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
. Stone transcribed the riff as: "Changety changety changety changety chang chang!"

Listen to this 8-second sample of the riff from Dust My Broom featured in this very different song, Elmore – like most other performers who have a hit tune – was pressured into using this as a "hit formula" in many of his subsequent songs, although his later big sellers bore no resemblance to this:

Influence

Most electric slide guitar
Slide guitar

Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide is in reference to the sliding motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides, which were the necks of glass bottles....
 players will admit to the massive influence of James' style. He was also a major influence on successful blues guitarists as Homesick James
Homesick James

Homesick James was a African American American blues musician. He is believed to have been born John William Henderson, but later used the name James A....
 (Elmore's older cousin who was a member of Elmore's band The Broomdusters since 1957 and featured on many of his recordings), John Littlejohn, Hound Dog Taylor
Hound Dog Taylor

Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was an United States blues guitarist and singer....
, J.B. Hutto and many others. He also influenced many rock guitarists such as The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
' Brian Jones
Brian Jones

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was an England guitarist and founding member of the England rock group The Rolling Stones. Jones was known for his use of multiple instruments, fashionable Mod image, Recreational drug use excesses and his 27 Club....
 and Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac are a United Kingdom/United States rock music band formed in 1967 which have experienced a high turnover of personnel and varied levels of success....
's Jeremy Spencer
Jeremy Spencer

Jeremy Spencer , is a United Kingdom musician, best known as one of Fleetwood Mac's first guitarists, joining the band in July 1967. He grew up in South London and was educated at Strand School, where he was noted for his mischievous impressions of various members of the teaching staff....
.

Elmore James' songs "Done Somebody Wrong" and "One Way Out
One Way Out (song)

"One Way Out" is a blues song first recorded and released in the early-mid 1960s by Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, an R&B hit under a different name for G.L....
" were often covered by The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band based in Macon, Georgia, Georgia . The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman ....
, who cited him as a major influence. James was also covered
Cover version

In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song.In its current use, it can sometimes have a pejorative meaning — implying that the original recording should be regarded as the definitive version, usually in the sense of an "authentic" rendition, and all...
 by blues-rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan was an United States blues-rock guitarist, whose broad appeal made him an influential electric blues guitarist. To date, a total of 18 albums of Vaughan's work have been released....
 many times in concert. The most famous of these covers is one that came by an indirect route: James' fellow bluesman Albert King
Albert King

Albert King was an United States blues guitarist and singer....
 recorded a cover of "The Sky Is Crying", and Stevie Ray Vaughan copied King's version of the song. That song was also covered by George Thorogood
George Thorogood

George Thorogood is a blues-rock performer from Wilmington, Delaware. He was raised on Clearview Avenue in Naamans Gardens, a suburb of Wilmington....
 on his second album, Move It On Over
Move It On Over

"Move It On Over" is a 12-bar blues song written and recorded by the United States country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1947. The song was Williams' first major country hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks....
 and by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton Order of the British Empire is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. He is "probably most famous for his mastery of the Stratocaster guitar." Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream , and as a solo performer, being the only person to...
 on his album There's One in Every Crowd
There's One in Every Crowd

There's One in Every Crowd is a 1975 in music album by blues rocker Eric Clapton. Recorded shortly after 461 Ocean Boulevard, There's One in Every Crowd features a style very similar to its predecessor, but did not enjoy similar commercial success....
.

Perhaps the most famous guitarist who admired Elmore James was Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter whose guitar playing continues to be a considerable influence on rock music....
. Early in Hendrix's career, he styled himself variously as 'Maurice James' and subsequently as 'Jimmy James'. This, according to former band mate and recording partner Lonnie Youngblood, was a tribute to Elmore James. There is a photo of Hendrix (that can be seen in the sleeve of his :blues
Blues (album)

Blues is a Posthumous work compilation album by musician Jimi Hendrix, released April 26, 1994 on MCA Records. The album contains eleven blues songs recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970....
 album) in London wearing a military jacket and holding Elmore James's UK LP The Best Of Elmore James. (Hendrix was frequently photographed throughout his performing career holding LP covers of musicians that influenced him.) He performed James' "Bleeding Heart" during the Experience's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
 concert in 1969, and also with the Band of Gypsys
Band of Gypsys

Band of Gypsys is a live album and a project by Jimi Hendrix, backed by Billy Cox and Buddy Miles, that followed Hendrix's The Jimi Hendrix Experience project....
 at their New Year's concerts at the Fillmore East in 1969/70 as well as recording two different versions of it in the studio. Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles

George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an United States rock music and funk music drummer, most known as a member of Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970....
 also sang lyrics along with Hendrix playing some motifs from James' "The Sky Is Crying" during his famous jam session at the Newport Pop Festival on June 22, 1969. Hendrix quoted several lyrics and motifs from Elmore's catalogue throughout his career.

In 1982, Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon

Eric Victor Burdon is best known as a founding member and singer of The Animals, a rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and his multi-racial project the Funk rock band War ....
 wrote No More Elmore, a song about James' influence on him.

James is mentioned in The Beatles
The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
' song "For You Blue
For You Blue

"For You Blue" is a The Beatles song written by George Harrison ."For You Blue" was the B-side to "The Long and Winding Road" and the eleventh track on The Beatles' final LP release, Let It Be ....
": while John Lennon
John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
 plays the slide guitar (James' trademark), George Harrison
George Harrison

George Harrison Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer. He achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles, and is listed number 21 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "The 100 Best Guitarists of All Time"....
 says, "Elmore James got nothin' on this, baby." Other artists influenced by Elmore James include Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock music, jazz, electronic music, orchestral, and musique concr?te works....
 and Jeffrey Evans of the band '68 Comeback
'68 Comeback

68 Comeback is an American garage rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1992 by singer, songwriter, and musicologist, Jeffrey Evans. For the purposes of the band, Jeffrey Evans is frequently billed as either "Monsieur Evans" or Monsieur Jeffrey Evans....
.http://www.epitonic.com/index.jsp?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epitonic.com%2Fartists%2F68comeback.html

The Grateful Dead, John Primer
John Primer

John Primer is an United States blues singer and guitarist....
 (Blue Steel CD), Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons

Billy F. Gibbons , nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is best known as the guitarist for ZZ Top. He is also the lead vocalist and composer for many of the band's classic songs....
, and Eric Clapton are other notable artists to have recorded Elmore James covers.

In the Blues Brothers film(Landis-1980), Elwood Blues(Akroyd) recollects Elmore James as one of the blues' artists that Curtis(Cab Calloway) had played to himself and Jake(Belushi) in the orphanage that had influenced their lives.

Mississippi Blues Trail

Because of its strong association with Elmore James who was a familiar figure there, Canton
Canton, Mississippi

Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, Mississippi, and situated in the northern part of the Jackson metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson, Mississippi....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
 was officially listed on the Mississippi Blues Trail
Mississippi Blues Trail

The Mississippi Blues Trail, created by the Mississippi Blues Commission, is a project to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the growth of the blues throughout the state of Mississippi....
 by the Mississippi Blues Commission. James learned electronics by working in a radio repair shop on Hickory Street. A Mississippi Blues Trail historic marker was placed there to honor the great contribution of James to the development of the blues in Mississippi.

In his dedication of Hickory Street, Governor Haley Barbour said,

Discography


Singles

Elmore recorded in an era when very few 'Blues' artists recorded LPs. The only LP released (after he had left their management) in his lifetime (in 1961) was a budget compilation of old singles recorded by the Bihari Brothers (in common with Howlin' Wolf & BB King) — Blues After Hours (Crown 5168). This was re-released several times subsequent to his death.

  • 1951 "Dust My Broom
    Dust My Broom

    "Dust My Broom" is a blues standard originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"by Robert Johnson , the Mississippi Delta blues singer and guitarist, on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas....
    " b/w "Catfish Blues" [by Bobo Thomas, no Elmore] (Trumpet 146 [78])
  • 1952 "I Believe" b/w "I Held My Baby Last Night" (Meteor 5000)
  • 1953 "Baby, What's Wrong" b/w "Sinful Women" (Meteor 5003)
  • 1953 "Early In The Morning" b/w "Hawaiian Boogie" (Flair 1011)
  • 1953 "Country Boogie" b/w "She Just Won't Do Right" (Checker 777)
  • 1953 "Can't Stop Lovin" b/w "Make A Little Love" (Flair 1014)
  • 1953 "Please Find My Baby" b/w "Strange Kinda' Feeling" (Flair 1022)
  • 1954 "Hand In Hand" b/w "Make My Dreams Come True" (Flair 1031)
  • 1954 "Sho Nuff I Do" b/w "1839 Blues" (Flair 1039)
  • 1954 "Dark And Dreary" b/w "Rock My Baby Right" (Flair 1048 [78])
  • 1954 "Sunny Land" b/w "Standing At The Crossroads" (Flair 1057)
  • 1955 "Late Hours At Midnight" b/w "The Way You Treat Me" (Flair 1062)
  • 1955 "Happy Home" b/w "No Love In My Heart" (Flair 1069)
  • 1955 "Dust My Blues" b/w "I Was A Fool" (Flair 1074)
  • 1955 "I Believe My Time Ain't Long" b/w "I Wish I Was A Catfish" (Ace 508 [re-release of Trumpet 146])
  • 1955 "Blues Before Sunrise" b/w "Good Bye" (Flair 1079)
  • 1956 "Wild About You" b/w "Long Tall Woman" (Modern 983)
  • 1957 "The 12 Year Old Boy" b/w "Coming Home" (Chief 7001 & Vee Jay 249)
  • 1957 "It Hurts Me Too
    It Hurts Me Too

    "It Hurts Me Too" is a song written by Tampa Red and made famous by Elmore James in 1957. It became one of James' most famous songs.As a blues standard it was covered by many artists:...
    " b/w "Elmore's Contribution To Jazz" (Chief 7004)
  • 1957 "Elmore's Contribution To Jazz" b/w "It Hurts Me Too" (Vee Jay 259)
  • 1957 "Cry For Me Baby" b/w "Take Me Where You Go" (Chief 7006 & Vee Jay 269)
  • 1959 "Make My Dreams Come True" [re-release of Flair 1031 B-side] b/w "Bobby's Rock" (Fire 1011)
  • 1960 "Dust My Blues" [re-release of Flair 1074] b/w "Happy Home" [re-release of Flair 1069] (Kent 331)
  • 1960 "The Sky Is Crying
    The Sky Is Crying

    The Sky Is Crying may refer to:*The Sky Is Crying : a blues song by Elmore James recorded by many artists; or*The Sky Is Crying : an album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; or...
    " b/w "Held My Baby Last Night" (Fire 1016)
  • 1960 "I Can't Hold Out" b/w "The Sun Is Shining" (Chess 1756)
  • 1960 "Rollin' And Tumblin'" b/w "I'm Worried" (Fire 1024)
  • 1960 "Knocking At Your Door" b/w "Calling All Blues" [by Earl Hooker/Junior Wells] (Chief 7020)
  • 1960 "Done Somebody Wrong" b/w "Fine Little Mama" (Fire 1031)
  • 1961 "Look On Yonder Wall" b/w "Shake Your Moneymaker" (Fire 504)
  • 1962 "Stranger Blues" b/w "Anna Lee" (Fire 1503)
  • 1962/3? "The Sky Is Crying" b/w "Held My Baby Last Night" [re-release of Fire 1016] (Down Home 775/6)
  • 1964 "Dust My Blues" b/w "Happy Home" [re-release of Kent 331] (Kent 394)
  • 1964 "Dust My Blues" b/w "Happy Home" [re-release of Kent 394] (Sue 335)
  • 1965 "Bleeding Heart" b/w "It Hurts Me Too" (Enjoy 2015 [1st pressing])
  • 1965 "It Hurts Me Too" b/w "Pickin' The Blues" (Enjoy 2015 [2nd pressing])
  • 1965 "My Bleeding Heart" b/w "One Way Out" (Sphere Sound 702])
  • 1965 "It Hurts Me Too" b/w "Bleeding Heart" (Sue 383)
  • 1965 "Bleeding Heart" b/w "Mean Mistreatin' Mama" (Enjoy 2020)
  • 1965 "Knocking At Your Door" b/w "Calling All Blues" [re-release of Chief 7020] (Sue 392)
  • 1965 "Look On Yonder Wall" b/w "Shake Your Moneymaker" (Enjoy 2022)
  • 1965 "The Sky Is Crying" [re-release] b/w "Standing At The Crossroads" [alt. take] (Flashback 15)
  • 1965 "Standing At The Crossroads" b/w "Sunnyland" [re-release of Flair 1057] (Kent 433)
  • 1965 "Everyday I Have The Blues" b/w "Dust My Broom [# 4]" (Enjoy 2027)
  • 1965 "Cry For Me Baby" b/w "Take Me Where You Go" [re-release of Chief 7006] (U.S.A. 815)
  • 1965/6? "Cry For Me" b/w "Take Me Where You Go" [re-release of Chief 7006] (S&M 101)
  • 1966 "Shake Your Money Maker" b/w "I Need You" (Sphere Sound 708)


Albums

  • Blues After Hours (Crown 5168, 1961)
  • The Best Of (Sue 918 [UK], 1965)
  • The Sky Is Crying (Sphere Sound 7002, 1965)
  • Memorial Album (Sue 927 [UK], 1965)
  • The Blues In My Heart, The Rhythm In My Soul (re-release of Blues After Hours) (United 716, 1966)
  • The Blues In My Heart, The Rhythm In My Soul (re-release of Blues After Hours) (Custom 2054, 1966)
  • Original Folk Blues (Kent 522, 1967)
  • I Need You (Sphere Sound 7008, 1967)
  • The Late Fantastically Great (re-release of Blues After Hours) (Ember 3397 [UK], 1968)
  • Tough (Chess recordings plus tracks by John Brim) (Blue Horizon 7-63204 [UK], 1968)
  • Something Inside of Me (Bell 104, 1968)
  • The Legend Of Elmore James (Kent 9001, 1969)
  • Elmore James (Bell 6037, 1969)
  • Whose Muddy Shoes (plus tracks by John Brim) (Chess 1537, 1969)
  • The Resurrection Of Elmore James (Kent 9010, 1969)
  • To Know A Man [2LP] (Blue Horizon 7-66230 [UK], 1969)
  • King of the Slide Guitar (1992)
  • Charly Blues Masterworks Volume 28: Standing at the Crossroad (1993)
  • The Sky Is Crying: The History Of Elmore James (1993)
  • Rollin' And Tumblin (1999)
  • Legends Of Blues, Pickin' The Blues ; The Greatest Hits (2002)
  • King of the Slide Guitar: The Complete Trumpet, Chief and Fire Sessions (2005)
  • A Proper Records Introduction to Elmore James: Slide Guitar Master (2006)


External links

  • at MusicBrainz
    MusicBrainz

    MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB....
  • , from his master's thesis