Doctor Ross
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Doctor Ross | |
---|---|
Birth name | Charles Isaiah Ross |
Born | Tunica, Mississippi, U.S. | October 21, 1925
Died | May 28, 1993 | (aged 67)
Genres | Detroit blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, harmonica, drums |
Years active | 1951–1993 |
Doctor Ross (October 21, 1925 – May 28, 1993),[1] also known as Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss, born Charles Isaiah Ross in Tunica, Mississippi, was an American blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player and drummer.[2]
Ross's blues style has been compared to that of John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson I. His recordings for Sun Records in the 1950s include "The Boogie Disease"[3] and "Chicago Breakdown". Within the lyrics of "The Boogie Disease", Ross notably sang "I may get better / but I'll never get well".[3]
Biography
In 1951 Ross's records began to get airplay in Mississippi and Arkansas. He recorded with Chess Records and Sun with a group that included folk instruments, such as the washboard .[2]
In 1954 Ross moved to the Detroit area and began working for General Motors in Flint, Michigan.[2][4] He recorded some singles with Fortune Records, including Cat Squirrel and Industrial Boogie. He recorded an album issued by Testament Records and toured with the American Folk Blues Festival in Europe in 1965.[2] (Cat's Squirrel (sic) was covered by the supergroup Cream on their debut album Fresh Cream"). Ross recorded an album for Blue Horizon while he was in London and worked with Ornament Records in Germany in 1972.[5][self-published source?] Following this, he participated in the American Blues Legends '74 tour and album promoted by UK based Big Bear Records.[6] During the 1970s, Big Bear promoted around a dozen tours of the UK and Europe featuring Ross, recording two albums along the way, The Harmonica Boss and Live At Montreaux.[7]
Ross and his music were popular in Europe, more so than in his home country.[2] He died in 1993, at the age of 67, and was buried in Flint, Michigan.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Doctor Ross among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[8]
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Label & Cat No |
---|---|---|
1965 | Call The Doctor | Testament T-2206 |
1965 | The Flying Eagle | Blue Horizon LP1 |
1971 | I'd Rather Be An Old Woman's Baby Than A Young Woman's Slave | Fortune F-3011 |
1972 | Live + Well | Ornament/ESCEHA CH-7.101 |
1972 | His First Recordings | Arhoolie F1065 |
1972 | Live At Montreaux | Big Bear 18 |
1974 | The Harmonica Boss | Big Bear 2 |
1979 | Jivin' The Blues | Big Bear/Intercord INT 146.409 |
1982 | One Man Band | Takoma TAK 7087 |
1991 | I Want All My Friends To Know | JSP CD 243 |
Singles
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Label & Cat No |
---|---|---|
1952 | "Country Clown"
b/w "Doctor Ross Boogie" |
Chess 1504 |
1953 | "Come Back Baby"
b/w "Chicago Breakdown" |
Sun 193 |
1954 | "The Boogie Disease"
b/w "The Juke Box Boogie" |
Sun 212 |
1958 | "Industrial Boogie"
b/w "Thirty Two Twenty" |
DIR A101/B102 |
1960 | "Sugar Mama"
b/w "I'd Rather Be An Old Woman's Baby Than A Young Woman's Slave" |
Fortune 538 |
1961 | "Cat Squirrel"
b/w "The Sunny Land" |
Fortune 857 |
1963 | "Cannonball"
b/w "Numbers Blues" |
Hi-Q 5027 |
1963 | "Call The Doctor"
b/w "New York Breakdown" |
Hi-Q 5033 |
Featured On
Year | Title | Label & Cat No |
---|---|---|
1966 | American Folk Blues Festival '65 | Fontana 885 422 TY |
1972 | The Harmonica Blues of Sonny Terry, Doctor Ross, Hammie Nixon, Sonny Boy Williamson | Storyville SLP 222 |
1974 | American Blues Legends '74 | Bear 1 |
1986 | National Downhome Blues Festival Vol. 4 | Southland SLP-24 |
References
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Doctor Ross | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
- ^ a b c d e Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 163. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ a b Robert Palmer. Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
- ^ Robert Palmer. Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
- ^ Wirz, Stefan (January 8, 2010). "Ornament Discography". American Music. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ Simpson, Jim (2019). Don't Worry 'Bout The Bear. Brewin Books. pp. 119–125. ISBN 978-1-85858-700-4.
- ^ Wirz, Stephen. "Illustrated Big Bear Records Discography".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rosen, Jody (25 June 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
External links
- African-American musicians
- American blues singer-songwriters
- American male singers
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- Country blues musicians
- Delta blues musicians
- Detroit blues musicians
- Juke Joint blues musicians
- Chess Records artists
- 1925 births
- 1993 deaths
- One-man bands
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American guitarists
- People from Tunica, Mississippi
- 20th-century male singers
- Arhoolie Records artists