Blind Blake

"Blind " Blake ( * 1896 in Newport News, Virginia; † 1 December 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), also Blind Arthur, Arthur actually Blake, was a blues singer and guitarist.

Life

Very little is known about Blake's life. His real name was " Arthur Blake", the author details his songs are variations of " Blind Arthur Blake" - until the discovery of his death certificate (2011) has been speculated that his real name might be " Arthur Phelps " was. His record company called Jacksonville, Florida as his place of birth, some Blue historians consider it also possible that he's from Georgia of the Sea Islands, as he dominated the local dialect ( documented in "Southern Rag "). Lt.. Death certificate was his birthplace Newport News, Virginia. As its name suggests, Blake was blind. Josh White was at times be blind boy.

Blake lived as a traveling musician and performed on street corners, Saturday's events and barbecues. In the 1910s he came to Georgia in the early 1920s he moved to Chicago. There he received in 1926 a recording contract with Paramount Records and also took on together with Johnny Dodds and Charlie Spand. Already his debut album " Early Morning Blues / West Coast Blues " was a success and meant that Blake could accommodate around 80 pieces to 1932.

The collapse of the disc market due to the global economic crisis of 1929 led, as with many blues musicians even with Blind Blake to a career slump and he began to work, where he remained early 1931 until the end of 1930 for George Williams vaudeville show " Happy Go Lucky". His last recordings made ​​Blake 1932, after Paramount Records went bankrupt. That same year, Blake disappeared from Chicago.

About his death exist countless speculations and theories. So he was either come in 1934 in New York or even in Atlanta in 1941 in a traffic accident, drank themselves to death or had been murdered or died in the early 1930s in Joliet or St. Louis. Recently (2011) carried out research revealed that he on December 1, 1934 in Milwaukee (Wisconsin ) died of tuberculosis.

Effect

In addition to Blind Lemon Jefferson Blind Blake was one of the most successful male blues musicians of the 1920s, the early success of the two subsequently led to an increased interest of record companies to country-blues musicians. Blake is sometimes referred to as the "King of Ragtime Guitar" ( "King Of Ragtime Guitar" ), which, due to his virtuoso guitar playing, the strong influences of ragtime and jazz. His " swinging " style, was formative for the East Coast Piedmont blues. 1990 Blind Blake was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Evidence

• Robert Santelli, The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 1993, pp. 38-39, ISBN 0140159398
• Christin Avent, Joshua McDaniel: Blind Blake, in: East Coast Piedmont Blues, Online

• Blues musicians
• Guitarist
• Blues Hall of Fame
• American musician
• Born in the 19th century
• Died in the 20th century
• Man