I was in the mood for some acoustic blues the other day, and when I started digging through my rather broad blues collection, every relevant compilation I pulled out just didn’t seem to fit my whim.  When I was about to give up on my desire to listen to acoustic blues, I stumbled upon an Arhoolie Records compilation that included the works of R.L. Burnside, Houston Stackhouse, and Joe Calicott.  Once again, this was one of those CDs that, because of the sheer size of my blues collection, I had not put in the CD player and enjoyed for quite some time.  So, as I passed the time delving into the work of these superb acoustic blues artists, the work of Joe Calicott decidedly moved me, and I believe it is time that I addressed his life and career in this blog.

Calicott came into the world in early October, 1899 in the small town of Nesbit, Mississippi (an unincorporated area), which is located in DeSoto County in the far upper northeastern portion of the state.  I know that I express this a lot, but as is the case with so many of the earliest blues practitioners, especially those who never attained a heightened status of recognition and success, research has yielded very little about Calicott’s developmental years. 

What is known is that Calicott first showed an interest in the guitar in his mid-teen years (15 being the most suggested age), and some 15 years later he showed up on a recording by Garfield Akers as being an accompanying guitarist.  Together, Akers and Calicott recorded two sides for the Vocalion label, “Cottonfield Blues Part I” and “Cottonfield Blues Part II.”  Akers was yet another obscure Delta blues musician whose best-known works were the aforementioned “Cottonfield Blues Part I” and “Cottonfield Blues Part II” cuts.

While Calicott continued his blues trajectory by performing, often with Akers, at the usual blues events (i.e., house parties, fish fries, picnics, etc.), one year later he had the opportunity to return to the recording studio, this time under his own name, with Jim Jackson in tow, to lay down two selections for the Brunswick label.  The pair recorded “Fare Thee Well Blues” and “Traveling Mama Blues.”  One additional song was recorded, but was not released at the time (“Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues”).

The reality for Calicott was that while he was a blues singer with a very clear direct vocal style, one that was very vivid with a solid range, and standing as quite an accomplished melodic guitarist, plus being a performer who could convincingly deliver a song’s story, he never achieved the level of success that his talent showed was possible.  As such, by the 1940s, Calicott had stopped performing publicly, and by 1959 he had become so soured upon music he had and all but totally put his guitar and aspirations aside forever.  This was the year, coincidentally, that his recording partner of so many years ago, Garfield Akers, passed away.

But, as has been referred to so many times in this blog, the 1960s brought about a resurgence of interest in the blues, and Calicott would benefit from that renewed curiosity.  As it turned out, Calicott had picked up his guitar again in the mid-1960s for his own satisfaction, and with almost perfect timing, the great American record maker and music historian, George Mitchell, pursued various leads in his quest to track down Calicott, a man whose music he admired.  Mitchell finally found Calicott in 1967, and this discovery led to Mitchell getting an older but still highly skilled Calicott into a recording studio to capture 11 cuts.  Certain of these selections saw the light of day on a 1969 Arhoolie Records compilation, with others finding release on a Fat Possum Records 2003 release as part of the label’s George Mitchell Archive series.  

As a result of Mitchell’s efforts, Calicott was able to travel and perform outside of his hometown area, traveling to cities including Memphis and New York City for shows. 

The later 1960s also provided Calicott the opportunity to become involved with Kenny Brown, a neighbor at the time, who has gone on to be instrumental in keeping the Delta slide guitar blues tradition of the North Mississippi Hill Country alive.  When Calicott and Brown met, Brown was a scant ten years old.  However, Brown’s sincere rabid interest in the blues intrigued Calicott.  Brown lived just down the street from Calicott, and Brown often skipped out of classes at school to pursue the musical mentorship that Calicott was providing.

The exact date of Calicott’s death in May, 1969 is not clear.  However, upon his passing, he was buried in his hometown of Nesbit in the Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery with a minimal marking stone that simply had “JOE” etched into it.  However, an effort was undertaken to provide Calicott’s grave site with a proper headstone through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund and the guiding assistance of the aforementioned Kenny Brown who has steadfastly championed Calicott’s influence upon him over the years.  Financing the headstone’s acquisition were Arhoolie Records, Arhoolie Records’ owner Chris Strachwitz, and rock-n-roll heavyweight John Fogerty, a fellow musician who was inspired by Calicott’s music. 

Joe Calicott was yet again one of those “under-the-radar” blues artists whose talents were profound, but whose awareness in the great musical sphere, including that of the blues, are often overlooked, at best, and unknown, at worst.  As Calicott’s recorded output is available on some 50 compilations, seek out his work.  You will be amazed by its vibrancy and quality.