Fred McDowell

Artist

Fred McDowell

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About

American 'hill country blues' singer and guitarist.
Born: January 12, 1906 in Rossville, Tennessee, USA
Died: July 3, 1972 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Cancer)

Also often called "Mississippi Fred McDowell".

After decades of playing for small local gatherings, McDowell was recorded in 1959 by roving folklore musicologist Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins, on their Southern Journey field-recording trip. With interest in blues and folk music rising in the United States at the time, McDowell's field recordings for Lomax caught the attention of blues aficionados and record producers, and within a couple of years, he had finally become a professional musician and recording artist in his own right. His LPs proved quite popular, and he performed at festivals and clubs all over the world.

McDowell continued to perform blues in the north Mississippi style much as he had for decades, sometimes on electric guitar rather than acoustic guitar. He was particularly renowned for his mastery of slide guitar, a style he said he first learned using a pocketknife for a slide and later a polished beef rib bone. He ultimately settled on the clearer sound he got from a glass slide, which he wore on his ring finger. While he famously declared, "I do not play no rock and roll," he was not averse to associating with younger rock musicians. He coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique and was reportedly flattered by The Rolling Stones' rather straightforward version of his "You Gotta Move" on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers.

Data provided by Discogs

Top Tracks

Most popular songs on Last.fm · click ▶ to preview on Spotify

1

You Gotta Move

Mississippi Fred McDowell

2

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

Mississippi Fred McDowell

3

Shake 'Em on Down

Mississippi Fred McDowell

4

You Got To Move

Mississippi Fred McDowell

5

61 Highway

Mississippi Fred McDowell

Releases

No releases found yet · refresh to fetch from Discogs

Setlists

20 live performances · data from Setlist.fm

All · 20
1972
1971
1970

Setlist data provided by Setlist.fm

April 23, 1972

State University of New York at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, United States


April 14, 1972

Memorial Auditorium

Burlington, Vermont, United States


December 3, 1971

Ellis Memorial Auditorium

Memphis, Tennessee, United States


November 14, 1971

Wisconsin Union Theater

Madison, Wisconsin, United States


October 27, 1971

Esbjornson Gymnasium

Glassboro, New Jersey, United States

Missing a show? Setlists sync automatically every 7 days.

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Fred McDowell's most-played tracks include You Gotta Move, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Shake 'Em on Down, You Got To Move, 61 Highway. Listen to these songs and explore more from their catalog on this page.

American 'hill country blues' singer and guitarist.Born: January 12, 1906 in Rossville, Tennessee, USADied: July 3, 1972 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Cancer)Also often called "Mississippi Fred McDowell".After decades of playing for small local gatheri... Read the full biography on this page.

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