Charley Booker (September 3, 1925 – September 20, 1989) was an American blues singer and guitarist from the Mississippi Delta, who recorded in the early 1950s for Modern Records.
Early life and career
Booker was born in 1925 on a plantation between the
Mississippi communities of Moorhead and Sunflower, the son of Lucius Booker.
[Harris, S (1981). Blues Who's Who. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 59.] There is some doubt about his date of birth: in interviews, Booker stated that he was born in 1925, but Social Security records give the date as September 3, 1919.
[O'Neal, J. (2003). "Greenville, Mississippi". CD booklet. The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions Vol. 1: Arkansas & Mississippi 1951–1952. London: Ace Records. pp. 11–12.]
He learned to play guitar from his uncle, who had played with Charley Patton. Booker stated that as a child he saw Patton perform near indianola, Mississippi.[Wardlow, G.D. (1998). Chasin' That Devil Music. E. Komara, ed. San Francisco: Miller Freeman. pp. 73–74. ] He worked occasionally as a musician from the late 1930s.
Recordings
In 1952 Booker was approached by Ike Turner to record for
Modern Records. The recording session was set up by
Joe Bihari of
Modern Records at the Club Casablanca on Nelson Street, in Greenville,
on January 23, 1952. Booker was backed by Houston Boines on harmonica, Turner on piano and Jesse "Cleanhead" Love on drums. The same band also backed several songs by Boines.
[Leadbitter, M., and Slaven, N. (1987). Blues Records 1943–1970: A Selective Discography. London: Record Information Services. p. 130] Despite the piano being "horribly out of tune" and problems with local law enforcement,
[Broven, J. (2009). Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 155] the session resulted in two singles released under Booker's name, one on Modern Records and the other on the associated Blues & Rhythm label,
as well as releases by Boines. The Blues & Rhythm release, pairing "No Ridin' Blues" with "Rabbit Blues", sold well locally,
but Booker did not record again for Modern. A session later the same year for
Sam Phillips was unreleased at the time.
Later life and death
Early in 1953 Booker moved to South Bend, Indiana, and ceased playing music as a full-time occupation.
He continued to play locally, but his only further recording was a live appearance with Joe Willie Wilkins at a 1973 blues festival at the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend.
He died on September 20, 1989.
Discography
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"No Ridin' Blues" / "Rabbit Blues" (Blues & Rhythm 7003)
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"Moonrise Blues" / "Charley's Boogie Woogie" (Modern 878)
