K. C. Douglas
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K. C. Douglas (November 21, 1913 — October 18, 1975[1]) was an American blues singer, and guitarist.
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[edit] Career
Born in Sharon, Mississippi, Douglas was one of the great rural blues stylists in the San Francisco/Oakland, California area. Douglas was influenced by Tommy Johnson[1] whose "Canned Heat Blues" he adapted on his album Big Road Blues. Douglas produced a blues classic when he recorded "Mercury Boogie" in 1949. The tune, which paid homage to the American automobile, was later renamed "Mercury Blues" and covered by Steve Miller and David Lindley. Alan Jackson had a number one hit when he recorded the tune in 1992. Rights to the song were purchased by the Ford Motor Company, which used it for a television commercial for Ford trucks.[1]
He also recorded such songs as "Born in the Country," "Catfish Blues," "Fanny Lou," "Hear Me Howlin'," "K.C.'s Doctor Blues," and "Wake Up Workin' Woman" for Bluesville Records in 1960 and Fantasy Records in 1967.
Douglas did not reach his peak until the 1970s. He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973 and 1974. He formed a quartet and became a frequent performer at coffeehouses, clubs, and bars in the East Bay/Modesto/Stockton area.[1]
Succumbing to a fatal heart attack in Berkeley, California in October 1975, Douglas was buried in the Pleasant Green Cemetery in Sharon, Mississippi.[1]
[edit] Selected discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Mercury Blues (reissued) | Blues | Arhoolie Records |
| 1994 | Big Road Blues (reissued) | Blues | OBC Records |
