Library Home |
|
Our African American Legacy |
Our Legacy Menu
|
ASK A QUESTION ONLINE |
||
|
JAMES MOORE (SLIM HARPO)
Blues Artist
1922-1970
|
James "Slim Harpo" Moore was born on January 11, 1922 in Lobdell in West Baton Rouge Parish. Moore was a self-taught harmonica player and was forced to quit school in the 10th grade after losing both parents. Supporting himself and his family with manual labor, he began to pick up musical gigs and by the early 1940s he was booking himself under the name "Harmonica Slim" - a name that was already taken by another performer. In 1948 Moore married and turned to music full-time as a source of income. Throughout the 1950s Moore toured South Louisiana playing small picnics and parties, beer joints and clubs. In the mid-1950s he and Lightnin' Slim teamed up for series of recordings at J.D. Miller's studio in Crowley. In 1956 Lightnin' slim replaced Moore with Lazy "I'm not Lazy, Lord knows I'm just tired" Lester, so in 1957 Moore returned to the studio on his own to record "I'm a King Bee." The record was released on the Excello label under the name "Slim Harpo."
"King Bee" was a moderate hit, followed by an even bigger hit "Raining in my Heart," a slow ballad that crossed over to the Pop Charts. Slim's next two albums bombed, so Slim left Miller for Imperial Records in New Orleans. He had cut several songs that weren't released when Miller lured him back and they released a novelty song "Scratch my Back" that turned into Slim Harpo's biggest hit. Afterward, Slim contracted directly with Excello and he released "Tip On It" the last of the his records.
"Scratch my Back" was so popular that Slim was able to tour with it in 1967. He played several dates in Chicago with Lightnin' Slim and in 1968 played with him again at the Whiskey a Go-Go in Los Angeles. In 1969 he played the Apollo Theater as well as the Fillmore East and the Electric Circus. Suddenly in 1970, James Moore became seriously ill and died at the Baton Rouge General Hospital on January 31, a victim of a heart attack.
Slim Harpo's music has been extensively performed and recorded by other musicians and groups: The Rolling Stones, George Thoroughgood and the Destroyers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anson Funderburgh, and the Rockets to name a few. Most famously, The Rolling Stones's Exile on Main St (1972) features a cover of Slim's "Shake your Hips".
Toward the end of his life, Slim ran a trucking business. Billboard Magazine's top 500 soul performers of all time lists Slim in its ranks. Slim's style of harmonica playing is described as a unique country style perhaps influenced by Jimmy Reed. A partial listing of Slim's Work follows below:
In the Library's CD collection:
Best Of Slim Harpo, (1997)CD Collection, Blues
Harpo, Slim
In the Library's print collection:
Baton Rouge Blues: A Guide To The Baton Rouge Bluesmen And Their Music, (1980)La 784.756 B573b
These titles are linked to the Library's online catalog so you can see title locations and status. Once you're in the catalog, click on the picture of the book cover for a synopsis and other information.
|
Would you like to recommend a person to add to our list?
Tell us about it!
7711 Goodwood Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 231-3750
Contact Us
•Feedback
•Report a Broken
Link
ADA
• FAQ
• Press Room
• City of Baton Rouge Website