Elvie Thomas
| L. V. "Elvie" Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | L. V. Grant |
| Also known as | Elvie, Slack |
| Born |
August 7, 1891 Houston, Texas |
| Died |
May 20, 1979 Houston, Texas |
| Genres | Blues, country blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1908-1937 |
| Labels | Paramount |
| Associated acts | Geeshie Wiley, Texas Alexander, Leroy Johnson, Leon Benton |
| Notable instruments | |
| Guitar | |
L.V. Thomas, née L.V. Grant and better known as Elvie Thomas, was an American country blues singer and guitarist from Houston, Texas. She recorded two known songs ("Motherless Child Blues" and "Over to My House") in Grafton, Wisconsin, for Paramount Records in March 1930, with Geeshie Wiley on second guitar.[1] The two recorded a duet on "Pick Poor Robin Clean"[2] and Thomas also backed Wiley on the other three surviving tracks from the same session, adding her second guitar on "Last Kind Word Blues",[3] "Skinny Leg Blues",[4] and "Eagles on a Half."[5]
During the 1920s and 30s she also performed with the musicians Texas Alexander, Leon Benton and Leroy Johnson.[6]
Background
Thomas left the school after fifth grade, and began playing guitar at age 11. She began performing at "country suppers" at age 17. In her later years, Thomas lent her voice to the choir at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Acres Homes, a suburb of Houston.[6]
References
- ↑ "Geeshie Wiley / Elvie Thomas". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ↑ Archive.org
- ↑ Archive.org
- ↑ Archive.org
- ↑ Wirz.de
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sullivan, John Jeremiah (April 13, 2014). "The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
External links
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