Guitarist, singer, and harmonica player James “Slim Harpo” Moore, one of the last traditional blues musicians to achieve pop success,was an important influence on many 1960s rock bands. His early recordings, often dubbed “swamp blues,” were made for the Excello Records label with famed producer Jay D. Miller. Of the swamp blues musicians Miller recorded in his Crowley studio, Moore was the most successful. His warm, laconic vocals and laid-back yet insistent rhythms characterized hit songs ranging from the blues of “I’m a King Bee” to the ballad “Rainin’ in My Heart” to the early funk of “Baby, Scratch My Back” to “Bobby Sox Baby,” Moore’s attempt to cash in on the rock and roll (rock ‘n’ roll) craze.
Today in Blues history – January 11, 1924 – Slim Harpo is born

