Doug Quattlebaum
| Doug Quattlebaum | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Elijah Douglas Quattlebaum |
| Born |
January 22, 1929 Florence, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | March 1, 1996 (aged 67) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Piedmont blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, human voice |
| Years active | Late 1940s–early 1970s |
| Labels | Gotham Records, Bluesville Records |
Elijah Douglas Quattlebaum (January 22, 1929 – March 1, 1996), better known as Doug Quattlebaum, was an American Piedmont blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He recorded one single for Gotham Records in 1953, but bizarrely was offered another opportunity following his employment as an ice cream salesman.
Quattlebaum was born in Florence, South Carolina, United States, as the only child of his mother's first marriage. He spent the first thirteen years of his life there, and was initially inspired by the work of Blind Boy Fuller. He fashioned crudely constructed home-made guitars from wire and cigar boxes. However, his mother re-married a brother of Arthur Crudup in the early 1940s, when Quattlebaum was aged fourteen, which resulted in a relocation to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His step-father purchased Quattlebaum's first real guitar and showed his prodigy how to play one chord; during his teenage years Quattlebaum alone mastered the basics of playing the instrument.
He toured playing guitar accompaniment to several gospel groups, and reckoned he first recorded with the Bells of Joy in Texas. Quattlebaum recorded solo in 1953, purely as a blues singer and guitarist, for the Philadelphia-based Gotham Records. He cut three tracks for the label, "Don't Be Funny, Baby", "Lizzie Lou", and "Foolin' Me". The first two were released as a 78rpm single by Gotham the same year, whilst "Foolin' Me" went unreleased for many years. The recording was not a success and Quattlebaum shrank back into obscurity but, by 1961, he was back playing accompaniment to the Ward Singers. In June the same year, he was 're-discovered' playing popular and blues songs through the public address system of his Mister Softee ice cream van. The blues historian, Pete Welding, who became known for discovering talent in unusual places, heard his performances and arranged for him to record an album worth of sides for Testament Records. For reasons unknown it was not released, but Welding recorded him again the following year which resulted in an album financed by Moe of the Pep Boys, eventually titled Softee Man Blues. Released by Bluesville Records, Softee Man Blues (1963) had a photograph of Quattlebaum in his ice cream uniform on its front cover.
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