Snooky Pryor

James Edward Pryor was born in Lambert, Mississippi and developed a Delta blues style influenced by both Sonny Boy Williamson I and Sonny Boy Williamson II. He moved to Chicago around 1940.

While serving in the U.S. Army he would blow bugle calls through the powerful PA system, which led him to experiment with playing the harmonica that way. Upon discharge from the Army in 1945, he obtained his own amplifier, and began playing harmonica at the outdoor Maxwell Street market, becoming a regular in the Chicago blues scene.

Pryor recorded some of the first postwar Chicago blues records in 1948, including "Telephone Blues" and "Snooky and Moodys Boogie" with guitarist Moody Jones, and "Stockyard Blues" and "Keep What You Got" with singer/guitarist Floyd Jones. "Snooky and Moodys Boogie" is of considerable historical significance: Pryor claimed that harmonica ace Little Walter directly copied the signature riff of Pryors song into the opening eight bars of his own blues harmonica instrumental, "Juke," an R and B hit in 1952. In 1967, Pryor moved south to Ullin, Illinois. He quit music for carpentry in the late 1960s but was persuaded to make a comeback.[4] After he dropped out of sight, Pryor was later re-discovered and resumed periodic recording until his death in nearby Cape Girardeau, Missouri at the age of 85.

In January 1973 he appeared with the American Blues Legends tour which played throughout Europe, alongside Homesick James. Whilst on this tour they recorded an album in London, Homesick James and Snooky Pryor, on Jim Simpsons label Big Bear Records.

Some of his better known songs include "Judgement Day" (1956), and "Crazy Bout My Baby" from Snooky (1989), "Howd You Learn to Shake It Like That" from Tenth Anniversary Anthology (1989) and "Shake My Hand" (1999).

Discography:

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Singles"Boogie" (A-side) "Telephone Blues" (B-side) (1948) Planet

"Someone to Love Me" (a) "Judgement Day" (b) (1956) Vee Jay Records

AlbumsHomesick James and Snooky Pryor (1973) Virgin Records, London

"Do It If You Want To" (1973) ABC Records, Los Angeles, New York

Snooky (1989) Blind Pig Records

Snooky Pryor (1991) Paula Records

Johnny Shines and Snooky Pryor: Back To The Country (1991) Blind Pig Records

Snooky Pryor: Too Cool To Move (1992) Antones

In This Mess Up to My Chest (1994) Antones

Mind Your Own Business (1996) Antones

Snooky Pryor: Shake My Hand (1999) Blind Pig Records

Super Harps II mit Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Rafuel Neal (2001) Telarc

Snooky Pryor and his Mississippi Wrecking Crew (2002) Electro-Fi

Mojo Ramble (2003) Electro-Fi

Double Shot Snooky Pryor and Mel Brown (2005) Electro-Fi Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.