Bman's Blues Report

James Crutchfield (May 25, 1912 – December 7, 2001) was an American St. Louis, Missouri based, barrelhouse blues singer, pianist, and songwriter, whose career spanned seven decades. His repertoire consisted of original and classic blues and boogie-woogie and depression-era popular songs. Known as the 'King of barrelhouse blues', Crutchfield's better known songs include "I Believe You Need A Shot" and "My Baby Cooks My Breakfast". He worked with Elmore James and Boyd Gilmore There is no record of James Crutchfield's birth: "My mama never know'd what day it was, she never know'd what month it was, but she always know'd what year it was. 'Lotta folks back in them days never even know'd that much, but my mama always did. She told me I was born in '12, in Baton Rouge, when the high water was highest." James Crutchfield said his mother Sarah was a "Geechee" - a descendent of slaves of the Georgia/Carolina sea isl...