Lefty Bates
Lefty Bates | |
---|---|
Birth name | William H. Bates |
Born | Leighton, Alabama, United States | March 9, 1920
Died | April 7, 2007 Chicago, Illinois, United States | (aged 87)
Genres | Chicago blues[1] |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | Mid 1930s – early 1980s |
Labels | RCA, Vee-Jay, various |
Lefty Bates (March 9, 1920 – April 7, 2007)[2] was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He led the Lefty Bates Combo and worked with the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Etta James, the Aristo-Kats, the Hi-De-Ho Boys, the Moroccos, and the Impressions.[2] A regular on the Chicago blues scene, his major work was as a session musician on numerous recordings in the 1950s and 1960s.[1]
Bates was married to the locally well-known club dancer Mary Cole Bates, who died in 2001.[3]
Biography
He was born William H. Bates in
Bates formed an
From 1955, Bates worked in a similar manner with another Chicago-based record label, Club 51,[4] where he had the luxury of leading the Lefty Bates Orchestra. At Club 51 he backed the Five Buddies and Sunnyland Slim.[1] In 1957, Bates and Earl Hooker backed the singer Arbee Stidham on his recording of "Look Me Straight in the Eye".[7]
In 1959, Bates played with Reed on his recording of "Baby What You Want Me to Do". In March 1960, he was part of the backing trio for John Lee Hooker on his album Travelin'.[8] In 1961, he performed on Hooker's The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker and with Jimmy Reed on the album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall and played on Reed's recording of "Big Boss Man".
Bates died of arteriosclerosis in Chicago in April 2007, aged 87.[2]
Discography
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With John Lee Hooker
- Travelin' (Vee-Jay, 1960)
- The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Vee-Jay, 1961)
'With Jimmy Reed
- Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall (Vee-Jay, 1961)
- Jimmy Reed Plays 12 String Guitar Blues (Vee-Jay, 1963)
- The New Jimmy Reed Album (BluesWay, 1967)
- Soulin' (BluesWay, 1967)
- Big Boss Man (BluesWay, 1968)
See also
References
- ^ Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Doc Rock (2007). "The Dead Rock Stars Club: 2007, January to June". TheDeadRockStarsClub.com. Accessed October 13, 2011.
- ^ Jensen, Trevor (April 19, 2007). "William H. 'Lefty' Bates: 1920–2007". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
- ^ a b c Pruter, Robert; Campbell, Robert L. "The Club 51 Label". Hubcap.clemson.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
- ISBN 0-252-02208-4.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 133.
- ISBN 1-57806-306-X.
- ISBN 978-0-393-06258-8.