Clifford Gibson
Clifford "Grandpappy" Gibson (April 17, 1901 – December 21, 1963) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is best known for the tracks, "Bad Luck Dice" and "Hard Headed Blues". Born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1920s and lived there for the rest of his life. He played in St. Louis clubs, and in 1929 began recording for the QRS and Victor labels. He is regarded as one of the earliest urban blues performers, with no pronounced rural influences. His guitar playing style resembled that of Lonnie Johnson, with an emphasis on vibrato and improvisation. His playing could be distinguished from Johnson's by a sharper tone resulting from the use of a capo high up the neck, and his use of open tunings. Among the many themes touched on in his songs, "Don't Put That Thing on Me" is notable for its references to hoodoo, an African American form of folk magic. Gibson accompanied Jimmie Rodgers on a Victor single, "Let Me Be Your Side Track", in 1931, then spent parts of the next three decades playing in the streets around St. Louis. Gibson resurfaced on recordings in 1960 on Little Milton's Bobbin label, and worked another three years in St. Louis' Gaslight Square, before his death from pulmonary edema in 1963. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 17, 1901 (Louisville), Died December 21, 1963
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1931
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-57173 | 10-in. | 11/26/1929 | Ice and snow blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57174 | 10-in. | 11/26/1929 | Don't put that thing on me | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57175 | 10-in. | 11/26/1929 | Drayman blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57176 | 10-in. | 11/26/1929 | Old time rider | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57753 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Bad luck dice | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57754 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Levee camp moan | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57755 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Hard-headed blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57756 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Blues without a dime | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57757 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Keep your windows pinned | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57758 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Jive me blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57759 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Brooklyn blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-57760 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Society blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-69404 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | Hard luck man blues | Willie Kelly | Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-69405 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | She rolls it slow | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano | composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-69406 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | Railroad man blues | Clifford Gibson | Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BVE-69424 | 10-in. | 6/11/1931 | Let me be your side track | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-69440 | 10-in. | 6/15/1931 | Quarter splow blues | Jimmy Strange | Male vocal solo, with violin and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-69442 | 10-in. | 6/15/1931 | No limit blues | Jimmy Strange | Male vocal solo, with violin and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gibson, Clifford," accessed November 6, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/203680.
Gibson, Clifford. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/203680.
"Gibson, Clifford." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Gibson, Clifford, 1901-1963 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96048662
Wikidata: Clifford Gibson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q867978
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/74048041
MusicBrainz: Clifford Gibson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/10c9565a-007b-4710-861d-c73f43cf0bff
ISNI: 0000 0000 4755 4976 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000047554976
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