martes, 8 de octubre de 2013

Homesick James

Homesick James

James Williamson o John Henderson ? Somerville, Tennesse, 3-5-1914 ? ...... En 1952, cuando ya habia grabado algunos discos como solista en el pequeño sello Chance, pasó a ser uno de los pilares del blues de South Side. era la epoca del formidable éxito de Elmore James, Williamson, tambien adepto al slide ... que segun él aprendió directamente de Robert Johnson.- se llamó Homesick James en sus primeros discos (compuso un Homesick Blues) , afirmando ser pariente de Elmore. Aquellas sesiones grabadas para Chance, algunas de ellas con Big Walter Horton, solo han sido reeditadas en un vinilo japonés (Chance vintage Blues ) .esta ursurpación de personalidad no parece preocupar a Elmore , quien incluso lo incluye en su banda. Cuando Elmore James muere, ( en los brazos de Homesick,segun el mismo) no habia nadie mejor que Williamson para perpetuar su estilo. 

La leyenda creada en torno al primo le proporciona mas conciertos y mas discos. Todo esto lo transcribimos de la Gran enciclopedia del Blues de Gérard Herzhaft.- y para que veais hasta que punto la aureola creada por el mismo tuvo efectos para la historia , sino ver lo que explican en el libro BLUES : KEEP ON FAITH de Keith Shadwick: ( Ojo ! que en la Penguin Guide aparece directamente como el primo de Elmore James ),. "By the late 1930s Homesick James was able to briefly run his own band in and around Memphis; this group was recorded by Bluebird in 1937.Moving to Chicago in the early 1950s the began playing with his cousin, Elmore James, learning much about the bottleneck approach while playing bass for him". Dicho todo ello, os recomendamos su musica, si os gusta el slide stlye , buenos temas , propios y versiones, simples pero efectivas, ( con desafinos incluidos ) The Sky is crying, de James, Lewis Robinson, cuya versión de Albert king resultaba definitiva, pero no esta nada mal la de Mr. Homesick, That´s alright mama de Crudup, y las creaciones propias como por ejemplo Homesick Boogie. En definitiva, un nombre más, legendario, para esta gran historia del Blues. (Mandonguilla Blues).



Homesick James (d. December 13, 2006) was an American blues musician known for his mastery of slide guitar. He recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick". James worked with his cousin, Elmore James, and Sonny Boy Williamson II.

He was born in Somerville, Tennessee, United States, the son of Cordellia Henderson and Plez Williamson Rivers, who were both musicians. He developed a self-taught style of slide guitar through playing at local dances in his teens. Little is known about his early life. He claimed to have played with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller and Big Joe Williams, among others, and to have been acquainted with Robert Johnson. He also claimed to be the older cousin of Elmore James, to have bought James his first guitar, and to have taught him how to play slide. However, some of these claims are unconfirmed.

By the mid-1930s he was based in Chicago, and working with Horace Henderson's band at the Circle Inn, and with pianist Jimmy Walker at the Square Deal Club. He may have first recorded for RCA Victor in 1937, but this is also unconfirmed, and by 1938 may have begun playing electric guitar. His first known recordings were in 1952 for Chance Records, recording the tracks "Lonesome Ole Train" and "Homesick" which gave him his stage name. During the late 1940s and 1950s he worked with both Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), and with Elmore James, and in the early 1950s he worked in bands including Baby Face Leroy Foster, Snooky Pryor, Floyd Jones, and Lazy Bill Lucas. Read more.....

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