Curtis Jones (pianist)

Curtis Jones (August 18, 1906, Naples, Texas - September 11, 1971, Munich, Germany) was an American blues pianist.

Biography

Jones played guitar whilst young but switched to piano after a move to Dallas.^[1] In 1936 he relocated to Chicago, where he recorded between 1937 and 1941 on Vocalion, Bluebird, and OKeh. Among his best-known tunes from these recordings were the hit "Lonesome Bedroom Blues" and the song "Tin Pan Alley".^[1] World War II interrupted his recording career, which he did not resume until 1953, when Al Benson released a single of his, "Wrong Blues"/"Cool Playing Blues", on Parrot, featuring L. C. McKinley on guitar.

Jones's first full-length album appeared in 1960 on Bluesville, by which time he had become a noted performer on the Chicago folk music scene.^[1] A solo album appeared in 1962, but by that time Jones had moved to Europe, where he spent the rest of his life, apart from a couple of years living in Morocco.^[1] He made further albums in the UK; the last in 1968 when visiting with the AFBF was produced by Mike Vernon with Alexis Korner on guitar.^[1]

His first instrument had been the guitar, and he liked to play a number or two on his records and in personal appearances.^[1]

Jones died in Germany from heart failure in 1971, at the age of 65.^[2]

Discography

• Trouble Blues (Bluesville Records, 1960)
• Lonesome Bedroom Blues (Delmark Records, 1962)
• In London 1968 with Alexis Korner (2022 on Beat Goes On records)

References

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. pp. 128. ISBN 1-85868-255-X. 
2. ^ Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed May 2009

Sources

• Curtis Jones at Allmusic
• Harry Shapiro Alexis Korner: The Biography, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London 1997, Discography by Mark Troster, ISBN 0-7475-3163-3

Persondata
Name	Jones, Curtis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 18, 1906
Place of birth
Date of death	September 11, 1971
Place of death