|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMcDOWELL, 'Mississippi' Fred(b 12 January 1904, Rossville TN; d 3 July 1972, Memphis) Blues singer and one of the great bottleneck guitar players. He travelled as an itinerant musician late '20s-30s; settled in Mississippi as a farmer '40; discovered by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins '59 he had never made a recording, whereupon he toured the world and received the fame he deserved until he died of cancer. Concert segments and studio sessions were made for many labels, including Amazing Grace and My Home Is The Delta (both with Annie Mae McDowell) on Testament; Delta Blues, Keep Your Lamp Trimmed, With The Blues Boys on Arhoolie; Long Way From Home on Milestone; Somebody Keeps Callin' Me on Antilles; With Furry Lewis on Biograph; Standing At The Burying Ground on UK Red Lightnin', recorded live in London '69 (duet with Jo Ann Kelly on one track). Also Good Morning Little School Girl (with Annie Mae), Mississippi Fred McDowell and compilation You Got To Move, all on Rounder; two-CD I Do Not Play No Rock'n'Roll on Capitol; Live At The Mayfair Hotel on American, Mississippi Blues on Black Lion. The First Recordings '97 on a Rounder CD recapture the hair-raising '59 discovery. |