Blind Blake
The only known photograph of Blind Blake, circa 1927
Background information
Birth name	Arthur Blake
Born	1893
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Died	1933
Genre(s)	Piedmont blues, ragtime, country blues
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Vocals
Associated acts	Irene Scruggs

"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". Blind Blake on the cover of Art ALP-20 Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915-????), better known as Blind Blake, was the best-known performer of goombay/calypso in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s. ... Image File history File links The only existing photograph of Arthur Blind Blake File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jacksonville redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Piedmont blues is a type of blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on the guitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody using treble strings. ... Look up ragtime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Jacksonville redirects here. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blues music redirects here. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ...

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 finger picking has inspired Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, Ralph McTell and many others. He is best 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. ... The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually when speaking about the United States. ... The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the [[. In East Asia, the rise of militarism occurred. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Reverend Gary Davis also Blind Gary Davis ( April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was an African American blues and gospel singer as well as a renowned guitarist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ryland Ry Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. ... Ralph McTell (born Ralph May in Farnborough, England, 3 December 1944) is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk scene since the 1960s. ... Look up ragtime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pianoforte redirects here. ...

Little is known about his life. His birthplace was listed as Jacksonville, Florida by Paramount Records but that is not established. Nothing is definitely known of his death and even his name is not certain. During recordings he was asked about his real name, which he gave as Blind Arthur Blake, also listed on some of the song credits. This strengthens his case on his real name, although it has been suggested by some that his real name was Arthur Phelps. There is only one surviving photograph of him in existence. “Sound recorder” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Photograph (disambiguation). ...

His first recordings were made in 1926 and his records sold very well. His first solo record was "Early Morning Blues" with "West Coast Blues" on the B-side. Both are considered excellent examples of his ragtime-based guitar style and are prototypes for the burgeoning Piedmont blues. 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 final years. It is likely that this led to his early death at only 40 years. (The exact circumstances of his death are not known; Reverend Gary Davis said in an interview that he had heard Blake was killed by a streetcar.) ^[1] Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer (solo is an Italian word literally meaning alone). ... “B-Sides” redirects here. ... The Piedmont blues is a type of blues music characterized by a unique fingerpicking method on the guitar in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody using treble strings. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... Reverend Gary Davis also Blind Gary Davis ( April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was an African American blues and gospel singer as well as a renowned guitarist. ...

Trivia and Tributes

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• "Blind" Blake is referred to in the novel Killing Floor by Lee Child.
• French singer/songwriter Francis Cabrel refers to Blind Blake in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on the 1999 album "Hors-Saison." Cabrel cites the artist as one of a number of blues influences, including Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson (musician), Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and Ma Rainey.

Killing Floor is the debut novel written by Lee Child and published in 1997 by Putnam. ... Lee Child accepting Barry Award Lee Child (born 1954, Coventry, England) is a British thriller writer currently living in New York City with his wife Jane, daughter Ruth, and a dog named Jenny. ... Francis Cabrel (born 23 November 1953 in Agen, France) is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Charley Patton Charley Patton (May 1, 1891–April 28, 1934) was an American delta blues musician, and one of the first mainstream stars of the genre. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Blind Lemon Jefferson (October 26, 1894 – December 1929) was an influential blues singer and guitarist from Texas. ... Robert Johnson, born Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. ... Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin Wolf or sometimes, The Howlin Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. ... Willie Dixons style of blues was one of the inspirations for a new generation of music, rock and roll. ... Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey (April 26, 1886[1] – December 22, 1939), was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. ...

Other people that used the same name

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". Most of those recordings, principally with Lonnie Johnson, gave Lang the name "Blind Willy Dunn". For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Eddie Lang (October 25, 1902 – March 26, 1933) was a jazz guitarist, considered by many the finest of his era. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Alfonzo Lonnie Johnson (February 8, 1894 – June 6, 1970) was a pioneering blues and jazz singer/guitarist born in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

There is also an entirely different artist who recorded multiple LPs under the name "Blind Blake". Alphonso "Blind Blake" Higgs was one of the most popular singers in The Bahamas in the 1950s, leading the house band at the Royal Victoria Hotel. His records were spread all over the U.S. by tourist fans, and several of his songs became folk standards. (Even Johnny Cash was influenced, basing his hit "Delia" on an old blues ballad from Georgia that Blake had adapted into a calypso). Blind Blake on the cover of Art ALP-20 Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915-????), better known as Blind Blake, was the best-known performer of goombay/calypso in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... A house band is a group of musicians, centrally organized by a band leader, that regularly play a venue every night it is open for business and are synonymous with the establishment. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Tourist redirects here. ... Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ... Folk song redirects here. ... Jazz standard refers to a tune that is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... For other uses, see Ballad (disambiguation). ... Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. ...

Notes

1. ^ "Reverend Gary Davis Interview", Stefan Grossman. Retrieved on 2006-08-04.