Drink Small
Drink Small | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Blues Doctor |
| Born | January 28, 1933 Bishopville, South Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Electric blues, soul blues[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Mid-1950s – present |
| Labels | Ichiban, various |
Drink Small (born January 28, 1933)[1] is an African-American soul blues and electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is known as the Blues Doctor and has been influenced by gospel and country music and by Blind Boy Fuller.[2]
Biography
Small was born in Bishopville, South Carolina.[1] He taught himself to play the guitar and organized a local gospel group, the Six Stars. He had eclectic musical influences, including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Travis, John Lee Hooker and Fats Domino.[3]
He was rated as one of the best gospel guitarists in the 1950s, before he turned his attention to secular music later in that decade. In 1959, he released the single "I Love You Alberta" on Sharp Records.[1][3] Small had a long career, recording occasionally for small record labels and issuing six albums between 1990 and 2008.[2] He recorded dirty blues tracks, such as "Tittie Man" and "Baby, Leave Your Panties Home",[4] and more righteous songs, such as "The Lord Been Good to Me".[5]
Small appeared at the 2005 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.[3] He also performed at the first Julius Daniels Memorial Blues Festival in Denmark, South Carolina, in October 2010.
He was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship in 2015 from the National Endowment for the Arts.[6]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | I Know My Blues Are Different | Southland (Select-O-Hits) |
| 1990 | The Blues Doctor | Ichiban |
| 1991 | Round Two | Wild Dog Blues |
| 1994 | Electric Blues Doctor Live | Mapleshade |
| 2003 | Does It All | Bishopville |
| 2006 | Blues Doctor: Live & Outrageous! | Erwin |
| 2008 | Tryin' to Survive at 75 | Bishopville |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Jim O'Neal (1933-01-28). "Drink Small | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ a b Herzhaft, Gérard (1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. p. 62. ISBN 1-55728-452-0.
- ^ a b c Franklin V, Benjamin (2008). Jazz and Blues Musicians of South Carolina. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 69/85. ISBN 978-1-57003-743-6.
- ^ Frantz, Niles J. "The Blues Doctor – Drink Small | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "Tryin' to Survive at 75 – Drink Small | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "NEA Announces Recipients of Nation's Highest Award in the Folk and Traditional Arts | NEA". Arts.gov. 2015-06-09. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
- ^ "Drink Small | Discography". AllMusic. 1933-01-28. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
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