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Johnny Temple (musician)

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Johnny Temple
Born(1906-10-18)October 18, 1906
Hazlehurst, Mississippi, United States
DiedNovember 22, 1968(1968-11-22) (aged 62)
Canton, Mississippi, United States
GenresDelta blues, folk blues
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, beastslayer
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, piano, washboard

Johnny Temple (October 18, 1906 – November 22, 1968)[1] was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer, who was active in the 1930s and 1940s.[2] He was variously billed as Johnny Temple, Johnnie Temple and Johnnie "Geechie" Temple.

Life and career

Temple was born in Canton, Mississippi, and grew up around Jackson.[3] He learned to play guitar and mandolin as a child and began playing house parties as a teenager.[4] While in Jackson he befriended Skip James.[5] He moved to Chicago in the early 1930s and started playing with Joe McCoy in clubs.[3] Temple began recording songs such as "The Evil Devil Blues" and "Lead Pencil Blues" in 1935.[6] His most popular record, "Louise Louise Blues," released by Decca Records, was a hit in 1936.[7] The Harlem Hamfats, a Chicago jazz band formed in 1936, provided backup music for Temple and other singers.[3] By 1940, Decca had released two dozen of his records.[6]

Temple continued recording with various labels through most of the 1940s. His connection with the record producer Mayo Williams provided him with recording opportunities until 1949.[3] After World War II, Temple played an important role in welcoming blues musicians who arrived from the South.[5] Though his recording career ended, he continued to perform gigs, often alongside Big Walter Horton and Billy Boy Arnold. He returned to Mississippi in the mid-1950s, where he continued to perform in clubs and juke joints in and around Jackson.[4]

Temple eventually gave up the blues to become a minister.[5] He died of cancer on November 22, 1968,[1] aged 62, in Jackson.

Discography

Artist Recording Date Matrix Song Catalog Release Date
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-987-A The Evil Devil Blues Vocalion 02987 1935
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-987-B Jacksonville Blues Vocalion 02987 1935
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-983-B Lead Pencil Blues (It Just Won't Write) Vocalion 03068 1935
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-986-B Big Boat Whistle Vocalion 03068 1935
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-985-B Morning Prayer Blues Vocalion (unissued) —
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1935 C-988-B Cypress Grove Blues Vocalion (unissued) —
Johnnie Temple 12 November 1936 90980-A New Vicksburg Blues Decca 7244 1936
Johnnie Temple 12 November 1936 90981-A Louise Louise Blues Decca 7244 1936
Johnnie Temple 12 November 1936 90981-B Big Leg Woman[8] Decca 7244 1936
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1937 91249-A Peepin' Through the Keyhole Decca 7316 1937
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1937 91251-A East St. Louis Blues Decca 7316 1937
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1937 91247-A So Lonely and Blue Decca 7337 1937
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1937 91248-A New Louise Louise Blues Decca 7337 1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats 6 October 1937 62653-A Gimme Some of That Yum Yum Yum Decca 7385 1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats 6 October 1937 62654-A Hoodoo Woman Decca 7385 1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats 6 October 1937 62655-A Mama's Bad Luck Child Decca 7416 1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats 14 May 1937 91246-A Snapping Cat Decca 7416 1937
Johnnie Temple 14 May 1937 91250-A Pimple Blues Decca 7444 1937
Johnnie Temple 6 October 1937 62656-A Mean Baby Blues Decca 7444 1937
Johnnie Temple 28 October 1937 C-2046-2 Beale Street Sheik Vocalion (unissued) —
Johnnie Temple 28 October 1937 C-2049-2 The Hoodoo Plan Vocalion (unissued) —
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63670-A What Is That Smells Like Gravy Decca 7456 1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63674-A County Jail Blues Decca 7456 1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63671-A Every Dog Must Have His Day Decca 7495 1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63672-A Fare You Well Decca 7495 1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63673-A Stavin' Chain Decca 7532 1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats 22 April 1938 63675-A Gonna Ride 74 Decca 7532 1938
Johnny Temple 17 October 1938 91520-A Big Leg Woman Decca 7547 1938
Johnny Temple 17 October 1938 91523-A Between Midnight and Dawn Decca 7547 1938

Selected discography

Year Title Genre Label Notes
2003 The Essential (original recording remastered) Chicago blues Classic Blues 2 CDs, 36 tracks

References

  1. ^ a b "Johnny Temple (2) Discography". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  3. ^ a b c d Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 175–176. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  4. ^ a b Koda, Cub. "Johnnie "Geechie" Temple". Allmusic. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). University of Arkansas Press. p. 206. ISBN 1610751396.
  6. ^ a b "The Secret History of Chicago Music: Johnnie Temple". Chicago Reader. January 15, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Santelli, Robert (2001). The Big Book of Blues. Penguin Books. page 454. ISBN 0-14-100145-3.
  8. ^ Johnny Temple – Topic (November 7, 2014), Big Leg Woman, retrieved April 10, 2016
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