NAPOLEON STRICKLAND

    Nacido en Como ( Delta del Mississippí ) en el año 1919 según sea la info , pues otras fuentes dan como fecha de su nacimiento alrededor de 1920 ..... ( que podría ser lo mismo ) ..Se puede decir de él que era un hombre ingenioso  musicalmente hablando , hábil y muy personal en la forma de interpretar la música, tocaba varios instrumentos , todos ellos de rudimentaria construccion , como la guitarra de una sola cuerda , el pífano , una especie de flautín de sonido muy agudo , y también la armónica, batería etc. por todo ello estaba muy bien considerado por el personal de su territorio y hacía las delicias de la gente en los divertimentos que se montaban al efecto. 

                                   
                                



                               

Hammie Nixon, long time partner of Sleepy John Estes and one of the unsung originator of the harmonica blues was a sensation during the first Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in 1979. He shared the stage with the great Napoleon Strickland, mostly known for leading his own fife and drum band but who also was a fine singer, harp player and guitarist. Here they are together on a rare footage from a local TV set from 1979

Video By Gérard Herzhaft 

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Napoleon Strickland (October 1, 1919 – July 21, 2001), sometimes known as Napolian Strickland, was a fife and drum blues artist, and songwriter, and vocalist specializing in country blues, specifically North Mississippi hill country blues. He also played guitar, drums, harmonica, fife, and all manner of percussion instruments.

Born near Como east of the Mississippi Delta in hill country, Napoleon Strickland learned music as a boy from his father. Later Otha Turner taught him how to play. He became adept with guitar, drums, harmonica, diddley bow, fife, and all manner of percussion. He was primarily a fife player and singer, playing a great number of festivals. He also performed on several compilation albums of North Mississippi hill country blues, as the music was recorded in the late 20th century. He appeared in the biopic documentary film, The Land Where The Blues Began.

Strickland was considered by many to have been the premier fife player of his genre. He made a living as a sharecropper for most of his life, mentoring other musicians in the region. After a car accident, he was committed to a nursing home but continued to play for guests from his bed.