Blind Roosevelt Graves

Blind Roosevelt Graves (born December 9, 1909 in Rose Hill , near Meridian , Mississippi , † December 30, 1962 in Gulfport ) was an early American gospel and blues guitarist and singer, who was also nearly blind with his brother Uaroy Graves (tambourine and kazoo) performed as a duo. Little is known about the life of the Graves brothers.

In 1929, the two made their first recordings for Paramount Records , discovered by HC Speir . They were the first to record the Guitar Boogie , and their I'll Be Rested is considered a prime example of the gospel music of their time.

In 1936, the brothers took together with the pianist Cooney Vaughn two songs on which, according to Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll "fully formed rock 'n' roll - guitar riffs and a pounding rock and roll beat" had: Barbecue Bust and Dangerous Woman . The recordings under the name "Mississippi Jook Band" were made in the train station of Hattiesburg , Mississippi.

Some pieces by the two brothers were published under the name "Blind Roosevelt Graves and Brother". There were doubts as to whether "Uaroy" was the real name of Roosevelt's brother. In some places the name "Aaron" was used instead, as it was assumed that the name was wrong or written down in a badly legible script. It was not until 2004, when photos of the original Paramount documents were posted on the Internet, that “Uaroy Graves” was unequivocally confirmed as the correct name.

Web links

• Biography at Allmusic Guide (English)
• The Graves Brothers - The University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library and Archives