Ernest Lawlars (May 18, 1900 – November 14, 1961)Harris, S. (1981): ''Blues Who's Who''. New York, Da Capo Press, pp. 316–7 was an American blues guitarist, vocalist, and composer, known professionally as Little Son Joe.Garon & Garon 1992, p. 46

Early years and Memphis

Lawlars (sometimes spelled "Lawlers" or "Lawlar") was born in

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, Arkansas, United States. From around 1931 to 1936 he worked around

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

with

Robert Wilkins Robert Timothy Wilkins (January 16, 1896 – May 26, 1987) was an American country blues guitarist and vocalist, of African-American and Cherokee descent. His distinction was his versatility: he could play ragtime, blues, minstrel songs, and g ...

, who he accompanied on a recording session in 1935. The same session also produced Lawlers's first recorded side, under the name Son Joe, although this was not issued.Dixon, Robert M W. Godrich, John. Rye, Howard W (1997). ''Blues and Gospel Records 1890–1943''. Oxford: OUP, 4th ed., p. 549

Chicago

By 1939, Lawlars was working with, and married to,

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

in Chicago. Their first recording session together, for

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

in February 1939, produced six released sides by Lawlers as well as four under Minnie's name. Lawlars recorded in his own right under the name Little Son Joe, but most of his recorded work was as an accompanist to Minnie. In 1942 he had a hit with "Black Rat Swing", billed as “Mr. Memphis Minnie”.

Return to Memphis

Lawlars mostly retired from music from around 1957 because of ill-health, although after moving to Memphis in 1958 he and Minnie had a regular Saturday night gig at the Red Light in

Millington, Tennessee Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and is a part of the Memphis metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 10,176. Millington was granted the title "Flag City Tennessee" by the Tennessee Stat ...

, and he played drums on Minnie's final recording session in 1959.Garon & Garon 1992 p. 78

Death

Lawlars died in John Gaston Hospital,

, Tennessee, in November 1961 from heart disease, and was buried in the New Hope Cemetery in

Walls, Mississippi Walls is a town located in northern DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region known as " The Delta", and known for its rich, dark soil. As it is in the upper northwest corner of Mississipp ...

References

Sources

*Garon, Paul and Beth Garon (1992). ''Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues''. New York: Da Capo Press, .

External links

* All Music: Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlars {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawlars, Ernest 1900 births 1961 deaths American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American male composers Singers from Arkansas People from St. Francis County, Arkansas 20th-century American singers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Arkansas 20th-century American male musicians