Lester Davenport
Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport (born January 6, 1932 in Tchula, Mississippi , † March 17, 2009 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American blues musician whose main instrument was the harmonica . He also played bass, drums and guitar .
At the age of 14, he left Mississippi for Chicago. Despite his youth, he played in the bands of Arthur Spiers, Snooky Pryor and Homesick James , who became a mentor to him . In 1955 he worked as a studio musician on recordings of Bo Diddley for Chess Records , with these recordings, among others, Pretty Thing and Bring It to Jerome . As an accompanist, he also played with Diddley at New York's famous Apollo Theater. He had his own band in the 1960s, but worked as a painter during the day. In the 1980s he played in the band Kinsey Reportthe harmonica. It wasn't until 1992 that he recorded his first own album ( When the Blues Hit You , Earwig Records, 1992) and it was ten years before his second ( I Smell a Rat , Delmark Records , 2002). His discography only includes these two albums, but he can be heard as accompanist on several albums by other musicians such as Bo Diddley, Big Jack Johnson , Willie Kent, Aron Burton and Johnny B. Moore.
He got his nickname "Mad Dog" at a young age because he liked to wander around the stage and play a few notes with each instrument, his harmonica playing also contributed to this.
He was also happy to pass on his knowledge of harmonica playing to aspiring musicians. After a long illness, Lester Davenport died of prostate cancer in Chicago.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Obituary Lester Davenport Blues in the Northwest ( Memento of the original from July 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c AMG biography of Bill Dahl
- ↑ CD Universe discography Lester Davenport
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Davenport, Lester |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Davenport, Mad Dog (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tchula, Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 17, 2009 |
| Place of death | Chicago , Illinois |