Elmore James Jr.
Passed away in May 2026, aged 86 — after sixty years keeping his father's slide sound alive on Chicago's South and West Side.
Musical Influence
Elmore James Jr.'s significance lies less in innovation than in continuity: for over sixty years he kept his father's slide-guitar sound audible on Chicago's South and West Side club circuit, long after the Chicago blues scene that made Elmore James Sr. famous had faded from the mainstream. His two Wolf Records albums were explicitly marketed on that connection — reviewers and the label alike noted how closely his phrasing echoed his father's classic style (Kilde: Wolf Records International). His 1981 appearance on "Genuine Mississippi Blues" placed him alongside a generation of Jackson-area bluesmen — King Edward, Sam Myers, Big Bad Smitty, Johnny Littlejohn — being documented by Ace Records as the first postwar generation of blues was already receding from view (Kilde: Ace Records / Mississippi Blues Trail).
Family and personal life
Son born out of wedlock; rarely saw his father — their first known meeting was secretly arranged by his mother around 1951
Formative experiences
- •1939: Born Earnest Johnson in Mississippi, out-of-wedlock son of Elmore James. (Kilde: AllMusic/Apple Music)
- •c. 1951: First known meeting with his father, secretly arranged by his mother. (Kilde: AllMusic/Apple Music)
- •Early 1970s: Recorded with Johnny Vincent for Ace Records; adopted the stage name "Elmore James Jr." reportedly at Willie Dixon's encouragement. (Kilde: Jefferson Blues Magazine)
- •1981: Featured on the Ace Records compilation "Genuine Mississippi Blues". (Kilde: Ace Records / Mississippi Blues Trail)
- •2011: Recorded "Old School Lover" at Joyride Music Studio, Chicago, for Wolf Records. (Kilde: Wolf Records International)
- •2019: Performed at the University of Chicago Folk Festival. (Kilde: YouTube/University of Chicago Folk Festival recording)
- •May 15, 2026: Died. (Kilde: Jefferson Blues Magazine)
Instruments & Equipment
Stories & Anecdotes
"Around 1951 his mother secretly arranged for him and his sister to spend a day with their father, who was by then a rising name on the Chicago blues circuit — one of the only documented meetings between them. (Kilde: AllMusic/Apple Music)"
Collaborators
Encouraged him, after his move to Chicago, to adopt the stage name "Elmore James Jr."
Recorded him for Ace Records in the early 1970s and later included him on the 1981 compilation "Genuine Mississippi Blues".
Fellow musician on the "Old School Lover" sessions (2011).
Guitarist on "Baby Please Set A Date".
Watch & Listen
Elmore James Jr. "Broomdustin" - LIVE!
Live slide-guitar performance.
Regent Theater, Sept 2011
Watch & Listen
Discography
| Year | Title | Producer | Studio | Label | Chart | Sales | Musicians | YouTube | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Ace Records sessions with Johnny Vincent | Johnny Vincent | — | Ace Records | — | — | — | Early recordings; exact single titles not independently verified beyond the obituary source. | |
| 1981 | Genuine Mississippi Blues (compilation) | Johnny Vincent | — | Ace Records | — | — | — | Compilation featuring Jackson-area bluesmen King Edward, Sam Myers, Big Bad Smitty and Johnny Littlejohn alongside Elmore James Jr. | |
| 2005 | Elmore James Jr & His Broom Dusters Blues Band | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | Baby Please Set A Date | — | Wolf Records International | — | — | Jacob Dawson (Guitar), Otis Green (Keyboards), Edward C. Williams (Saxophone), Carl Norington (Bass), Jim DiSpirito (Drums) | |||
| 2011 | Old School Lover | — | Wolf Records International | — | — | Eddie Taylor Jr. (Guitar), Ed Williams (Saxophone), Carl Norington (Bass) | Recorded at Joyride Music Studio, Chicago, IL. |