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Magic Slim

Magic Slim's got the blues, and he's not afraid to play them his way.

Magic Slim was born Morris Holt in Torrence, Mississippi, on August 7, 1937. He took an early interest in music, singing in the church choir, and fashioning a guitar for himself with baling wire from a broom, which he nailed to the wall. "Mama whooped me for that", recalls Magic Slim. His first love was the piano, but having lost the little finger on his right hand in a cotton gin accident he found it difficult to play properly. Undaunted, Magic Slim simply switched to guitar, working in the cotton fields during the week and playing the blues at house parties on weekends. When Magic Slim was 11, he moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where he met and became friends with Magic Sam, who gave him a few pointers on guitar. Years later the two would hook up again in Chicago, where Magic Sam would have a major influence on Magic Slim's career. When Magic Slim made his first trip to Chicago in 1955, Magic Sam offered his friend encouragement, letting Magic Slim play bass in his band and even giving the then lanky Magic Slim his nickname. But Magic Slim found it rough going on the highly competitive blues scene and returned, discouraged, to Mississippi to perfect his craft. Demonstrating his characteristic determination, Magic Slim spent the next five years practicing guitar and teaching his younger brothers, Nick and Douglas (Lee Baby) to play bass and drums respectively. Confident in his abilities, Magic Slim returned to Chicago and established himself as a formidable player on the scene. In 1967, Magic Slim put his own band together called The Teardrops, which included his younger brothers. In 1972, Magic Slim began playing regularly at a tiny South Side club called Florence's. In the mid-70's Magic Slim began to hit his stride as a guitarist, performer, bandleader, and recording artist, launching a career that has taken him across the country and overseas to national and international recognition and acclaim. Magic Slim began touring Europe, where his rough and tumble authenticity was well appreciated. Today Magic Slim is one of the most sought-after headliners for festivals in the U.K., Poland, Scandinavia, France, Holland, Belgium, and Greece. By the late 1980's he was also touring Japan and South America. On his first trip to Brazil in 1989, he became an instant hero, appearing on television, in a dozen magazine articles and every major newspaper in the country. Magic Slim recorded many albums and won six times the W.C. Handy Award.

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