Roosevelt Sykes

Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906 – July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "The Honeydripper".[1]

Roosevelt Sykes
Background information
Also known asThe Honeydripper
Born(1906-01-31)January 31, 1906
Elmar, Arkansas, United States
DiedJuly 17, 1983(1983-07-17) (aged 77)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
GenresBlues, boogie-woogie
Occupation(s)Pianist, singer, songwriter
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1920s–1983
LabelsVarious

Career

Sykes was born in Elmar, Arkansas, and grew up near Helena. At age 15, he went on the road playing piano in a barrelhouse style of blues. Like many bluesmen of his time, he travelled around playing to all-male audiences in sawmill, turpentine and levee camps along the Mississippi River, sometimes in a duo with Big Joe Williams, gathering a repertoire of raw, sexually explicit material.[2] His wanderings eventually brought him to St. Louis, Missouri, where he met St. Louis Jimmy Oden,[3] the writer of the blues standard "Goin' Down Slow".

In 1929 he was spotted by a talent scout and sent to New York City to record for Okeh Records.[4] His first release was "44 Blues" which became a blues standard and his signature song.[4] He soon began recording for different labels under various names, including Easy Papa Johnson, Dobby Bragg, and Willie Kelly (for Victor Records from 1930 to 1933). During this period he befriended another blues musician, the singer Charlie "Specks" McFadden, and accompanied him on half of the McFadden's recordings.[5] After he and Oden moved to Chicago, Sykes found his first period of fame when he signed a contract with Decca Records in 1934.[4] In 1943, he signed with Bluebird Records and recorded with the Honeydrippers.[6] Sykes and Oden continued their musical friendship into the 1960s.

In Chicago, Sykes began to display an increasing urbanity in his songwriting, using an eight-bar blues pop gospel structure instead of the traditional twelve-bar blues. Despite the growing urbanity of his style, he gradually became less competitive in the post–World War II music scene. After his contract with RCA Victor expired, he recorded for smaller labels, such as United, until his opportunities ran out in the mid-1950s.[4]

Sykes left Chicago in 1954 for New Orleans as electric blues was taking over the Chicago blues clubs. When he returned to recording in the 1960s, it was for labels such as Delmark, Bluesville, Storyville and Folkways, which were documenting the quickly passing blues history.[7] He lived out his final years in New Orleans, where he died from a heart attack[8] on July 17, 1983.[1]

Legacy

Sykes had a long career, spanning the pre-war and postwar eras. His pounding piano boogies and risqué lyrics characterize his contributions to the blues. He was responsible for influential blues songs such as "44 Blues", "Driving Wheel", and "Night Time Is the Right Time".[1]

He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1999[9] and the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in 2011.

Discography

References
  1. "Phil Brodie Band Tribute Page – Roosevelt Sykes". Philbrodieband.com. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
  2. Giles Oakley (1997). The Devil's Music. Da Capo Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
  3. "Roosevelt Sykes". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  4. Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 171–72. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  5. Yanow, Scott. "Charlie McFadden, Complete Recorded Works 1929–1937: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  6. "Roosevelt Sykes Could Play Those 88's". African American Registry. Archived from the original on October 27, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
  7. Shaw, Arnold (1978). Honkers and Shouters. New York: Macmillan. pp. 14–17. ISBN 0-02-061740-2.
  8. "The Dead Rock Stars Club: The 1980s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  9. "Blues Hall of Fame Inductees – 1999". Blues Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 19, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.