Eddy Clearwater

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Clearwater (2008)

Eddy Clearwater (also: Guitar Eddy, Clear Waters, The Chief) was the stage name of Edward Harrington (born January 10, 1935 in Macon , Mississippi , † June 1, 2018 ), an American musician (vocals, guitar) of the Chicago blues . According to the magazine Blues Revue , he sang "happy rave-ups ... with breathtaking soul fervor and energetic guitar as one of the best songwriters in the blues."

Life

youth

Harrington was born in Macon, Mississippi in 1935. His grandmother who raised him was a Cherokee . His family moved to Birmingham , Alabama in 1948 . Harrington began playing the guitar at the age of 13 and taught himself to play the guitar left-handed and upside down. Then he started making music with gospel groups , including the Five Blind Boys of Alabama . In 1950 he moved to Chicago . There he first worked as a dishwasher while he found accommodation with an uncle who introduced him to many masters of the Chicago blues; among others Otis Rush and Magic Sam. His music is heavily influenced by Chuck Berry , as he began his career with some of Berry's songs, and the style of his songs also shows clear echoes. Until recently Clearwater played songs by Rush, Magic Sam and Berry alongside his own compositions. In 1953 he played regularly as Guitar Eddy in bars on Chicago's South Side and West Side. His first single, Berry-style Hill Billy Blues, was recorded in 1958 for his uncle's label , Atomic H Label . Back then he appeared as Clear Waters , a name given to him by his manager at the time, drummer Jump Jackson , in reference to the famous Muddy Waters . During this time he often played with Magic Sam , Otis Rush and others.

Career

Clearwater has performed mainly in the greater Chicago area of ​​the United States since the 1950s, but has also performed at various blues festivals in France , Germany , Denmark , Poland and the Netherlands . His voice has been described as "hard-driving Windy City blues, soul-tinged balladry, acoustic country blues and gospel uplift [...] good natured fretboard fireworks".

Several singles were recorded, some of which were also broadcast on the radio. Only in the course of time did the stage name "Eddy Clearwater" develop. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a steady producer and one of the first blues musicians to find audiences among college students on Chicago's North Side . On the North Stage of the Blues Club Kingston Mines , Clearwater was permanently booked for Saturdays, while Linsey Alexander appeared on the South Stage. He toured Europe twice in the 1970s and also appeared on the BBC . Clearwater was nicknamed The Chief and entered with an occasional Indians - headdress on.

The release of his 1980 album The Chief on the Rooster Blues label made him known beyond the Chicago blues scene. Two more albums for Rooster Blues, Help Yourself (1992) and Mean Case of the Blues (1996) cemented his reputation. The album Cool Blues Walk was released in 1998, followed by Chicago Daily Blues in 1989 and Reservation Blues in the mid-2000s. In 1997 he had bypass surgery . In 2004 he was nominated for a Grammy Award together with Los Straitjackets for the joint album Rock 'n' Roll City .

His album West Side Strut ( Alligator Records , 2008) was described by Vintage Guitar magazine as “great blues. Eddy's tone shows a masterful command of the guitar. It's hard to believe he can reach such heights in a recording studio. One listen and you'll wonder why Clearwater's name isn't respectfully spoken in the same breath as Freddie King and Otis Rush. "

family

Clearwater, 1978.

Clearwater was married to its manager, Renee Greenman. They formerly owned Reservation Blues , a Chicago blues bar and restaurant in Wicker Park , Chicago. He has two sons, Jason and Edgar Harrington, as well as three stepchildren and two grandchildren. His first marriage was to Earlean Harrington. His cousin was Carey Bell, a blues harmonica player .

Discography

  • Soul Funky , with Ronnie Baker Brooks and Billy Branch (Cleartone, 2014)
  • West Side Strut ( Alligator Records , 2008)
  • Rock 'n' Roll City , with Los Straitjackets (2003)
  • Reservation Blues (2000)
  • Chicago Daily Blues (1999)
  • Cool Blues Walk (1998)
  • Chicago Blues Session , vol. 23, live (1998)
  • Mean Case of the Blues (1996)
  • Boogie My Blues Away (1995)
  • Live at The Kingston Mines , 1978 , live (1992)
  • Help Yourself (1992)
  • Real Good Time: Live! , live (1990)
  • Blues Hang Out (1989)
  • Flimdoozie (1986)
  • Two Times Nine (1981)
  • The Chief (1980)
  • Black Night (1979)

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Eddy Clearwater on his official homepage
  2. ↑ Obituary
  3. ↑ “joyous rave-ups… he testifies with stunning soul fervor and powerful guitar. One of the blues' finest songwriters. " Blues Revue , July 2004.
  4. ^ A b c Tony Russell: The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Carlton Books, Dubai 1997: 102. ISBN 1-85868-255-X
  5. ↑ Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer , April 13, 2008.
  6. ↑ Blues Lyrics website .
  7. ^ Biography at Allmusic.com.
  8. ↑ Vintage Guitar , July 2008.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Clearwater, Eddy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Harrington, Edward (real name); Guitar eddy; Clear waters; The Chief
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Macon , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 2018