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| Robert Lockwood Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert Lockwood Jr. |
| Birth name | Robert Lockwood Jr. |
| Birth date | 1915-03-27 |
| Birth place | Clarksdale, Mississippi |
| Death date | 2006-11-21 |
| Death place | Shaftsbury, Vermont |
| Instruments | Guitar (instrument), Piano |
| Genres | Blues, Delta blues, Chicago blues |
| Years active | 1930s–2006 |
| Labels | Chess Records, Delmark Records, Alligator Records, Verve Records |
Robert Lockwood Jr. Robert Lockwood Jr. was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose career spanned over seven decades. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he was deeply connected to the Delta blues tradition and is notable for being the only guitarist known to have been taught directly by Robert Johnson. Lockwood's work bridged regional styles, influencing Chicago blues and mentoring younger musicians across the United States and Europe.
Lockwood was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi and raised in the Mississippi Delta, an area associated with figures like Charley Patton, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. As a youth he encountered itinerant musicians such as Tommy Johnson (musician), Big Joe Williams, Skip James, and members of the Delta blues community including Willie Brown (blues musician), Furry Lewis, and Sam Chatmon. Family connections linked him to regional traditions involving gospel music ensembles like The Mississippi Sheiks and touring acts from Memphis, Tennessee such as performers at the Orpheum Theatre (Memphis). Early exposure to recordings on 78 rpm record labels and performers heard on Beale Street shaped his style alongside local juke joint players and traveling minstrel revues.
In the early 1930s Lockwood moved within networks that included Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson I, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Natchez Trace musicians. He received direct tutelage from Robert Johnson, learning repertoire and technique that linked him to Johnson's performances at venues like Riley B. King Boulevard and gatherings in Shelby, Mississippi and Davenport, Iowa circuits. Lockwood worked in itinerant ensembles with artists such as Johnny Shines, Louis Washington, and Boyd Gilmore, and he performed alongside southern bluesmen who later migrated north during the Great Migration (African American) to cities like St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland, Ohio. Lockwood's early work connected him to recording opportunities and radio appearances on regional stations and local venues influenced by promoters like Sam Phillips.
Lockwood's recording career included sessions for labels such as Chess Records, Delmark Records, Atlantic Records, and Boutwell Records. He recorded with prominent contemporaries including Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Rogers (musician), and Sunnyland Slim. Notable recordings include collaborations on singles and albums that placed him in discographies alongside Eddie Boyd, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he participated in sessions with B.B. King, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker, and Luther Allison. Later albums on labels like Alligator Records and Verve Records showcased material associated with standards favored by Duke Ellington-era pianists and horn players from New Orleans and Chicago. Anthologies and reissues connected his name to compilers such as Samuel Charters, Alan Lomax, and John Hammond.
In the 1970s and beyond Lockwood maintained an active performance schedule, touring with ensembles that included musicians from the Chicago blues circuit and younger artists mentored by figures like Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, and Robert Cray. He held long residencies in Cleveland, Ohio clubs and performed at festivals including the Newport Folk Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and events produced by organizations like The National Endowment for the Arts. Collaborations in later decades included appearances with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, and Jimmy Rogers (musician), as well as session work alongside Otis Rush, Son Seals, and Mose Allison. He toured internationally to Europe, Japan, and Australia, appearing at venues connected to promoters such as Bill Graham and festivals organized by entities like BBC Radio 2 and WOMAD.
Lockwood's guitar style blended Delta blues fingerpicking with Chicago blues amplification, incorporating influences from Robert Johnson, Son House, T-Bone Walker, and Lonnie Johnson. His technique featured alternating bass lines, slide work, and single-string runs that resonated with audiences familiar with recordings by John Hammond (record producer), Vernon Dalhart, and later acoustic revivals led by Revivalists and researchers such as Alan Lomax. Lockwood influenced generations of guitarists including Gary Clark Jr., Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ry Cooder, and Derek Trucks. Ethnomusicologists, historians, and curators at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Blues Foundation cite his role in preserving a direct link to Robert Johnson and the Mississippi Delta tradition. His mentoring extended to regional musicians in Ohio and touring collaborators who documented his methods in oral histories and liner notes compiled by scholars such as Greil Marcus and Peter Guralnick.
Lockwood received recognition from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Blues Foundation, and he earned awards such as a Grammy Award-adjacent acclaim and lifetime achievement acknowledgments from entities like Living Blues magazine and various state arts councils. He won a W.C. Handy Blues Award and was inducted into halls of fame that recognize contributions to American music, with citations from panels including members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and music scholars from Brown University and University of Mississippi. His recordings appear in curated collections by labels and archives such as The Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and retrospective box sets assembled by Columbia Records and Chess Records reissue programs.
Category:American blues guitarists Category:1915 births Category:2006 deaths