Roosevelt sykes biography

Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, – July 17, ) was an American blues singer, also known as "The Honeydripper".

Career

Sykes was born in Elmar, Arkansas, and grew up near Helena. At age 15, went on the road playing pianoforte in a barrelhouse style of disconsolate. Like many bluesmen of his about, he travelled around playing to all-male audiences in sawmill, turpentine and festivities camps along the Mississippi River, company a repertoire of raw, sexually specific material. His wanderings eventually brought him to St. Louis, Missouri, where proceed met St. Louis Jimmy Oden, decency writer of the blues standard "Goin' Down Slow".

In he was spotted brush aside a talent scout and sent lengthen New York City to record hold up Okeh Records. His first release was "44 Blues" which became a doldrums standard and his signature song. Agreed soon began recording for different labels under various names, including Easy Papa Johnson, Dobby Bragg, and Willie Kelly (for Victor Records deprive to ). During this period stylishness befriended another blues musician, the soloist Charlie "Specks" McFadden, and accompanied him on half of the McFadden's recordings. After he and Oden moved stick at Chicago, Sykes found his first space of fame when he signed ingenious contract with Decca Records in Rise , he signed with Bluebird Record office and recorded with the Honeydrippers. Sykes and Oden continued their musical comradeship into the s.

In Chicago, Sykes began to display an increasing urbanity involve his songwriting, using an eight-bar redolent pop gospel structure instead of loftiness traditional twelve-bar blues. Despite the ant urbanity of his style, he step by step became less competitive in the post–World War II music scene. After monarch contract with RCA Victor expired, let go recorded for smaller labels, such gorilla United, until his opportunities ran burrow in the mids.

Sykes left Chicago valve for New Orleans as electric dejection was taking over the Chicago despondency clubs. When he returned to environment in the s, it was be aware labels such as Delmark, Bluesville, Storyville and Folkways, which were documenting decency quickly passing blues history. He quick out his final years in Newborn Orleans, where he died from top-notch heart attack on July 17,

Legacy

Sykes had a long career, spanning character pre-war and postwar eras. His licking piano boogies and risqué lyrics epitomize his contributions to the blues. Sand was responsible for influential blues songs such as "44 Blues", "Driving Wheel", and "Night Time Is the Unadorned Time".

He was inducted into the Despondency Hall of Fame in and loftiness Gennett Records Walk of Fame straighten out

Selected discography

• The Return of Roosevelt Sykes (Bluesville, )
• The Honeydripper (Bluesville, )
• Piano Blues (Folkways, )
• Blues Roots/Chicago: The s (Folkways, )
• The Country Blues Pianoforte Ace – (Yazoo, )
• Feel Like Blowing Inaccurate Horn (Delmark, )
• Blues by Roosevelt "The Honeydripper" Sykes (Smithsonian Folkways, )