Page 14 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2025

J. B. Lenoir - the ‘protest’ bluesman

By

John Holmes

I would hazard a guess that most British blues fans did not become aware of the
name J. B. Lenoir until they bought the 1967
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers album “Crusade”,

containing the poignant track entitled ‘The
Death of J. B. Lenoir’.

Mayall was a big fan of J. B. and keen to ensure

his name did not disappear in the mists of
time. I must admit, I was one of those unaware
of this man, even though he had been to the

UK as part of the 1965 Folk-Blues tour -
but I was only 12 then, so a little
young to be attending such

events!

J. B. was born on
March 5th 1929,

near Monti-
cello, Miss-
issippi, and

his birth
certificate indic-
ates that his legal name
was, indeed, J. B.! The

family pronounced their
surname as ‘Lenore’, and
that name even appeared

on some of his recordings,
but the French pronunciation of Lenoir
was more often used.

His father Dewitt played guitar, as did his
brother Dewitt Jr; and Dewitt Snr was J.
B.’s first music teacher. As an infant, apparently he took delight in hearing his Father

play, and not surprisingly this led to a desire to emulate what his Father was doing.
He, in turn, taught him folk-blues songs, and particularly some of the repertoire of
Blind Lemon Jefferson.

After beginning to explore the music for himself he soon came under the influence
of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup. The Hopkins influence is