Rollin’
and Tumblin’ with the King of The Slide Guitar, Elmore James
by Robert Dean
In the annals of the blues, there are
a few guys who get the nod for all time: Howlin’
Wolf, Muddy Waters, Skip James, Leadbelly, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson,
etc. But, then there are the deeper cuts, the artists people talk about, but
it’s unsure if they really know them. The thing about the blues is that,
despite being one of the cultural backbones of American identity, much of its
lore is shrouded in darkness. Which, for its context works for the music and
gives a thumbprint like no other.
One artist who continually reaches up
out of the murk and grabs you straight like a zombie from the grave is the
slide guitar mad man, Elmore James. While his name might feel familiar, or
you’ve heard him mentioned on a rock and roll documentary – you have.
His legend isn’t that of those
mentioned before him. There aren’t movies in the works, books about him are
hard to come by (at last count there’s a whopping one), and his records aren’t
collector’s items. James is an underground, under-appreciated legend of the
blues. He may not be a household name, but if you ask anyone who knows the
blues, and they’ll all agree he’s paramount to all comers.
Ranked #30 of Rolling Stone’s greatest
guitar players of all time, James was a guitar player who defied what the blues
could sound like. While Muddy’s playing is concise, tight, Elmore James riffs
are nasty as a dead possum lying in a gutter. He played an acoustic with a
pickup drilled in, which gave his sound a ghastly, ghoulish quality unlike
anyone else in that late 50’s classic blues era. Coming up from Mississippi,
James’ music wasn’t quite the Chicago sound, but something that met at the
crossroads of the new school brewing in the north, but firmly rooted in the
traditions of the Deep South.
Dust
My Broom is quintessential James filth, The Sky is Crying was a
roof burner long before Stevie Ray
Vaughn ever covered it. Go through the Elmore James catalog and you’ll see
all of the greatest tipped their caps to the man known as “The King of The
Slide Guitar.”
Other bluesmen feared James with his
raucous performances and envied how good he was with a guitar in his hands. No
one knew how to play a slide guitar like Elmore James. His ferocious playing,
coupled with his raspy, growling voice, he was a unique talent, in the vein of Howlin’ Wolf. When Elmore made his way
up to Chicago, he was ready. Packing the clubs, and cutting records, James was
poised to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of popular music.
But, life eluded James early. At just
45, Elmore James died of a heart attack. He was on the heels of establishing
himself as one of the premier bluesmen. He was booked for his first European
trip with the world looking bright as the sun. Today, we’re left with a treasure
trove of records that swings, that growls and moans. Elmore James isn’t a
household name, not for lack of trying but because death came too early for
such an enigmatic soul. Get right with the universe and get Elmore James into
your life. If you have the slightest interest in the blues, there’s none finer
than The King who was gone too soon.
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