Who was/is Whispering Smith ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Whispering Smith
Moses Smith was a harmonica player who arrived on the Baton Rouge scene in 1957, joining Lightnin' Slim's group, mixing and matching with Lazy Lester and others, and leading his own combo now and again in the early '60s. When he worked as a leader he sang in an imposingly strong voice, and when he teamed up with Jay Miller to record for EXCELLO in 1963, Miller immediately dubbed him 'Whispering' Smith. Moses explained: "I have a real loud voice. That's why Miller gave me that name. He wanted to surprise people." Prior to that, he was often billed as Harmonica Smith at local gigs around Baton Rouge.
Moses was born in 1932 in Union Church, near Brookhaven, Mis- sissippi, and learned to play harmonica in his mid-teens from his brother-in-law. He was given a harp as a present at age fourteen and took to studying the records of John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, among other Mississippi stylists. After his sister moved to Baton Rouge in 1957, Moses followed her there, found work at a service station, met Lightnin' Slim and started to turn up to play at local bars and clubs.
Smith saw five singles issued by EXCELLO, starting with this de- liberate, despairing song, completely different from the rock 'n' roll song Mean Woman Blues recorded by Elvis Presley and...
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Extract from: Various Artists - Blues Kings Of Baton Rouge (2-CD) - BCD17512
https://www.bear-family.de/various-bear-family-records-blues-kings-of-baton-rouge-2-cd.html
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