27th of January, 1918 in the neighborhood of Richland located in Holmes County, Mississippi.

Transcription

1 Bautista 1 Prima Nikkola Bautista Mr. Roberts Chicago Blues Blues Autobiography Elmore James Most of the Chicago blues musicians were born in a town far away from Chicago. One of the cities that gave a huge contribution to the blues industry is the city of Mississippi. Just like other blues musicians, I also came from an area around the Mississippi Delta. I was born on the 27th of January, 1918 in the neighborhood of Richland located in Holmes County, Mississippi. My mother, Leola Brooks, worked in several different farms until he met my stepfather, Joe Willie James. As time passed, our family created a stronger bond which influenced my stepfather s decision to pass his surname to me. From them on, I was known to be Elmore James. When I was a kid, I always spent time with Boyd Gilmore, my friend who also wants to learn how to play the blues (Obrecht 157). Boyd has an old guitar with him while I, an emptyhanded boy, watched him learn how to play. I understood my family s financial situation at that point in time. My parents endured the difficulties on their field jobs in order to support me and my adopted brother s education. Their income was just enough for our every day needs. Knowing that, I did not expect them to buy a guitar for me. Instead, I learned how to play the guitar with a strange musical instrument. I plucked my first notes on a homemade diddley bow, a one-string guitar from a broom handle and lard can (Obrecht 154). I took the wire that comes along with a newly purchased broom, nailed it up against the wall real tight, and played it by pressing a glass bottle down in between the string and the wall. My first musical instrument was one-of-a-kind. I did not consider our financial status to be an obstruction to my dream. Playing the diddley bow marks the start of my journey in to the blues world.

2 Bautista 2 Due to the discouraging nature of my environment, I dropped out of school on fourth grade. Right about that time, I met my cousin Homesick James in Canton, Mississippi. I was twelve years old by then. I was feeling worthless because my schooling did not work out but I wanted to make my life meaningful. At that point, I realized that the only way to make my life worthy is by playing blues music. Homesick saw my keen interest in playing the guitar so he then decided to buy me a gift. My cousin gave me my first guitar, a resonant guitar (Obrecht 157). Thereafter, I started playing at parties, dances, restaurants and Delta juke joints. I saved a little bit of money each time I played at parties so I could buy myself a new guitar. With perseverance in hand, I eventually bought a twenty dollar National guitar. This guitar accompanied me to my blues journey. Because of my uncommon guitar technique, people started calling me names like Cleanhead James or Joe Willie James. The crowd was always cheerful and loud whenever I struck the guitar for their entertainment. On my late teenage years, I moved to Greenville and there I met Sonny Boy Rice Miller Williamson, Robert Johnson, Arthur Big Boy Crudup and many more classic blues musicians. Their guitar playing skills and the richness of their performance shaped my guitar playing ability which helped me gain prosperity in the blues industry. The blues did not only bring us together because of our desire to succeed in life but it gave way to a creation of stronger friendship between me and my fellow blues musicians. I also listened to other blues artists like Hound Dog Taylor, Joe Carter, J.B. Hutto, Tampa Red and Koko Arnold who gave me more knowledge of the blues slide guitar playing (Koda, All Music ). These blues artists encouraged me to play better. One that inspired and influenced me most is Robert Johnson s guitar playing and his slide technique. Robert Johnson s wailing voice and the extraordinary

3 Bautista 3 piercing tones produced on his guitar with a bottleneck slide (Komara, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James by Steve Franz ) have led me to experience and see the true artistry of blues. When I gained enough experience and confidence as a blues artist, I eventually formed my own band. By then, I did not use much of the acoustic guitar to play the blues. To add twist to the norm, I decided to switch to an electric guitar in order to be heard well. The blending of the Delta Blues with electrical amplification and percussion (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum) attracted the audience because it was new to their ears. As I blossom to the industry of blues music, the U.S. Navy interfered as they called me up to serve in the war. I took part in the invasion of Guam and I was luckily discharged after two years of service. I never understood why we, African Americans, have to fight for the country that once made our life so much harder but I did not have a choice but to follow the rules. Even if racism and Jim Crow laws were still persistent in the south, I chose to go back to Jackson, Mississippi to loosen up and relax because my heart was in a bad shape. I was advised by the doctor to undergo some hospitalization due to my heart problems that was complicated by heavy drinking and chronic asthma. To expedite my recovery, I had to temporarily set aside my guitar playing. While doing that, I worked as a disc jockey or a radio repair man at Robert Holston s radio repair shop. He was my adopted brother (Obrecht 154). My health condition did not stop me from playing music. Even with my heart problems, I still continued to play the guitar for the blues community. Immediately after my recovery, I decided to return to Belzoni, Mississippi and I reunited with my buddy, Rice Miller Williamson. We started playing in Beale Street in Memphis

4 Bautista 4 together with my cousin, Homesick James Williamson. We did a lot of playing in Memphis and all over the South. Oftentimes, the tips were overwhelming. On some nights, people threw money at our feet. People threw twenties or tens (Obrecht 158). While we play, all the people did was dance. They were always dancing until the last beat of the song we played. Eventually, our trio did not work out and we ended up splitting in New Orleans. Although our blues trilogy did not work, the experience that came with it strengthened my skills as a musician. Homesick and I are really close to each other. On our leisure, we used to get around and tinker with electricity and mess with making guitar stuff (Obrecht 159). My cousin, Homesick, always puts together things for me. Once, he fixed the big old Key guitar I bought for twenty dollars at a pawnshop over Madison Street. Homesick wired it up and made it an electric guitar. Without my cousin Homesick, I would not reach the success that I am enjoying at this very moment. He is one of the few people that were really there for me. I could say that through the experiences we had with the blues music, our relationship got stronger. When Sonny Boy Williamson II and Willie Love were doing some radio guesting on the King Biscuit Time Radio broadcasted out in Helena, Arkansas, I became their back up guitarist. Williamson and I were still playing together from time to time. On August of 1951, I recorded my first solo for the Lilian McMurry s Trumpet Records. It was during the last hour of Williamson s recording session. I recorded a version of Robert Johnson s Dust My Broom with Sonny Boy Williamson II in harmonica (Komara, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James by Steve Franz ). I included a swooping full octave opening figure on slide guitar using a radio tube cover as a slide (Obrecht 153). The label credited the song to Elmo James. This recording became very popular to the blues audience which then made it to top nine of the R&B

5 Bautista 5 chart. Most of the blues listeners embraced my version of the song because of its uniqueness as a new style to the blues industry. Dust My Broom was continuously referred to as leaving town in a hurry (Obrecht 154) and it is a perfect statement to describe the journey I had as I play the blues. I was 34 years old when I decided to move north to Chicago. In my mind, moving to Chicago was the best way for the world to recognize the music that I play. Chicago offered me different options to showcase my talent. There was the Maxwell Street that gave opportunities to amateur blues artist like me to be heard by the Chess Brothers, the owner of the prominent Chess recording studio or there was also the option of making a band to perform with in clubs and juke joints. Because I was already living with my cousin Homesick James, I thought that it would be better if I form my own band which I called the Broomdusters. Little Johny Jones two-fisted piano delivery, Homesick James rudimentary boogie bass rhythm, Odie Payne s rhythmic percussion and J.T. Brown s braying nanny-goat sax leads were as loud and powerful as any blues band the Windy City had to offer (Koda, All Music ). As we play more progressive blues around Chicago, we gradually gained fame for we are usually billed in the Chicago Defender as Elmore James---The Broomdusters (Obrecht 154). The Broomdusters and I are usually compared to the prominent bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. In my point of view, it was not a competition. We formed friendly relationships with other Chicago blues artists. My life as a blues musician was not always about having fun. I have a tendency to ditch a low paying club appearance for a higher paying club gigs. I know it s not morally nice to do that but I have dues to pay. I was just being practical. Also, I remember one night while Homesick and I are playing at a Cleveland musical bar, the engineer for Chess Records Ralph Bass and

6 Bautista 6 Philip Chess came and took the 1960 Ford Catalina car we bought (Obrecht160). The wagon had Broomdusters written on the side of it. It was mostly my fault for getting the car taken away due to my missed payments of dues because of my gambling and drinking addiction. Immediately, I called Bobby Robinson to get a session for his record in order to save money and get another car. Luckily, Robinson granted my request. I was offered to record for the Fire Label in New York owned by Bobby Robinson (Koda, All Music ). I flew from Cleveland, Ohio to New York to record the album Rollin and Tumblin. In his label, I created the song The Sky is Crying which reached the top fourteen in the national R&B chart. That song has a backstory that I have to tell. The Sky is Crying is originally composed by my cousin, Homesick James. We were sitting alone at 336 South Leavitt in Chicago while it was raining really hard (Obrecht 159). I came up with the idea that The Sky is Crying but Homesick told me that I should not say that. He advised that I rephrase it to the cloud is crying because the sky does not know how to cry. Homesick has been very generous to me. He lets me take credit for songs that he wrote (Obrecht 160). We speak a language that we are both fluent with and that is the blues. I could truly call Homesick as family. Later on in my career, I did recordings back to Chess on the April of 1960 for the songs I Can t Hold Out, The Sun is Shining, Stormy Monday, and Madison Blues. The blues industry was declining around that point in time so it made it difficult for me to perform my responsibilities as a musician. The musician s union in Chicago blacklisted me for non-payment of dues (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum). Considering my deteriorating health condition, I decided to go back to Jackson Mississippi with Homesick James because I was

7 Bautista 7 running out of option. We stayed with Johny Temple in Jackson while Homesick decided to head back North shortly. From time to time, I still played at local gigs until the spring of On May of 1963, Deejay Big Bill Hill went against the Chicago Musician s union as he invited me to play for a gig on his newly opened Copa Cabana Club (Obrecht 155). When I arrived in Chicago, I went straight to Homesick s house where I was staying and dropped of my luggage quickly in order to catch the gig with Homesick. It felt like nothing has changed when I was playing the blues in Big Hill s club. Homesick and I stopped by Sylvio s after the first gig to see Howlin Wolf (Obrecht 155). I enjoyed the last moments of fame I had even though I was banned by the Chicago Musician s union. Through Chicago blues music, I experienced success and happiness in my life. I met a bundle of very gifted blues musicians who stood as my inspiration and found new generous friends that willingly shared their music skills. My bottle neck playing with a light piece of metal for slide became my trademark in this industry. I was not a one-lick wonder or Johnson imitator (Obrecht 153). I am unique in my own way and because of that uniqueness; I achieved success in the blues industry and I made stronger bonds with other Chicago blues musicians. I am the epitome of Chicago Delta Sound. I am Elmore. After me there won t be no more (Obrecht 155).

8 Bautista 8 Works Cited Koda, Cub. "All Music." All Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct < Komara, Edward. "The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James by Steve Franz." JSTOR. Music Library Association, Mar Web. 19 Oct < Obrecht, Jas. "Elmore and Homesick James." Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Print. "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum." Elmore James Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct < Williamson, Nigel, and Robert Plant. "Elmore James." The Rough Guide to the Blues. 1st ed. London: Rough Guides, Print.