James D. "Shakey Jake" Harris (April 12, 1921 – March 2, 1990) 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 ...

singer,

harmonicist The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

and songwriter. He released five albums over a period of almost 25 years. He was often musically associated with his nephew

Magic Sam Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

Life and career

James D. Harris was born in Earle, Arkansas, and relocated with his family to Chicago, Illinois, at the age of seven. He played in several Chicago blues ensembles in the late 1940s. He also worked as a mechanic and as a professional gambler (his nickname came from a dice players' expression, "shake 'em"). His debut

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

was the single "Call Me if You Need Me", backed with "Roll Your Moneymaker", released by Artistic Records in 1958, featuring

and

Syl Johnson Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I' ...

on guitar and produced by

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

.
Harris was not paid for the session, but he won $700 shooting

craps Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, "street c ...

with label owner Eli Toscano. In 1960,

Bluesville Records Bluesville Records was an American record label subsidiary of Prestige Records, launched in 1959, with the primary purpose of documenting the work of the older classic bluesmen passed over by the changing audience. Such bluesmen as Roosevelt Sykes, ...

teamed Harris with the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musicians

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era ...

and Bill Jennings for the album ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

''. His later recording of '' Mouth Harp Blues'' returned to a more traditional blues style. Harris toured and was part of the

American Folk Blues Festival The American Folk Blues Festival was a music festival that toured Europe as an annual event for several years beginning in 1962. It introduced audiences in Europe, including the UK, to leading blues performers of the day such as Muddy Waters, Howl ...

tour in 1962. Throughout the 1960s Harris and Sam appeared regularly in concert together around Chicago. Harris's patronage of younger musicians helped secure

Luther Allison Luther Allison (August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997) was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas, although some accounts suggest his actual place of birth was Mayflower, Arkansas. Allison was intereste ...

's recording debut. Harris moved on in the late 1960s, recording with Allison in Los Angeles on ''Further On up the Road''. He also played with other harmonica players, such as William Clarke. Harris subsequently recorded for

World Pacific Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

. He also owned a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

and a record label, but ill health eventually led him to return to Arkansas, where he died, at the age of 68, on March 2, 1990.

Selected discography

Singles

*"Call Me if You Need Me" / "Roll Your Moneymaker" (1958), Artistic *"Respect Me Baby" / "A Hard Road" (1966), The Blues

Albums

*''

'' (Bluesville, 1960) *'' Mouth Harp Blues'' (Bluesville, 1961) *''Further on Up the Road'', billed as Shakey Jake and the All Stars (World Pacific, 1969) *''The Devil's Harmonica'' (1972),

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

*''The Key Won't Fit'' (1984), Murray Brothers With

*'' Magic Touch'' (Black Magic, 1966

983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byza ...

*''

The Magic Sam Legacy ''The Magic Sam Legacy'' is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the American blues musician Magic Sam, recorded in Chicago between 1966 and 1968, that was released by the Delmark label in 1989.

'' (Delmark, 1967 989

References

External links