Curtis Jones | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Curtis Jones |
| Born | August 18, 1906 Naples, Texas, United States |
| Died | September 11, 1971 (aged 65) Munich, Germany |
| Genres | Piano blues |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, guitar |
| Years active | Late 1930s–1971 |
| Labels | Vocalion, Okeh, Bluebird, Parrot, Bluesville, Delmark, Decca, Blue Horizon[1] |
Curtis Jones (August 18, 1906 – September 11, 1971)[2] was an American blues pianist.
Jones was born in Naples, Texas, United States,[2] to sharecropping parents,[3] and played guitar whilst young but switched to piano after a move to Dallas. He often played guitar on one or two songs on his albums and at live performances.[4] In 1936 he relocated to Chicago, where he recorded between 1937 and 1941 on Vocalion, Bluebird, and OKeh. Among his best-known tunes from these recordings were the hit "Lonesome Bedroom Blues" and the song "Tin Pan Alley".[4] His "Decoration Blues" though unissued at the time, was recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson I in 1938. World War II interrupted his recording career, which he did not resume until 1953, when a single of his, "Wrong Blues"/"Cool Playing Blues", was released on Parrot, featuring L. C. McKinley on guitar.
Jones's first album appeared in 1960 on Bluesville, by which time he had become a noted performer on the Chicago folk music scene.[4] A solo album was released in 1962, by which time Jones had moved to Europe. He lived there and in Morocco for the rest of his life.[4] He made further albums in the UK, including one in 1968 that featured Alexis Korner on guitar.[4]
One of Jones' songs, "Highway 51 Blues", was included on Bob Dylan's 1962 debut album, Bob Dylan.[5]
Jones died of heart failure in Munich, Germany, in 1971, at the age of 65.[2][6]
