Memphis Slim

Happy Birthday, Memphis Slim...September 3, 1915-February 24, 1988...His father played piano and guitar and operated juke joints and in his honor, John Len Chatman would first record under his father's name, Peter Chatman. He soon changed his name to Memphis Slim but would continue to publish some of his 500 songs under his father's name. Memphis Slim got his start in the 1930's in the  honky-tonks and dance halls around Arkansas and Missouri, moving up to Chicago in 1939 to work with Big Bill Broonzy as his piano player. In 1940 Slim recorded his first sides for Blue Bird records, "Beer Drinking Woman" and "Grinder Man Blues" which would remain on his song list for decades.

Slim became a regular session musician for Blue Bird, playing piano for Sonny Boy Williamson, Washboard Sam, Jazz Gillum as well as Broonzy. Slim was influenced by the style of Roosevelt Sykes early on, but Broonzy encouraged him to develop a style of his own. After WW2, Slim went about creating a sound for himself that would become one of the major influences of jump-blues. He put together his own band, the "House Rockers" and cut two classics in 1947, "Lend Me Your Love" and "Rockin' The House." The next year he recorded his biggest hit, "Nobody Loves Me," later covered by dozens of others including Joe Williams, Lou Rawls, Natalie Cole, Eric Clapton and B.B. King as "Every Day I Have The Blues."

Slim tended to jump around on record labels but what he recorded was solid. "The Come Back", Sassy Mae" and "Memphis Slim U.S.A" all made the charts toward the end of the 50's. In all he recorded more than 20 albums under his name and appeared on many more as a side man. Like many other African American artists of the time, Slim tired of the difficulties of being black and on the road in the segregated Unites States. When an offer came to play in Europe, he jumped at the chance and never came back.

In 1960, Slim made his first trip out of the U.S. on a tour of Europe. In 1962, Dixon put together the first of a series of American Folk Festival concerts with Memphis Slim as a featured artist. Slim found the more open environment invigorating and moved to Paris permanently. His engaging personality, and fine tuned playing style, story and history telling of the blues made him a popular entertainer. He was one of the most popular blues players in Europe for almost thirty years.
He died of renal failure at the age of 72.