The Life of Blues Legend Slim Harpo

Baton Rouge, LA - Local fans of the blues are invited to join Martin Hawkins, author of Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge, for a book signing and talk at the Delta Blues Museum, on November 01, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. celebrating this internationally renowned blues singer and musician. Presenting the only complete biography of Harpo, Hawkins traces his rural upbringing in the South, his professional development fostered by the local music scene, and his national success with R&B hits like Rainin' in My Heart, Baby Scratch My Back, and I'm A King Bee, among others.

With new research and interviews, aficionados will appreciate that Hawkins fills in previous biographical gapsand redresses misinformation about Harpo's life. In addition to weaving the musician's career into the lives of other blues players - including Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, and Silas Hogan - the author discusses the pioneering role of record producer J. D. Miller and illustrates how Excello Records in Nashville brought national attention to Harpo's music.

This engaging narrative examines Harpo's various recording sessions and provides a detailed discography, as well as a list of blues-related records by fellow Baton Rouge artists. Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge will stand as the ultimate resource on the musician's life and the rich history of blues heritage.

Martin Hawkins, author of A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955 and, with Colin Escott, Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll, has written over four hundred magazine articles, LP sleeve notes, and CD booklets on roots music since 1971.

September 2016 416 pages, 6 x 9, 37 halftones, 1 map 978-0-8071-6453-2 Cloth $35.00

To request review copies or set up an interview with the author, please contact Jenny Keegan at jenniferkeegan@lsu.edu.