From:   Flippar 
Date:  Thu Jan 10, 2002  7:41 pm
Subject:  Born To Be With You - Slim Harpo
 
SLIM HARPO

Real name- James Moore, born January 11th 1924 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Died January 31 1970 in Baton Rouge( just prior to what would`ve been his
first European tour).

Perhaps the most commercially successful of all theLouisiana bluesmen
recorded by J D Miller at Crowley (the rice capital of the USA!). He was
introduced to Miller by Lightnin` Slim. He`d performed for years under the
name Harmonica Slim but when his debut 45 was about to be released Miller
informed him that there was already a West Coast artist using that name, so
his wife suggested he change it to Harpo! That was the name that appeared on
the Nashville based Excello label from then on.

His Excello 45s were in the classic influential JimmyReed Vee-Jay style,
slurred vocals, lazy infectious guitar and sinuous harp riffs. Artists as
diverse as Warren Smith, Carl McVoy, George Thorogood, Fab T Birdsand the
Rolling Stones have covered his material. Slim even had 2 big crossover pop
hits, Rainin` In My Heart in 1961 and Baby Scratch My Back in 1966, this
meant he toured outside the Southern States (several major venues like
Madison Sq Gardens as opener for James Brown) and was equally popular in juke
joints or the college circuit. He was a part-time musician and ran his own
trucking company.

A fit healthy man, who was hardly ever ill, he collapsed and died of a heart
attack on Jan 31st 1970. In the words of Mick Jagger " Why listen to us sing
King Bee when you could listen to Slim Harpo?" Amen to that.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING
several tasty cds available on Ace,
Best Of, I`m A King Bee and Shake Your Hips,
but for a definitive 2cd collection try to track down the deleted AVI US cd
Hip Shakin`, all the classics and a rough but evocative live set from 1961
Further Reading - Nothing But The Blues ed. MLeadbitter and South To
Louisiana by John Broven