K. C. Douglas
| K. C. Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1913 Sharon, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Berkeley, California, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1940–1975 |
| Associated acts | Sidney Maiden |
K. C. Douglas (November 21, 1913 — October 18, 1975[1]) was an American rural blues singer and guitarist. His given names were initials only.[2]
Contents
Career
Born in Sharon, Mississippi, Douglas moved to Vallejo, California in 1945 to work in the naval shipyards, and by 1947 was playing on the San Francisco/Oakland blues scene. Douglas was influenced by Tommy Johnson,[1] who he had worked with in the Jackson, Mississippi area in the early 1940s,[2] and whose "Canned Heat Blues" he adapted on his album, Big Road Blues.
The K. C. Douglas Trio's first recording was "Mercury Boogie" (later renamed "Mercury Blues"), in 1948.[3] The song has been covered by Steve Miller, David Lindley and Dwight Yoakam, and a 1992 version by Alan Jackson was a number one hit.[1] Meat Loaf also covered the song as a bonus hidden track that appears on his 2003 album Couldn't Have Said It Better.[4] The Ford Motor Company purchased rights to the song and used it in a TV commercial.[1]
In the early 1960s Douglas recorded for Chris Strachwitz, mostly released on Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records and the Prestige Bluesville label. In 1961, Douglas played guitar on Sidney Maiden's album, Trouble An' Blues, thus reuniting a partnership that had started in the 1940s.[5]
Douglas played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973 and 1974. He formed a quartet that performed in the East Bay/Modesto/Stockton area.[1]
Douglas died of a heart attack in Berkeley, California in October 1975, and was buried in the Pleasant Green Cemetery in Sharon, Mississippi.[1]
Influence
While in his thirties and working at a garage, Douglas taught blues guitar to Steve Wold, now performing as Seasick Steve, the grandson of his employer.[6][7]
Selected discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | "Mercury Boogie" | Down Town |
| 1954 | "Lonely Blues" | Rhythm |
Note: the reverse of "Mercury Boogie" was by Sidney Maiden.
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | K.C. Douglas: A Dead Beat Guitar and the Mississippi Blues | Cook Records/Smithsonian Folkways |
| 1961 | K.C.'s Blues | Bluesville Records/Original Blues Classics |
| 1994 | Mercury Blues (reissued) | Arhoolie Records |
| 1994 | Big Road Blues (reissued) | OBC Records |
| 2006 | Classic African-American Ballads | Smithsonian Folkways |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Interview with Seasick Steve on The Paul O'Grady Show on YouTube; October 2008
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External links
- K.C. Douglas biography at Music.msn.com
- Allmusic
- Douglas at Folkways
- Illustrated K.C. Douglas discography
- K. C. Douglas at Find a Grave
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