Magic Slim
Encyclopedia
Magic Slim is an American
blues
singer and guitarist
.
when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin
mishap. He moved first to nearby Grenada
. He first came to Chicago
in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam
. The elder Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass
with his band
, and gave him his nickname
.
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers. He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops. They played in the dim, smoke-filled juke joints popular in Chicago in the 1970s on band stands barely large enough to hold the band.
Slim's recording
career began in 1966, with the song
"Scufflin'", followed by a number of singles
into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album
in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French
MCM label
. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator
, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version
of "Mustang Sally
".
In 1982 the guitarist John Primer
joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years. Releases include Spider in My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin' , which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of the guitarist and singer, Jake Dawson.
In 1994 Slim moved to Lincoln
, Nebraska
, where the Zoo Bar
had been booking him for years. Slim is frequently accompanied by his son Shawn (Lil' Slim) Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.
In 2003 Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W.C. Handy Award as 'Blues Band Of The Year' for the sixth time. Magic Slim and the Teardrops captured a live performance that was released on CD
and DVD
in August 2005, entitled Anything Can Happen.
Magazine
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Biography
Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
mishap. He moved first to nearby Grenada
Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.-History:...
. He first came to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam
Magic Sam
Samuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett was an American Chicago blues musician. Maghett was born in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter...
. The elder Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
with his band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, and gave him his nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
.
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers. He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops. They played in the dim, smoke-filled juke joints popular in Chicago in the 1970s on band stands barely large enough to hold the band.
Slim's recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
career began in 1966, with the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Scufflin'", followed by a number of singles
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...
into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
MCM 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,...
. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded 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 "Mustang Sally
Mustang Sally (song)
"Mustang Sally" is an R&B/straightforward blues first recorded by Mack Rice in 1965. It gained greater popularity when it was covered by Wilson Pickett on a single the following year. Pickett's version was also included on his 1967 album The Wicked Pickett....
".
In 1982 the guitarist John Primer
John Primer
John Primer is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist.-Biography:He played guitar at Theresa's, a club in Chicago, between 1974 and 1980. He was influenced by Muddy Waters' former sideman, Sammy Lawhorn, who taught him to play slide guitar...
joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years. Releases include Spider in My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin' , which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of the guitarist and singer, Jake Dawson.
In 1994 Slim moved to Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, where the Zoo Bar
Zoo Bar (Lincoln, Nebraska)
The Zoo Bar is a blues music venue and nightclub located in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska on 136 North 14th Street. Styled around the Chicago blues clubs, it is a long, narrow venue in a building built in 1921....
had been booking him for years. Slim is frequently accompanied by his son Shawn (Lil' Slim) Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.
In 2003 Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W.C. Handy Award as 'Blues Band Of The Year' for the sixth time. Magic Slim and the Teardrops captured a live performance that was released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in August 2005, entitled Anything Can Happen.
Citation
"Magic Slim consistently offers no-frills houserockin’ blues. He and his band are a national treasure." - Living BluesLiving Blues
Living Blues is a bi-monthly magazine focused on covering the African American blues tradition, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van Singel. Alligator Records owner and founder Bruce Iglauer was also one of the...
Magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Discography
- 1977 : Born On a Bad Sign (MCM), reissue (Storyville)
- 1978 : Let Me Love You (MCM)
- 1978 : Highway is My Home (Black & Blue), reissue (Evidence)
- 1978 : Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 2 (Alligator)
- 1980 : Liv 'n Blue (Candy Apple CA)
- 1980 : In the Heart of the Blues (Isabel)
- 1980 : Doing Fine (Isabel)
- 1982 : Raw Magic (Alligator)
- 1982 : Essential Boogie (Rooster BluesRooster BluesRooster Blues is an American independent record label founded in 1980. The label is dedicated to blues music from the Mississippi Delta. Rooster Blues was co-founded by Jim O'Neal in Chicago, and initially released 14 albums by South Side blues musicians. In 1986, O'Neal moved the label to...
) - 1982 : Grand SlamGrand Slam (Magic Slim)Grand Slam Grand Slam Grand Slam (Rooster Blues (2618) is a studio album by Magic Slim and his band, the Teardrops, reissued in 1983 by Rooster Blues. This studio album is unusual in its spontaneity and energy. Magic Slim performs both early soul and blues songs with his fine vocals and vigorous...
(Rooster Blues) - 1990 : Gravel Road (Blind Pig)
- 1992 : 44 Blues (Wolf Records) with John PrimerJohn PrimerJohn Primer is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist.-Biography:He played guitar at Theresa's, a club in Chicago, between 1974 and 1980. He was influenced by Muddy Waters' former sideman, Sammy Lawhorn, who taught him to play slide guitar...
and Bonnie LeeBonnie LeeBonnie Lee was an American Chicago blues singer. Known as 'Sweetheart of the Blues', she is best remembered for her lengthy working relationships with Sunnyland Slim and Willie Kent... - 1992 : Spider in My Stew (Wolf Records) with John PrimerJohn PrimerJohn Primer is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist.-Biography:He played guitar at Theresa's, a club in Chicago, between 1974 and 1980. He was influenced by Muddy Waters' former sideman, Sammy Lawhorn, who taught him to play slide guitar...
- 1992 : Blues Behind Closed Doors (Wolf Records) with John Primer and Billy BranchBilly BranchBilly Branch is an American blues harmonica player and singer of Chicago blues and harmonica blues.-Career:...
- 1993 : Magic Slim & The Teardrops (Wolf Records)
- 1994 : Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 10 (Wolf Records)
- 1994 : Don't Tell Me About Your Troubles (Wolf Records)
- 1995 : Zoo Bar Collection, Vol. 3 (Wolf Records)
- 1995 : Alone & Unplugged
- 1995 : Born On A Bad Sign
- 1996 : Scufflin' (Tone Zone Studios)
- 1997 : Let Me Love You
- 1998 : Zoo Bar Collection, Vol. 4: Spider in My Stew
- 1998 : See What You're Doin' to Me (Wolf Records)
- 1998 : Black Tornado (Blind Pig)
- 2000 : Snakebite (Blind Pig)
- 2000 : Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 18: Live on the Road (Wolf Records)
- 2002 : Blue Magic (Blind Pig)
- 2005 : Anything Can Happen (Blind Pig) (live albumLive albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
) - 2006 : Tin Pan Alley (Wolf Records) (compilation albumCompilation albumA 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...
) - 2006 : That Ain't Right (DelmarkDelmark RecordsDelmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in...
) Magic Slim & the Teardrops / Joe Carter with Sunnyland SlimSunnyland SlimAlbert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was an American blues pianist, who was born in the Mississippi Delta, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, to contribute to that city's post-war scene as a center for blues music...
- originally recorded in 1977 - 2007 : The Essential Magic Slim (Blind Pig)
- 2008 : Midnight Blues (Blind Pig) - produced by Nick MossNick MossNick Moss is an American Chicago and electric blues musician. He has released eight albums to date, all on his own Blue Bella Records label. He has played alongside or with Buddy Scott, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and The Legendary Blues Band; as well as more latterly fronting his own group, Nick...
with special guests James CottonJames CottonJames Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
, Elvin BishopElvin BishopElvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
, Lil' Ed WilliamsLil' Ed WilliamsLil' Ed Williams is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. With his backing band, the Blues Imperials, slide guitarist Williams has built up a loyal following.-Biography:...
, Lonnie BrooksLonnie BrooksLonnie Brooks is an American blues singer and guitarist. He was born in Dubuisson, Louisiana, United States...
, and Otis ClayOtis ClayOtis Clay is an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music.-Life and career:... - 2009 : Rough Dried Woman (Wolf Records) (compilation albumCompilation albumA 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...
- 1986-1992) - 2010: Raising The Bar
See also
- List of blues musicians
- Chicago Blues FestivalChicago Blues FestivalThe Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
- San Francisco Blues FestivalSan Francisco Blues FestivalDebuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
- Sweden Rock FestivalSweden Rock FestivalSweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
- Notodden Blues FestivalNotodden Blues FestivalNotodden Blues Festival is one of the largest blues music festivals in Europe and the largest in Scandinavia. The festival is held in Notodden, Norway, usually in early August.-History:...
- List of stage names