Back when I was hosting a late-night blues radio program from 10pm-midnight on WSND FM-88.9 from the station’s studios on the campus of The University Of Notre Dame, I worked diligently to ensure that my shows were both highly entertaining, and that they were thematically-based around various artists, time periods, regional styles, and instruments.  I felt then, as I do now, that my mission with the blues is to be both a dedicated champion for the music and to educate my readership about this most unique and fantastic of musical art forms.

But back then, there would be times where my creative and educational juices would leave me hanging as I prepared a show, and I’d hit a dry spell as to how to completely fill my radio program.  Fortunately, there were certain collections that I could always count on and return to over and over again for both inspiration and the opportunity to steer me toward providing my listenership a better understanding and appreciation for the blues.

One of those collections is a CD on the Ace Records label entitled Blues Guitar Blasters (Ace Records CDCH 232), a phenomenal assemblage of blues from, as the title suggests, various blues guitar greats, with featured artists including Jimmy Nolen, Albert King, Lowell Fulson, B.B. King, Elmore James, Guitar Slim, Ike Turner, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Pee Wee Crayton, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, and Lafayette Thomas.  If someone cannot find blues enjoyment and inspiration from a collection that includes such a parade of blues guitar greats, well, they probably don’t have a pulse.

A few evenings ago, I pulled this CD from my broad collection and played it all the way through, and yet again, by the time it was done, I was completely satisfied.  My yearning for superb blues listening had been quenched.  Each time I listen to this excellent collection, I find something new or unique within it that causes me to further consider its contents.  With this listen, I was again struck by the two outstanding songs by Lafayette Thomas, “Jumpin’ In The Heart Of Town” and “Standing In The Back Door Crying.”  As I’ve never provided an overview of Thomas’s life and work from what scant information is available, I feel that it is time to provide one so perhaps others can seek out his blues and enjoy it to the degree that I do.

Lafayette Jerl Thomas came into the world in mid-June, 1928 in Shreveport, Louisiana, a town which finds itself majorly in Caddo Parish, a locale in the far northwestern portion of the state.  And here we are yet again with a fabulous yet somewhat obscure blues artist whose earliest formative years remain somewhat of a mystery; often blues artists on the fringes of the music have little chronicled about their early lives. 

What is generally agreed upon by blues researchers is that Thomas more than likely first heard blues guitar from his uncle, bluesman Jesse “Babyface” Thomas.  It is accepted that Thomas’s aspirations to eventually consider a life in music and to choose the blues as his genre were paved by his exposure to his uncle’s influence.

And again, as also was and is the case with many other blues artists, the church played a defining role in Thomas’s early years, as he is noted to have sung gospel in his church’s choir while a boy.

Sometime during Thomas’s early years, his family moved westward to California, settling in San Francisco.  By this time, Thomas was proficient on both guitar and piano.  What is known is that after this move, he was playing guitar with Al Simmons’ Rhythm Rockers, having his first gig with them in 1947.

Thomas’s reputation and skills continued to evolve and be honed while in California, and by 1948 he was an integral member of the band of Jimmy McCracklin, the great blues piano player, singer, and songwriter.  Thomas replaced prior McCracklin band guitarist Robert Kelton.  This was to be a major move in Thomas’s life, as he would record and perform with McCracklin, off and on, for pretty much the remainder of his blues career. 

Now, the Lafayette Thomas discography is a difficult one to traverse, but we’ll try to sort it out here as best possible from information available.  Another Bay Area blues artist who Thomas aligned himself with was Bob Geddins, the blues and R&B performer and record producer.  In 1948, it seems that Thomas appeared on four releases with Bob Geddins and His Cavaliers on the Cave Tone label, plus an outing in 1950 on the Gilt Edge label.  Thomas also appeared on two 1948 releases with vocalist Jimmy Wilson on the Aladdin and Cava-Tone imprints.

1952 found Thomas finally recording his own selections that saw the light of day on the Chess label, tunes laid-down under the name L. J. Thomas and His All-Stars.  The two tunes on the release were recorded in late 1951 by Sam Phillips at Sun Records.

1952 and 1953 also again saw Thomas recording with Jimmy Wilson and his band; four separate releases for the Big Town, Aladdin, 7-11, and Modern labels, plus he was on a 1953 session with the female vocalist Willie Huff that was released on the Big Town label.

What is obvious is that Thomas’s skill set was extremely attractive among the west coast blues crowd, one that included wild on-stage theatrics, but his break, if you will, came at the end of a 1954 Jimmy McCracklin session.  Thomas recorded “Lost Mind (Standing In The Back Door Crying)” at the end of that McCracklin session in Oakland, California, and the song was released on the Modern label under the name Jerry Thomas.  It was a hit for Thomas, and became his signature tune.

Thomas continued to record with Wilson in the mid-1950s, along with Juke Boy Barner (Bonner) in 1957 and Roy Hawkins on a couple of dates in 1958.  Thomas also continued to be prolific recording-wise under his own name, having recordings made at the end of McCracklin sessions for various labels including the Jumping and Savoy imprints in the late 1950s. 

In 1958, Thomas made a major, albeit temporary, move when he relocated to New York City.  There, he primarily worked with three musicians; recording with piano player Little Brother Montgomery, boogie woogie and blues piano man Sammy Price, and pianist Memphis Slim.

But by 1960, Thomas was back in California, and throughout the bulk of the 1960s he mostly put his music career on the sidelines and worked in a different capacity outside of the music industry.  However, he did from time-to-time participate in various McCracklin recording sessions, and was included on 45rpm releases by Al & Nettie in 1961 on the Gedinson’s label, and in 1962 for the same label on a 45rpm release for Camille And The Creations.

It was not until 1968 that Thomas again saw work released under his own name when he participated in a compilation recording endeavor that also included L.C. “Good Rockin’” Robinson, and Thomas Alexander and Dave Alexander.  Interesting is that this collection saw Thomas with the moniker Lafayette “Thing” Thomas.  The “Thing” moniker was in reference to Thomas’s previously mentioned always-acrobatic manner of performing.  The collection was issued on the World Pacific imprint.

However, traction from the release was negligible, though Thomas remained active into the early 1970s.  He did work and record with Sugar Pie DeSanto, and a 1972 45rpm saw the light of day on the Jasman label. 

By the mid-1970s, Thomas had returned to manual labor, and found work as a hose assembler, a position he kept for the remainder of his time on earth. 

In 1977 in Brisbane, California, at the age of 48, Thomas passed away from the effects of a heart attack. 

Many cite Thomas as the one of the finest blues guitarists to come from the fertile Bay Area blues scene, and his sharp guitar soloing style had, and continues to have, a profound sway on a number of guitarists.  And when combined with this energetic on-stage presence that earned his the “Thing” nickname, it is easy to understand why Thomas is revered to this day.

Seek out Thomas’s work on many of McCracklin’s releases, and certainly those on any number of available compilation CDs, and I am confident that you too will be amazed at Thomas’s immense blues guitar expertise.