Elmore James

Biography

Elmore James (né Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. His slide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar×King of the Slide Guitar1985 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracksA1Lost Woman Blues (Please Find My Baby)A2One More DrinkA3Strange Kinda FeelingA4Sho Nuff I DoA5My Best FriendA6So Mean to MeA7Wild About YouB1Sweet Little WomanB2Long Tall WomanB3Where Can My Baby BeB4Dark & DrearyB5My Baby’s GoneB6I May Be WrongB7Elmo’s Shuffle, Part 2".

Biography

Elmore James was born Elmore Brooks in Richland, Holmes County, Mississippi, the son of 15-year-old Leola Brooks, a field hand. His father was probably Joe Willie "Frost" James, who moved in with Leola, and Elmore took his surname. He began making music at the age of 12, using a simple one-string instrument (diddley bow, or jitterbug) strung on a shack wall. As a teen he performed at dances under the names "Cleanhead" and "Joe Willie James".
James was influenced by Robert Johnson, Kokomo Arnold and Tampa Red. He recorded several of Tampa Red's songs. He also inherited from Tampa Red's band two musicians who joined his own backing band, the Broomdusters, "Little" Johnny Jones (piano) and Odie Payne (drums). In the late 1930s, James worked alongside Sonny Boy Williamson II.
During World War II, James joined the U.S. Navy, was promoted to coxswain and took part in the invasion of Guam. Upon his discharge, he returned to central Mississippi and settled in the town of Canton with his adopted brother, Robert Holston. He began recording with Trumpet Records in nearby Jackson in January 1951, first as a sideman again for Sonny Boy Williamson II and for their mutual friend Willie Love and possibly others. He made his debut as a session leader in August that year recording a Robert Johnson composition, "Dust My Broom×Dust My Broom1990 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Dust My Broom2:542Look on Yonder Wall2:303Done Somebody Wrong2:224It Hurts Me Too3:045I’m Worried2:496One Way Out2:217Fine Little Mama2:338Rollin’ And Tumblin’2:299Shake Your Moneymaker2:3110The Sky Is Crying2:4311Stranger Blues3:1412I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You2:3913Coming Home2:2514My Bleeding Heart3:0315Standing at the Crossroads2:5416Make My Dreams Come True2:55", which was a surprise R&B hit in 1952. His backing musicians became known as the Broomdusters.
James broke his contract with Trumpet Records to sign with the Bihari brothers through their scout Ike Turner, who played guitar and piano on a couple of his early Bihari recordings. His "I Believe" was a hit a year later. During the 1950s he recorded for the Bihari brothers' Flair Records, Meteor Records, and Modern Records; he also recorded for Chess Records and Mel London's Chief Records. He played lead guitar on Big Joe Turner's 1954 top 10 R&B hit "TV Mama".
In 1959, he began recording for Bobby Robinson's Fire Records, which released "The Sky Is Crying×The Sky Is Crying1965 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1The Sky Is Crying2:50A2Dust My Broom2:57A3I Held My Baby2:52A4Fine Little Mama2:36A5Bobbie's Rock2:14A6I Can't Stop Lovin' You2:40B1I Done Somebody Wrong2:23B2Rollin' and Tumblin'2:35B3One Way Out2:27B4My Bleeding Heart3:05B5I'm Worried2:54B6Standing at the Crossroads3:02", "My Bleeding Heart", "Stranger Blues", "Look on Yonder Wall", "Done Somebody Wrong", and "Shake Your Moneymaker×Shake Your Moneymaker1986 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Dust My Broom2:562The Twelve Year Old Boy3:063Coming Home2:274It Hurts Me Too3:065Elmore's Contribution to Jazz2:206Cry for Me Baby2:467Take Me Where You Go2:228The Sky Is Crying2:459Held My Baby Last Night2:5410Knocking at Your Door2:3911Rollin' and Tumblin'2:3112Done Somebody Wrong2:2313Fine Little Mama2:3514Shake Your Moneymaker2:3215I Need You2:4916Can't Stop Loving My Baby2:1917Something Inside of Me4:5218Person to Person2:2819Baby Please Set a Date2:5320One Way Out2:2321Got to Move2:4522Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out)2:33", among others.
James died of a heart attack at the home of his cousin and fellow musician, Homesick James, in Chicago in 1963, at the age of 45, as he was about to tour Europe with that year's American Folk Blues Festival. He was buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery, in Ebenezer, Mississippi. Phil Walden of Capricorn Records raised funds for a granite headstone for James's grave. The headstone which reads "King of the Slide Guitar×King of the Slide Guitar1985 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracksA1Lost Woman Blues (Please Find My Baby)A2One More DrinkA3Strange Kinda FeelingA4Sho Nuff I DoA5My Best FriendA6So Mean to MeA7Wild About YouB1Sweet Little WomanB2Long Tall WomanB3Where Can My Baby BeB4Dark & DrearyB5My Baby’s GoneB6I May Be WrongB7Elmo’s Shuffle, Part 2", features a bronze relief of James playing guitar. It was revealed at a dedication ceremony sponsored by the Mount Zion Memorial Fund in 1992.
James was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as an "Early Influence" inductee. He had been inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame within its initial list of inductions in 1980. In 2012, he was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Ebenezer.

Influence

James influenced many slide players, such as blues guitarists Homesick James, Hound Dog Taylor, and J. B. Hutto. His single string playing also influenced B.B. King and Chuck Berry. Rock guitarists George Thorogood, Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, Jerry Garcia, Derek Trucks, Brian Jones, Jeremy Spencer and Frank Zappa were all influenced by James. Swedish pop musicians Benny Andersson and Janne Schaffer have acknowledged his influence as well. In the Beatles' song "For You Blue", John Lennon plays a slide solo on a Höfner lap steel guitar; George Harrison encourages him with "Go, Johnny, go ... Elmore James got nothin' on this, baby". Eric Burdon dedicated the song No More Elmore to him. It was featured on his album Comeback and was regularly played at his concerts in the 1980s and 1990s.

Selected singles

"Dust My Broom×Dust My Broom1990 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Dust My Broom2:542Look on Yonder Wall2:303Done Somebody Wrong2:224It Hurts Me Too3:045I’m Worried2:496One Way Out2:217Fine Little Mama2:338Rollin’ And Tumblin’2:299Shake Your Moneymaker2:3110The Sky Is Crying2:4311Stranger Blues3:1412I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You2:3913Coming Home2:2514My Bleeding Heart3:0315Standing at the Crossroads2:5416Make My Dreams Come True2:55" (1951 and 1965)
"I Believe" (1953)
"Standing at the Crossroads" (1954 and 1965)
"Dust My Blues" (1955)
"It Hurts Me Too" (1957 and 1965)
"The Sky Is Crying×The Sky Is Crying1965 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1The Sky Is Crying2:50A2Dust My Broom2:57A3I Held My Baby2:52A4Fine Little Mama2:36A5Bobbie's Rock2:14A6I Can't Stop Lovin' You2:40B1I Done Somebody Wrong2:23B2Rollin' and Tumblin'2:35B3One Way Out2:27B4My Bleeding Heart3:05B5I'm Worried2:54B6Standing at the Crossroads3:02" (1960)
"I Can't Hold Out" (1960)
"Rollin' and Tumblin'×Rollin' and Tumblin'1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 36 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Comin' Home2:272The Twelve Year Old Boy3:053It Hurts Me Too3:054Knocking at Your Door2:385Elmore's Contribution to Jazz2:196Cry for Me Baby2:467Take Me Wherever You Go2:228Dust My Broom2:559The Sky Is Crying2:4710Baby Please Set a Date2:5511Held My Baby Last Night2:5312Rollin' and Tumblin'2:3113Done Somebody Wrong2:2014Fine Little Mama2:3415I Can't Stop Loving You2:3916Early One Morning2:4617I Need You2:4918Strange Angels3:06Disc 21Stranger Blues3:162Bleeding Heart3:043Standing at the Crossroads3:024One Way Out2:275Got to Move2:456My Baby's Gone2:587Find My Kinda Woman2:578Look on Yonder Wall2:569Shake Your Moneymaker2:3510Mean Mistreatin' Mama1:3711Sunnyland Train2:1612I Have a Right to Love My Baby2:4413Everyday I Have the Blues3:2214So Unkind2:3315Make My Dreams Come True2:5316Talk to Me Baby2:5117It Hurts Me Too3:2018I Gotta Go Now3:37" (1960)
"Shake Your Moneymaker×Shake Your Moneymaker1986 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Dust My Broom2:562The Twelve Year Old Boy3:063Coming Home2:274It Hurts Me Too3:065Elmore's Contribution to Jazz2:206Cry for Me Baby2:467Take Me Where You Go2:228The Sky Is Crying2:459Held My Baby Last Night2:5410Knocking at Your Door2:3911Rollin' and Tumblin'2:3112Done Somebody Wrong2:2313Fine Little Mama2:3514Shake Your Moneymaker2:3215I Need You2:4916Can't Stop Loving My Baby2:1917Something Inside of Me4:5218Person to Person2:2819Baby Please Set a Date2:5320One Way Out2:2321Got to Move2:4522Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out)2:33" (1961)
"Look on Yonder Wall" (1961)
"Bleeding Heart" (1965)
"One Way Out×One Way Out1980 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracksA1Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out)A2Shake Your Money MakerA3Can't Stop Lovin' My BabyA4It Hurts Me TooA5The Sky Is CryingA6Cry for Me BabyA7Something Inside of MeA8Standing at the CrossroadsB1Coming HomeB2Rollin' and Tumblin'B3Take Me Where You GoB4I Need YouB5Person to PersonB6One Way OutB7The Twelve Year Old BoyB8Dust My Broom (I Believe My Time Ain't Long)" (1965)
"Every Day I Have the Blues" (1965)
"Madison Blues" (1968)

Selected compilation albums

Blues After Hours (Crown, 1960)
The Sky Is Crying (Sphere Sound, 1965)
I Need You (Sphere Sound, 1966)
Whose Muddy Shoes (Chess, 1969) (split album with John Brim)
Street Talkin' (Muse, 1975) (split album with Eddie Taylor)
Shake Your Money Maker (Charly R&B, 1986)
Golden Classics (Collectables, 1988)
King of the Slide Guitar (Capricorn, 1992)
The Classic Early Recordings: 1951–1956 (Virgin/Flair, 1993)
The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James (Rhino, 1993)
Rollin' and Tumblin' (Recall/Snapper, 1999)