Hot Bands interview

(Baby Gramps) I learned the elbow thing from hanging out with an old blues guy from Memphis named Furry Lewis and he used to play down on the houseboats here. He’d roll his sleeve up and actually play with his elbow, which got a different sound. I’m not sure where he got it from, but I’ll give that credit to him. That type of clowning around on stage goes way back to vaudeville and the old delta bluesmen. My mentor Charley Patton, used to entertain 500 people in a barn with no electricity…playing the guitar behind his head and behind his back…that type of stuff.

(HotBands) You said Charley Patton was your mentor? Is that who you learned from?

(Baby Gramps) Oh no…he was dead early on. He was Robert Johnson’s big influence…Charley and Son House influenced Robert Johnson. I do some of his stuff on my CD.

(HotBands) Robert Johnson is one of the best-known early bluesmen

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