Bill Gaither (blues musician)
Bill Gaither | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Arthur Gaither |
| Also known as | "Little Bill" Gaither Leroy's Buddy |
| Born | April 21, 1910 Belmont, Bullitt County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1970 (aged 60) Indianapolis, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1920s–1940s |
William Arthur Gaither (April 21, 1910 – October 30, 1970),[1] sometimes known as "Little Bill" Gaither or Leroy's Buddy,[2] was an American blues guitarist and singer.
Biography
[edit]Born in Belmont, Bullitt County, Kentucky,[1] Gaither recorded over one hundred songs in the 1930s for labels such as Decca and Okeh.[3] He often wrote and recorded with the pianist George "Honey" Hill. After his friend Leroy Carr's death in 1935, Gaither was often credited as "Leroy's Buddy".[4]
One of Gaither's most famous blues songs was "Champ Joe Louis", recorded on June 23, 1938,[5] the day after Louis won his rematch against Max Schmeling. The blues scholar Paul Oliver has cited Gaither among a group of important, but understudied, 20th century musicians.[6] His blues lyrics have been appreciated as poetry.[7]
Gaither ran a radio repair shop in Louisville, Kentucky, for some time.[1] He died in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1970,[1] and is buried in New Crown Cemetery in Indianapolis.[4]
He is not to be confused with another musician, William Augustus "Bill" Gaither (1927–1985), who recorded with Roy Milton.[8]
See also
[edit]
- The Encyclopedia of Louisville, ed. by J. E. Kleber
- The Blues, by H. Elmer, e.g. p. 49
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 146. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ e.g., Decca 7818: Racket Blues / Wintertime Blues
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 113. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ a b Steve Leggett (1910-04-21). "Bill Gaither | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ^ "WAIL! The CBZ Journal (Apr 2001)". Cyberboxingzone.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ^ "Blues Research: Problems and Possibilities" Paul Oliver, Journal of Musicology Vol. 2 No. 4 (Autumn, 1983), pp. 377-390
- ^ Perfect in Their Art: Poems on Boxing from Homer to Ali Michael Waters, Robert Hedin, editors. ISBN 0-8093-2531-4. Southern Illinois Univ. Press. 2003. p. 47
- ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 411. ISBN 978-0313344237.
External links
[edit]
- Songwriters from Kentucky
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American blues singers
- People from Bullitt County, Kentucky
- 1910 births
- 1970 deaths
- 20th-century American singers
- Blues musicians from Kentucky
- Singers from Kentucky
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Guitarists from Kentucky
- 20th-century American male singers
- American male songwriters
- 20th-century American songwriters