Overview
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Morganfield was raised in Southern Florida by his grandmother and had little contact with his father. As a child he listened to his father's records, but also to more popular fare such as The Jackson Five. He came to music later in life, having first worked as a teacher after earning a bachelor's degree in English from Tuskegee University and another in Communications from Auburn University. He did not begin playing music seriously until after his father's death in 1983, and then spent six years studying guitar. A well-received performance with Lonnie Mack at Atlanta's Center Stage led to further studying of traditional blues forms and songwriting while he continued work as a teacher.
He got his first break in 1996 when he and his band ("The Stone Cold Blues Band" 1996-1998) played at the Blue Angel Cafe in Chattanooga, TN. In 1998 he then began to play the east coast that led to bigger shows like "The Stan Rogers Folk Fest" and "Montreal Jazz fest" .
His first independent album,"Rising Son", was released in 1999 by Blind Pig Records. The album was recorded in Chicago, and featured Paul Oscher, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Pinetop Perkins. In 2000, he won the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Blues Artist. The title cut was featured in the 2004 film A Love Song for Bobby Long.
In 2009, he started his own record company, Black Shuck Records, and released "Born Lover".
In 2013, he released "Blues With A Mood". It reached the #1 position on Living Blues Radio charts in March that year.
In 2013 he won a Jus' Blues Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Artist". Also in 2013, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in St. Louis MO. as a "Master Blues Artist".
In 2016, he released "Bloodstains on the Wall".
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Big Bill Morganfield
1956 to ?