Big Maceo Merriweather

Big Maceo Merriweather (March 31 1905 - February 23 1953) was a blues pianist and singer active in Chicago in the 1940s.

Career

Born Major Merriweather (or Merewether) in Atlanta, Georgia, he taught himself how to play piano. In the 1920s he moved to Detroit, Michigan and began playing parties and clubs. In 1941, a desire to record led him to Chicago where he met and befriended Tampa Red. Red introduced him to Lester Melrose of Bluebird Records, who signed him to a recording contract. [http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/803/Big_Maceo_heavyhanded_piano_great_voice African American Registry biography] ]

His first record was "Worried Life Blues" (1941), which promptly became a blues hit and remained his signature piece. Other classic piano blues recordings such as "Chicago Breakdown", "Texas Stomp", and "Detroit Jump" followed. His piano style developed from players like Leroy Carr and Roosevelt Sykes, as well as from the Boogie-woogie style of Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons.

His career was cut short in 1946 by a stroke. Poor health and a lifetime of heavy drinking eventually led to a fatal heart attack. He died on 23 February 1953 in Chicago. [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=4989 Allaboutjazz.com biography - accessed February 2008] ]

However, he was one of the most influential blues piano players of the 1940s and his style had an impact on practically every post World War II blues pianist of note. His most famous song, "Worried Life Blues" is a staple of the blues repertoire, with artists such as Eric Clapton featuring it regularly in concert. [http://www.cascadeblues.org/History/MaceoMerriweather.htm Cascadeblues.org biography] ] Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues" was in the first batch of songs inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame "Classic Blues Recordings - Singles or Albums Tracks" along side "Stormy Monday," 'Sweet Home Chicago," "Dust My Broom," and "Hellhound On My Trail." [cite web |url=http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php4?ArtistId=406 |title=1983 Blues Hall Of Fame Inductees |accessdate=2008-08-29 |]

His sparse recordings for Bluebird were released in a double album set as "Chicago Breakdown," in 1975. They have since been reissued on a variety of labels.

In 2002 he was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

ee also

*List of blues musicians
*List of boogie woogie musicians
*List of Boogie-Woogie musicians
*List of Chicago blues musicians
*Music of Detroit
*List of drug-related deaths

References

External links

* [http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/803/Big_Maceo_heavyhanded_piano_great_voice African American Registry]