Blues Search Engine: Leroy Carr

Leroy Carr (March 27, 1905 – April 29, 1935) was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced artists like Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. He first became famous for How Long, How Long Blues on Vocalion Records in 1928 for which he wrote the music. Carr was born in Nashville, Tennessee and grew up in the black section of Indianapolis, Indiana. Here he partnered with jazz guitarist Scrapper Blackwell and their work showed a distinctive urban influence that was unlike the intensely emotional vocals and heavyily rhythmatic guitar back up, often bottleneck guitar style, of the Mississippi bluesmen. He was one of the first Northern bluesmen. Vocalion Records recorded him in 1928 and his first release How Long, How Long Blues was an immediate success. The innovation was in the sophisticated piano-guitar accompaniment and the wistfully sad mood. Music had moved from the lone guitarist in the fields to clubs with pianos for ready entertainment. The success of his first release resulted in more Vocation recordings. Although the depression of the early 1930s slowed down the record business, Carr's success continued, reaching a peak number of releases in 1934. His sudden death in 1935 at the age of 30 was surrounded with rumour and mystery. Today most historians believed he died of nephritis brought on by alcoholism. Although his recording career was cut short by his early death, Carr left behind a large body of work in his blues recordings. His partnership with guitarist Blackwell combined his light bluesy piano with a melodic jazz guitar that attracted the sophisticated urban black audience. His vocal style moved blues singing toward an urban sophistican and influenced such singers as T-Bone Walker, Charles Brown, Amos Milburn, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ray Charles among others. Count Basie and Jimmy Rushing used some of Carr's songs and Basie's band shows the influence of Carr's piano style. His music has been covered by notable artists such as Eric Clapton, Big Bill Broonzy, and Memphis Slim. (quoted from wikipedia.org)