Magic Slim & The Teardrops

b. Morris Holt, 7 August 1937, Torrence, Grenada, Mississippi, USA. Blues guitarist and vocalist Magic Slim became interested in music during childhood. He moved first to nearby Grenada, Mississippi, and then to Chicago in 1955, where he worked as bass player for Magic Sam, who gave Holt his name. He obtained a false identity card so that he was able to play bass with Sam in the bars and clubs. After completing that stay, he switched back to guitar and performed with a Chicago band called Mr. Pitiful And The Teardrops. When that band broke up, he moved back to Mississippi before returning to Chicago once again in 1965, where he re-formed the Teardrops with his two brothers (Nick, the bass player, became a permanent member). The band recorded its first single for the local Wes label in 1966, and another for the equally small Mean Mistreater label in 1970. It was not until 1978 that Magic Slim And The Teardrops began recording in earnest, contributing four tracks to an Alligator Records anthology. That was followed by a live album for the small Candy Apple label as well as recordings made in France, which were released in the USA on Alligator as Raw Magic in 1982. That same year he recorded the highly praised Grand Slam for Rooster Blues Records. A live album recorded in Austria, Chicago Blues Session, followed in 1987. Gravel Road, released on the small Blind Pig label in the USA, was issued in 1990. His sound is perhaps the tightest of any Chicago blues band working at the present time. This consistently satisfying blues musician has recorded singles for numerous labels but, recently, has recorded mainly for the Wolf Record label in Austria and Blind Pig in San Francisco..