Bumble Bee Slim

Bumble Bee Slim

Source: Blues Keeper

Bumble Bee Slim (Amos Easton) was born on 7 May 1905 in Brunswick, Georgia, to become a blues singer. He could also play guitar but was largely a vocalist. Easton (Slim) wasn't the desperate figure that many of his blues contemporaries were. He wasn't, for example, blind or missing limbs. Nor was he rediscovered living in poverty by a folklorist during the blues revival in the early sixties, as he able to spend his career of about four decades performing in clubs. Easton was about fifteen when he left home in 1920 to join the Ringling Brothers Circus. In 1928 he settled in Indianapolis where he met Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. He left Indiana for Chicago in 1931, eventually to make his first six recordings in Grafton, Wisconsin, in October: 'Yo Yo String Blues', 'Stumblin' Block Blues', 'No Woman No Nickel', 'Chain Gang Bound', 'Rough Rugged Road Blues' and 'Honey Bee Blues'. Those were issued on three 78s per Paramount 13102, Paramount 13109 and Paramount 13132. The guitarist on those is unknown, nor does Wirz at American Music leave any suggestion that it is Slim recording solos. Compositions, however, are clearly credited to Easton (Slim). Easton is responsible for numerous compositions. The incomplete list below is per the year that he recorded them:

   1934
      Burned Down Mill
      Sad and Lonesome
      Sail on Little Girl
   1935
      I Keep On Drinking
      When the Sun Goes Down
   1936
      Big Six
      Green Country Gal
      Hard Rocks in My Bed
      New Bricks in My Pillow
      New Orleans Stop Time
      Ramblin' With That Woman
      Right From Wrong
      Rough Treatment
      When the Music Sounds Good
   1937
      I'm Having So Much Trouble

All samples of Bumble Bee Slim herein likely feature him with instrumental accompaniment, or so I hazard, most of which is unknown. Rather than repeat "unknown" on personnel lists I more cleanly absent those instruments and refer you to Wirz. Again, there is no indication that Slim plays the guitar on titles in 1931 (nor any that he doesn't).

Composition: Amos Easton

Composition: Amos Easton

Easton signed up with Vocalion in 1932, commencing a career that would see him record above 150 tracks in the next five years. Though he recorded nothing in 1933 he was back with Vocalion in 1934 for numerous titles that year. He that year put away several tracks with his Three Sharks, none identified excepting the possibility of Thomas Dorsey at piano. Slim experimented with Decca and Bluebird in 1935 but was back with Vocalion later that year. He put down tracks for both Decca and Vocalion in 1936 before concluding the early portion of his recording career with Vocalion in 1937.

Piano: Myrtle Jenkins   Guitar: Willie Bee James

Composition: Williams

Piano: Myrtle Jenkins   Guitar: Willie Bee James

Composition: McCoy

Piano: Charlie Segar or Horace Malcolm

Composition: Amos Easton

Composition: Amos Easton

Composition: Leroy Carr   1928

Piano: Honey Hill   Guitar: Bill Gaither ?

Composition: Leroy Carr   1928

Piano: Blind John Davis ?   Drums: Fred Williams ?

Composition: Amos Easton

In 1937 Easton headed back to Georgia, whence began a gap in his recording career during which he relocated to Los Angeles in the early forties to play in clubs. He there recorded several titles as vocalist in 1951 like 'Strange Angel', 'Lonesome Trail Blues', 'Lonesome Old Feeling', and 'Ida Red', issued per Specialty 410 and Fidelity 3004.

Piano: Willard McDaniel   Guitar: Mitchell Tiny Webb

Bass: Billy Hadnott   Drums: Oscar Lee Bradley

Composition: Amos Easton

Slim released the album, 'Back In Town', in 1962, featuring his final recordings. Other than vocals he likely contributed guitar as well along with Joe Pass:

Trombone: Lou Blackburn   Tenor sax: Curtis Amy

Organ: Richard Holmes   Guitar: Joe Pass

Bass: Leroy Vinnegar   Drums: Ron Jefferson

Composition: Amos Easton

Piano: Les McCann   Bass: Leroy Vinnegar   Drums: Ron Jefferson

Composition: Traditional

Easton continued to play in clubs as ever until his death in Los Angeles on June 8, 1968.

Further Reading: Weenie Campbell

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