Chicago blues singer Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins is dead at age 76. He was best-known for his first-rate guitar playing and smooth vocal style.
Bob Koester, owner of Delmark Records, announced on Friday that Dawkins passed on Wednesday. The cause of death is still unknown.
Born James Henry Dawkins in Tchula, Mississippi, Dawkins was an only child. Throughout the years, he taught himself to play guitar.
Dawkins moved to Chicago in the 1950s. But, he did not immediately pursue a career in music. According to Koester, Dawkins worked in a box factory before moonlighting on Chicago streets to play for tips. In the 1960s, however, Dawkins began working in Chicago’s blues clubs where he earned a reputation as a top-notch wing-man–playing alongside fellow blues notables Otis Rush and Buddy Guy.
Dawkins’s debut album, “Fast Fingers,” was released on the Delmark Records label in 1969. Its launch caused many to take notice, particularly in Europe and Japan, where he toured regularly.
His first album may have taken its title from his nickname, but Koester notes: “He didn’t like his nickname… It gave the impression that he played only upbeat music.”
On the contrary, Dawkins performed a mellow style of music known as the West Side Chicago blues. It mirrored his slow-churned Mississippi roots, as opposed to the edgier sounds of the Chicago’s South Side. “His voice was feathery, soft,” Koester said. “He wasn’t a shouter, which is unusual in blues.”
Dawkins was also a contributor to Living Blues magazine.
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