Tampa Red - Essential Classics, Vol. 712: Tampa Red (2025)

Tampa Red was an American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter, born January 8, 1904 in Smithville, Lee County in Georgia, USA. He died in a nursing home on March 19, 1981 in Chicago, IL. Tampa Red came by his nick-name because he was raised in Tampa, Florida and because of his red hair. He was also known as Honey Boy Smith at Supertone (5). In the 1920s he formed a team with Georgia Tom (Dorsey), also known as The Hokum Boys. Tampa Red also created jug bands such as Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band (featuring a young Frankie Jaxon), and The Tub Jug Washboard Band, which backed blues singer Ma Rainey. He also recorded alone, and cut a number of exquisite guitar solos.

Already by the time of his 1928 recording debut for Vocalion (2), he had developed the clear, precise bottleneck blues guitar style that earned him his billing "The Guitar Wizard". His bottleneck and single-string solo style inspired a number of other blues guitarists, among them Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk. Tampa Red was also a prolific songwriter, writing such blues standards as Sweet Black Angel, Love Her With A Feeling, Don't You Lie To Me, and It Hurts Me Too (covered by the likes of B.B. King, Freddie King, Fats Domino and Elmore James, as well as Eric Clapton and Ghalia Volt to name but a few). He may have been the most influential of the early 20th century blues guitarists.