Lonnie Pitchford

by Sara Muckler

(Lonnie Pitchford appears Fri, May 23rd, 8pm at Mercer Arena; Sat, May 24th, 2:20pm at the Flag Plaza; Sun, May 25th, 8:25pm at the Mercer Arena; and as part of "The African Asthetic In Two Worlds," Sun, 7pm at Mercer Arena, Seattle)

Lonnie Pitchford was a name unfamiliar to me until a few years ago when a friend put the disc "All Around Man" (Rooster Blues Records) in my hand and with a glazed look in his eyes said: "Listen." And oh baby did I!

A bluesman in the purest sense of the spirit, Pitchford claims "the Delta is my school and the Blues is my teacher." Amen. Born in 1955 in the vicinity of Lexington, Mississsippi, the guitarist started playing music even before he had an actual instrument. Because his family was too poor to afford to buy him a guitar, he literally improvised. In "All Around Man" Pitchford writes: "When I was five or six, I would make a one-string guitar upside the wall. I would get me some baling wire or wire from a broom that my Mom had discarded, and some old rusty nails - didn't have new ones - I had to pull them out of the old boards. Then I would pound them into the wall upside the house, wrap the wire at both ends and lay a snuff can under the bottom (his grandmother dipped snuff.) Then I'd just go to playing anything that came to mind." Innovative blues at the ripe age of six!

Pitchford went on to play in various bands in his teens doing R & B and Blues covers, as well as playing in church groups. In 1972 he gained national recognition playing his one-string "guitar", or diddley-bo, at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington D.C. The guitarist has since played numerous festivals and clubs nationally and internationally, including the 1993 Port Townsend Country Blues Festival (recognize his shirt in that cover photo?).

Even though he spent time with the likes of Honeyboy Edwards, Snooks Eaglin and John Lee Hooker, Pitchford respectfully acknowledges the influence of Robert Jr. Lockwood who he met at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennesee. The Mississippi native says Lockwood introduced him to the music and guitar stylings of Robert Johnson (Lockwood's step-father.) Although it's easy to compare Pitchford's style to Johnson's, and he is accepting and grateful of this comparison, he says he also wants to be recognized in his own right. No problem there. You can't deny Pitchford's own soul imprint on the songs he covers or the unique styling of his own originals. It is a great honor to have this true Delta bluesman in our fair city, an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.

In addition to "All Around Man" Pitchford is featured on the soundtrack "Deep Blues" (Atlantic) as well as "Roots of Rhythm & Blues: A Tribute to the Robert Johnson Era" (Sony), "National Downhome Blues Festival" (Southland), "American Folk Blues Festival" (L&R) and "Living Country Blues" (L&R). **