- List of Piedmont blues musicians
The Piedmont blues (also known as Piedmont fingerstyle) is a type of
blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on theguitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports amelody using treble strings. The result is comparable in sound to aragtime piano . The Piedmont blues typically refers to a greater area than Piedmont, which refers to the East Coast of theUnited States from aboutRichmond, Virginia toAtlanta, Georgia . Piedmont blues musicians come from this area, as well asMaryland ,Delaware ,West Virginia ,Pennsylvania andFlorida . It was made popular in the earlytwentieth century . Below is a list ofPiedmont blues musicians.A
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Pink Anderson - (February 12 ,1900 –October 12 ,1974 ) Born inSpartanburg, South Carolina , Anderson was an earlycountry blues guitarist andsinger who performedPiedmont blues . Many of his recordings have been released byPrestige Records .B
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Etta Baker - (March 31 ,1913 –September 23 ,2006 ) Born inCaldwell County, North Carolina , Baker acountry blues guitarist ,banjo player andsinger who performedPiedmont blues . In the 1990s she released two solo albums, one forRounder Records . In 2004 Music Maker Records released some recording she did with Taj Mahal in 1956 and 1998.*
Scrapper Blackwell - (February 21 ,1903 –October 27 ,1962 ) Born inSyracuse, North Carolina as Francis Hillman Blackwell, Scrapper Blackwell performed acousticPiedmont blues and an early exponent ofChicago blues who worked closely withpianist Leroy Carr . He also backedsinger Black Bottom McPhail .Document Records has issued most of his work in three volumes.*
Blind Blake - (c.1895 –1937 ) Born inJacksonville, Florida ,guitarist andsinger Blind Blake played almost every form of music imaginable. He performed earlyragtime on guitar,Piedmont blues ,country blues ,Delta blues andChicago blues . A musician of great importance, he recorded frequently forParamount Records .C
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John Cephas - BornSeptember 4 ,1930 inWashington, D.C. but raised inBowling Green, Virginia , contemporary blues musician Cephas playscountry blues guitar ,harmonica and sings, performing in thePiedmont blues vein. He has recorded a number of albums to date, notably for theAlligator Records label.*
Jaybird Coleman - (May 20 ,1896 –January 28 ,1950 ) Born inGainesville, Alabama , Coleman was acountry blues harmonica player,guitarist andsinger who performed earlyPiedmont blues andharmonica blues active most in the 1930s. His career fizzled out and he was left to perform as a street act in Alabama.Document Records has issued a compilation of all of his recordings.D
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Reverend Gary Davis F
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Blind Boy Fuller H
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Frank Hovington *
Peg Leg Howell - (March 5 ,1888 –August 11 ,1968 ) Born inEatonton, Georgia as Joshua Barnes Howell, Howell was an amputee missing one leg who taught himself to playguitar and sing. He performed acousticcountry blues in thePiedmont blues style, spending most of his career inAtlanta, Georgia . From 1926 or so until 1929 he recorded forColumbia Records , then fell off into obscurity shortly after (eventually losing his other leg todiabetes ).J
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Bo Weavil Jackson
*John Jackson (blues musician)
*Lonnie Johnson *
Luke Jordan - (January 28 ,1892 –June 25 ,1952 ) Born inBluefield, West Virginia , Jordan was acountry blues guitarist of thePiedmont blues andEast Coast blues variety who spent most of his career inLynchburg, Virginia . Though not many recordings survive of his, Jordan was undeniably a major early influence on musicians in the Piedmont style.L
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Charley Lincoln -March 11 ,1900 –September 28 ,1963 Born inLithonia, Georgia , Lincoln was an acoustic country andPiedmont blues guitarist andvocalist . He was the brother ofBarbecue Bob , with whom he performed from the 1920s on into the 1950s. He made several recording, some forColumbia Records .M
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Carl Martin
*Sara Martin
*Brownie McGhee
*Buddy Moss
*Blind Willie McTell R
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Yank Rachell *
Bumble Bee Slim
*Joseph SpenceT
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Baby Tate
*Sonny Terry W
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Curley Weaver
*Josh White
*Phil Wiggins References
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