MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Elvin Bishop, Eddy Clearwater, Jimmy Johnson, John Mayall and the Memphis Jug Band have been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
The five new inductees were honored Wednesday in Memphis by the Blues Foundation.
British blues artist Mayall and Eric Clapton formed the Bluesbreakers, which would also include Mick Taylor, Peter Green and John McVie. Bishop was a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and had a hit song in 1976 with “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”
From the Chicago music scene, left-handed guitarist Clearwater (a Skokie resident and longtime Chicago Blues Festival favorite) earned the nickname “The Chief” for wearing an Indian headdress, while Johnson, a blues singer and guitarist, wrote “Don’t Answer the Door,” a hit for B.B. King.
The Memphis Jug Band was an African-American pre-war jug band.
When asked about the hall induction at this time in his career, Clearwater told the Tribune in a recent interview:
I’m not the authority, but I guess they thought it was time I got the recognition. I’ve dedicated my life to the music, after all. I’m the same person I’ve always been, but I appreciate the honor. It feels good, like winning the lottery. So I guess I’ll take it. (Laughs.) After that, I’m going to just keep on keepin’ on and doing my best because I have some more songs I want to record and I want to continue to productive.
NOTE: Eddy Clearwater will be performing at this year’s Chicago Blues Festival, as part of an all-star tribute to Otis Rush on Sunday, June 12 at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.
Contributing: Sun-Times staff reporter Miriam Di Nunzio
