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Bukka White (or '''Booker T. Washington White''', probably born November 12 , 1909 , near Houston, Mississippi died February 26 , 1977 ) was a Delta Blues Guitar ist and singer. He gave his more famous cousin B.B. King his first guitar, a Stella . Bukka himself is remembered as a player of National Steel Guitar s. He first recorded for the Victor label in 1930 , and nine years later recorded for folklorist Alan Lomax . Bob Dylan covered his song " Fixin' To Die Blues ", which aided his 'rediscovery' and propelled him onto the Folk Revival scene of the 1960s . BIOGRAPHY Born Booker T. Washington White, his date and place of birth is under debate. One source says Houston, Mississippi , on November 12, 1909 (eyeneer.com). Another states that White was born in 1906 (Eley). Arne Brogger, a friend of Bukka's, recalls him having been born in Aberdeen, Mississippi , in 1902 (Brogger). His talent stems from his musical family. His father, John White, a railroad worker and part-time musician, taught Bukka how to play the Guitar (blueflamecafe.com). John White was a versatile musician, playing the Mandolin , Piano , Drums , and Saxophone (Evans and Hurley157). White's mother, Lula White, was the daughter of a preacher and introduced her children to various hymns (Evans and Hurley 147). At age nine, White received his first guitar (Eley). Along with the influences of his family, White's musical career was influenced by blues artists such as George "Bullet" Williams and Charley Patton (Guinness 4452-4453 and blueflamecafe.com). As a teenager White worked as a field hand, played at many juke joints and parties; and in 1920 , he moved to St. Louis to play in the clubs (blueflamecafe.com and Eley). At age sixteen, Bukka married Jesse Bea and moved back to Houston with a new Stella guitar--a wedding gift from his father. Unfortunately, White's marriage lasted less than three years because Jesse Bea died in 1928 (Evans and Hurley 163). White's musical breakthrough came around 1930 when Ralph Lembo, an agent for the Victor recording label, sent him to record some of his songs in Memphis (Eley and Historical Tour). In 1934 , White married Susie Simpson, the niece of blues artist George "Bullet" Williams (Evans and Hurley 167). Although newly married, White spent a great deal of time in other places. He " Hoboed " in cities such as St. Louis , Cincinnati , Cleveland , Baltimore , New York , and many others. For extra income, White played semi-professional baseball with a group called the Birmingham Black Cats and fought in professional boxing matches (Evans and Hurley 169-171). White compared boxing to his guitar style. When talking about his playing, he said, "I play so rough, I stomp 'em, I don't peddle 'em." (Historical tour). The year 1937 began a tough, yet memorable period for White. He was imprisoned for assault at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (also known as Parchman Farm ), though he continued to make music. In September of 1937 , he recorded one of his most successful songs, "Shake 'em on Down," under a contract with Vocalion Records. When White was asked about his activities at Parchman, he smiled and said, "Well, I mostly played guitar." White went on to record two more songs for the Library of Congress Archive of Folk songs in 1939 (Evans and Hurley 172-175). Upon his release from prison in 1940, he traveled to Chicago to record for Lester Melrose of Vocalion Records (Evans and Hurley 177-178). In 1942 , he settled in Memphis and obtained a legal separation from his wife Susie, leaving her to raise their two children alone (Evans and Hurley186-188). During the 1950s White's musical career was fairly dormant. He became a common laborer and worked with Newberry Equipment in Memphis. His job consisted of laying out steel for welders to make tanks for the war (Evans and Hurley189). The blues revival of the 1960s brought new attention to long-retired musicians, and White was "re-discovered" in 1963 by John Fahey and Ed Denson, two blues enthusiasts who founded Takoma Records , who promptly signed him up to the label. Later that year, he traveled to California to play for several folklore classes at the University of California at Berkeley (Hurley and Evans 196-197). With several re-recordings in demand, White focused on a full-time blues career. In 1967 , White toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival. The next year he was invited to sing at the Olympic Games in Mexico City (Eley). In 1973, he played with his cousin B.B. King at the New Orleans Heritage Festival. That same year, he was nominated for a Grammy Award (Eley and Historical Tour). One notable performance was at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where he performed with fellow bluesmen Muddy Waters and B.B. King . Around 1976 , White began to suffer from a series of strokes and his health deteriorated. He died the following year around the age of 65. |
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