Big George Brock

I ran across this on the Cat Head music production web site while searching the web about Big George Brock:

Born in Grenada, Mississippi on May 16, 1932, Big George spent his teenage years
near Clarksdale, Mississippi, before settling in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1950s.
While living in the Clarkdale area, he did back-breaking fieldwork, boxed on weekends,
and played the blues. He remembers hanging out at house parties in the Delta where
folks like Memphis Minnie would show up. Even today, he still has relatives in the
Clarksdale area, including his blues-playing nephew James "Super Chikan" Johnson
and brother-in-law Big Jack Johnson. In St. Louis, Big George owned a series of blues
clubs in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, including Club Caravan (formerly the Early Bird Lounge)
– where his wife at the time was killed by stray bullets from a drunk's pistol – and
New Club Caravan. Later, Big George & the Houserockers was the house band at Climmie's
Western Inn for 12 years. During his career, Big George has played shows with blues
legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and many others. Garrick
Feldman of the Arkansas Leader has said Big George is "about as good a harmonica
player as any of the blues greats, and he knew and played with most of them." At
various times, he's had fellow Mississippians Willie Foster, Big Bad Smitty, Terry
"Big T" Williams, Jimbo Mathus and Bill Abel back him at shows, but most often, you'll
find him with one of the best "unknown guitar players" in the biz: Mr. Riley Coatie.
Besides his 6-string skills, this native of the Arkansas Delta is also known for his
amazing family blues band. Coatie taught his children Tekora, Latasha and Riley Jr.
to play in the old classic style that Big George Brock loves.

Big George is currently playing in England at the Sainsbury's Social Club in Basingstroke. For more info check out this article from the Gazette. It is nice to see Big George still playing in his mid 70s. What is so cool about the blues, is that the older you get the better you get. Unlike rock, or other forms of pop music. Blues respects its elders, and it is the wisdom of these old blues performers that makes them so great. There is so much life experience that these performers share with the audience that it is almost like going back in time. I know that the few years I was able to play with Jimmy Pryor made me a better person, both as a player and as a human being. So if you get the chance to see one of the elder statesmen of the blues do it! You won't be sorry.