Tampa Red

Influential Chicago Blues Slide Guitarist

Blues singer and guitarist, born January 8, 1904, Smithville, GA, USA, died March 19, 1981, Chicago, IL, USA. Tampa Red came by his nick-name because he was raised in Tampa, Florida, and because of his red hair. In the 1920s he formed a team with Georgia Tom (Dorsey), also known as The Hokum Boys. Tampa Red also created jug bands such as Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band (featuring a young Frankie Jaxon), and The Tub Jug Washboard Band, which backed blues singer Ma Rainey. He also recorded alone, and cut a number of exquisite guitar solos. Already by the time of his 1928 recording debut for Vocalion, he had developed the clear, precise bottleneck blues guitar style that earned him his billing "The Guitar Wizard". His bottleneck and single-string solo style inspired a number of other blues guitarists, among them Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk. Tampa Red was also a prolific songwriter, writing such blues standards as "Sweet Black Angel", "Love Her With A Feeling", "Don't You Lie To Me", and "It Hurts Me Too" (covered by B.B. King, Freddy King, Fats Domino, and Elmore James, respectively). He may have been the most influential of the early 20th century blues guitarists.