Memphis Slim

Memphis Slim was born John Peter Chatman on September 3, 1915 in Memphis, Tennessee. As a youth growing up in Memphis, Slim hung out on Beale Street and occasionally worked at blues clubs, where he picked up valuable hints from other piano players. After roaming the South, Slim lived in Helena, Arkansas before moving to Chicago in 1939. That same year he made his debut as a recording artist for the Okeh label, using the name of his father, Peter Chatman. In 1940 he cut one of his trademark tunes, “Beer Drinking Woman,” for Bluebird Records using his nickname, Memphis Slim. Later that year Slim teamed up with guitarist Big Bill Broonzy, and the two musicians played and recorded in Chicago until 1944. It was then that Slim formed his first group, The Houserockers, a seven-piece ensemble including a saxophone section, and recorded such classics as “Lend Me Your Love” and “Rockin’ the House.”

Slim recorded regularly during the 1940s and 1950s for a number of labels, including Miracle, United, Chess, Vee-Jay, Bluesville, and Folkways. He also performed as soloist and with artists such as Willie Dixon and Sonny Boy Williamson. After a European tour with Dixon in 1962, Slim decided to move permanently to Paris, where he was able to record and perform regularly when other bluesmen back home were finding it increasingly difficult to secure steady work. Slim was held in great esteem in Europe, touring throughout the continent in high style. When performing in Paris he would show up in his Rolls Royce and park it right in front of the theater. Memphis Slim was considered a worldwide ambassador of the blues, and in the 1980s the U.S. Senate officially recognized this, honoring him with the title of Ambassador-at-Large of Good Will while the French government bestowed upon him the prestigious title of Commander of Arts and Letters. Memphis Slim passed away on February 24, 1988 in Paris, France.