James Crutchfield

b. 25 May 1912, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. A self-taught pianist, Crutchfield left home when young and found work in the sawmills and lumber camps of Louisiana and Texas. In a logging camp in Bogalusa he met pianist Little Brother Montgomery who taught him to play ‘44 Blues'. In the late 40s Crutchfield moved to St. Louis where he worked in clubs, coming into contact with many of the city's celebrated pianists such as Henry Brown and Roosevelt Sykes. Around 1955, Charlie O'Brien, blues fan and policeman, introduced Crutchfield to John Bentley, who included four of his songs ...