Johnny Temple (musician)

Johnny Temple (October 18, 1906 – November 22, 1968)[1] was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer, who was active in the 1930s and 1940s.[2] He was variously billed as Johnny Temple, Johnnie Temple and Johnnie "Geechie" Temple.

Johnny Temple
Born	October 18, 1906 Hazlehurst, Mississippi, United States
Died	November 22, 1968 (aged 62) Canton, Mississippi, United States
Genres	Delta blues, folk blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, beastslayer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano, washboard

Life and career

Temple was born in Canton, Mississippi, and grew up around Jackson.[3] He learned to play guitar and mandolin as a child and began playing house parties as a teenager.[4] While in Jackson he befriended Skip James.[5] He moved to Chicago in the early 1930s and started playing with Joe McCoy in clubs.[3] Temple began recording songs such as "The Evil Devil Blues" and "Lead Pencil Blues" in 1935.[6] His most popular record, "Louise Louise Blues," released by Decca Records, was a hit in 1936.[7] The Harlem Hamfats, a Chicago jazz band formed in 1936, provided backup music for Temple and other singers.[3] By 1940, Decca had released two dozen of his records.[6]

Temple continued recording with various labels through most of the 1940s. His connection with the record producer Mayo Williams provided him with recording opportunities until 1949.[3] After World War II, Temple played an important role in welcoming blues musicians who arrived from the South.[5] Though his recording career ended, he continued to perform gigs, often alongside Big Walter Horton and Billy Boy Arnold. He returned to Mississippi in the mid-1950s, where he continued to perform in clubs and juke joints in and around Jackson.[4]

Temple eventually gave up the blues to become a minister.[5] He died of cancer on November 22, 1968,[1] aged 62, in Jackson.

Discography

Artist	Recording Date	Matrix	Song	Catalog	Release Date
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-987-A	The Evil Devil Blues	Vocalion 02987	1935
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-987-B	Jacksonville Blues	Vocalion 02987	1935
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-983-B	Lead Pencil Blues (It Just Won't Write)	Vocalion 03068	1935
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-986-B	Big Boat Whistle	Vocalion 03068	1935
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-985-B	Morning Prayer Blues	Vocalion (unissued)	—
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1935	C-988-B	Cypress Grove Blues	Vocalion (unissued)	—
Johnnie Temple	12 November 1936	90980-A	New Vicksburg Blues	Decca 7244	1936
Johnnie Temple	12 November 1936	90981-A	Louise Louise Blues	Decca 7244	1936
Johnnie Temple	12 November 1936	90981-B	Big Leg Woman[8]	Decca 7244	1936
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1937	91249-A	Peepin' Through the Keyhole	Decca 7316	1937
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1937	91251-A	East St. Louis Blues	Decca 7316	1937
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1937	91247-A	So Lonely and Blue	Decca 7337	1937
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1937	91248-A	New Louise Louise Blues	Decca 7337	1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats	6 October 1937	62653-A	Gimme Some of That Yum Yum Yum	Decca 7385	1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats	6 October 1937	62654-A	Hoodoo Woman	Decca 7385	1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats	6 October 1937	62655-A	Mama's Bad Luck Child	Decca 7416	1937
Johnnie Temple and the Harlem Hamfats	14 May 1937	91246-A	Snapping Cat	Decca 7416	1937
Johnnie Temple	14 May 1937	91250-A	Pimple Blues	Decca 7444	1937
Johnnie Temple	6 October 1937	62656-A	Mean Baby Blues	Decca 7444	1937
Johnnie Temple	28 October 1937	C-2046-2	Beale Street Sheik	Vocalion (unissued)	—
Johnnie Temple	28 October 1937	C-2049-2	The Hoodoo Plan	Vocalion (unissued)	—
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63670-A	What Is That Smells Like Gravy	Decca 7456	1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63674-A	County Jail Blues	Decca 7456	1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63671-A	Every Dog Must Have His Day	Decca 7495	1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63672-A	Fare You Well	Decca 7495	1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63673-A	Stavin' Chain	Decca 7532	1938
Johnny Temple with the Harlem Hamfats	22 April 1938	63675-A	Gonna Ride 74	Decca 7532	1938
Johnny Temple	17 October 1938	91520-A	Big Leg Woman	Decca 7547	1938
Johnny Temple	17 October 1938	91523-A	Between Midnight and Dawn	Decca 7547	1938

Selected discography

Year	Title	Genre	Label	Notes
2003	The Essential (original recording remastered)	Chicago blues	Classic Blues	2 CDs, 36 tracks

References

1. "Johnny Temple (2) Discography". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
2. Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
3. Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 175–176. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
4. Koda, Cub. "Johnnie "Geechie" Temple". Allmusic. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
5. Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). University of Arkansas Press. p. 206. ISBN 1610751396.
6. "The Secret History of Chicago Music: Johnnie Temple". Chicago Reader. January 15, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
7. Santelli, Robert (2001). The Big Book of Blues. Penguin Books. page 454. ISBN 0-14-100145-3.
8. Johnny Temple – Topic (November 7, 2014), Big Leg Woman, retrieved April 10, 2016

External links

• Johnny "Geechie" Temple (All-Music Guide)
• Illustrated Johnny Temple discography