Drink Small

Drink Small (born January 28, 1933)[1] is an American soul blues and electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is known as the Blues Doctor and has been influenced by gospel and country music and by the blues guitarist and singer Blind Boy Fuller.[2]

Drink Small
Also known asThe Blues Doctor
Born (1933-01-28) January 28, 1933
Bishopville, South Carolina, U.S.
GenresElectric blues, soul blues[1]
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
Years activeMid-1950s – present
LabelsIchiban, various

Biography

Small was born in Bishopville, South Carolina[1] into a family of singers and musicians.[3] He taught himself to play the guitar and organized a local gospel group, the Six Stars. After high school, he played guitar with gospel group The Spiritualaires, including a performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[3] He had eclectic musical influences, including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Travis, John Lee Hooker and Fats Domino.[4] His musical style has been described as "drawn from the Piedmont blues tradition but also includes gospel, rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, and Delta and Chicago style of blues".[3]

He was considered one of the best guitarists in gospel music in the 1950s, before he turned his attention to secular music later in that decade. In 1959, he recorded the single "I Love You Alberta", released by Sharp Records.[1][4] Small had a long career, recording occasionally for small record labels and issuing six albums between 1990 and 2008.[2] He recorded dirty blues tracks, such as "Tittie Man" and "Baby, Leave Your Panties Home",[5] and more righteous songs, such as "The Lord Been Good to Me".[6]

Small performed at the 2005 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.[4] He also performed at the first Julius Daniels Memorial Blues Festival in Denmark, South Carolina, in October 2010.

He is a recipient of a 2015 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[3]

Discography

Albums

[7]

YearTitleRecord label
1976I Know My Blues Are DifferentSouthland (Select-O-Hits)
1990The Blues DoctorIchiban
1991Round TwoWild Dog Blues
1994Electric Blues Doctor LiveMapleshade
2003Does It AllBishopville
2006Blues Doctor: Live & Outrageous!Erwin
2008Tryin' to Survive at 75Bishopville

See also

References
  1. O'Neal, Jim. "Drink Small: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  2. Herzhaft, Gérard (1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. p. 62. ISBN 1-55728-452-0.
  3. "Drink Small: Blues artist". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. Franklin, Benjamin, V (2008). Jazz and Blues Musicians of South Carolina. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 69/85. ISBN 978-1-57003-743-6.
  5. Frantz, Niles J. "Drink Small, The Blues Doctor: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  6. "Drink Small, Tryin' to Survive at 75: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic.com. May 27, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  7. "Drink Small: Discography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.

Further reading
  • Wilson-Giarratano, Gail (2014). Drink Small: The Life and Music of South Carolina's Blues Doctor. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN 9781626197404. LCCN 2014-953164. OCLC 889643720. – Small's biography
  • DeLune, Clair (2015). South Carolina Blues. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467114721. LCCN 2015-936000. OCLC 908914957. – features Small
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