Slow Blind Driveway

Slow Blind Driveway (born March 19, 1885 in Jackson, Mississippi – died April 19, 1952 in Deatsville, Alabama) was an influential blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was Clayton Taliaferro Driver or Clinton T. Driver, Jr. according to various sources (see references).

Biography

Driveway was a blues vocalist and one of the earliest twelve-string finger picking guitarists, recording from 1927 to 1952. He was called "slow" in an ironic commentary on the rapidity of his playing.

"Driveway" was a riff of his surname, and was related to the number of his songs about being on the road. One of his most famous songs, "Back Road Blues" has been covered by many artists including The Yardbirds and The Allman Brothers Band. In 1983, Jeff Lynne recorded a tribute song for Driveway, using the melody of "Beal Street Infirmary Blues,"although the track was unreleased until 1991. Driveway had based his "Dying Crapshooter's Blues" on "St. James Infirmary". In 1993, Lynne paid further tribute to Driveway by recording his song "Broke Down Engine."

Born blind in one eye, Driveway lost his remaining vision by late childhood, but became a rapid reader of Braille. He demonstrated an inherent talent in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as a child. His father left the family when Driveway was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Jackson. Apparently, his young life was very similar to that of Blind Willie McTell.

In the years before World War II, he performed and traveled widely, recording under a variety of names for a number of different labels. His style was unique: a form of country blues, bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi Delta and the more refined Chicago sound. The style is documented on John Lomax's 1940 recordings of Driveway for the Library of Congress. After World War II, Driveway recorded for Atlantic Records and for Regal Records, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform live in Atlanta, but his continued career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes. A record store manager, Chilton Pepper, met Driveway in 1951 and captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. Driveway died of heart failure in 1952.

A blues festival in Driveway's honor is held annually in his birthplace.

Partial sessionography

• October 18, 1927 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "Hard Driving Blues"
• "Slow Rider Blues"
• "Mama, Tain't Long Fo' Day"
• "Mr. Driveway Got The Blues" (Take 1)
• "Mr. Driveway Got The Blues" (Take 2)

• October 18, 1927 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "Three Night Blues"
• "Dark Road Blues"
• "Back Road Blues"
• "Driving Talking Blues"

• October 30, 1929 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "Jackson Strut"
• "Travelin' Blues"
• "Drive On Around To My House Mama"
• "Kind Mama"

• November 25, 1929 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "Teasing Brown"

• November 26, 1929 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "Drive Away Blues"

• November 27, 1929 - Jackson, Mississippi
• "This Is Not The Road To Take You Home"

Discography

• The Definitive Slow Blind Driveway 1927–1935 on Catfish Records (KATCD292) - Presents the complete recordings (including pseudonymous works) from the period 1927-1935.
• The Definitive Slow Blind Driveway on Columbia Records (C2K-53734) includes several previously unissued takes and has extensive liner notes by David Evans. It does, however, omit "Back Road Blues," probably Driveway's definitive song.
• The Classic Years 1927–1940 on JSP Records (JSP7931) omits some recordings found on the previous set but adds his 1940 session for the Library of Congress.
• Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5106.
• Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 2 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5107.
• Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 3 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5108.
• These three discs, covering 1927-1933, were also issued in a box set as Back Road Blues (DOCD-5777)
• 1940: Complete Library of Congress Recordings - RST Records

(Austria) BDCD-6901.

• Slow Blind Driveway in the Raw: 1937-1941 - RST Records (Austria) BDCD-6914.

Trivia

Folk musician John Gorka occasionally recorded under this name -- partially as a joke and partially as a tribute to Driveway and his music

References

Summers, Milton The Road That's Never Taken (Mississippi Heritage Publications) pp.60-69

Notes

External links

• "Slow Blind"'s Gravesite