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469:, drums, many of whom were well-known Chicago musicians. A review of the performance said "blues shouter Arbee Stidham gave the crowd of 8,000 fans a rough, cheerfully energetic set. Stalking the stage with the sly, bent-kneed zeal of a Groucho Marx, Stidham sang with a similarly sly sense of humor".
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and things on that kick" and listen to them late at night at low volume. His mother would hear the music, get up and confiscate his records. "My grandfather would steal them back and give them right back to me". At the age of twelve, Stidham made his first appearance at the Ninth Street
Theatre in
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In August, 1982, Stidham performed with the Arbee
Stidham Blues Band at the Petrillo Band Shell during the 4th Annual Kool Jazz Festival held in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois. The band members included Henderson Smith, trumpet; Ahmad Salaheldeen, Tommy “Madman” Jones, Nat Reed, saxophones; Lacey
307:
When "My Heart
Belongs to You" was released, a copy was sent to Zenas Sears, an Atlanta disk jockey and music producer at WGST AM radio. Sears tried the song and his audience flooded the station with calls, asking to hear the record again and again. Sears recommended the record to
203:, Stidham was "exactly the sort of singer that thrived in the R&B or 'race' market after World War II; although essentially a bluesman, he wasn't a blues purist... his mixture of blues, jazz and gospel made him quite popular... in the '40s and '50s".
256:
Little Rock, Arkansas. His mother watched the performance, never sitting down. When the show was over, Stidham said "she grabbed me and hugged me and kissed me. She said 'I'm proud of you in a way, but you're still going to hell, singing those reels'".
437:, a short documentary film directed by Kent State University professor Robert West. The film was described as "a portrait of the underground legend, American blues singer Arbee Stidham, a Depression era musician in a film of melancholy reality".
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Stidham first learned to play a clarinet given to him by a local merchant in De Valls Bluff. Stidham said: "That's what I learned to play, and after I learned to play the clarinet, I went to the saxophone".
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in the early 1960s. Stidham recorded five songs on May 25, 1965 at the Sun
Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee. The songs were not immediately released, appearing on a Sun LP eleven years later in 1976.
223:
and his uncle Isaiah was a violinist. Stidham attended the
Prairie Valley Training (elementary) School as a child and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
388:, and Hooker, I started to learn. Hooker would teach me the single string thing, 'cause he was a wizard at that. He would stop by every once in a while and give me pointers".
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In
January, 1982, Stidham performed with Willie Dixon's "Blues Rent Party" band during the Chicago Winter Jazz Fair held at the Blackstone Hotel. Dixon's band also included
312:, the R&B disc jockey at Nashville's WLAC AM. The first night Noble played the song, he received 181 calls to play it again. The record reached number one on the
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without suffering nose bleeds, he became heavily depressed. Stidham's wife urged him to learn to play the guitar. "So I bought one", Stidham said. Fellow musician
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A tenor sax player, Stidham formed a seven-piece band named "Arbee
Stidham and His Southern Syncopators" at the age of thirteen. Stidham's band backed
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215:, United States, in 1917 to Luttie Abraham and Mable (née Perkins) Stidham and into a family steeped in music. Stidham's father was a musician in the
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251:. My mother used to tell me '...You don't do nothing but sing those reels - and you're going to hell'". Stidham used to order records, "
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during tour stops in 1930 and 1931, appeared frequently on KARK-AM radio in Little Rock and continued to work clubs in Little Rock and
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On some recordings, Stidham's name is mistakenly listed as "R. B. Stidham". For instance, the 1985 Ace
Records (UK) album,
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Stidham moved to
Cleveland, Ohio in the 1970s. He appeared regularly at the Pirates Cove nightclub, often accompanying
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Stidham was in a car crash in the 1950s. When he found his injuries made it impossible for him to play the
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Stidham spent the rest of his career trying to achieve the same success, recording for
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in the 1970s. He also recorded occasionally during the early 1970s and performed at
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Stidham died on April 26, 1988, at the
University of Chicago Medical Center in
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768:. Department of Arkansas Heritage Delta Cultural Center. December 31, 2015
384:, that's somebody who could tell you something". Stidham said "so between
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243:"I always loved (the) blues", Stidham said. "They didn't call the blues
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621:
Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2013).
821:. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. p. 22.
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623:
All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues
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All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues
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While living in Cleveland in 1973, Stidham was the subject of
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in June 1948. At the same time, the record was also listed on
188:(February 9, 1917 – April 26, 1988) was an American
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College of Communication and Information 10th Anniversary
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Blues Before Sunrise 2: Interviews from the Chicago Scene
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In the mid-1940s, Stidham moved to Chicago, where he met
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s "ten most-played juke box records" for several weeks.
951:"4th Jazz Festival Swings with Snappy Style and Grace"
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Stidham played the guitar and sang on recordings for
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Band, his uncle Ernest Stidham was the leader of the
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655:. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 159.
413:& The All Stars. Stidham was a lecturer on the
380:told him "You're always running around with (Earl)
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79:
58:
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28:
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687:. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
728:
726:
763:"Delta Music Heritage Research Project - Part 1"
930:. Arlington Heights, Illinois. August 27, 1982
898:"Jazz Institute of Chicago's Winter Jazz Fair"
734:"Arbee Stidham Newest Blues Singing Sensation"
291:, who signed him to a recording contract with
625:. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books.
535:Sun - The Roots of Rock Volume 6: Sunset Soul
8:
425:and clubs in the United States and abroad.
1091:20th-century African-American male singers
18:
878:. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University. 2012
603:. Treasurechess.wordpress.com. 2013-05-12
362:Ike Turner And His Kings Of Rhythm Vol. 2
1006:Stidham's Discography on Folkways.si.edu
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740:. Indianapolis, Indiana. August 7, 1948
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792:Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004
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299:", was recorded at his first session.
651:Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013).
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567:
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283:Arbee William Stidham WWII Draft Card
199:According to the authors of the book
7:
1066:People from Prairie County, Arkansas
1001:More information at Allaboutjazz.com
849:. Cleveland, Ohio. February 16, 1978
247:when I was a boy, they called them
1096:20th-century American male singers
1056:Cleveland State University faculty
14:
1076:20th-century American guitarists
924:"Lake Front JazzFest; it's cool"
794:. Record Research. p. 552.
481:, aged 71. Stidham is buried at
949:Kart, Larry (August 31, 1982).
715:(booklet). New York, New York:
928:Arlington Heights Daily Herald
711:Smith, Charles Edward (1961).
1:
1101:20th-century American singers
1071:Blues musicians from Arkansas
869:"2012 Points of Pride Report"
653:Blues: A Regional Experience
513:- The Blues Of Arbee Stidham
352:-influenced blues vocalist.
1031:African-American guitarists
843:"Pirates Cove in the Flats"
815:Danchin, Sebastian (2001).
295:in 1947. His biggest hit, "
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576:"Arbee Stidham: Biography"
419:Cleveland State University
275:Chicago recording sessions
211:Arbee Stidham was born at
1036:American blues guitarists
346:independent record labels
1086:Guitarists from Arkansas
1041:American male guitarists
902:Rhcourtney-collector.com
818:Earl Hooker Blues Master
465:, piano; Camille, bass;
429:Documentary film subject
236:Maternal disapproval of
213:De Valls Bluff, Arkansas
52:De Valls Bluff, Arkansas
1061:Checker Records artists
683:Cushing, Steve (2019).
541:My Heart Belongs To You
529:There's Always Tomorrow
441:Later live performances
297:My Heart Belongs to You
16:American blues musician
1046:American blues singers
378:Big Maceo Merriweather
284:
1081:Singers from Arkansas
738:Indianapolis Recorder
479:Cook County, Illinois
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194:multi-instrumentalist
186:Arbee William Stidham
34:Arbee William Stidham
719:. p. 2. FS3824.
543:(Crown Prince, 1981)
99:Kansas City shouters
957:. Chicago, Illinois
525:(Mainstream, 1972)
411:Robert Lockwood Jr.
1051:RCA Victor artists
904:. January 26, 1982
511:Tired of Wandering
487:Hillside, Illinois
368:Later music career
285:
271:during the 1930s.
265:Memphis, Tennessee
227:Early music career
110:Musician, composer
979:. SecondHandSongs
483:Oakridge Cemetery
356:Misidentification
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523:A Time for Blues
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473:Death and burial
461:Gibson, guitar;
398:Folkways Records
392:1960s recordings
386:Big Bill Broonzy
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221:Memphis Jug Band
217:Jimmie Lunceford
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49:February 9, 1917
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981:. Retrieved
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261:Bessie Smith
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185:
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138:Years active
64:(1988-04-26)
1026:1988 deaths
1021:1917 births
574:Wynn, Ron.
493:Discography
310:Gene Nobles
238:"the blues"
192:singer and
1015:Categories
983:2015-10-06
961:August 21,
934:August 21,
908:August 23,
882:August 24,
853:August 24,
772:August 22,
744:August 23,
607:2015-10-06
586:2015-10-06
554:References
517:Bluesville
467:Odie Payne
455:Odie Payne
293:RCA Victor
207:Early life
171:RCA Victor
159:Mainstream
95:Jazz blues
45:1917-02-09
30:Birth name
374:saxophone
328:Billboard
315:Billboard
142:1920–1982
119:Saxophone
86:Jump jazz
790:(2004).
580:AllMusic
167:Prestige
155:Folkways
127:Clarinet
73:Illinois
519:, 1961)
338:Checker
249:"reels"
245:"blues"
69:Chicago
825:
798:
691:
659:
629:
382:Hooker
342:States
151:Charly
147:Labels
123:Guitar
80:Genres
872:(PDF)
766:(PDF)
415:Blues
348:as a
331:'
324:chart
190:blues
163:Pearl
131:Piano
90:Blues
963:2020
936:2020
910:2020
884:2020
855:2020
823:ISBN
796:ISBN
774:2020
746:2020
689:ISBN
657:ISBN
627:ISBN
582:.com
350:jazz
59:Died
39:Born
498:LPs
485:in
175:Sun
1017::
953:.
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874:.
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