George Brock (May 16, 1932 – April 10, 2020), billed as Big George Brock, was an American blues musician. A native of Mississippi, he moved to Missouri in the 1950s and operated a series of nightclubs. He played alongside Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and Albert King. Brock starred in the 2006 film Hard Times, a documentary about his life.
Brock was born in Grenada, Mississippi on May 16, 1932. By the time he was eight, he was working as a sharecropper picking cotton. Brock was surrounded by blues music, and recalled, "the blues grew like grass out of the ground." His father taught him and his brothers how to play harmonica as a child.
As a teenager he moved to Mattson, Mississippi. There he met Muddy Waters, and they performed together on weekends.[5] In the late 1940s he moved to Walls, Mississippi. While working as a pipeliner on Highway 61, Brock met Howlin' Wolf. He became his roadie and performed with him. Brock also met Memphis Minnie in Walls and jammed with her at house parties.
Brock moved to St. Louis in 1950 where he was an amateur boxer for a while. In 1952, boxer Sonny Liston was training at a gym alongside Brock. Liston challenged Brock to sparring match. Brock won the fight in the second round, recalling that "he'd just come out of the pen. He thought he was pretty tough." He focused on his music career because it was more lucrative, forming his own band Big George & the Houserockers. Blues guitarist Albert King played in Brock's band before forming his own.
In 1952, Brock opened his own nightclub, Club Caravan, near North Garrison and Franklin avenues. Brock worked as a bouncer and performed there with his band which at times featured King, Big Baddy Smitty, or Riley Coatie on lead guitar. The club hosted acts such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Ike & Tina Turner, and Jimmy Reed.
In the early 1960s, Muddy Waters arranged for him to meet with the executives of Chess Records. Brock turned down the record deal because although he was offered a tour bus and proceeds from the shows, he wouldn't have received any royalties from his recordings. He continued playing the club circuit, at one point he owned as many as three nightclubs at once. Brock closed the Club Caravan after his wife was killed during a shooting incident in 1970. He opened another Club Caravan at Delmar Boulevard and Taylor Avenue, but that closed in the late 1980s.
In 2005, Brock signed to the label Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. He put out the album Club Caravan which received favorable reviews and a Blues Music Award nomination for best comeback album. In 2006 he released the album Round Two, which received three Blues Music Award nominations.
In 2006, Brock was featured in a documentary about his life titled Hard Times. In the film he visits the plantations where he worked as a child in Mississippi.[5]
In 2017, Brock was honored with a special concert at the National Blues Museum in St. Louis. Brock toured overseas in England, Italy, Switzerland and France. He continued to perform and regularly headlined various blues festivals, including the Bluesweek Festival and the Big Muddy Blues Festival.
Brock was married three times and claimed to have forty-two children. He died after a long illness at home in St. Louis on April 10, 2020, at the age of 87.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_George_Brock
///////
George Brock (16 de mayo de 1932 - 10 de abril de 2020), conocido como Big George Brock, fue un músico de blues estadounidense. Natural de Mississippi, se trasladó a Missouri en la década de 1950 y regentó una serie de clubes nocturnos. Tocó junto a Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed y Albert King. Brock protagonizó en 2006 la película Hard Times, un documental sobre su vida.
Brock nació en Grenada, Mississippi, el 16 de mayo de 1932. A los ocho años ya trabajaba como aparcero recogiendo algodón. Brock estaba rodeado de música blues, y recuerda: "el blues crecía como la hierba del suelo". De niño, su padre les enseñó a él y a sus hermanos a tocar la armónica.
De adolescente se trasladó a Mattson, Mississippi. Allí conoció a Muddy Waters, y actuaban juntos los fines de semana[5]. A finales de la década de 1940 se trasladó a Walls, Mississippi. Mientras trabajaba como tubero en la autopista 61, Brock conoció a Howlin' Wolf. Se convirtió en su ayudante y actuó con él. Brock también conoció a Memphis Minnie en Walls y tocó con ella en fiestas caseras.
Brock se trasladó a San Luis en 1950, donde fue boxeador aficionado durante un tiempo. En 1952, el boxeador Sonny Liston entrenaba en un gimnasio junto a Brock. Liston retó a Brock a un combate de sparring. Brock ganó el combate en el segundo asalto, recordando que "acababa de salir del corral. Se creía muy duro". Se centró en su carrera musical porque era más lucrativa, y formó su propia banda Big George & the Houserockers. El guitarrista de blues Albert King tocó en la banda de Brock antes de formar la suya propia.
En 1952, Brock abrió su propio club nocturno, el Club Caravan, cerca de las avenidas North Garrison y Franklin. Brock trabajaba como portero y actuaba allí con su banda, en la que a veces tocaban King, Big Baddy Smitty o Riley Coatie como guitarristas solistas. Por el club pasaron artistas como Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Ike & Tina Turner y Jimmy Reed.
A principios de los sesenta, Muddy Waters consiguió que se reuniera con los ejecutivos de Chess Records. Brock rechazó el contrato discográfico porque, aunque le ofrecieron un autobús de gira y los ingresos de los conciertos, no habría recibido ningún canon por sus grabaciones. Siguió actuando en el circuito de clubes y llegó a ser propietario de tres clubes nocturnos a la vez. Brock cerró el Club Caravan tras la muerte de su esposa en un tiroteo en 1970. Abrió otro Club Caravan en Delmar Boulevard y Taylor Avenue, pero cerró a finales de la década de 1980.
En 2005, Brock fichó por el sello Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. Publicó el álbum Club Caravan, que recibió críticas favorables y una nominación al Blues Music Award al mejor álbum de regreso. En 2006 publicó el álbum Round Two, que recibió tres nominaciones a los Blues Music Awards.
En 2006, Brock apareció en un documental sobre su vida titulado Hard Times. En la película visita las plantaciones en las que trabajó de niño en Mississippi[5].
En 2017, Brock fue homenajeado con un concierto especial en el Museo Nacional del Blues de San Luis. Brock realizó giras por el extranjero en Inglaterra, Italia, Suiza y Francia. Siguió actuando y encabezó regularmente varios festivales de blues, como el Bluesweek Festival y el Big Muddy Blues Festival.
Brock se casó tres veces y declaró tener cuarenta y dos hijos. Murió tras una larga enfermedad en su casa de San Luis el 10 de abril de 2020, a la edad de 87 años.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_George_Brock
Tracks:
01. Walking Thru The Park
02. Smokestack Lightning
03. Tiger In Your Tank
04. Still A Fool Two Trains Running
05. Trouble No More
06. Young Fashioned Ways
07. I Just Want To Make Love To You
08. Howlin For My Darling
09. Tin Pan Alley
10. Evil
11. Who S Been Talkin
12. Can T Hold Out Much Longer
13. You Don T Have To Go
Release Date: June 1, 2007
MORE Harmonica Blues ...
This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader
No comments:
Post a Comment