Mississippi Fred McDowell used to be no Delta blues singer. His blues had been North Mississippi blues, as a result of he got here from the Hill nation close to Roseville, Tennessee. Born on January 12, 1906, he moved to the Delta in 1928 and settled in Como, Mississippi, which is 40 miles or in an effort to the south of Memphis.
He used to be no doubt sufficiently old to had been recorded within the pre-war rush to position Delta bluesmen within the studio – both the ones of the touring box recorders or via sending him north to some of the established studios reminiscent of Paramount in Grafton, Wisconsin. However as regularly as now not, it used to be destiny that intervened to permit a blues participant to report and, destiny, that first time handed him via.
In the ones days, Mississippi Fred McDowell used to be taking part in for guidelines in Memphis, but additionally running in a feed mill and as a farmhand. He left Memphis to settle in Como, Mississippi and that’s the place he used to be dwelling when Alan Lomax got here via with a tape recorder in 1959; destiny used to be sort this time. His recording of “Freeway 61” is from Lomax’s first recordings and it used to be by no means bettered. Within the early Sixties McDowell used to be taking part in in the neighborhood, however quickly he used to be persuaded to commute additional afield to permit other people to hear the brilliance of his slide guitar taking part in within the North Mississippi hill custom.
He performed the Newport Competition in 1964 with “Mississippi John Harm” and Sleepy John Estes and the next yr he recorded for the Arhoolie label. He additionally visited Europe, traveling with the American People Blues Competition and showing in London with Jo Ann Kelly. In 1969 he recorded I Do Not Play No Rock ‘N’ Roll that captured Fred’s taking part in in all its depth; it is among the nice blues albums.
Mississippi Fred McDowell’s absolute best identified these days for offering the Rolling Stones with their duvet of “You Gotta Transfer” that they recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound in December 1969; The Stones paid Fred the honour of taking part in his track “immediately.” “You Gotta Transfer” used to be sooner or later incorporated on their Sticky Arms album in 1971. Round the similar time, Bonnie Raitt used to be being attentive to Fred’s data and finding out from his slide guitar taste. He died from most cancers the next yr, having tasted the rewards of his wealthy skill, however now not just about sufficient.
That is what the mythical Dick Waterman needed to say about Mississippi Fred McDowell and those who suppose the blues is just a somber more or less tune.
“I don’t purchase into the speculation that claims that blues is a catharsis for the soul, that it unburdens you and you are feeling higher. Hound Canine Taylor used to be the happiest man I ever knew. You can watch Hound Canine Taylor, you’d watch Fred McDowell, you’d watch Mississippi John Harm and there used to be not anything miserable, not anything. They had been satisfied, their tune conveyed an actual sense of pleasure, of actual happiness. They performed with a spirit, they performed with an absolute love of it.”
Practice the Stormy Monday playlist to listen to McDowell and different blues greats do their factor.
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