Frank Stokes, a muscular blacksmith, singer and guitarist, is often regarded as the seminal figure in Memphis blues history. His duets with guitarist Dan Sane, his partner in the Beale Street Sheiks, laid a bold foundation for those who followed, and he was equally effective when accompanied on other recordings by fiddler Will Batts. Stokes’ music encompassed minstrel and vaudeville tunes as well as blues, some of them adapted from fellow Memphian W.C. Handy (who had, in turn, written orchestrated blues arrangements based on folk forms played by musicians like Stokes). Yazoo Records entitled its Stokes reissue LP "The Creator of Memphis Blues," asserting that Stokes played as role as pioneer and popularizer in his genre similar to that of Charley Patton in the Delta blues. Stokes was born in Whitehaven, Tennessee, a community later annexed by the city of Memphis, on Jan. 1, 1888, according to information provided by his widow on his death certificate, although Stokes supplied an 1877 birthdate when he registered for the World War I draft. Either way, he was one of the oldest blues artists to record when he made his first Beale Street Sheiks sides for Paramount in 1927, and his repertoire reflected his familiarity with songs that predated the blues, as well as examples of the earliest forms of blues. His recording of "Mr. Crump Don’t Like It" preserved the lyrics and flavor of Handy’s 1909 campaign song before Handy changed it to "Memphis Blues" when he published it in 1912. Stokes’ recording career ended in 1929 but he continued to perform locally and hosted house parties at his Memphis home. He died in Memphis on Sept. 12, 1955.
