Guitar Nubbit
| Guitar Nubbit | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alvin Hankerson |
| Born |
November 23, 1923 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Died | June 30, 1995 (aged 71) Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–1995 |
| Labels | Bluestown Records |
Alvin Hankerson (November 23, 1923 – June 30, 1995), better known as Guitar Nubbit was an American blues guitarist and singer. His most notable song was "Georgia Chain Gang", which was originally released in 1962 as a single on Bluestown Records.
Guitar Nubbit was the uncle of Dorris Henderson.
Henderson was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. During a hurricane when he was three years old, he lost the tip of his right thumb, which led to his lifelong nickname of "Nubbit" (or shortened to simply "Nub"). He spent the bulk of his formative years in Georgia, relocating to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1945. He attempted to self-learn the guitar, but after a year of trying gave up the instrument in 1949. However, by 1954, he could afford to have guitar lessons, and enlisted the former Rocky Mount, North Carolina music teacher Bill Bryant, and Guitar Nubbit eventually mastered the rudiments of playing. He then performed locally both playing and singing mainly his own compositions, whilst maintaining his daytime job as a barber.
In 1962, Guitar Nubbit recorded his first tracks for the small Bluestown Records label. His first single release was "Evil Woman Blues" b/w "Laura", which was recorded in his adopted hometown of Boston. This was swiftly followed by his most noteworthy song, "Georgia Chain Gang" b/w "Hard Road". He recorded further tracks the same year, and in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1963, but the bulk of these remained unreleased for a number of years. His 1965 release of "Big Leg Woman", was a cover of Blind Boy Fuller's song. The releases sparked some interest amongst a mainly white audience, during the so-called blues revival period. His offerings lacked variety, and despite some exposure in his local folk scene, he slowly drifted into obscurity. Various attempts to revive his fortunes included the EP released in 1971 on XX Records, although all the numbers contained therein were from the previous decade. In 1989, a rather unusual seven track, 12 inch, 45 rpm release was entitled Re-Living the Legend! Wolf Records 1998 compilation, Blues Town Story, Vol. 1, included a couple of previously unreleased tracks, although one side of the disc included work by the more obscure bluesman, Alabama Watson.
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