Scrapper Blackwell

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Francis Hillman "Scrapper" Blackwell (born February 21, 1903 in Syracuse , North Carolina , † October 7, 1962 in Indianapolis , Indiana ) was an American blues guitarist who was best known as a partner of Leroy Carr .

Life

According to his own statements, Scrapper Blackwell had Cherokee ancestors. As a child he came to Indianapolis with his family , where he spent most of his life. He taught himself to play guitar, influenced by blues recordings, especially by Blind Lemon Jefferson .

Blackwell was a recreational musician, an excellent guitarist who had developed a style of his own. He earned his living mainly by smuggling alcohol. The pianist Leroy Carr had some difficulty persuading Blackwell to record together in 1928. Among the duo's first recordings was How Long How Long Blues , which became a hit. Until Carr's death in 1935, the duo made many more recordings, including the title Alabama Woman Blues .

Scrapper Blackwell also played with other partners, such as Georgia Tom Dorsey or Black Bottom McPhail. He also made solo recordings. His most famous track is probably Kokomo Blues , which Kokomo Arnold processed into Original Old Kokomo Blues , from which Robert Johnson eventually made Sweet Home Chicago .

After Carr's death, Blackwell retired from the music scene entirely. It was not until 1959 that he was rediscovered by Duncan Scheidt and persuaded to make new recordings. In 1962, Scrapper Blackwell died in a shooting in Indianapolis.

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