Henry Townsend (musician)
Encyclopedia
Henry 'Mule' Townsend was an American
blues
singer, guitarist
and pianist
.
and grew up in Cairo, Illinois
. He left home at the age of nine because of an abusive father and hobo
ed his way to St. Louis, Missouri
. He learned guitar while in his early teens from a locally renowned blues guitarist known as "Dudlow Joe".
By the late 1920s he had begun touring and recording
with pianist Walter Davis
, and had acquired the nickname "Mule" because he was sturdy in both physique and character. In St. Louis, he worked with some of the early blues pioneers, including J.D. Short
.
Townsend was one of the only artists
known to have recorded in nine consecutive decades (starting in the 1920s). He has recorded on several different labels including Columbia and Folkways Records
. He first recorded in 1929 and remained active up to 2006. By the mid 1990s, Townsend and his one-time collaborator Yank Rachell
were the only active blues artists whose performing lives stretched back to the 1920s.
Articulate and self-aware with an excellent memory, Townsend gave many invaluable interviews to Blues enthusiasts and scholars. Paul Oliver
recorded him in 1960 and quoted him extensively in his 1967 work Conversations with the Blues. Thirty years later, Bill Greensmith edited thirty hours of taped interviews with Henry to produce a full autobiography, giving a vivid history of the Blues scene in St Louis and East St Louis in its prime.
In 1985 he received the National Heritage Fellowship
in recognition of being a master artist. In 1995 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
.
Townsend died, at the age of 96, on September 24, 2006, at St. Mary's Ozaukee Hospital, Mequon
, Wisconsin
, just hours after having been the first person to be presented with a 'key' in Grafton
's Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame
.
On December 4, 2009, Henry Townsend was added to the Mississippi Blues Trail
.
On February 10, 2008 Henry Townsend received a Grammy Award at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for his performances on Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas
released by The Blue Shoe Project.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Career
Townsend was born in Shelby, MississippiShelby, Mississippi
Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,926 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shelby is located at ....
and grew up in Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
. He left home at the age of nine because of an abusive father and hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
ed his way to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He learned guitar while in his early teens from a locally renowned blues guitarist known as "Dudlow Joe".
By the late 1920s he had begun touring and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with pianist Walter Davis
Walter Davis (blues)
Walter Davis was an African American blues singer and pianist.Davis had a rich singing voice that was as expressive as the best of the Delta blues vocalists...
, and had acquired the nickname "Mule" because he was sturdy in both physique and character. In St. Louis, he worked with some of the early blues pioneers, including J.D. Short
J.D. Short
J.D. Short was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist and harmonicist. He was a multi-instrumentalist, and possessed a distinctive vibrato laden, singing voice. Early in his career, Short recorded under a number of pseudonyms, including Jelly Jaw Short...
.
Townsend was one of the only artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
known to have recorded in nine consecutive decades (starting in the 1920s). He has recorded on several different labels including Columbia and Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
. He first recorded in 1929 and remained active up to 2006. By the mid 1990s, Townsend and his one-time collaborator Yank Rachell
Yank Rachell
James "Yank" Rachell was an American country blues musician, dubbed an "elder statesman of the blues."-Career:...
were the only active blues artists whose performing lives stretched back to the 1920s.
Articulate and self-aware with an excellent memory, Townsend gave many invaluable interviews to Blues enthusiasts and scholars. Paul Oliver
Paul Oliver
-Biography:Oliver was a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development , and from 1978-88 was Associate Head of the School of Architecture. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire...
recorded him in 1960 and quoted him extensively in his 1967 work Conversations with the Blues. Thirty years later, Bill Greensmith edited thirty hours of taped interviews with Henry to produce a full autobiography, giving a vivid history of the Blues scene in St Louis and East St Louis in its prime.
In 1985 he received the National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
in recognition of being a master artist. In 1995 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
.
Townsend died, at the age of 96, on September 24, 2006, at St. Mary's Ozaukee Hospital, Mequon
Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 21,823 at the 2000 census, and an estimated population of 23,739 in July 2009...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, just hours after having been the first person to be presented with a 'key' in Grafton
Grafton, Wisconsin
Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,312 at the 2000 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Grafton and the City of Cedarburg.-History:...
's Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame
Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame
The Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame honors artists who recorded for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin with a 'piano key'.The first of a total of 44 'piano keys' is wide by long and made of black granite to resemble a keyboard...
.
On December 4, 2009, Henry Townsend was added to the Mississippi Blues Trail
Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail, created by the Mississippi Blues Commission, is a project to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the growth of the blues throughout the state of Mississippi. The trail extends from the border of Louisiana in southern Mississippi...
.
On February 10, 2008 Henry Townsend received a Grammy Award at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for his performances on Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas
Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas
Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas is a live recording with Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr. and David Honeyboy Edwards, playing in Dallas, Texas, October 2004...
released by The Blue Shoe Project.
Selected discography
- 1966: Blues Rediscoveries (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
) - 1970: The Country Blues: Vol. 2 (Folkways Records)
- 1973: Henry T. Music Man (Adelphi RecordsAdelphi RecordsAdelphi Records is a US record label founded in 1968 by Gene and Carol Rosenthal.Musicians on that label are The Nighthawks and Catfish Hodge , Lenny Breau, Reuben Brown and Richie Cole , Yellowman, Big Youth and Toots & the Maytals , Rev. Gary Davis, Gene Johnson [Rock & Soul], and Rev...
AD1016) - 1984: The Blues in St. Louis, Vol. 3: Henry Townsend (Folkways Records)
- 2003: Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
) - 2008: Classic Piano Blues from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways)
See also
- List of blues musicians
- Chicago Blues FestivalChicago Blues FestivalThe Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
- Kentuckiana Blues SocietyKentuckiana Blues SocietyThe Kentuckiana Blues Society , founded in 1988 and based in Louisville, Kentucky is a non-profit 501 organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and perpetuation of the blues tradition in all of its forms. The KBS is an affiliate member of the Blues Foundation. The Blues Foundation is a...
External links
- Blue Shoe Times outlining Henry's life
- The Blue Shoe Project non-profit organization
- Henry James Townsend's Myspace profile
- Illustrated Henry Townsend discography
- Townsend Discography on Folkways
- Townsend's Entry at the St. Louis Walk of Fame
- Interview with Henry Townsend on Paramount Recordings
- Streaming audio interview with Mr. Henry Townsend
- CD Review of Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesman - Live in Dallas