Zappa's Favorites - Guitar Slim - 1953 - The Things I Used To Do.

Frank Zappa did have a soft spot for some of the early rock ‘n’ roll guitarists. Pushed to name the artists who helped him fall in love with the instrument, he said: “Well, my original favourite guitar player was Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, not from a technical standpoint but from listening to what his notes meant in the context they were played: and also Guitar Slim, who was the first guitar player that I ever heard that had distortion – even during the ’50s. In a strange way, I think I probably derive more of my style from his approach to the guitar than the solos I heard before then”.

In 1954, Guitar Slim was the biggest name in the blues world thanks to his smash hit single ‘The Things That I Used to Do’, which saw him bring hitherto unseen levels of intensity to electric guitar playing. After years of playing house parties on the streets of New Orleans, the single established him as one of the most successful acts in the country, outselling all but two singles from the whole of the 1950s. His exuberant style and thrilling on-stage acrobatics wowed audiences up and down America, setting a standard that the likes of Zappa would struggle to live up to for decades to come. Today, he isn’t nearly as known as he should be.

Feat. Roosevelt Brown & Huey Smith :

New Orleans Guitar (1947-55) - Disc C (Guitar Slim, 1951-55)

[lepetitoiseau]

It feels so good, Guitar Slim's repertoire is simply brilliant Bad Luck blues, Think It's over, Reap What You Saw ( Bad Woman Blues) and so many others... So many!!!
Thanks for that!