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Although
his recording career spanned 10 years, Elmore James is chiefly recalled
for his debut release, 'Dust My Broom'. This impassioned, exciting performance,
based on a virulent composition by country blues singer Robert Johnson,
was marked by the artist's unfettered vocals and his searing electric slide
guitar.
Bluesman
Elmore James was inspired by the local performances of Robert Johnson to
take up the guitar. It was, in fact, a number by Johnson ("Dust My Broom")
that became James' signature song and laid the foundation for his recording
career. First cut by James in August 1951, "Dust My Broom" contains the
strongest example of his stylistic signature: a swooping, full-octave opening
figure on slide guitar. His influence went beyond that one riff, however,
as he's been virtually credited with inventing blues rock by virtue of
energizing primal riffs with a raw, driving intensity.
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