Blake Alphonso Higgs
Blake Alphonso Higgs | |
---|---|
Birth name | Blake Alphonso Higgs |
Also known as | Blind Blake |
Born | 1915 |
Origin | Matthew Town, Inagua, Bahamas |
Died | 1986 (aged 70–71) |
Genres | Goombay, calypso |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, banjo |
Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915 – 1986), better known as "Blind Blake", was the best-known performer of goombay and calypso in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Biography
Higgs was born in 1915 in
Higgs played the banjo and sang, releasing four albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first four albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams.
Although Higgs was never famous in his own right, his music has been covered by various famous artists, including Dave Van Ronk, James "Stump" Johnson, Pete Seeger, and Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz. The Beach Boys covered his 1952 recording of the Caribbean folk song "John B Sail" and called it "Sloop John B".[1]
His style was a mix of
His ballad "Run Come See Jerusalem" is of particular interest as it describes a historical event of the 1929 Bahamas Hurricane and has been covered by many artists in the 1950-60s Folk Revival. It can be heard in a vintage recording with Blind Blake leading on YouTube.[2]
Discography
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Group of Bahamian Songs (1951)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Second Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Third Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra: A Fifth Album of Bahamian Songs (1952)
- Lou Adams Plays Bahamiana Calypso featuring vocals by Blind Blake (1954)
- A Cultural Experience (with Pandora Gibson) (1976)
- Blind Blake & The Royal Victoria Hotel Calypsos: Bahamian Songs (2009)
- Bahamas Goombay 1951-1959, a vintage Bahamas music anthology (Frémeaux et Associés, 2011)[3]
- Calypso - The Dance Master Classics 1944–1958
Footnotes
- ISBN 9781999631475.
- YouTube
- ^ Frémeaux, Patrick. "BAHAMAS 1951-1959". fremeaux.com. Retrieved 26 November 2019.