Leaving Mississippi - Music

Little Arthur Duncan February 5 1934 – August 20 2008 Was An American Chicago Blues And Electric Blues Harmonica Player Singer And Songwriter. He Was A Member Of The Backscratchers And Over His Career Was Associated With Earl Hooker Twist Turner Illinois Slim And Rick Kreher. Duncan Was Born In Indianola Mississippi. His First Instrument Was The Drums. In 1950 Aged 16 He Moved To Chicago Illinois And Became Acquainted With Little Walter Who Helped Him To Learn The Rudiments Of Harmonica Playing And Jimmy Reed. He Found Work Playing The Harmonica Accompanying Earl Hooker John Brim And Floyd Jones. Billed And Henceforth Commonly Known As Little Arthur Duncan He Played Primarily In And Around Chicago And Built Up A Local Reputation Over The Years. He Performed With His Own Band In The Backscratcher's Social Club Which He Owned. He Worked In Construction During The 1960s And 1970s So Was Limited To Playing And Singing In The Evenings. In 1989 Duncan Recorded The Album Bad Reputation Which Was Released On The Blues King Label. He Later Appeared On A Compilation Album Blues Across America The Chicago Scene With Emery Williams Jr. And Robert Plunkett. In 1999 Duncan Recorded For Delmark Records Which Released The Album Singin' With The Sun That Year. On The Album He Was Accompanied By The Guitar Players Billy Flynn And Eddie Taylor Jr. Live In Chicago Followed In 2000. His Final Recording Was Live At Rosa's Blues Lounge A Live Album Recorded In Chicago In August 2007. One Music Journalist Noted That "spirited Gritty Performances Of Reed's "Pretty Thing " Wolf's "No Place To Go " And Two Dixon Favorites "Young Fashioned Ways" And "Little Red Rooster" Leave No Doubt That Duncan Lives And Breathes Electric Chicago Blues." However A Subsequent Lengthy Illness And Hospitalization Prevented Duncan From Building On This Success. Duncan Died In Northlake Illinois In August 2008 Of Complications Following Brain Surgery At The Age Of 74. Wikipedia Little Arthur Duncan read less