Roosevelt Sykes

Born
January 31, 1906
in Elmar, AR 
Active Decades
19001020304050607080902000 
 
by Bill Dahl
Next time someone voices the goofball opinion that blues is simply too depressing to embrace, sit 'em down and expose 'em to a heady dose of Roosevelt Sykes. If he doesn't change their minds, nothing will.



There was absolutely nothing downbeat about this roly-poly, effervescent pianist (nicknamed "Honeydripper" for his youthful prowess around the girls), whose lengthy career spanned the pre-war and postwar eras with no interruption whatsoever. Sykes's romping boogies and hilariously risqué lyrics (his double-entendre gems included "Dirty Mother for You," "Ice Cream Freezer," and "Peeping Tom") characterize his monumental contributions to the blues idiom -- he was a pioneering piano-pounder responsible for the seminal pieces "44 Blues," "Driving Wheel," and {&"Night Time Is the Right Time."



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