Biography of Roosevelt Sykes

As lovably ribald a pianist as ever roamed the earth, Roosevelt Sykes was a master of the sly double-entendre lyric, and he could pound out a boogie with the best 88s aces around. Growing up around Helena, AR, Sykes acquired both his nickname of "Honeydripper" and a deep love for blues piano. He was already playing the gin mills of St. Louis in 1929 when he cut his first 78 for Okeh, 44 Blues, and he recorded under a variety of monickers throughout the 30s, contributing a pair of eventual standards, "Night Time Is the Right Time" and "Driving Wheel," to the blues lexicon. Although he scored three huge hits in 1945-46 ("The Honeydripper," fittingly enough, was one), Sykes's legacy doesn't lie in chart positions, but in his vast discography (his 1954 version of "Sweet Home Chicago" for Imperial was a vivid blueprint for subsequent remakes) and unerring sense of leering fun (his renditions of "Ice Cream Freezer," "Hot Nuts" and the immortal "Dirty Mother Fuyer" are hilariously indicative).Sykes settled in New Orleans during the late 60s, and the rotund, immaculately attired pianist remained musically active on the lucrative European and festival circuits until he died in 1983. ~ Bill Dahl