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Slim Harpo

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Slim Harpo (11 January 1924 – 31 January 1970) was a blues musician.

Born James Moore in Lobdel, Louisiana, the eldest in an orphaned family, Moore worked as a longshoreman and building worker during the late 1930s and early 1940s. One of the foremost proponents of post-war rural blues, he began performing in Baton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim. He later accompanied Lightning Slim, his brother-in-law, both live and in the studio, before commencing his own recording career in 1957.

Named Slim Harpo by producer Jay Miller, the artist’s solo debut coupled “

I’m A King Bee” with “

I Got Love If You Want It”. Influenced by Jimmy Reed, he began recording for Excello and enjoyed a string of popular R&B singles which combined a drawling vocal with incisive harmonica passages. Among them were “Rainin’ In My Heart” (1961), “I Love The Life I Live”, “Buzzin’” (instrumental) and “Little Queen Bee” (1964). On these hits he was accompanied by understated electric backing from the regular stable of Excello musicians — including Lazy Lester, whom Harpo influenced.

The singer was known as one of the masters of the blues harmonica; the name “Slim Harpo” was a humorous takeoff on “slim harp,” the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles.

Harpo was the point man of the 1950s Louisiana Swamp/Blues movement. Harpo, along with Lightning Slim, Lazy Lester, Lonesome Sundown, and a dozen other downhome artists recorded for A&R man J.D. Miller in Crowley, Louisiana. The records were then issued on the Excello label, based in Nashville.

Tagged as:

blues, swamp blues, classic blues, harmonica blues, lousiana
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I'm a King Bee
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The Best of Slim Harpo
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The Excello Singles Anthology
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Best of Slim Harpo
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Top Tracks

1	Strange Love full track	217
2	I'm A King Bee full track	173
3	I Got Love If You Want It full track	90
4	Strange Love - Soundtrack Version	65
5	Shake Your Hips full track	53
6	Baby Scratch My Back	34
7	Rainin' In My Heart	31
8	Buzz Me Babe full track	28
9	Buzzin' full track	19
10	Still Rainin' In My Heart full track	17
10	Tip On In, Part 1 full track	17
10	Wonderin' and Worryin' full track	17
10	Bobby Sox Baby full track	17
14	Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu	16
14	Late Last Night full track	16

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JasonPopes wrote:
23 days ago

i also know where i'm the face by the high numbers comes from

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NilsHolgersson wrote:
July 2009

Rainin' in My Heart

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xelene_x wrote:
February 2009

gah... NOW I know where the Stones version of Shake your Hips came from :)

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PThomasAnderson wrote:
July 2008

Que tio, vaya forma de cantar tan especial, mi favorita es con diferencia Rainin' In My Heart.

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Keliiiiiii wrote:
June 2007

All I got was a slice of jelly cake hahahahahaah. Good song.

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wonder_al wrote:
September 2006

\o/

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