Henry "Son" Sims
| Henry "Son" Sims | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Henry Sims |
| Born |
August 22, 1890 Anguilla, Mississippi, United States |
| Died |
December 23, 1958 (aged 68) Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Delta blues[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Fiddler, songwriter |
| Instruments | Fiddle, guitar, piano, mandolin[2] |
| Years active | 1920s–1950s |
| Labels | Paramount |
| Associated acts | Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters |
Henry "Son" Sims (August 22, 1890 – December 23, 1958)[1] was an American delta blues fiddler and songwriter. He is best known for his accompanist role to both Charley Patton and a young Muddy Waters.
Life and career
Sims was born in Anguilla, Mississippi, United States,[1] the only son of five children. He learned to play the fiddle from his grandfather.[1] Sims saw active service in France during World War I, whilst serving in the US Army.
Sims went on to be the leader of the Mississippi Corn Shuckers, a rural based string ensemble and played with them for a number of years. His profile was extended by joining his childhood friend, Charley Patton, on a recording session for Paramount Records, which took place in Grafton, Wisconsin in June 1929.[1][3][4][5] Sims both accompanied Patton on fiddle on thirteen tracks,[4] including "Elder Greene Blues", "Going to Move to Alabama" and "Devil Sent the Rain Blues";[3] as well as recording four tunes of his own. These included "Tell Me Man Blues", his best-known composition, and "Farrell Blues".[1] Sims played alongside Patton at times until the latter's death in 1934,[5] when Sims returned to working on a plantation.[3] Sims had by then extended his playing repertoire to include the mandolin, guitar and piano.[1]
On August 28, 1941, Sims accompanied Muddy Waters on a recording session.[1][6] This took place under the direction of Alan Lomax, as part of his recordings for the Library of Congress.[3] In the 1940s, Sims also accompanied Robert Nighthawk on several joint appearances, and continued a solo career in to the 1950s.[5]
Sims died following renal surgery in December 1958 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 68.[2] He was buried in an unmarked grave in Bell Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Clarksdale, Coahoma County, Mississippi.[5]
Recordings
| Year | Title | Appears on |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | "Tell Me Man Blues" | Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton; Violin, Sing the Blues for Me: African-American Fiddlers 1926-1949 |
| 1929 | "Farrell Blues" | Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton; The Great Race Record Labels, Vol. 1 |
| 1929 | "Be True, Be True Blues" | Mississippi Blues 1927-1941 |
| 1929 | "Come Back Corrina" | Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton |
See also
Further reading
- Stephen Calt and Gayle Wardlow, King of the Delta Blues - The Life and Music of Charlie Patton, 1988, ISBN 0961861002
- Robert Palmer, Deep Blues, 1995, ISBN 0140062238
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Layne, Joslyn. "Henry "Son" Sims". Allmusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed March 18, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gioia, Ted (2008). Delta Blues (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-393-06258-8.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dicaire, David (1999). Blues singers: biographies of 50 legendary artists of the early 20th century (1st ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 7. ISBN 0-7864-0606-2.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Henry "Son" Sims". Findagrave.com. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ↑ "McKinley Morganfield "Muddy Waters" - Delta School". Cr.nps.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Henry "Son" Sims > Songs > All Songs". Allmusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Mississippi Blues 1927-1941 (Yazoo, 1968)". Record-fiend.blogspot.co.uk. June 7, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2012.