Booker T. Laury
Booker T. Laury | |
---|---|
Birth name | Lawrence Laury |
Born | |
Occupation(s) | Pianist, singer |
Instrument(s) | Piano, vocals |
Years active | 1930s–1995 |
Lawrence "Booker T." Laury (September 2, 1914 – September 23, 1995)
Biography
Laury was born in
In 1935, Sykes suggested to Laury and Slim that they relocate to Chicago, with a view to obtaining a recording contract. Slim took the advice, but Laury decided to remain in Memphis, where he played in gambling houses and clubs for decades. Laury had a large hand width, which enabled him to span ten keys. His playing dexterity was such that, after losing one finger on his left hand following an accident with a circular saw in the 1950s, he was still able to play well. Based around Beale Street in Memphis, as that area started to degenerate, Laury traveled around Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Despite differing fortunes, his friendship with Slim did not diminish over the years, up to Slim's death in 1988.[4]
Laury recorded his debut album in his late sixties, entitled Booker T. Laury and Friends: Nothing but the Blues, released on the France-based record label, Blue Silver, in 1981.[3] A 1980 Paris concert was released by Indigo Records in France in 1982.[5]
The 1989 Dennis Quaid film Great Balls of Fire! portrayed the young Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart looking into a juke joint to see Laury playing "Big Legged Woman." The attention helped boost Laury's popularity.[4]
In 1994, Bullseye Blues Records issued Nothin' but the Blues, an album of Laury's voice and piano, performing seven original compositions, two covers, and a story about how he got the nickname "Slop Jar" from his peers.[1] The same year, the Austrian label Wolf Records released a live album, containing concert recordings made in 1987.[6]
Laury died of cancer in September 1995, at the age of 81, in Memphis.[4] He has a brass note on Beale Street's Walk of Fame.[7]
Discography
Album title | Record label | Year of release |
---|---|---|
Nothing but the Blues | Blue Silver | 1981 |
Live | Indigo | 1982 |
Memphis Piano Blues Today | Wolf | 1990 |
Booker in Paris | EPM Musique | 1993 |
Nothin' but the Blues | Bullseye Blues | 1994 |
Blues on the Prowl | Wolf | 1994 |
See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of boogie woogie musicians
- List of gospel blues musicians
- List of Memphis blues musicians
- Piano blues
References
- ^ a b c d Bush, John. "Booker T. Laury: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ISBN 9780415927017.
- ^ a b "Booker T. Laury And Friends - Nothing But The Blues". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Greg. "Booker T. Laury". All About Jazz. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- OCLC 44009226. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Live – Booker T. Laury: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "Booker T. Laury". Memphisflyer.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ "Booker T. Laury: Discography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.