Leroy Carr

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Leroy Carr (Nashville, Tennessee, USA, March 27, 1905 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, April 29, 1935) was an American singer, songwriter and who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced artists like Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. He first became famous for “How Long, How Long Blues”, with the guitarist Scrapper Blackwell on Vocalion Records in 1928 (as Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell), for which Carr wrote the music. The song is commonly referred to as “How Long Blues” and is a blues standard that has been recorded by many artists, not only in blues, but also country and western, pop, and jazz.

Although his recording career was cut short by an early death, Carr left behind a large body of work. He had a long-time partnership with guitarist Scrapper Blackwell. His light bluesy piano combined with Blackwell’s melodic jazz guitar to attract a sophisticated black audience. Carr’s vocal style moved blues singing toward an urban sophistication, influencing such singers as T-Bone Walker, Charles Brown, Amos Milburn, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ray Charles among others.
Count Basie and Jimmy Rushing used some of Carr’s songs and Basie’s band shows the influence of Carr’s piano style.
His music has been covered by notable artists such as Robert Johnson, Ray Charles, Big Bill Broonzy, Moon Mullican, Champion Jack Dupree, Lonnie Donegan and Memphis Slim.
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  • LanFill

    Died too young...

    13 Nov 2010 Reply

  • Jrecklin

    Probably the most underrated genius in blues history.

    21 Oct 2010 Reply

  • insomniacme

    he Leroy's son?

    26 Sep 2010 Reply

  • Eric_Blair

    Hey man, thanks for Robert Johnson.

    5 Sep 2008 Reply

  • CoolJack

    one of the last songs he recorded was "six feet in the cold ground", from the way he sings in that song it sounds like he knew that he was dieing. Well depressing.

    17 Jul 2008 Reply

  • SYL2Oh

    Leroy Carr has provided the public with a blues ghettos safe and sentimental to break with the blues of origin, the more rudimentary, which had originated in the rural world.

    24 May 2008 Reply

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