Bumble Bee Slim

Amos Easton May 7 1905 – June 8 1968 Better Known By The Stage Name Bumble Bee Slim Was An American Piedmont Blues Singer And Guitarist. Easton Was Born In Brunswick Georgia United States. Around 1920 He Joined The Ringling Brothers Circus Before Returning To Georgia Marrying Briefly And Then Heading North On A Freight Train To Indianapolis Where He Settled In 1928. There He Met And Was Influenced By Pianist Leroy Carr And Guitarist Scrapper Blackwell. By 1931 He Had Moved To Chicago Where He First Recorded As Bumble Bee Slim For Paramount Records. The Following Year His Song "B&O Blues" Was A Hit For Vocalion Records Inspiring A Number Of Other Railroad Blues And Eventually Becoming A Popular Folk Song. Over The Next Five Years He Recorded Over 150 Songs For The Decca Bluebird And Vocalion Labels Often Accompanied By Other Musicians Such As Big Bill Broonzy Peetie Wheatstraw Tampa Red Memphis Minnie And Washboard Sam. In 1937 He Returned To Georgia Then Relocated To Los Angeles California In The Early 1940s He Apparently Hoped To Break Into Motion Pictures As A Songwriter And Comedian. During The 1950s He Recorded Several Albums But These Had Little Impact. His Last Album Came Out In 1962 On The Pacific Jazz Label. He Continued To Perform In Clubs Around Los Angeles Until His Death In 1968. read less