Tommy McClennan
Tommy McClennan (born April 8, 1908 near Yazoo City , Mississippi , † probably 1962 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American blues musician.
A rather mediocre guitar and piano player, McClennan impressed with a powerful, expressive voice. He often performed with Robert Petway . Honeyboy Edwards reported that the two weren't very tall, so they almost looked like two midgets . He was friends with Big Bill Broonzy , who mentions him in his book Big Bill Blues (1935).
Between 1939 and 1942, McClennan recorded 42 tracks in five recording sessions. His best known pieces include Bottle It Up And Go , Cross Cut Saw Blues, and Deep Sea Blues (based on Petway's Catfish Blues ). His other tracks included the Cotton Patch Blues (1939), Highway 51 , It's Hard To be Lonesome, I'm A Guitar King (all 1940), Travellin 'Highway Man (1941), Deep Blue Sea Blues, Blues Trip Me In The Morning (1942). Most famous, however, was his title Bottle It Up And Go , which is considered a document of racial discrimination in the USA.
After that, Tommy McClennan quickly disappeared from the scene. He died presumably impoverished and alcoholic in Chicago in 1962.
literature
- John Jörgensen & Theo Wiedemann: Jazz Lexicon . Munich, mosaic, c. 1960
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | McClennan, Tommy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 8, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | at Yazoo City , Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | uncertain: 1962 |
| Place of death | Chicago , Illinois |