Bo Carter

Pioneering Delta Blues Musician

American blues guitarist and singer. Born: June 30, 1893 in Bolton, Mississippi, United States Died: September 21, 1964 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks in concerts and on a few of their recordings. He also managed that group, which included his brothers Lonnie Chatmon on fiddle and, occasionally, Sam Chatmon on bass and their friend Walter Vinson on guitar and lead vocals. He had another musician brother called Harry Chatmon. Since the 1960s, Carter has become best known for his risqué songs, such as "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough for Me", "Please Warm My Wiener" and many others. However, his output was not limited to dirty blues. In 1928, he recorded the original version of "Corrine, Corrina", which later became a hit for Big Joe Turner and has become a standard in various musical genres. Carter and his brothers first learned music from their father, the fiddler Henderson Chatmon, a former slave, at their home on a plantation between Bolton and Edwards, Mississippi. Their mother, Eliza, also sang and played the guitar. Carter made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson (2), and was soon recording as a solo musician. He became a dominant blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording 110 sides. He also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other acts in the area. He and the Sheiks often performed for "whites", playing the pop hits of the day and white-oriented dance music, as well as for "blacks", playing a bluesier repertoire. Carter went partly blind during the 1930s. He settled in Glen Allan, Mississippi, and despite his vision problems did some farming but also continued to play music and perform, sometimes with his brothers. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and worked outside the music industry in the 1940s. Carter suffered strokes and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Shelby County Hospital, in Memphis, on September 21, 1964. He is buried in Nitta Yuma Cemetery, Sharkey County, Mississippi.