Eddie Jones was born in Mississippi in 1926. He started performing when he came to New Orleans after the war, teaming up with Huey Smith on piano, to play in local New Orleans clubs. He called himself Guitar Slim from the early fifties. His stage act had some of the attributes of Little Richard’s. He dyed his hair and wore suits to match. He liked to play while walking through the audience. His guitar sound was different too; he deliberately distorted the sound of the guitar. He certainly wanted to be noticed!
He made his first recording in 1951 and signed to Specialty Records. He is remembered for one song that reached number one on the R&B chart in 1953, “The Things That I Used To Do”, which sold over a million copies. It was recorded at J&M Studios and produced by a young man called Ray Charles.
Eddie Jones’ Biggest Hit (Wikimedia Commons)
The song has been covered by some well-known artists, including Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimi Hendrix.
Guitar Slim’s contribution to the New Orleans sound is a small but significant one, a reminder that the roots of this music lay in Blues too. The song has all the features of the New Orleans sound: a steady rolling beat, a hint of piano boogie, punchy horns. Then, the unusual elements are added: a Blues guitar and a Gospel-tinged melody.
