Page 30 - BiTS_05_MAY_2025

A tour with fellow Chess artiste Little Walter followed, plus another with Linda Hayes
(a name unknown to me) who apparently was a popular California based singer.

By May 1953 Eddie was back in the Chess studios, and cut another hit with ‘Third
Degree’. By this time Leonard Chess must have been eating his words, but he wasn’t
the easiest person to get on with, as many other Chess artistes would confirm!

However, after 3 major records, over the next four years he never had another hit for
Chess, and in 1957 he was dropped from the label whilst recovering from a very serious

car crash, with St. Louis Jimmy (James
Oden) at the wheel. Eddie was in a cast
for 3 months, and accumulated hospital

costs of $4,500.

Over the next seven years he recorded for
nine different labels, and it is interesting

to note that four of those sides were
leased to the Esquire label in London, and
released on an EP (extended play) record.

The last two titles he recorded in Chicago,
backed by a great band with Buddy Guy,
Jack Myers and Clifton James, were a

collaboration between Willie Dixon, Mike
Leadbitter and (blues scholar) Paul Oliver.
The two tracks appeared in the UK on a
Decca compilation entitled “Blues

Southside Chicago”. I’ve not heard these,
so must try to track them down! Unfortunately, the album is not available on cd, so I
just hope Alexa has access to it!

By 1965 Eddie had a small farm about 60 miles from Chicago, from which he made
money by selling chickens in quite substantial numbers. The farm kept him busy in
the Summer, and he spent the Winter playing in Chicago. In spite of his three R&B hits

he still could not survive purely on his music income.

Then came the invitation to join the 1965 ‘American Folk Blues Tour’ of the UK and

Europe - his first trip across the Atlantic - which was to change his life. The annual
package organised by promoters Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau, in association with
Willie Dixon, had become a highly popular event. As well as Eddie, the tour also
featured Isaiah Ross, J. B. Lenoir, Roosevelt Sykes, Fred McDowell, Buddy Guy, Walter

Horton, Jimmy Lee Robinson and Freddy Below - a very strong line up indeed! The
tour went to Europe first, and then the UK. Whilst in Germany Eddie had done some
recording, and a deal had been struck to record a full album in the UK. Lippman

approached Mike Vernon to produce the sessions, which produced Eddie’s first ever
LP (long player) - “Five Long Years”, which was released on the Fontana label. The
album received some acclaim, although Vernon was not too struck by Eddie’s use of a