Jewell Stovall, better known as Babe Stovall (October 14, 1907 – September 21, 1974), was an American Delta blues

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and guitarist. Stovall was born in

Tylertown, Mississippi Tylertown is a town in Walthall County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat of Walthall County. The population was 1,609 at the 2010 census. History The town of Tylertown was first known as the Magee Settlement. It was settled by ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, in 1907, the youngest of eleven children (thus his nickname "Babe"). He learned to play the guitar by the age of eight, and his guitar playing style was influenced by Tommy Johnson, whom he had met in Mississippi around 1930. In 1964, he relocated to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, where he entertained on the streets, and in cafes and galleries of the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

. Stovall frequently took young white musicians under his wing as apprentice performers, teaching them traditional country blues songs and guitar techniques. He variously played his guitar at the back of his neck, and hollered his song lyrics loudly for all in the vicinity to hear. In 1964 he recorded an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

for Verve, titled ''Babe Stovall'' (which was re-released in 1990 on CD), and undertook more recordings in 1966, released as ''The Babe Stovall Story''. His later work with Bob West resulted in ''The Old Ace: Mississippi Blues & Religious Songs'', which was released on Arcola (2003). He was credited by some as the character inspiration behind

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was bes ...

's, "Mr. Bojangles". Stovall played on the college circuit, in addition to being the regular musician at the Dream Palace Bar on Frenchman Street, and The Quarum club in New Orleans. His death in 1974 was by natural causes.

References

External links

Illustrated Babe Stovall discography

Babe Stovall ''Blues in G'' from the UCLA Digital Library
1907 births 1974 deaths Country blues musicians American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Songwriters from Mississippi Musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Songwriters from Louisiana Singers from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana Guitarists from Mississippi People from Tylertown, Mississippi 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters {{US-guitarist-stub