Elmore James was one of the first blues players to adopt the electric slide guitar. His raw, loud and distorted sound was unique for the period, combined with a highly emotional delivery. He was a major influence on later rock musicians such as Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix.
Elmore Brooks was born in 1918 in Holmes County, Mississippi, and later took the surname of his stepfather Joe Willie James. Playing at local dances as a teenager, he soon became a well known blues musician, playing with Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Johnson. During world war II he joined the navy, and was active in the Pacific theatre. After his discharge, he returned to Mississippi, where he found work in his brother's radio repair shop. He used spare parts from the shop to convert his acoustic guitar into a distinctive electric slide guitar.
In 1951 Elmore James started recording first with Sonny Boy Williamson and then as a lead performer. His 1952 single "Dust My Broom" reached #9 on the R&B charts, followed by "I Believe" the next year. Ike Turner played on some of his early recordings. In 1959, he started recording a series of hits with his Broombusters including "The Sky Is Crying", "Stranger Blues", "Done Somebody Wrong" and "Shake Your Money Maker".
Elmore James died of a heart attack in 1963, aged 45.
Whose Muddy Shoes
Mean Mistreatin' Mama
LinksVh1.com Biography of Elmore James
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