Tommy Bankhead

Before he was old enough to legally take a drink, Tommy Bankhead was playing the blues with a long list of legendary musicians that included Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Joe Willie Wilkins, Robert Nighthawk, and Joe Hill Louis. He started in his teens and for half a century remained a high-caliber bluesman. A Mississippi native, he settled in St. Louis at the end of the '40s. Bankhead made a name for himself with his guitar, but he also possessed refined skill on the bass, drums, and harmonica. His few recordings include Please Mr. Foreman with the Blues E...