- Slim Harpo
Infobox musical artist
Name = Slim Harpo
Img_capt = The Best of Slim HarpoExcello Records
Img_size = 150
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = James Moore
Alias =
Born = Birth date|1924|1|11
Died = death date and age|1970|1|31|1924|1|11
Origin =Lobdell, Louisiana , USA
Instrument =Harmonica ,Vocals
Voice_type =
Genre =Harmonica blues Louisiana blues Juke Joint blues Blues revival
Occupation =
Years_active = 1950s & 1960s
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Slim Harpo (
11 January ,1924 –31 January ,1970 ) was ablues musician.Born James Moore in
Lobdell, Louisiana , the eldest in an orphaned family, Moore worked as a longshoreman and building worker during the late 1930s and early 1940s. One of the foremost proponents of post-war rural blues, he began performing inBaton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim. He later accompaniedLightnin' Slim , his brother-in-law, both live and in the studio, before commencing his own recording career in 1957. Named Slim Harpo by producerJay Miller , the artist's solo debut coupled "I'm a King Bee " with "I Got Love If You Want It ." Influenced byJimmy Reed , he began recording forExcello Records , and enjoyed a string of popular R&B singles which combined a drawling vocal with incisiveharmonica passages. Among them were "Rainin' In My Heart " (1961), "I Love The Life I Live ", "Buzzin' " (instrumental) and "Little Queen Bee " (1964). On these hits he was accompanied by understated electric backing from the regular stable ofExcello musicians — includingLazy Lester , whom Harpo influenced.The singer was known as one of the masters of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was a humorous takeoff on "harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles. [Lockhart, John M. "Words & Music", " [http://www.riversidereader.com The Riverside Reader] ", February 4, 2008, p. 4]
Harpo was the point man of the 1950s Louisiana Swamp/Blues movement. Harpo, along with
Lightnin' Slim ,Lazy Lester ,Lonesome Sundown , and a dozen other downhome artists, recorded forA&R manJ.D. Miller inCrowley, Louisiana . The records were then issued on theExcello label, based inNashville .Harpo's relaxed, almost lazy, performances set the tone for his subsequent work. His warm, languid voice enhanced the sexual metaphor of "I'm A King Bee", which was later recorded by the
Rolling Stones . The Rolling Stones also covered the pulsating "Shake Your Hips ", which Harpo first issued in 1966, while thePretty Things , theYardbirds and Them featured versions of his songs in their early repertoires. Later, the riff from Harpo's hit "Shake Your Hips" was used in theZZ Top hit "La Grange," and the Rolling Stones covered the song on their 1972album , "Exile On Main Street ". Harpo enjoyed a notable US Top 20 pop hit in 1966 with "Baby Scratch My Back" (also a number 1 R&B hit), which revitalized his career. Never a full-time musician, Harpo had his own trucking business during the 1960s, although he was a popular figure in the late 1960s blues revival, with appearances at several renowned venues including the Electric Circus and the Fillmore East. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack on31 January 1970 at the age of 46, and was buried in Mulatto Bend Cemetery inPort Allen, Louisiana .The album "The Best of Slim Harpo" was first released by
Rhino Records in 1989 and re-released by Excello Records on November 4, 1997.# I'm A King Bee
# I've Got Love If You Want It
# Wonderin' And Worryin'
# You'll Be Sorry One Day
# Strange Love
# Bobby Sox Baby
# One More Day
# Rainin' In My Heart
# Blues Hangover
# Buzzin'
# Still Rainin' In My Heart
# Snoopin' Around
# Te Ni Nee Ni Nu
# Tip On In, Part 1
# Shake Your Hips
# Baby, Scratch My BackReferences
External links
* [http://www.bluesharp.ca/legends/sharpo.html "Bluesharp" article]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12799771 Photo]
* [http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/slimharpo.txt Shakin All Over]
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