Kansas City Red
| Kansas City Red | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Arthur Lee Stevenson |
| Born |
May 7, 1926 Drew, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | May 7, 1991 (aged 65) |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Blues musician, nightclub owner/manager |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums |
| Years active | 1950s–1991 |
| Labels | Earwig, JSP, P-Vine |
| Associated acts | Robert Nighthawk, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Earl Hooker, Floyd Jones, Joe Carter, Big Walter Horton, Big John Wrencher |
Arthur Lee Stevenson (May 7, 1926 – May 7, 1991), known as Kansas City Red, was an American blues drummer and vocalist who played a major role in the development of urban blues. He performed and/or recorded with many blues artists such as David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, and Walter Horton.
Stevenson was born in Drew, Mississippi. After he was rejected for the service in 1942, he took a brief trip to Kansas City and then became nicknamed Kansas City Red. David "Honeyboy" Edwards was his first musical influence. He started following Robert Nighthawk in the early 1940s and when Nighthawk’s drummer was ill and unable to play a gig, Kansas City Red offered to fill in even though he had never played drums. He was Nighthawk’s drummer until around 1946. Nighthawk recorded Red’s song, “The Moon is Rising”. He became part of Sonny Boy Williamson II's inner circle and he played on the famed King Biscuit radio show in Helena, Arkansas. He had brushes with law enforcement, women, and jealous boyfriends in the south and California before moving to southern Illinois. He moved to Chicago in the 1950s. where he was a regular at Chicago blues clubs, playing with Johnny Shines, Walter Horton, Sunnyland Slim,Earl Hooker, Blind John Davis, Johnny "Man" Young, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Eddie Taylor, Floyd Jones, and Elmore James, among others. He briefly played with Honeyboy Edwards and in the 1950s he formed a band with Earl Hooker. He led his own bands, including one that gave Jimmy Reed early professional experience. He owned and operated well-known clubs on Chicago’s west side such as the Boola Boola, the Shangri-La, and the Club Reno.
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