SID SELVIDGE

Sid Selvidge ( July 21, 1943 in Greenville , Mississippi – May 2, 2013 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American blues singer . 

Life and work

Even as a teenager, Sid Selvidge owned a guitar and occasionally played music with his friends. Initially, however, he worked as a DJ at a small-town radio station called WDDT in his hometown of Greenville , Mississippi . After being hired as a DJ by radio station WDDT through a competition, he worked every weekend, playing rock 'n' roll and jazz instead of the standard music of the time in order to appeal to a younger audience. This made him very well known in his high school. There, Selvidge discovered that he also had a good singing voice.

In the 1960s, Selvidge's family moved to Memphis, where he began to understand how strongly blues , jazz , rock , rock 'n' roll , and soul were shaped by African-American society. In Memphis, he worked at radio station KWAM. Working at KWAM could have been a major turning point in his life, but he declined the job offer to work in Clearwater, Florida , because he wanted to stay in Memphis.

Selvidge studied at Southwestern College (now Rhodes College ). There, he befriended blues singer Furry Lewis , who introduced him to the blues. Selvidge thus led a double life. Through college, he pursued a career as a professor, but his interest in music also grew, and he began singing ballads. While earning his degree in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis , he married his wife, Shirley.

In 1969, Selvidge's debut album, Portrait , was released by Enterprise, a spin-off of the legendary Memphis-based Stax Records label . He then worked for five years as an anthropology professor in Memphis. After signing a contract with Elektra Records , Selvidge devoted himself entirely to music.

Selvidge's breakthrough came in the 1970s with his second album, *The Cold of the Morning *, establishing him as one of the city's most respected folk artists. He moved to Greenwich Village , New York . Selvidge, like many other musicians, feared commercial success there. After his album * Waiting for a Train*, he pursued a side project with the band Mudboy & The Neutrons.

After the release of his album Twice Told Tales in 1993, Selvidge began performing with his 19-year-old son, Steve, guitarist for the popular New York band The Hold Steady . In 1996, he returned to work for a radio station, broadcasting live recordings of blues artists from Memphis and the surrounding area. For 16 years, Selvidge toured and occasionally worked on the radio show. Selvidge also recorded three more albums for Archer Records.

In 2010, Selvidge was diagnosed with cancer while touring with singer-songwriter Amy Peace to promote their album I Should Be Blue . After receiving treatment, he returned to touring. On May 2, 2013, Selvidge died after a two-year battle with cancer.