Smoky Babe
| Smoky Babe | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Brown |
| Born |
July 31, 1927 Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States |
| Died |
May 1973 (age 45) (probable) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Louisiana blues, Piedmont blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s |
Robert Brown (July 31, 1927 – May 1973),[1][2] who performed as Smoky Babe, was an American acoustic blues guitarist and singer, whose recording career was restricted to a couple of recording sessions in the early 1960s. He is variously described as a Louisiana blues, Piedmont blues and blues revival musician.[3] His most noteworthy recordings were "Going Downtown Boogie," and "Ain't Got No Rabbit Dog."[2]
Career
He was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States.[2] Smoky Babe was recorded by Harry Oster of Louisiana State University in 1960 and 1961,[4][5] and the results were released by the Folk Lyric, Bluesville and Storyville labels.[6]
Outside of his recordings little is known of his life. The circumstances of his death are unclear. Some sources report that he died in June 1975,[3] but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc state that he probably died in May 1973 in Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1]
His song, "Boogy," was included on the compilation album, Blues Roots: Give Me The Blues (1979);[7] whilst "Hottest Brand Goin'" and "Locomotive Blues" appeared on the 1998 collection, The Bluesville Years, Vol. 9: Down the Country Way.[8]
Discography
- Smoky Babe and his Friends: Hot Blues (1961) – Folk-Lyric, 77 Records, Arhoolie
- Hottest Brand Goin (1961) – Bluesville
- Smoky Babe, Herman E. Johnson: Louisiana Country Blues (1997 ) – Arhoolie [6]
- Smoky Babe: Way Back In The Country Blues (2014) – Arhoolie
References
- 1 2 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 198. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- 1 2 3 Doc Rock. "The 1970s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
- 1 2 Cub Koda. "Smoky Babe | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
- ↑ Broven, John (1992). South to Louisiana (3rd ed.). Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company. p. 117. ISBN 1-55553-355-8.
- ↑ "Big Road Blues – Part 2". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
- 1 2 Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Smoky Babe discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
- ↑ Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Jim Brewer discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
- ↑ Stefan Wirz. "Illustrated Scrapper Blackwell discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-01-29.