Bobby Rush (musician)
| Bobby Rush | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Emmett Ellis Jr. |
| Born |
November 10, 1933 Homer, Louisiana, United States |
| Origin | Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States |
| Genres | Blues, electric blues, soul, R&B, funk, disco, acoustic blues, soul-blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Years active | 1951–present |
| Labels | Various |
Bobby Rush (born November 10, 1933) is an American blues musician, composer and singer. His style incorporates elements of blues, rap and funk.
Born Emmett Ellis, Jr. in Homer, Louisiana, Rush was the son of Emmett and Mattie Ellis. His father was a pastor whose guitar and harmonica playing provided early musical influences. As a young child he began experimenting with music using a sugar-cane syrup-bucket and a broom-wire diddley bow. Around 1946, he and the family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas where his father took on the pastorate of a church. It was here that Rush would become friends with Elmore James, slide-player Boyd Gilmore (Elmore's cousin), and piano-player Johnny "Big Moose" Walker; eventually forming a band to support his singing, as well as harp and guitar playing.
Still a teen, Rush donned a fake moustache to play in local juke joints with the band fascinated by enthusiasm of the crowds. His family relocated to Chicago in 1953 where he became part of the local blues scene in the following decade. In Chicago he met and befriended his neighbor, Muddy Waters, and began working for Jimmy Reed. Through these connections he began performing on a circuit with Etta James, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Jimmy Reed.
It was in the early 1970s that his self-penned "Chicken Heads" cracked the Billboard R&B chart on Galaxy, after being picked up from a small label started by former Vee Jay Records producer, Calvin Carter (#34, 1971). He later recorded with leading black music label, Philadelphia International, releasing his first album, Rush Hour produced by Leon Huff, with one track, I Wanna Do The Do also charting in 1979 (#75). Chicken Heads would become Rush's first gold certified record in 1971, and would later re-enter the Billboard chart 30 years after its release as a result of its feature in the film Black Snake Moan. His next album to become gold certified would be “Sue” in 1981, and “Ain’t Studdin’ Ya” in 1991.
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