Carolina Slim
Encyclopedia
Carolina Slim was an American
Piedmont blues
guitarist and singer. His best known tracks were "Black Cat Trail" and "I'll Never Walk in Your Door". He used various pseudonyms during his relatively brief recording career, including Country Paul, Jammin' Jim, Lazy Slim Jim and Paul Howard. In total he recorded 27 songs, but details of his life outside of his music career are scanty, and the exact reasons concerning the usage of differing names are also unclear.
, United States
. He learned to play the guitar from his father, and was influenced by Lightnin' Hopkins
and Blind Boy Fuller
. He later found work as an itinerant musician around Durham, North Carolina
.
In 1950, he relocated to Newark, New Jersey
, and made his recording debut for the Savoy
label
, billed as Carolina Slim. His first single
was "Black Chariot Blues" b/w "Mama's Boogie", recorded on July 24, 1950, and released on Acorn Records (Acorn 3015), a subsidiary of Savoy. In 1951 and 1952, he recorded eight tracks for the King label in New York
, this time using the name of Country Paul. Henry Glover
met Slim at these recordings, and later commented that Slim was "a very sickly young man at the time". Slim's style blended Piedmont blues, prominent in songs such as "Carolina Boogie" and his cover version
of Fuller's "Rag Mama Rag", with the influence of Hopkins meaning that he increasingly veered towards Texas blues
. Occasionally, Slim incorporated a washboard
as well as his more regular guitar, as if to emphasise his Carolina rootstock.
His recordings were not hugely popular, but sold in sufficient amounts for him to retain his recording contract
. In June 1952, Slim recorded four more tracks for Savoy, but these were to be his final offerings.
Carolina Slim died in Newark, New Jersey, from a heart attack
suffered whilst undergoing surgery on a back complaint. He was 30 years old.
In 1994, Document
released a compilation album
, Complete Recorded Works 1950-1952, which incorporated all of his 27 tracks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
guitarist and singer. His best known tracks were "Black Cat Trail" and "I'll Never Walk in Your Door". He used various pseudonyms during his relatively brief recording career, including Country Paul, Jammin' Jim, Lazy Slim Jim and Paul Howard. In total he recorded 27 songs, but details of his life outside of his music career are scanty, and the exact reasons concerning the usage of differing names are also unclear.
Biography
Carolina Slim was born Edward P. Hughes in Leasburg, North CarolinaLeasburg, North Carolina
Leasburg is a former town and the former county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina. The community has a partial presence in Person County. The population was 1,942 at the 2000 census. It was named in honor of longtime resident William Lea and is located along US 158 and NC 119 near Hyco Lake...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He learned to play the guitar from his father, and was influenced by Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins
Sam John Hopkins better known as Lightnin’ Hopkins, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Houston, Texas...
and Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
. He later found work as an itinerant musician around Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
.
In 1950, he relocated to Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, and made his recording debut for the Savoy
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, billed as Carolina Slim. His first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was "Black Chariot Blues" b/w "Mama's Boogie", recorded on July 24, 1950, and released on Acorn Records (Acorn 3015), a subsidiary of Savoy. In 1951 and 1952, he recorded eight tracks for the King label in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, this time using the name of Country Paul. Henry Glover
Henry Glover
Henry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label...
met Slim at these recordings, and later commented that Slim was "a very sickly young man at the time". Slim's style blended Piedmont blues, prominent in songs such as "Carolina Boogie" and his cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Fuller's "Rag Mama Rag", with the influence of Hopkins meaning that he increasingly veered towards Texas blues
Texas blues
Texas blues is a subgenre of blues. It has had various style variations but typically has been played with more swing than other blues styles....
. Occasionally, Slim incorporated a washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
as well as his more regular guitar, as if to emphasise his Carolina rootstock.
His recordings were not hugely popular, but sold in sufficient amounts for him to retain his recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. In June 1952, Slim recorded four more tracks for Savoy, but these were to be his final offerings.
Carolina Slim died in Newark, New Jersey, from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
suffered whilst undergoing surgery on a back complaint. He was 30 years old.
In 1994, Document
Document Records
Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945...
released a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Complete Recorded Works 1950-1952, which incorporated all of his 27 tracks.