JB Lenoir
JB Lenoir (born March 5, 1929 in Monticello , Mississippi , † April 29, 1967 in Urbana , Illinois ) was an American blues singer and guitarist. His best known hits include Mama Talk to Your Daughter and the Eisenhower Blues .
Life
Lenoir's role models included Blind Lemon Jefferson , Lightnin 'Hopkins and Arthur Crudup . After some time in New Orleans , where he played with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James in a pub, "JB" (his official first name) moved to Chicago in the late 1940s . There he was introduced to the blues community by Big Bill Broonzy . In 1951 he recorded his first single, the Korea Blues ; 1951/52 recordings were made for the JOB label. In 1954 Mama Talk to Your Daughter , a blues standard, was released. The Eisenhower Blues , which was also recorded that year, caused such a storm of indignation that it was taken off the market and reissued as Tax Paying Blues . In the 1950s, Lenoir was known for his unusual appearances, especially his tiger skin tailcoat and his high-pitched voice.
Over the years, Lenoir changed the record company several times. In 1965 and 1966 he recorded two acoustic albums for German promoter Horst Lippmann , Alabama Blues and Down in Mississippi , both directed by Willie Dixon . Both songs address the situation of blacks in the south of the USA, which was still characterized by discrimination and organized attacks by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s .
"I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me.
I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me.
You know they killed my sister and my brother,
And the whole world let them peoples go down there free. "
Towards the end of his life his lyrics became more and more political, so he turned against racism (Alabama March, Shot on James Meredith) , but also against the Vietnam War (Vietnam Blues) .
JB Lenoir died unexpectedly in 1967, possibly as a result of a car accident in which he had been involved a few weeks earlier and of neglect of treatment at the hospital he was visiting. He was only 38 years old. He is buried in Salem Church Cemetery in Monticello, Mississippi.
posterity
British blues musician John Mayall lamented Lenoir's death in the songs The Death of JB Lenoir (1967) and I'm Gonna Fight for You, JB (1969).
The documentary Soul of a Man by Wim Wenders (second part of the documentary series The Blues by Martin Scorsese) is dedicated to JB Lenoir. In addition to him, two other blues musicians are portrayed ( Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson ).
In 2011 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame of the Blues Foundation. Alabama Blues was included on The Wire's "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)" list.
Discography (selection)
Singles
- I'm in Korea / Eisenhower Blues, Parrot 802 (1954)
- Mamma Talk to Your Daughter / Man Watch Your Woman, Parrot 809 (1954)
- Fine Girls / I Lost My Baby, Parrot 821 (1955)
- What About Your Daughter / 5 Years, Checker 874 (1957)
- Daddy Talk to Your Son / She Don't Know, Checker 901 (1958)
- Do What I Say / Oh Baby, Vee-Jay Records VJ 352 (1960)
- I Sing Um the Way I Feel / I Feel So Good, USA Records 744 (1963)
Albums
- Alabama Blues (1966), CBS
- Natural Man (1970), Chess
- Crusade (1970)
- JB Lenoir (1970), Polydor / Crusade Records
- Chess Blues Masters (1976)
- Down in Mississippi (1980)
- Mojo Boogie (1980)
- Chess Masters (1984)
- Parrot Sessions, 1954–55: Vintage Chicago Blues (1989)
- His JOB Recordings 1951–1954 (1991)
- Lenoir (1991)
- JB Lenoir 1951-1958 (1992)
- Vietnam Blues: The Complete L&R Recordings (1995), Evidence
- One of These Mornings (2003)
- Live in '63 (2003)
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues - JB Lenoir (2003), MCA Records, Chess
- Alabama Blues: Rare and Intimate Recordings from the Tragically Short Career of the Great Chicago Blues Man (2004), Complete Blues
- If You Love Me (2004)
- JB Lenoir (2004)
- Mojo: The Job / USA / Vee Jay Recordings (2004)
- The Chronological JB Lenoir 1955-1956 (2007), Classics Records
- I Don't Know (2010)
Web links
- Biography on Allmusic (Engl.)
- JB Lenoir at Discogs (English)
- Text: Eisenhower Blues on lyrics keeper
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b J.B. Lenoir ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Blues Online
- ↑ Living Blues ( Memento of the original from July 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Blues Hall of Fame ( Memento of the original from December 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ CD Universe, AMG, Amazon
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lenoir, JB |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 5, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Monticello , Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 29, 1967 |
| Place of death | Urbana , Illinois |