Muddy Waters’ great bands were noted for their individual and collective astonishments, and the interspersed melding of Little Walter’s powerful harmonica, Jimmy Rogers’ efficient fills and chording, Otis Spann’s rolling keyboard thunder and idyllic shadings, combined with Waters’ slashing slide guitar and impassioned vocals resulted in a complex blues whole that was built upon numerous foundations of broad talent and sound.

Similar too was the sonic blues assault provided by Chess label mainstay Howlin’ Wolf’s fine bands, when Wolf would shake the very pillars of any venue via his crazed vocal authority, tornadic approach to the harmonica, and commanding stage presence.  With blues guitar master Hubert Sumlin gliding to find the ideal notes to accompany Wolf, saxophonist Eddie Shaw bleating robust meaningful contrasts, and pianist Henry Gray riding the keyboards to deliver commanded textural layers, Wolf’s blues adaptations relied upon strong band interplay built upon an underpinning of assorted instrumental stratums.

But when listening to a blues artist such as Lightnin’ Slim, it becomes delectably evident that certain blues artists can be incredibly poignant and remarkable for their stripped-down approaches to their blues music craft. 

Slim was born Otis Verries Hicks in March, 1913, though his place of birth has been debated as either being nearby St. Louis, MO or Good Pine, LA.  We’ll best leave that argument to others.  What’s known is that Slim stayed in the vicinity of his birthplace until roughly the age of 13, with his family then settling in St. Francisville, LA, which is located in the mid-central part of the state, and is considered part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area. 

Like many bluesmen, there was a familial pedigree to music, and a young Slim was first shown the rudimentary basics of guitar by his father, and then by his older brother, Layfield.  What is interesting to note is that it appears that these early introductions to guitar by his father and brother likely were featured in the key of E, as Slim’s music stayed somewhat predictable in that key, and only fluctuated when he employed the utilization of a capo (a bar used to raise the pitch of a stringed instrument), or in the rare occasions when his guitar was tuned downward.

In the period of his late teens into the 1940s, Slim was an in-demand performer at the usual country events such as picnics, fish fries, and suppers in and around St. Francisville.  In 1946, Slim moved to Baton Rouge proper, and began to ply his blues trade in the Black taverns, first as a member of the Big Poppa’s Band, but then on his own. 

Slim continued this path of providing his blues trade into the 1950s when he then began to include blues harmonica player Schoolboy Cleve (Cleveland White) as a performing partner.  As an aside, Cleve had a long and productive career also working with various other bluesmen, and recorded under his own name for the Feature and Ace labels. 

Slim and Cleve worked the taverns and clubs, and were also featured performers on the radio.  It was a radio connection that paved the way for Slim to have his first recording opportunity, coming from a recommendation offered by a local DJ with the moniker “Diggy Do”.  “Diggy Do” suggested to J.D. Miller (the American record producer, songwriter, and musician whose broad swamp blues, Cajun, and swamp pop music influence is forever renowned in the annals of music history), that he get Slim into a recording studio.

This introduction began a 12-year working relationship as an Excello label blues artist, though at first, Slim recorded for Miller’s Feature label.  Excello was owned by Ernie Young, beginning operations in 1953 as a subsidiary of the gospel label Nashboro.  In time, Excello became one of the most important blues labels ever, known for its emphasis on the loping, easy-going, laid-back demeanor that defined swamp blues and swamp pop.  Other swamp blues and swamp pop artists such as Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, Lonesome Sundown, Silas Hogan, Katie Webster, Warren Storm, Arthur Gunter, Guitar Gable, Tabby Thomas, and Roscoe Shelton, among others, laid-down spectacular and timeless tracks for the Excello label.

What the Excello opportunity ideally framed for Slim was a respect for his brand of sparse swamp blues that steered clear of the need for too many musicians to be involved, and those who were, fully understood the nature of his music, as many of them were from his neck of the woods, and were members of Miller’s blues recording team; they knew this brand of blues well.

There is nothing that in any way can be considered flashy or complicated about Slim’s blues product.  His guitar prowess, while basic, ideally united with his coarse yet highly-vivid signing style.  Many times, Slim was only provided the backing of a drummer and a harmonica player (often Schoolboy Cleve, Slim Harpo, and Lazy Lester), and interestingly, when he did record with additional studio craftsmen, he had his overall sound accentuated by a studio technique known as tape echo that was a pulsing methodology that his backing musicians used.  It gave things a reverberating effect. 

The best way to describe Slim’s blues, perhaps, is that he deployed the framework of using an electric guitar, and at times studio musicians, making his brand of blues elevated when compared against what was really his backdrop of his blues vision; country blues.

Slim’s time at Excello saw him produce frequent hits around the region, with his “Rooster Blues” arguably being his most famous of the lot. 

Again, Slim seemed to have at his core the country blues of, say, a Lightning Hopkins, with its highly-personal relaxed qualities, yet a modern-esque steady resolve heard in Muddy Waters’ output.  His themes were often shadowy and subdued.  But, it was uniquely his own.

In the 1960s, Slim left blues behind, moving Pontiac, MI, finding work in the foundries.  But, in 1970, Slim was re-discovered by Fred Reif, an American roots music researcher and author.  At the time, Slim was living in the home of Slim Harpo’s sister.  Reif convinced Slim that he should reconsider performing and recording again, and in short order he was able to secures Slim a new Excello recording contract. 

This began a new period in Slim’s career that saw him performing in Europe, with a notable appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, a performance that paired him with Moses “Whispering” Smith, a fellow Excello label artist from back-in-the-day.  During this period, Slim also was active on the American blues festival circuit, and was well-received in the hippie venues performing with Slim Harpo.  Unfortunately, Harpo died in 1970, and Slim continued on by himself, while doing some periodic recording.

In 1971, Slim made an appearance at the University Of Chicago Folk Festival on a bill that included his old recording mate and fellow Excello label blues artist Lazy Lester.  It was through Reif that Lester appeared on the show.

Slim continued touring with the revered American Blues Legends tours upon which he was included until he passed away from cancer in 1974.

You can call Slim’s blues style lethargic, lurching, or incessant, or any other adjective that can attached to his expression of the blues, but his impact upon swamp blues, and blues in general, cannot be overstated.  His blues never disappoints or become repetitive, and each listening unearths unfound nuances.  Slim’s music deserves dedicated space in your blues collection.