Ted Bogan

Ted Bogan
Birth name	Theodore R. Bogan
Born	(1909-05-10)May 10, 1909 Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Died	January 29, 1990(1990-01-29) (aged 80) Detroit, Michigan, United States
Genres	Country blues
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1930s–1990
Labels	Bluebird, Flying Fish, Arhoolie

Theodore R. "Ted" Bogan (May 10, 1909 – January 29, 1990) was an American country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with Howard Armstrong and Carl Martin, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. His finger-picking guitar work was much admired and Bogan played in a variety of string bands most of his lifetime. These included Martin, Bogan & Armstrong or Martin, Bogan & the Armstrongs.

Biography

Bogan was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. He learned to play a finger-picking style of guitar in his adolescence being initally influenced by both Leroy Carr and Blind Blake, both of whom's work he heard on the family radio set. It is claimed that he began performing in a medicine show, and appeared on radio broadcasts in Spartanburg. After meeting Carl Martin, Bogan moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. They played extensively on street corners with Bogan enhancing his guitar playing to incorporate flatpicking. His first recordings were made for Bluebird Records in 1934, where he performed alongside Howard Armstrong, who he had met four years earlier. They recorded "State Street Rag" and "Ted's Stomp" for Bluebird, with Armstrong using the stage name Louie Bluie, which had been given to him by a fan.

In the 1940s, they appeared as part of the Four Keys, who toured in the Mid West, and later in Chicago, Illinois, they recorded as the backing group for Bumble Bee Slim. Their group name became the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, designed to exploit opportunities in both the race record market as well for hillbilly music on radio and records. More often joined by Howard Armstrong, they performed for years in several acoustic string band formats and names. The group played a mixture of musical genres and styles including the blues, jazz, pop, country, and various non-English favorite melodies. It was the introduction of jukeboxes and electric musical ensembles that reduced their popularity.

In the 1970s, a revival of interest in string bands saw Bogan and Martin still based in Chicago, and Louie Bluie (1985), a film based on one of Armstrong's stage and recording pseudonyms, featured footage of Bogan. The long term relationship between Bogan and Armstrong was often frayed, rivalling the situation between Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry.

In 1974, Martin, Bogan & Armstrong played at the 36th National Folk Festival, at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Virginia. Although Martin died in 1979, Bogan and Armstrong continued until Bogan's own demise.

Bogan died in Detroit, Michigan in January 1990, aged 80.

Partial discography

Year	Title	Record label
1974	Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong	Flying Fish
1978	That Old Gang of Mine	Flying Fish
1985	Louie Bluie	Arhoolie

See also

• List of country blues musicians