BULL CITY RED

Bull City Red era el apodo con el que, en el mundo del blues, se conoce a George Washington, un magnífico intérprete de washboard y guitarrista ajustado, originario de Durham, Carolina del Norte, que estuvo en activo durante los años 1930. Casi albino, adoptó su apodo del toro que aparecía en las cajetillas de tabaco de la principal fábrica de Durham, la "W.T. Blackwell's Genuine Durham Smoking Tobacco".

Fue adoptado como lazarillo por el grupo de músicos ciegos formado por Sonny Terry, Blind Boy Fuller y Gary Davis, a los que acompañaba por las calles y locales de la ciudad. Fue Red quién presentó a Brownie McGhee, al que había conocido en un viaje a Burlington.1​ Su talento con la tabla de lavar, le permitió acompañar a un gran número de artistas.

Grabó discos entre 1935 y 1939, con resultados realmente impresionantes con el washboard, tal vez los mejores registros existentes de este instrumento.2​

 Oliver, Paul: Op. ref., pag.239

 Bruce Eder: All Music Guide . Ver en http://www.answers.com/topic/red-bull

Bibliografía

Herzhaft, Gérard: La gran enciclopedia del blues, Edic. RobinBook, Barcelona, 2003, ISBN 84-95601-82-6

Oliver, Paul: Historia del Blues , Alfaguara-Nostromo, Madrid, 1976, pag. 305, ISBN 84-384-0019-1

Harrison, Max, Oliver, Paul & Bolcom, William: Gospel, blues & jazz, Muchnik Editores, , Barcelona, 1986, pag.119, ISBN 84-7669-140-8

Bull City Red

Birth name George Washington

Also known as Oh Red

Born February 19, 1917

Indiantown, South Carolina or

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Died October 1958 (age 41)

Genres Piedmont blues, East Coast blues, country blues, gospel

Occupation(s) Singer, guitarist, washboard player

Instruments Vocals, guitar, washboard

Years active Early 1930s-early 1940s

Labels Vocalion

Associated acts Blind Boy Fuller, Reverend Gary Davis, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Jones

Bull City Red (born George Washington, February 19, 1917 – October 1958)[1] was an American Piedmont blues guitarist, singer, and predominately washboard player, most closely associated with Blind Boy Fuller and the Reverend Gary Davis. Little is known of his life outside of his recording career.

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Biography

Washington was born in Indiantown, South Carolina,though some sources state Durham, North Carolina. His primary nickname, "Bull City Red", came from the "Bull City" town of Durham, where he grew up. He was sometimes alternatively called Oh Red. Although he was just good enough as a guitarist to imitate Fuller, with whom he frequently played, he was a talented washboard player and also sang.

A partial albino, Red was a street musician in Durham before becoming the sole sighted member of a band managed by the talent scout J. B. Long, which included at various times Fuller, Sonny Terry and Davis. In 1935, then a trio featuring Red, Davis and Fuller, the band went to New York to enter the recording studio for the first time, in a session for the American Record Corporation (ARC). As his collaborators were blind, Red signaled them by touch when the recording process was ready to end.Accompanying Fuller along with Terry, Red recorded many songs for ARC's Perfect label between 1935 and Fuller's death during surgery in 1941.

Red also recorded songs based on gospel music with Fuller, Terry, and Sonny Jones, under the name of Brother George and His Sanctified Singers.] He recorded "I Saw the Light" with guitar backing by Davis.On Fuller's latterday compilation album, Get Your Yas Yas Out, Red played the washboard on "Jitterbug Rag".Between 1935 and 1939, he struck out on his own as well, recording solo with his own vocals, guitar and washboard. His tracks included "Black Woman and Poison Blues" and "I Won't Be Dogged Around".

In 1941, Red became involved with another band. In late 1940, he had introduced Brownie McGhee and his collaborator Jordan Webb to his manager,John Baxter Long and also to Fuller and Terry. After Fuller's death, the group came together along with another washboard player, Robert Young, to record.

Red died in 1958, at an unknown location.