Blind Blake

"Blind" Blake (born Arthur Blake, circa 1893, Jacksonville, Florida; died: circa 1933) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. He is often called "The King Of Ragtime Guitar". 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Jacksonville skyline and the Acosta Bridge. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, shouts, work songs and chants and has its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. ... Steve Howe playing lead guitar for Yes in 1977 A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ...

Blind Blake recorded about 80 tracks for Paramount Records in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was one of the most accomplished guitarists of his genre with a surprisingly diverse range of material. His complex and intricate fingerpicking has inspired Rev Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, Ralph Mctell and many others. He is most known for his distinct guitar sound that was comparable in sound and style to a ragtime piano. Paramount Records was a United States based record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues. ... Sometimes referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy Gun. ... Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented First atom was split with a particle accelerator Golden Age of radio begins in U.S. Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Jorma Kaukonen (born December 23, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is an American blues, folk and rock guitarist. ... Ry Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is a guitarist especially well known for his slide guitar work. ... Ralph Mctell is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk scene since the 1960s. ... This is an article about Ragtime music. ...

Very little is known about his life. His birthplace was listed as Jacksonville, Florida by Paramount Records but even that is in dispute. Nothing is known of his death. Even his name is not certain. The copyright submissions for his songs use some variation on Blind Arthur Blake although there is a suggestion that his real name was Arthur Phelps.

His first recordings were made in 1926 and his records sold well. His first solo record was Early Morning Blues with West Coast Blues on the B-side. Both are excellent examples of his style. Blake made his last recordings in 1932, the end of his career aided by Paramount's bankruptcy. It is often said that the later recordings have much less sparkle and, allegedly, Blind Blake was drinking heavily in his later years. It is likely that this lead to his early death. 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

It should be noted that on a few records where white jazz guitarist Eddie Lang sat in with African American groups, the record companies listed Lang as "Blind Blake". Eddie Lang (October 25, 1902 - March 26, 1933) was a jazz guitarist, considered by many the finest of his era. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ...

There is only one photograph of Blind Blake in existence.