Homesick James
Trying to find facts about the early life of blues guitarist Homesick James is an exercise in futility. He gave various birthdates over the years, though it feels safe to assume it was around 1910. His last name might be Henderson, Williamson, or Williams. While facts may be hard to come by, the truth is easy to discover; James was one of the finest slide guitar players of all time. He started gigging in Chicago in the early 1930s, and probably began playing the electric guitar around that time. He recorded some sides for Chance in the fifties including “Homesick”, which gave him the name he used professionally for the rest of his career. He played in bands with both Elmore James, who Homesick James claimed was his cousin, and Sonny Boy Williamson. His slashing guitar style was showcased on his most celebrated album, 1964’s Blues on the South Side. Tracks like “Goin’ Down Swingin’”, “Stones in My Passway”, and “Gotta Move” showed his debt to both Robert Johnson and Elmore James, while expressing his own musical personality. He continued to gig into his nineties, with his final live appearance coming less than six months before his death on December 13, 2006.
©Copyright Music Story Steve Woods 2023
Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Last of the Broomdusters
Blues - Released by Fedora Records on 3 Mar 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Home Ain't Here (The New Orleans Session)
Blues - Released by Fedora Records on 24 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chicago Blues Festival '70 (Blues Reference)
Homesick James, Roosevelt Sykes, Eddie Taylor
Blues - Released by Disques Black & Blue on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shake Your Money Maker
Blues - Released by Wolf Records International GmbH on 25 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Austria (Live)
Blues - Released by SnailWorx on 3 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues On The South Side
Blues - Released by Fantasy on 30 Nov 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King Dracula
Blues - Released by Music Maker Recordings on 21 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues On The South Side (International Version)
Blues - Released by Universal Music Group International on 30 Nov 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Gotta Move (Live)
R&B - Released by Delta Records on 17 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Goin' Back In The Times
Soul - Released by Earwig Music on 19 Jul 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo