Clifford Gibson
Clifford "Grandpappy" Gibson (April 17, 1901 – December 21, 1963)[1] was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is best known for the tracks, "Bad Luck Dice" and "Hard Headed Blues".[1]
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States,[1] he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1920s and lived there for the rest of his life.[2] He played in St. Louis clubs, and in 1929 began recording for the QRS and Victor labels.[3] He is regarded as one of the earliest urban blues performers, with no pronounced rural influences. His guitar playing style resembled that of Lonnie Johnson,[3] with an emphasis on vibrato and improvisation. His playing could be distinguished from Johnson's by a sharper tone resulting from the use of a capo high up the neck, and his use of open tunings.[4] Among the many themes touched on in his songs, "Don't Put That Thing on Me" is notable for its references to hoodoo, an African American form of folk magic.
Gibson accompanied Jimmie Rodgers on a Victor single, "Let Me Be Your Side Track", in 1931, then spent parts of the next three decades playing in the streets around St. Louis.[2] Gibson resurfaced on recordings in 1960 on Little Milton's Bobbin label,[3] and worked another three years in St. Louis' Gaslight Square, before his death from pulmonary edema in 1963.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "The 1960s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Clifford Gibson : Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
External links
[edit]- Illustrated Clifford Gibson discography
- Clifford Gibson discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
 | This article about a blues musician from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about an American guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Louisville-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1901 births
- 1963 deaths
- African-American guitarists
- American blues singers
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- St. Louis blues musicians
- Deaths from pulmonary edema
- Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky
- Singers from Kentucky
- Songwriters from Kentucky
- Blues musicians from Kentucky
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Guitarists from Kentucky
- Bobbin Records artists
- African-American male songwriters
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American songwriters
- American blues musician stubs
- American guitarist stubs
- Louisville, Kentucky stubs