John Charles Brim (April 10, 1922 – October 1, 2003) was an American

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

guitarist, songwriter, and singer. He wrote and recorded the song "Ice Cream Man" which was later covered by the rock band

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

for their first album, and by

Martin Sexton Martin Sexton Born March 2, 1966 is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Early life Born in 1966, Sexton grew up in Syracuse, New York, the tenth of twelve children in a working class Irish-American family. He acquired his first ...

on his 2001 album, ''Live Wide Open'', and by

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...

on his album '' Diamond Dave'' and by Swedish band FJK as "Isglasskis".

Biography

Brim began playing guitar by studying the recordings of

Big Bill Broonzy Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...

and

Tampa Red Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician. His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues gui ...

. He moved to Indianapolis in 1941 and Chicago in 1947. His wife, Grace, was also a talented musician, playing drums and harmonica. Brim recorded for several labels, including

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

. "Ice Cream Man" was recorded in 1953 but not released until 1969. Other tracks recorded for Chess include "I Would Hate to See You Go" (1956). The album ''Whose Muddy Shoes'' includes all his songs from the 1950s on that label. Brim also operated a dry cleaners and a record store. He used his royalties from Van Halen's recording of "Ice Cream Man" to open a nightclub in Chicago. He continued to perform occasionally around Chicago and was a regularly featured performer at the

Chicago Blues Festival The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June, that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the Chicago, Illinois, City of Chicago Department of Cu ...

beginning in 1991, when he was backed by a Chicago blues band, the Ice Cream Men (drummer Steve Cushing, guitarists Dave Waldman and "Rockin'" Johnny Burgin, and harmonica player Scott Dirks). The name of the band was coincidental; they were not Brim's regular band and had been using the name because the members had previously worked with the Chicago bluesman

Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers (March 21, 1929 – July 23, 1993) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer. He was a member of Howlin' Wolf's backing band and worked with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Bo Diddley, Ike Turner, J. T. Brown, Freddie ...

, who worked as an ice cream man on Chicago's South Side. Brim recorded four songs for the German label Wolf in 1989. A studio album, ''Ice Cream Man'', was released by Tone Cool Records in 1994. It was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award as the Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Brim appeared at the 1997

San Francisco Blues Festival The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States. History Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the ...

. He made another album in 2000 and continued to give live performances, such as in Belgium in 2001 and at the

in 2002.

Death

Brim died following a year-long battle with heart cancer at 81 years old on October 1, 2003. His funeral was held on October 10, 2003.

Studio albums

*''The Ice Cream Man'' (Tone Cool, 1994) *''Jake's Blues'' (Anna Bee, 2000)

References

External links

Illustrated Grace and John Brim discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brim, John 1922 births 2003 deaths People from Hopkinsville, Kentucky Chicago blues musicians American blues harmonica players American blues guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from Illinois Chess Records artists Deaths from heart cancer Blues musicians from Kentucky Singers from Kentucky Songwriters from Kentucky 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Chicago Guitarists from Kentucky 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male musicians Deaths from cancer in Indiana American male songwriters

Biography

Death

Studio albums

See also

References

External links