Magic Slim
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| Magic Slim | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Morris Holt |
| Also known as | Magic Slim |
| Born | 3 August 1937 Torrence, Mississippi, United States |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Electric guitar |
| Years active | 1955 - to date |
| Website | Official website |
Magic Slim (born Morris Holt, 7 August 1937, Torrence, Mississippi[1]) is a blues singer and guitarist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap.[1] He moved first to nearby Grenada.[2] He first came to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass with his band, and gave him his nickname.[1]
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers.[3] He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops.[3]
Slim's recording career began with the 1966, with the song "Scufflin'", followed by a number of singles into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French MCM label. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W. C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version of Mustang Sally.
In 1982 the guitarist John Primer joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years.[3]
Releases include Spider in My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin' , which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of guitarist-singer, Jake Dawson.[3]
In 1994 Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Zoo Bar had been booking him for years.[3]
In 2003 Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W. C. Handy Award as "Blues Band Of The Year" for the sixth time.
Magic Slim and the Teardrops captured a live performance that was released on CD and DVD in August 2005, entitled Anything Can Happen.[4]
[edit] Citation
"Magic Slim consistently offers no-frills houserockin’ blues. He and his band are a national treasure." - Living Blues Magazine [5]
[edit] Discography
- 1977 : Born Under a Bad Sign (MCM), reissue (Storyville)
- 1978 : Highway is My Home (Black & Blue), reissue (Evidence)
- 1978 : Let Me Love You (MCM)
- 1978 : Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 2 (Alligator)
- 1980 : Liv 'n Blue (Candy Apple CA)
- 1980 : In the Heart of the Blues (Isabel)
- 1980 : Doing Fine (Isabel)
- 1982 : Raw Magic (Alligator)
- 1982 : Essential Boogie (Rooster Blues)
- 1982 : Grand Slam (Rooster Blues)
- 1990 : Gravel Road (Blind Pig)
- 1992 : 44 Blues (Wolf Records) with John Primer and Bonnie Lee
- 1992 : Blues Behind Closed Doors by John Primer (Wolf Records) with Billy Branch
- 1996 : Scufflin'
- 1998 : Black Tornado (Blind Pig)
- 2000 : Snakebite (Blind Pig)
- 2002 : Blue Magic (Blind Pig)
- 2005 : Anything Can Happen (live album) (Blind Pig)
- 2006 : Tin Pan Alley (compilation album) (Wolf Records)
[edit] See also
- List of blues musicians
- Chicago Blues Festival
- San Francisco Blues Festival
- Sweden Rock Festival
- Notodden Blues Festival
- List of stage names
[edit] References
- ^ a b c All Music Guide biography - accessed January 2008
- ^ oldies.com biography
- ^ a b c d e Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited, p. 144. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Blindpigrecords.com biography - accessed January 2008
- ^ Wirthentertainment.com - extracted January 2008
