Lee Green
Leothus "Lee" Green (* approx. 1900 in Mississippi ; † around 1945) was an American blues singer and pianist who was active in the Mississippi area in the 1930s and 1940s.
Green, also known as "Pork Chops," was an early contemporary of Little Brother Montgomery and mentor to Roosevelt Sykes . He worked full time in a laundry in Vicksburg ; he also performed as a musician and toured the lower Mississippi. Montgomery is said to have taught him the song "44 Blues" in Vicksburg, and in 1925 Green again taught the initially jazz-oriented Sykes; the two then went on tours together. Green's first recordings were made in July 1929 for Gennett and Supertone in Richmond (Indiana); another session took place in January 1930. In 1929/30 he recorded 24 tracks for Vocalion , another 14 for Decca between August 1934 and September 1937. His last recordings were made in October 1937 for Bluebird in Aurora (Illinois) . In addition to the blues, he also played ragtime novelties, with influences from boogie-woogie and stride piano- like jazz passages. He is said to have died around 1945. His songs were later adopted by other blues musicians. His early piano playing contains Stride influences, while in the later recordings he played more in the blues style. He accompanied the singer George "Hambone" Ruthers (aka FT Thomas ) on two tracks .
Discographic notes
- Blues And Barrelhouse Piano 1929-1937 (Earl Archives, ed. 1982)
- Complete Recorded Works Vol. 1 (1929-1030) (Document)
- Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2 (1030-1997) (Document)
Web links
- Leothus Lee Green at Allmusic (English)
- Lee Green at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Green, Lee |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Green, Leothus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1900 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1945 |