Roosevelt Sykes
Next time someone voices the opinion that blues music is simply too depressing to embrace, expose them to a heady dose of Roosevelt Sykes. There was absolutely nothing downbeat about this effervescent pianist, whose lengthy career spanned the pre-war and postwar eras. Sykes' romping boogies and hilariously risqué lyrics on songs like "Dirty Mother for You," "Ice Cream Freezer," and "Peeping Tom" characterize his monumental contributions to the blues idiom. He was a pioneering piano pounder responsible for the seminal pieces "44 Blues," "Driving Wheel," and "Night Time Is the Right Time."
Sykes began playing while growing up in Helena. At age 15 he hit the road, developing his rowdy barrelhouse style around the blues-fertile St. Louis area. He began recording in 1929 for OKeh and was signed to four different labels the next year under four different names (he was variously billed as Dobby Bragg, Willie Kelly, and Easy Papa Johnson). Sykes signed to Decca Records in 1935, where his popularity blossomed. After relocating to Chicago, Sykes inked a pact with Bluebird in 1943 and recorded prolifically for the RCA subsidiary with his combo the Honeydrippers, scoring a pair of R&B hits in 1945 (covers of Cecil Gant's "I Wonder" and Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper"). The following year, he scored one more national chart item for the Victor logo, the lowdown blues "Sunny Road." He also often toured and recorded with singer St. Louis Jimmy Oden, the originator of the classic "Going Down Slow."
In 1951, Sykes joined Chicago's United Records, cutting more fine sides over the next couple of years. A pair of Dave Bartholomew-produced 1955 dates for Imperial in New Orleans included a rollicking version of "Sweet Home Chicago" that presaged all the covers that would surface later on. A slew of albums for Bluesville, Folkways, Crown, and Delmark kept Sykes on the shelves during the '60s (a time when European tours began to take up quite a bit of the pianist's itinerary). He settled in New Orleans during the late '60s, where he remained a local treasure until his death. Precious few pianists could boast the thundering boogie prowess of Roosevelt Sykes.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
-
Bobby Sox Blues
Jazz - Erschienen bei Redwood Records am 14.04.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anytime Is the Right Time
Jazz - Erschienen bei Redwood Records am 29.04.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Nightingale
Blues - Erschienen bei oldies and hits for future am 13.05.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Essential Blues Legends - Roosevelt Sykes
Blues - Erschienen bei Ap music am 11.02.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
-
Love Caught
Blues - Erschienen bei classics & more am 21.07.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Talkative Friend
Blues - Erschienen bei classics & more am 08.05.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Open Stage
Blues - Erschienen bei open reeez regarde am 15.03.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Express Yourself
Blues - Erschienen bei sinderella am 05.12.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roosevelt Sykes Selected Favorites
Blues - Erschienen bei Charly Records am 21.03.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roosevelt Sykes (Hd Remastered Edition)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Resurfaced Records am 31.01.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"44" Blues (Hq Remastered 2023)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Vintage Recordings am 04.12.2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Flapping Wings
Blues - Erschienen bei Wings in Hell am 25.12.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guitar Town Music
Blues - Erschienen bei GTM restart rec. am 14.06.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Rooftop Storys
Blues - Erschienen bei golden times am 12.07.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo