Almanac Music: Snooks Eaglin – New Orleans bluesman and legend.
Snooks Eaglin was born Fird Eaglin Jnr in New Orleans 1937 and died there in 2009.
From his beginnings as a blind street singer to a long career as a ‘must-see’ artist in the post-war New Orleans Blues and R&B music scene for visitors to the bars around the French Quarter, to a late series of brilliant albums on the Black Top label where he put his personal stamp on the Blues catalogue.
Snooks was a much-loved figure in The Crescent City, known as The Human Jukebox, he knew literally thousands of songs, which he delivered with a soulful voice and a sense of humour, and his effortless guitar playing was nothing short of sublime.
Check out some examples from the repertoire of Snooks Eaglin.
Snooks Eaglin – Give me the good old boxcar
Folkways Records released “New Orleans Street Singer” in 1959. Smithsonian Folkways.
October 23, 1985 at Storyville Jazz Hall in New Orleans, LA
Spotify has some terrific playlists of the music of Snooks Eaglin.
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About Colin Ritchie
Retired teacher who enjoys following the Bombers, listening to music especially Bob Dylan, reading, and swimming.
Thanks Col.
Snooks Eaglin is a favorite of mine, particularly his acoustic offerings.
Good choices here.
The New Orleans Street Singer album is a classic with his soulful voice and understated, masterful guitar playing. Listening to Snooks I can easily imagine standing on a street corner in New Orleans.
And of the many hundreds of versions of St James Infirmary, his is right up there with the best.
Thanks for the comments Peter. Snooks is one of those artists who tends to slip under the radar, I suppose the problem being he is one of so many. Having been to New Orleans a few times for JazzFest, one of the joys is listening to the music on the streets and the small clubs, all fantastic and not a dud amongst them.