Guitar Slim - The Things That I Used To Do (1955)

Eddie Jones (December 10, 1926 – February 7, 1959), better known as Guitar Slim, was an American guitarist in the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song "The Things That I Used to Do", for Specialty Records. It is listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Slim had a major impact on rock and roll and experimented with distorted tones on the electric guitar a full decade before Jimi Hendrix.
Jones was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. His mother died when he was five, and he was raised by his grandmother. In his teen years he worked in cotton fields and spent his free time at juke joints, where he started sitting in as a singer or dancer; he was good enough as a dancer that he was nicknamed "Limber Leg".
After returning from military service during World War II, he started playing in clubs around New Orleans, Louisiana. Bandleader Willie D. Warren introduced him to the guitar. He was particularly influenced by T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. About 1950 he adopted the stage name Guitar Slim and became known for his wild stage act. He wore bright-colored suits and dyed his hair to match them. He had an assistant who followed him around the audience with up to 350 feet of cord between his guitar and his amplifier, and occasionally rode on his assistant's shoulders or even took his guitar outside the club, bringing traffic to a stop. His sound was just as unusual—he played his guitar with distortion more than a decade before rock guitarists did, and his gospel-influenced vocals were easily identifiable.
He got together with Muddy Waters in Los Angeles, California, for some lively playing.
His first recording session was in 1951. He had a minor rhythm and blues hit in 1952 with "Feelin' Sad", which Ray Charles covered. His biggest success was "The Things That I Used to Do" (1954), produced by the young Ray Charles and released by Art Rupe's Specialty Records. The song spent weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart and sold over a million copies, soon becoming a blues standard. It also contributed to the development of soul music. He recorded for several labels, including Imperial, Bullet, Specialty, and Atco.
Jones died of pneumonia in New York City, at the age of 32. He is buried in a small cemetery in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where his manager, Hosea Hill, resided.

Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and Frank Zappa were influenced by Guitar Slim. Other musicians have used the nickname Guitar Slim. The North Carolina blues guitarist James Stephens had several releases under this billing. One of Jones's sons bills himself as Guitar Slim, Jr. around the New Orleans circuit. His repertoire includes many of his father's songs.

Eddie „Guitar Slim“ Jones (* 10. Dezember 1926 in Greenwood, Mississippi; † 7. Februar 1959 in New York City, New York) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist. Seinen bekanntesten Hit The Things That I Used to Do zählt die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame zu den 500 Songs, die den Rock ’n’ Roll prägten.
Nach seinem Militärdienst im Zweiten Weltkrieg begann Jones, in Clubs in der Gegend um New Orleans zu spielen. Seine Vorbilder waren T-Bone Walker und Clarence „Gatemouth“ Brown.

Seine extravaganten Shows machten ihn bald bekannt: Er trug grellbunte Anzüge und färbte sein Haar passend; mit der Gitarre lief er im Publikum herum, begleitet von einem Assistenten, der das über 100 Meter lange Verstärkerkabel mitziehen musste; bisweilen stieg er auch auf die Schultern dieses Assistenten oder spielte draußen vor dem Club, wo er den Verkehr zum Stehen brachte. Er experimentierte mit verzerrter Gitarre, ein Sound, der ein Jahrzehnt später von Rockstars wie Jimi Hendrix wieder aufgenommen wurde.

Um 1950 legte er sich den Künstlernamen „Guitar Slim“ zu. 1951 machte er seine ersten Aufnahmen. Einen ersten Hit hatte er 1952 mit Feelin’ Sad, das auch von Ray Charles aufgenommen wurde. 1954 erschien The Things That I Used to Do auf Specialty Records, bis heute ein Blues-Standard. Weitere Hits waren u. a. It Hurts To Love Someone und Down Through The Years. Seine Band auf Tour und im Studio wurde vom Bassisten Lloyd Lambert geleitet.

Jones war ein heftiger Trinker und notorischer Frauenheld. Der übermäßige Alkoholkonsum machte ihm zu schaffen. 1959 zog er sich eine Lungenentzündung zu, an der er in Verbindung mit Alkohol am 7. Februar 1959 erst 32-jährig während einer Tournee starb. Er wurde in Thibodaux, Louisiana, wo er zuletzt gelebt hatte, mit seiner Gitarre bestattet. Einer seiner Söhne trat das musikalische Erbe seines Vaters an und trat als Guitar Slim, Jr. auf.

2007 wurde Jones in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.