St. Louis Jimmy Oden

James Burke "St. Louis Jimmy" Oden (June 26, 1903 – December 30, 1977)[1] was an American blues vocalist and songwriter.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, Oden sang and taught himself to play the piano in childhood. In his teens, he left home to go to St. Louis, Missouri[1] where piano-based blues was prominent. He was able to develop his vocal talents and began performing with the pianist, Roosevelt Sykes. After more than ten years playing in and around St. Louis, in 1933 he and Sykes decided to move on to Chicago.[2]

In Chicago he was dubbed 'St. Louis Jimmy' and there he enjoyed a solid performing and recording career for the next four decades. While Chicago became his home base, Oden traveled with a group of blues players to various places throughout the United States. He recorded a large number of records, his best-known coming in 1941 on the Bluebird Records label called "Goin' Down Slow." Oden wrote a number of songs, two of which, "Take the Bitter with the Sweet" and "Soon Forgotten," were recorded by his friend, Muddy Waters.

"Florida Hurricane" was released in 1948 on Aristocrat Records. The song featured Muddy Waters on guitar and Sunnyland Slim on piano.[1] In 1949, Oden partnered with Joe Brown to form the small recording company J.O.B. Records. Oden appears to have ended his involvement within a year, but with other partners the company remained in business until 1974.

He spent less time performing after being in a car crash in 1957. Songs written later in his career included "What a Woman!". He put out an album in 1960.[2] He performed as a vocalist on three songs recorded for an Otis Spann session in 1960. These tracks were released on the album Walking the Blues, re-released as a Candid CD (CCD 79025)[3] in 1989.

Oden died of bronchopneumonia,[4] at the age of 74, in 1977 and was interred in the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, near Chicago.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "St. Louis Jimmy Oden - Biography - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 151. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  3. ↑ "Otis Spann – Walking The Blues". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Dead Rock Stars Club - The 1970s". Retrieved 17 September 2014.

External links

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