Jimmie Lee Robinson
| Jimmie Lee Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Lonesome Lee |
| Born |
April 30, 1931 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | July 6, 2002 (aged 71) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1942–2002 |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | The Every Hour Blues Boys |
Jimmie Lee Robinson (April 30, 1931 – July 6, 2002), also known as Lonesome Lee, was an American blues musician who was predominantly known for his involvement in the Chicago blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s. He performed with other blues musicians of the period and worked as a session musician. Following a hiatus from music, Robinson returned to the profession in the 1990s to record his own material for full-length albums.
Robinson was born on April 30, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. As a child he lived with his grandparents. He was taught to play the guitar by his neighbor, the blues musician Blind Percy (who would later accompany him in concerts in the area). In 1942, Robinson began playing in the Maxwell Street market, where he also performed with local musicians. In 1948, Robinson met Eddie Taylor, and the two worked the Chicago club scene together until 1952. After the two split, Robinson formed a band, the Every Hour Blues Boys, with Freddie King, whom he met outside a welfare center. The band lasted four years, and King later credited Robinson as one of his earliest and most influential teachers. In 1955, Robinson joined a band led by Little Walter, which became popular in Chicago. In 1958 Walter was incapacitated by a shooting, and Robinson became the vocalist of the group in Walter's absence, but he left the band later that year, because of personnel issues. Throughout the 1950s, Robinson was in demand as a session musician, playing bass guitar and rhythm guitar for such artists as Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Cooper, and Magic Sam. In addition to his session work, he recorded three singles for the Bandera label, including one of his signature songs, "All of My Life", in 1960.
In 1965, Robinson toured in Europe with Buddy Guy, Big Mama Thornton, and John Lee Hooker as a part of Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau's American Folk Blues Festival. Robinson continued to tour and record in the United States, but, with the combination of the death of his mother and the fading popularity of the blues, his musical activity declined in the late 1960s. During this time, he opened a candy store in Chicago and toured a few more times, often with his longtime friend Little Willie Anderson, and recorded, but at an inconsistent rate. In the 1980s, however, Robinson abandoned his music career and worked as a carpenter and later a cab driver for most of the decade.
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