George "Mojo" Buford
| George "Mojo" Buford | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Buford |
| Born |
November 10, 1929 Hernando, Mississippi, United States |
| Died |
October 11, 2011 (aged 81) Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Instruments | Harmonica |
| Years active | Early 1950s–2011 |
| Labels | Various |
George "Mojo" Buford (November 10, 1929 – October 11, 2011) was an American blues harmonica player, best known for his work in Muddy Waters' band.
Biography
Buford relocated from Hernando, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee in his youth, where he studied the blues.[1] He relocated to Chicago in 1952,[2] forming the Savage Boys that eventually became known as the Muddy Waters, Jr. Band. They substituted for Muddy Waters at local nightclubs whilst he was touring.[1]
Buford first played in Muddy Waters' backing band in 1959, replacing Little Walter, but in 1962 moved to Minneapolis to front his own band, and record albums.[1] It was in Minneapolis that Buford gained his nickname "Mojo", because of the audiences requesting him to perform his cover version of "Got My Mojo Working."[3] Buford returned to Muddy Waters' combo in 1967 for a year when he replaced James Cotton.[3] He had a longer tenure with Muddy Waters in the early 1970s, and returned for the final time after Jerry Portnoy departed to form The Legendary Blues Band.[1]
He also recorded for the Mr. Blues label (later re-issued on Rooster Blues), Blue Loon Records, and the British JSP label.[1]
Buford died on October 11, 2011, in Minneapolis, after a long hospitalization.[1][4] He was 81.
Partial discography
- Exciting Harmonica Sound of Mojo Buford (1963) - BluesRecordSoc
- Mojo Buford's Blues Summit (1979) - Rooster Blues
- Still Blowin' Strong (1996) - Blue Loon
- Harpslinger (1996) - Blue Loon
- State of the Blues Harp (1998) - JSP
- Home Is Where My Harps Is (1998) - Blue Loon
- Champagne & Reefer (live album) (1999) - Fedora Records
- Chicago Blues Summit (2002) - P-Vine Records[5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bill Dahl. "George "Mojo" Buford | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ↑ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 96. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "George Mojo Buford, a Mississippi musician". Mswritersandmusicians.com. 1929-11-10. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ↑ "Mojo Buford, former Muddy Waters harmonica player, has passed". Ameriblues.com. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- ↑ "George "Mojo" Buford | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
External links
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