Whew!  Last evening, I pulled from my vast blues collection a compilation entitled Work With It on the Koko Mojo Records label (#KM-CD 11), a massive 28-song anthology that finds it origins out of Germany.  The CD is rife in its presentation of blues and R&B guitar artisans of the type that will leave your feet tappin’ and a huge smile on your face.  The likes of Cal Green, Chuck Mann, Tender Slim, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Eddie Clay, Little Luther, Big Charles Green, and Mojo Watson are among other six-string slingers whose work gilds this collection, and front-to-back it is a fervent, highly satisfying disc sure to sate the appetite of those seeking up-tempo vibes for their listening pleasure.

One of the cuts on the CD, “I’ve Got To Know,” startles with its sheer force, as it hammers with its overall wall of sound, the bombast of the vocals, the fractured and potent guitar mania, and the dizzying pace.  The song is by an artist by the name of Guitar Crusher, and while I have long been aware of his work and repute, by hearing his delirious song again, I believe that it’s time for an overview of this relatively unknown artist.

He came into the world as Sidney Selby in late July, 1931 in Lake Landing, North Carolina, a locale situated in Hyde County, a region in the far northeastern portion of the state.  As is the case with so many of the “fringe” blues artists, not much was ever chronicled about his earliest formative years.  What research has determined is that as a young man in his pre-teen and early teen years he, like many blues practitioners, was involved with the church, leading him to sing gospel in houses of worship.

In his mid-teens, Selby experienced a major life-changing event when he moved northward with his mother to New York City.  There, because of an aunt who worked at a U.S. Army installation where the myriad touring swing bands presented shows, he was exposed to the excitement of the music and the musician’s lifestyle.  Due to this thrilling introduction, it wasn’t long until Selby decided that music was the direction in which he wanted his life to proceed.

By the 1960s, Selby had developed his guitar and vocal skills to the point where he was leading a band named The Midnight Rockers, an aggregation that found themselves in-demand at clubs and colleges across the state of New York.  The band performed a vast assortment of tunes including soul standards, the day’s in-demand R&B material, serenading ballads, and original Selby songs.  Due to the band’s notoriety, and Selby’s particularly unique set of skills, he was able to record for a number of different labels during this period under the stage name of “Guitar Crusher” for the T & S Records, Bethlehem Records, King Records, Columbia, and Blue Horizon imprints.  So developed was Crusher’s style and stage presence that he was invited to tour with major acts including Ben E. King and the Isely Brothers, exposing him the a much wider audience.  And certainly, among his musical colleagues, his reputation grew, as well.

So, Crusher continued to gig with certain high-profile stars, and also ply his fantastic brand of guitar playing and singing with various band incarnations until 1982 when he made a profound decision; he would relocate to Germany.  What prompted this life-altering decision?  Through touring with both bigger name stars and his work with The Midnight Rockers, he found that his terrific skill set and stage character also played very well with a European audience, to a level that he just could not reach in the U.S.

Selby made Freiburg, Germany his home (in the lower southwestern part of the country), and he framed his work while in Germany in two diverse fashions.  First, he performed as a solo artist to great acclaim, and second, he supported visiting touring blues artists when their excursions brought them to Germany.

Crusher’s recording output only intensified while he was located in Germany, the best being a “live” album released in 1989 on the Audiostax label entitled Live At The Quasimodo, Berlin, with a self-produced collection coming out in 1990 on the Selby Records label entitled I Can Do Bad By Myself, along with a 1993 release on the Blue Sting label, and a 1993 collection on the Pool Musikproduktion imprint.  Crusher also appears on a 1996 collection by the Earthquake Blues Band (an outing enjoying the benefit of the arranging efforts of Calvin Owens of B.B. King fame), and a 1999 release by a group named Black Cat Bone that featured various guest artists including Crusher.  These are just a smattering of releases which featured Crusher, as others existed throughout the 1990s and 2000s on a host of labels.

So why was Crusher so in-demand?  Aside from his previously mentioned powerful vocal style and splintering guitar flairs, Crusher also was a very adept harmonica player, and as someone who could play virtually all manner of the blues utilizing differing instruments, his appeal as a performer was immense.  And always, there was something of a hint of hard soul.  His allure on the guitar captured the minds of notable guitarists such as Wild Jimmy Spruill and Alvin Lee, among others.

In later years, Crusher developed arthritis, and this obviously somewhat hampered his guitar capabilities.  But even at that point, Crusher continued to perform enthusiastically to avid crowds primarily relying upon his singing and harmonica playing to excite his audiences. 

What Crusher truly enjoyed as an artist was being labeled as a living legend” by the German press. 

One thing not addressed so far is how Crusher got his “Crusher” moniker.  I wish I could say that it was something whimsical and romantic in nature, but alas, it isn’t.  Rather, Selby first changed his name to “Bone Crusher,” and then to “Guitar Crusher” after he crushed his guitar over the head of an audience participant at one of his shows who he felt was being more than a bit disruptive.  Such as these things come to be.

Crusher was a married man, with his wife being Maria von Hartz-Selby.  Interestingly, the musical pedigree does not fall far from the tree, as his grandson is the U.S. rap artist known as “Designer,” whose given name is Sidney Royel Selby III.

“The Big Voice From New York,” another nickname applied to Crusher during his lifetime, was one of those fringe blues artists whose work was magnificent, but like Memphis Slim and Champion Jack Dupree, becoming an expatriate provided him his most rewarding musical years.

Crusher passed away in late September, 2020.