Sidney Maiden (April 1917 – c. 1987) was an American country blues musician. Maiden principally played harmonica accompaniment, but also sang on some of his own recordings, in addition to writing several compositions. His best known work is "Eclipse of the Sun" (1948).

Life and career

Maiden was born in Evelyn,

DeSoto Parish, Louisiana DeSoto Parish ( French: ''Paroisse DeSoto'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 26,656; at the 2020 census, its population increased to 26,812. Its par ...

, in 1917, although some sources state 1923. By the early 1940s, he had relocated to California and met

K. C. Douglas K. C. Douglas (November 21, 1913 – October 18, 1975) was an American rural blues singer and guitarist. His given names were initials only. Career Born in Sharon, Mississippi, Douglas moved to Vallejo, California in 1945 to work in the naval ...

. They both steadfastly stuck to playing in a country blues style and performed in nightclubs on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

. The K. C. Douglas Trio's first recording was "Mercury Boogie" (later renamed "

Mercury Blues "Mercury Blues" is a song written by rural blues musician K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins, and first recorded by Douglas in 1948.Leadbitter, M. and Slaven, N., ''Blues Records 1943 to 1970 Vol. 1: A-K'', London: Record Information Services 2nd ...

"), in 1948, which included Maiden playing the harmonica. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

was "Eclipse of the Sun", which was also produced by the record label owner Bob Geddins and released on his Down Town label. It was Maiden's vocal on the latter track. By 1952, Maiden recorded a session for

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to 19 ...

, in which he was backed by the Blues Blowers, which included Douglas. Three years later, another Maiden track, "Hurry Hurry Baby", was released by Flash Records. This was followed by "Hand Me Down Baby", recorded by Maiden with Al Simmons and Slim Green in Los Angeles in 1957. In April 1961, Maiden recorded his only album, ''Trouble an' Blues'', which was originally released by the Prestige Bluesville label, thus reuniting a partnership with Douglas that had started in the 1940s. The same year, Arhoolie Records released the album ''Mercy Dee'', by

Mercy Dee Walton Mercy Dee Walton (born Mercy Davis Walton, August 30, 1915 – December 2, 1962) was an American jump blues pianist, singer and songwriter, whose compositions went from blues to R&B numbers. According to journalist Tony Russell in his book ''The ...

, recorded in Stockton, California. It featured Walton plus Maiden on harmonica, Douglas on

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

and Otis Cherry on the drums. Afterwards Maiden performed occasionally in

Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...

, both as a solo performer and in various group settings. His later life is largely unrecorded. According to the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc, he died in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the late 1980s; some other sources date his death to 1970.

Discography (reissue)

References

External links

Illustrated Sidney Maiden discographyUnissued Imperial recordings, Youtube.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maiden, Sidney 1917 births 1980s deaths Year of death uncertain American blues singers American blues harmonica players Songwriters from Louisiana People from Mansfield, Louisiana 20th-century American singers Singers from Louisiana