| Fred Mcdowell |
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McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee , near Memphis . His parents, who were farmers, died when McDowell was a youth. He started playing guitar at the age of 14 and played at Dance s around Rossville. Wanting a change from plowing fields, he moved to Memphis in 1926 where he worked in a number of jobs and played music for tips. He settled in Como , Mississippi , about 40 miles south of Memphis, in 1940 or 1941 , and worked steadily as a Farmer , continuing to perform music at dances, Picnic s and the like. Initially he played Slide Guitar using a pocket knife and then a slide made from a beef rib bone, later switching to a glass slide for its clearer sound. He played with the slide on his ring finger. The 1950s brought a rising interest in blues music and on slide guitar technique, and was reportedly flattered by The Rolling Stones ' rather straightforward, authentic version of his "You Gotta Move" on their 1971 '' Sticky Fingers '' album. McDowell's 1969 album "This Ain't No Rock N' Roll" was his first featuring electric guitar. It features parts of an interview in which he discusses the origins of the blues and the nature of love. McDowell died of Cancer in 1972 and is buried at Hammond Hill M.B. Church, between Como and Senatobia . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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