Snooks Eaglin

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Snooks Eaglin

Snooks Eaglin (born January 21, 1936 in New Orleans as Fird Eaglin, Jr. , † February 18, 2009 ibid) was an American guitarist and singer . At a young age, the African American was also called Blind Snooks Eaglin . He had an immense repertoire; According to his own statements, he was able to perform around 2,500 pieces - this earned him the name “human jukebox”. On stage he usually had no prepared title sequence; he played whatever came to mind or what the audience wanted to hear. His pieces covered a wide variety of styles including blues , rock 'n' roll , jazz , country and Latin American music . His singing was like Ray Charles' ; in the 1950s he sometimes referred to himself as "Little Ray Charles".

biography

At 19 months, Eaglin lost his eyesight due to glaucoma . He spent several years in the hospital because of various illnesses. His father gave him a guitar when he was five and he taught himself to play on the radio. He was nicknamed "Snooks" after the radio character "Baby Snooks".

The early years

In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin won a talent competition on the radio station WNOE. Three years later he left the school for the blind and started working as a musician. In 1952 he became a member of the Flamingoes, the band of Allen Toussaint . He stayed with the band until they broke up in the mid-1950s.

Eaglin made his first recordings in 1953 as the accompanist for James "Sugar Boy" Crawford . His first recordings under his own name were made between 1958 and 1960 in seven sessions organized by folklore researcher Harry Oster . They were acoustic blues numbers that were later released several times.

1960s and 1970s

From 1960 to 1963 Eaglin recorded a total of 26 tracks for Imperial Records . He played electric guitar and his band included James Booker on piano and Smokey Johnson on drums. Dave Bartholomew had written a good part of the titles. It was all about rhythm and blues , for which Eaglin is best known today. In 1964, Eaglin was home recording for a Swedish publication.

The next recordings came in 1971, again for a Swedish label. The album Down Yonder with Ellis Marsalis on piano was released in 1978. In addition to his own work, Eaglin participated in Professor Longhair's Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge (1971-72) and on the debut album of the Wild Magnolias (released 1974).

Black Top and the Late Years

Between 1987 and 1999 Eaglin recorded four studio and one live albums for the Black Top Records label by the brothers Nauman and Hammond Scott. As a guest musician, he played for other black top artists, including Henry Butler , Earl King and Tommy Ridgley .

After Black Top Records ended, Eaglin released The Way It Is on Money Pit Records, produced by the Scott brothers who ran Black Top. In 1997, Eaglin's version of St. James Infirmary Blues was used for a television commercial in the UK.

Snooks Eaglin died on February 18, 2009 after a heart attack at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. In 2008 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the spring of 2009 he should perform again at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

Discography

Albums

  • 1959: New Orleans Street Singer ( Smithsonian Folkways )
  • 1971: The Legacy of the Blues Vol. 2 (Sonet)
  • 1978: Down Yonder - Snooks Eaglin Today! ( GNP Crescendo )
  • 1987: Baby, You Can Get You Gun! ( Black Top Records )
  • 1989: Out of Nowhere ( Black Top Records )
  • 1992: Teasin 'You ( Black Top Records )
  • 1995: Soul's Edge ( Black Top Records )
  • 1996: Soul Train from 'Nawlins: Live at Park Tower Blues Festival '95 (P-Vine) - Released in 1997 in the USA as Live in Japan (Black Top)
  • 2002: The Way It Is (Money Pit)

Compilations

Harry Oster

  • 1961: That's All Right (Prestige / Bluesville)
  • 1991: Country Boy Down in New Orleans (Arhoolie)
  • 1994: New Orleans Street Singer (Storyville)

Imperial

  • 1995: The Complete Imperial Recordings (Capitol)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Karl Bremer: Snooks Eaglin: On the Trail of the Most Elusive Guitar Player in New Orleans on Bluesaccess.com (English)
  2. ↑ Allmusic, see web links
  3. ^ Tony Russell, Snooks Eaglin - Singer and guitarist considered a giant of New Orleans music . Obituary for Snooks Eaglin, The Guardian, February 20, 2009
personal data
SURNAME Eaglin, snooks
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eaglin, Fird
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American guitarist and singer
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH February 18, 2009
Place of death New Orleans