Of the many legendary “swamp blues” artists to emerge from the bayou country of south Louisiana, none was more distinctive than Slim Harpo, who was also by far the most popular and influential outside the area. Born James Moore on Jan. 11, 1924, in Lobdell, Louisiana, he was known as Harmonica Slim before he made his first recording, the classic “I’m a King Bee,” for Excello Records in 1957. The swamp pop ballad “Rainin’ in My Heart” was his first national R&B hit, and the funky harmonica workout “Scratch My Back,” was even bigger (No. 1 in 1966), and became a number all blues harp players needed to know. Slim ran a trucking business in Baton Rouge but started to tour beyond the South, and had appeared in New York and Los Angeles prior to making arrangements for a European tour with fellow Excello bluesman Lightnin’ Slim. Slim Harpo’s music was already well known in England, having been covered by the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and the Kinks; Mick Jagger once said, “What’s the point of listening to us do ‘I’m a King Bee’ when you can hear Slim Harpo do it?” But transatlantic audiences never had a chance to see him. He died of a heart attack in Baton Rouge on Jan. 31, 1970.
— Jim O’Neal
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