Smoky Babe
Smoky Babe | |
---|---|
Birth name | Robert Brown |
Born | 1927 Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States |
Died | June 20, 1975 |
Genres | Louisiana blues, Piedmont blues |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1960s |
Smoky Babe (1927 – June 20, 1975)[1] was an American acoustic blues guitarist and singer. He is variously described as a Louisiana blues, Piedmont blues and blues revival musician, whose recording career was restricted to a couple of recording sessions in the early 1960s.[2] His most noteworthy recordings were "Going Downtown Boogie," and "Ain't Got No Rabbit Dog."[1]
Career
He was born Robert Brown, in Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States.[1] Smoky Babe was recorded by Harry Oster of Louisiana State University in 1960 and 1961,[3][4] and the results were released by the Folk Lyric, Bluesville and Storyville labels.[5]
Outside of his recordings little is known of his life. The definite circumstances concerning his demise in June 1975 are also unclear.[2]
His song, "Boogy," was included on the compilation album, Blues Roots: Give Me The Blues (1979);[6] whilst "Hottest Brand Goin'" and "Locomotive Blues" appeared on the 1998 collection, The Bluesville Years, Vol. 9: Down the Country Way.[7]
Discography
- Smoky Babe and his Friends: Hot Blues (1961) – Folk-Lyric, 77 Records, Arhoolie
- Hottest Brand Goin (1961) – Bluesville
- Smoky Babe, Herman E. Johnson: Louisiana Country Blues (1997 ) – Arhoolie [5]
- Smoky Babe: Way Back In The Country Blues (2014) – Arhoolie
See also
References
- ^ a b c Doc Rock. "The 1970s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ a b Cub Koda. "Smoky Babe | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Broven, John (1992). South to Louisiana (3rd ed.). Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company. p. 117. ISBN 1-55553-355-8.
- ^ "Big Road Blues – Part 2". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ a b Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Smoky Babe discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Jim Brewer discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Scrapper Blackwell discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved January 29, 2014.